bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Status epilepticus prognosis following levetiracetam administration: Analysis of loading doses
Authors: Kuffer Ian , Novy Jan , Rossetti Andrea O.
Published: March 2023

Background and purpose

Recommended loading doses of levetiracetam (LEV) for status epilepticus (SE) treatment have increased over time. However, this was not evidence‐based, and the benefit of the increase remains unclear. The effect of different LEV loading doses on SE prognosis was explored.

Methods

This is a retrospective analysis of an SE adult registry (January 2016–December 2021), including patients receiving LEV as a second‐line SE treatment. Patients were stratified according to LEV loading doses (threshold 35 mg/kg). Main outcomes were global mortality, LEV use as last SE treatment, and return to baseline conditions at discharge, exploring LEV as a dichotomized or continuous dose.

Results

Among 202 patients, 44 received LEV at ≥35 mg/kg and 158 below it. Global mortality, adjusted for SE severity and potentially fatal aetiology, was more frequent in the high LEV dose group (27.2% vs. 17.1%, odds ratio 3.14, 95% confidence interval 1.23–8.06; p = 0.017), whilst LEV prescription as last treatment and return to baseline conditions were comparable. Considering continuous LEV dosages or mortality in ongoing SE, however, no outcome reached statistical significance.

Conclusions

Lower LEV loading doses do not seem to correlate with worse clinical outcome, challenging current guidelines. Further studies, ideally prospective, are needed on this topic.
Atrial fibrillation detection using Poincare geometry and heart beat intervals
Authors: Shrikanth Rao S. K. , Kolekar Maheshkumar H. , Martis Roshan Joy
Published: March 2023

Detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) remains one of the major concerns in the field of medical research. AF is one of the main cause for stroke. AF is characterized by irregular heartbeats and absence of P waves in electrocardiogram (ECG) signal. In this article, we propose a method, combining Poincare plot derived and RR interval‐based features to classify given ECG signal into normal, AF and other rhythms. Classification and regression tree, K‐nearest neighbor, support vector machine, artificial neural network, ResNet18, convolutional neural network (CNN)‐long short term memory (LSTM) are implemented for classification of ECG signal. The class specific accuracies for the three rhythms are computed. Physionet challenge 2017 database is used for evaluation and testing of the developed algorithm. The database has 5154 normal, 771 AF, 2557 other rhythm and 46 noisy signals. Three Poincare derived features viz: SD1, SD2, and ratio of SD1 to SD2, three RR interval features viz: Mean stepping increment of RR interval, approximate entropy and sample entropy are computed and are given to classifiers. During fivefold cross‐validation, CNN‐LSTM classifier showed best result with class specific accuracy for normal of 96.65%, AF of 97.55%, other rhythms of 94.87%, overall accuracy of 96.17% and F1 score of 0.9589. The developed technique can bring change in conventional practice in AF diagnosis and can aid the physician as an assisted tool.
Energy optimization in path arbitrary wireless sensor network
Authors: Goud B. Harish , Shankar T. N. , Sah Basant , Aluvalu Rajanikanth
Published: March 2023

A network of wireless sensors is a self‐infrastructure approach with many sensory nodes. The distributed sensory nodes communicate with each other via sensory points. In wireless sensor network (WSN), the sensory nodes collect information for healthcare, military and monitoring systems. Such networks require an exclusive arrangement of the nodes to challenge inherent limitations and energy deficiency. The conventional design of a communication system consumes more energy with high latency causing degraded performance. This study provided a machine learning‐based path optimization mechanism using the least energy resources in designing an effective wireless network system with enhanced three measures of network performance, including throughput, packet delivery efficiency and energy usage. The proposed methodology is validated through network simulation tools.
Experimental study and fretting fatigue life prediction in dovetail assembly considering stress–temperature nonlinear coupling effect
Authors: Sun Debin , Gao Qiang , Huo Junzhou
Published: March 2023

As a paramount failure form of dovetail assembly, high‐temperature fretting fatigue seriously restricts the actual service life. Aiming at the problem of fretting fatigue life prediction of dovetail assembly of the aero‐engine compressor under the coexistence of stress and high temperature, based on D‐M contact theory and continuum damage mechanics theory, a fretting fatigue life prediction model considering stress–temperature nonlinear coupling effect is proposed in this paper by, respectively, introducing the fretting fatigue stress σfretting and the high‐temperature influence factor λ. Meanwhile, the judgment criterion of fretting fatigue crack initiation and failure is raised based on the strain–displacement method, and the fretting fatigue test is designed and carried out for experimental verification. The results show that the proposed fretting fatigue life prediction model has high life prediction ability, whose life prediction results are within ±1.7 times the error band, which can provide a theoretical reference for the structural design optimization and damage tolerance design of dovetail assembly.
Examining talent attraction and retention in small and medium‐sized cities: Where do universities fit in?
Authors: Osutei Nene , Kim Jae Hong
Published: March 2023

As universities have become more integrated into their communities and regions, their host cities have become locations of choice for the highly educated facilitating increased innovation and productivity rates in several locales. Recent transitions toward knowledge‐driven economies have also intensified growing geographic divides along the lines of education and raised concerns about the possibility of brain drain in a growing number of cities/regions. This study examines the changing geography of highly educated individuals (2000–2017) with a focus on small and medium‐sized U.S. metropolitan areas with and without research universities. Results indicate the continuing trend of divergence among regions, but research universities are found to complement (the lack of) talent agglomeration and generate spatial spillovers beyond the county boundaries.
Let's enjoy the heated “Debate Forum” (Gekiron Colosseo) at Makuhari Messe: A report of the 45th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan (MBSJ2022)
Authors: Fukagawa Tatsuo
Published: March 2023

The 45th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan (MBSJ2022) was held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture from November 30 to December 2, 2022. We decided to make MBSJ2022 as the place for heated discussion and organized the meeting with the theme for MBSJ2022, heated “Debate Forum” (Gekiron Colosseo in Japanese). We had more than 6000 participants, and we believe that the meeting was finally ended in great success, as approximately 80% of survey respondents were generally satisfied with MBSJ2022 (https://www.mbsj.jp/meetings/annual/2022/enq.html). To implement the heated “Debate Forum,” we carried out many new projects; introduction of graphic abstracts, “Science Pitch,” “Meet My Hero/Heroine,” MBSJ‐ASCB‐EMBO joint sessions, a solo exhibition of Grant‐in‐Aid applications, a theme song, live classical music, elaborate photo booths, and a compact guide map, all together enabled close interaction among the participants. For the implementation of these unprecedented projects, here, I would like to summarize how we organized this meeting and our intentions.
Long‐term thermal stability of Li4TiO4–Li2TiO3 core–shell breeding pebbles under continuous heating in H2/Ar atmosphere
Authors: Chen Ruichong , Ipponsugi Akito , Oyama Ran , Qi Jianqi , Wang Haomin , Huang Zhangyi , Guo Hao , Lu Tiecheng , Feng Wei , Katayama Kazunari
Published: March 2023

The long‐term thermal stability of tritium breeding materials during service is a key factor to ensure efficient tritium release. In this study, the long‐term thermal stability of advanced Li4TiO4–Li2TiO3 core–shell breeding pebbles under continuous heating in 1%H2/Ar at 900°C was investigated for the first time. The results show that this core–shell material loses 3.4% Li mass after heating for 30 days, resulting in a reduction in Li density to .415 g/cm3, which is still significantly higher than other breeding materials. The moisture in the sample bed will determine the form of Li volatilization and thus affect the rate of Li mass loss. The core–shell pebbles maintain favorable phase stability during long‐term heating, and the grain sizes of the Li2TO3 shell and Li4TiO4 core after 30 days of heating are 6.5 ± 1.5 and 6.9 ± 2.5 μm, respectively. Moreover, the samples did not crack or collapse during long‐term heating and still had a satisfactory crushing strength of 37.61 ± 7.13 N after 30 days of heating. Overall, the high Li density and good thermal stability during long‐term heating demonstrate that the Li4TiO4–Li2TiO3 core–shell breeding pebbles are a very reliable tritium breeding material for long‐term service under harsh operating conditions.
Treatment recalcitrant cases of tinea corporis/cruris caused by T. mentagrophytes – interdigitale complex with mutations in ERG11 ERG 3, ERG4, MDR1 MFS genes & SQLE and their potential implications
Authors: Bhattacharyya Anamika , Sadhasivam Suresh , Sinha Mau , Gupta Swati , Saini Swamini , Singh Himanshi , Khurana Ananta , Sachdeva Soumya , Sardana Kabir , Ghosh Shamik
Published: March 2023

Background

Recalcitrant dermatophyte infections are being reported from various parts of the world due to varied causes including strain variation, steroid misuse, SQLE mutations, and variable quality of itraconazole pellet formulations. The oral drug preferred in endemic areas is itraconazole, to which MIC levels remain low, and clinical failures to itraconazole reported defy a sound scientific explanation.

Objectives

The objective of the study was to conduct a proteomic and genomic analysis on isolates from therapeutically recalcitrant case with isolation of gene mutations and enzymatic abnormalities to explain azole failures.

Methods

Trichophyton mentagrophyte interdigitale complex strains were isolated from seven clinically non‐responding tinea corporis/cruris patients, who had failed a sequential course of 6 weeks of terbinafine 250 mg QD and itraconazole 100 mg BID. After AFST 1 strain, KA01 with high MIC to most drugs was characterized using whole genome sequencing, comparative proteomic profiling, and total sterol quantification.

Results

Sterol quantification showed that the standard strain of Trichophyton mentagrophytes (MTCC‐7687) had half the ergosterol content than the resistant KA01 strain. Genomic analysis revealed mutations in SQLE, ERG4, ERG11, MDR1, MFS genes, and a novel ERG3 mutation. Proteomic analysis established the aberrant expression of acetyl Co‐A transferase in the resistant strain and upregulation of thioredoxin reductase and peroxiredoxin.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrate possible reasons for multidrug resistance in the prevalent strain with mutations in genes that predict terbinafine (SQLE) and azole actions (ERG4, ERG11, ERG3) apart from efflux pumps (MDR1, MFS) that can explain multidrug clinical failures.
COVID‐19 infection in nursing staff: A cohort study
Authors: Nogueira Lilia de Souza , Poveda Vanessa de Brito , Lemos Cassiane de Santana , Bruna Camila Quartim de Moraes , Moura Bruna Roberta Siqueira
Published: March 2023

Aim

This study aims to identify the working conditions of Brazilian nursing professionals and the risk factors for these professionals to become infected by coronavirus disease.

Background

Understanding the factors that affected nursing professionals during the pandemic can support better nursing management.

Design

This is a quantitative, cross‐sectional survey study.

Methods

Data collection was carried out between February and March 2022 in Brazil. All nursing professionals registered in the national database received by e‐mail the study instrument with the data collection variables: professionals' sociodemographic and comorbid, professional and institutional characteristics, and professionals' health conditions and disease‐related aspects for COVID‐19.

Results

Four thousand eight hundred sixty‐two nursing professionals reported a lack of personal protective equipment for patient care, and 4424 were infected by coronavirus disease. The risk factors to become infected were having cardiovascular disease, being under 60 years of age, living in the northern region, using public transportation, working in a hospital, an emergency department or reference institution for COVID‐19, living with an infected person and lack of respirators or waterproof aprons.

Conclusion

Multiple risk factors for infection with SARS‐CoV‐2 were demonstrated for the nursing professionals during the pandemic, highlighting current and future pandemics factors that are modifiable in a worthwhile time frame to minimize nurses' infection risks, such as inadequate working conditions associated with lack of essential personal protective equipment.
Overview of imaging used to guide management for prostate and bladder malignancy
Authors: Jafarieh Sarah , Vishwanath Veena , Rembielak Agata
Published: March 2023

This article aims to present updates and review current practise on the main imaging modalities used in diagnosis of bladder and prostate cancer and provide this to readers. Patients diagnosed with or having treatment for a urological cancer are a huge part of any urological nurses' rota or clinical responsibilities, particularly now in an era of ever changing and improving diagnosis and management options. In this manuscript a practical overview of imaging is given to influence a fuller understanding of therapeutic management in prostate and bladder malignancies. For the purpose of this article there is only a focus on imaging in terms of diagnosis and staging purposes. It is hoped that detailed use of imaging in radiotherapy and brachytherapy for planning and treatment verification will be the subject of a separate paper but, for now, it is briefly mentioned for readers that may be less familiar with radiation oncology. Discussion and overview of imaging modalities used in the diagnosis of prostate and bladder cancer will improve understanding for urology nurses, especially junior career nurses.
Irritability: A concept analysis
Authors: Saatchi Babak , Olshansky Ellen F. , Fortier Michelle A.
Published: March 2023

Irritability is a term used to describe feelings of anger, annoyance and impatience, and is commonly experienced by individuals in daily life. However, there are diverse conceptualizations of irritability in public and clinical research, which often result in confusing irritability with anger and other overlapping concepts. This, in turn, leads to a lack of conceptual clarity. Accordingly, the purpose of this concept analysis was to explore the irritability concept, including its definitions, defining characteristics, antecedents, consequences and empirical referents. The findings showed that irritability is predominantly conceptualized as a psychophysiological concept in the literature. We demonstrated that irritability can be differentiated from overlapping concepts like anger by qualities, such as ‘unpredictability and lowered emotion control’, ‘lowered threshold for negative emotional stimuli’, ‘being manifested in response to frustrative situations or physiological needs’ and ‘experience of disproportionate and unjustified emotional irritation’. Importantly, severe irritability prospectively predicts psychiatric disorders and greater impairments in health, financial, educational and social functioning in individuals. Taken together, our analysis showed that one should take into account the context, duration, intensity and importantly outcomes, when assessing irritability in an individual. Considering these findings and the presence of irritability in nursing practice, it is crucial for nurses to recognize and successfully identify this concept in the nursing care they provide within the diverse settings and patient populations.
Quantifying and explaining the decline in public schoolteacher retirement benefits
Authors: Abashidze Nino , Clark Robert L. , Craig Lee A.
Published: March 2023

We estimate that, between 2000 and 2020, the average initial monthly retirement benefit for teachers retiring with 30 years of service has been reduced by 11.2%, though the decline in benefits varies substantially across the states (the median reduction in the initial benefit was 1.9%). We also find that plans covering only teachers, and plans in which teachers are not in Social Security, have made smaller reductions in the generosity of their pension benefits.
Impact of anxiety and confidence in virtual reality‐mediated learning transferred to hands‐on tasks
Authors: Wang Wei‐Sheng , Cheng Yu‐Ping , Lee Hsin‐Yu , Lin Chia‐Ju , Huang Yueh‐Min
Published: March 2023

Background

Benefited from advances in technology, virtual reality (VR) has been widely applied to learning content in operational training as well as hands‐on courses. However, most current studies tend to evaluate learning effectiveness in this application, and few were focused on how learners can be benefited from transferring the knowledge learned to real‐world field performance. Moreover, in application‐oriented hands‐on courses such as embedded electronic circuits, to our best knowledge, none were presented in interactive learning materials with the combination of VR and neither were the understanding of the changes in cognition, learning anxiety, and learning confidence during the learning process.

Method and Objective

We combine VR technology with hands‐on tasks to design a VR‐based embedded electronic circuit learning system. We conduct a quasi‐experiment to investigate differences in knowledge, comprehension, and application levels in different learning environments, and to assess learning performance, learning anxiety, and learning confidence levels when applying the knowledge learned to real‐world hands‐on tasks.

Results

Groups that receive VR‐mediated training exhibit superior knowledge, comprehension, and application levels. In addition, learners with higher levels of knowledge and application exhibit lower learning anxiety and higher learning confidence during practical application tasks.

Conclusions

We investigate the learning outcomes of learners on practical hands‐on tasks after VR‐mediated learning. To improve the learning experience and performance for learners in an embedded electronic circuit course, we discuss the learning performance in terms of the knowledge and concepts learned in the VR environment and transferred to the real world. The results show that learners achieve better cognitive levels in the learning process through the VR system described here. Better performance on hands‐on tasks was also obtained as well as low anxiety and high confidence levels.
Parental insightfulness is associated with mother–father–child interactions among families of preschoolers with an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis
Authors: Oppenheim David , Koren‐Karie Nina , Hamburger Lior , Maccabi Yael , Slonim Michal , Yirmiya Nurit
Published: March 2023

Background

Parental insightfulness underlies parental sensitive behavior and is associated with secure attachment among Typically Developing (TD) children and also among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Moving beyond the parent–child dyad, a study of TD children and their parents linked mothers' and fathers' combined insightfulness to triadic interactions. The goal of the current study was to examine this association in families with children with ASD. The hypothesis was that the interactions in families in which both parents are insightful will be more cooperative than in families in which only one or neither parent was insightful.

Methods

Eighty preschooler boys with ASD and both of their parents participated in the study. Parental insightfulness was assessed employing the Insightfulness Assessment (IA) and mother–father–child interactions were observed and coded employing the Lausanne Triadic Play (LTP) procedure.

Results

As expected, families in which both parents were insightful displayed higher parental coordinated support in the LTP than families in which one or neither parent was insightful, controlling for children's IQ and severity of symptoms. Children's engagement with their parents was associated with their IQ and severity of symptoms but not with parental insightfulness.

Conclusions

The importance of considering paternal, in addition to maternal insightfulness as a foundation for parental coordinated support in family interactions, is discussed, as well as the contribution of the LTP in assessing family interactions with children diagnosed with ASD.
Re‐estimation of juvenile Isurus oxyrinchus growth in the Mexican Pacific through a multimodel inference approach and verification of growth band periodicity
Authors: Rodríguez‐Madrigal José Alberto , Tovar‐Ávila Javier , Castillo‐Geniz José Leonardo , Godínez‐Padilla Carlos Javier , Márquez‐Farías J Fernando , Corro‐Espinosa David
Published: March 2023

An update of the age and growth for juveniles of the short fin mako shark (I. oxyrinchus) from the Mexican Pacific is presented, based on the analysis of growth band counts from dorsal vertebrae of 198 individuals [110 females, 74–231 cm of total length (TL) and 88 males, 72–231 cm TL) caught during 2008–2018. New available information on vertebral growth band periodicity (biannual deposition in juveniles) and the convenience of using vertebrae form the dorsal region over the cervical region to count growth bands, as well as a multimodel approach, were used. The von Bertalanffy (VB) growth model, Gompertz, logistic and two parameters of VB (2‐VB) were fitted to the length‐at‐age. Only ages ≤6 years were used for the fitting of the models and their performance was compared with the small‐sample bias‐corrected form of the Akaike information criterion (AICc), their differences ( and weights (). Following a multimodel inference approach, the model averaged asymptotic length (), length‐at‐age 0 () and their unconditional standard error (), were estimated for each sex scenario using the three‐parameter version of each model. The precision of growth band counts was acceptable for the different methods used and by two different readers. The centrum edge analysis (CEA) and marginal increment analysis (MIA) did not support the hypothesis of biannual band pair formation for juveniles, likewise for adults the periodicity could not be verified due to the small sample of large animals. Age was estimated assuming the formation of two pairs of growth bands per year during the first 5 years and one pair of bands per year afterwards considering direct validation information. The estimated ages in years ranged from 0–14 for females and 0–6 for males. The Kimura likelihood ratio test showed no differences in the growth curves of juveniles by sex (P > 0.05). According to the AICc, the 2‐VB model better fitted the length‐at‐age data for combined sexes (Linf = 386.4 cm, k = 0.12 years−1, L0 = 70 cm). The model averaged and were 378.3 cm () and 69.5 cm (), respectively. The growth parameters determined for juveniles of I. oxyrinchus are similar to those estimated in other regions, showing relatively fast growth rate as previously reported, medium longevity in comparison to other shark species and natural mortality close to that reported in the last stock assessment for the North Pacific Ocean. These life‐history parameters should be considered to evaluate the population in the region and to develop better fishery management and conservation measures.
Eat, seek, rest? An orexin/hypocretin perspective
Authors: Peleg‐Raibstein Daria , Viskaitis Paulius , Burdakov Denis
Published: March 2023

Seeking and ingesting nutrients is an essential cycle of life in all species. In classical neuropsychology these two behaviours are viewed as fundamentally distinct from each other, and known as appetitive and consummatory, respectively. Appetitive behaviour is highly flexible and diverse, but typically involves increased locomotion and spatial exploration. Consummatory behaviour, in contrast, typically requires reduced locomotion. Another long‐standing concept is “rest and digest”, a hypolocomotive response to calorie intake, thought to facilitate digestion and storage of energy after eating. Here, we note that the classical seek➔ingest➔rest behavioural sequence is not evolutionarily advantageous for all ingested nutrients. Our limited stomach capacity should be invested wisely, rather than spent on the first available nutrient. This is because nutrients are not simply calories: some nutrients are more essential for survival than others. Thus, a key choice that needs to be made soon after ingestion: to eat more and rest, or to terminate eating and search for better food. We offer a perspective on recent work suggesting how nutrient‐specific neural responses shape this choice. Specifically, the hypothalamic hypocretin/orexin neurons (HONs) – cells that promote hyperlocomotive explorative behaviours – are rapidly and differentially modulated by different ingested macronutrients. Dietary non‐essential (but not essential) amino acids activate HONs, while glucose depresses HONs. This nutrient‐specific HON modulation engages distinct reflex arcs, seek➔ingest➔seek and seek➔ingest➔rest, respectively. We propose that these nutri‐neural reflexes evolved to facilitate optimal nutrition despite the limitations of our body.
Carcinoid heart disease in patients with midgut neuroendocrine tumours
Authors: Delhomme Clémence , Walter Thomas , Arangalage Dimitri , Suc Gaspard , Hentic Olivia , Cachier Agnès , Alkhoder Soleiman , François Laurent , Lombard‐Bohas Catherine , Iung Bernard , Ruszniewski Philippe , de Mestier Louis
Published: March 2023

Carcinoid heart disease (CHD) is the main complication of carcinoid syndrome (CS) associated with metastatic small intestine neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). The pathophysiology of CHD is partly understood but vasoactive hormones secreted by NETs, especially serotonin, play a major role, leading to the formation of fibrous plaques. These plaque‐like deposits involve the right side of the heart in >90% of cases, particularly the tricuspid and pulmonary valves, which become thickened, retracted and immobile, resulting in regurgitation or stenosis. CHD represents a major diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for patients with NET and CS and is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. CHD often occurs 2–5 years after the diagnosis of metastatic NET, but diagnosis of CHD can be delayed as patients are often asymptomatic for a long time despite severe heart valve involvement. Circulating biomarkers (5HIAA, NT‐proBNP) are relevant tools but transthoracic echocardiography is the key examination for diagnosis and follow‐up of CHD. However, there is no consensus on the optimal indications and frequency of TTE and biomarker dosing regarding screening and diagnosis. Treatment of CHD is complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach. It relies on antitumour treatment, control of CS and surgical valve replacement in cases of severe CHD. However, cardiac surgery is associated with a high risk of mortality, notably due to perioperative carcinoid crisis and right ventricular dysfunction. Timing of surgery is the most crucial point of CHD management and relies on the case‐by‐case determination of the optimal compromise between tumour progression, cardiac symptoms and CS control.
First report ofDiaporthe helianthiinfecting safflower: A threat to its cultivation in India
Authors: Akhtar Jameel , Kumar Pardeep , Kiran Raj , Meena Bharat Raj , Tripathi Aradhika ,   Sadhana , Pandey Sushil , Dubey Sunil Chandra
Published: March 2023

During seed health testing of 160 accessions of safflower, we observed some fungal growth on seed surface of four accessions i.e., IC337954, IC338197, EC182199 and EC181301 which were received from Hyderabad, Telangana, India for long‐term conservation in the National Genebank, ICAR‐National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India. The associated fungus was morphologically identified asDiaporthe helianthi. Later on, the identity was confirmed asDiaporthe helianthi(Desm.) Grove by the sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region (GenBank Id: KM979906.1). During seed health testing, seed infection of 30.0 to 70.0 per cent was recorded with no seed germination in infected seeds. Previous findings revealed thatD. helianthiis host‐specific pathogen causing stem canker to sunflower only and the fungus is seed‐borne. As a destructive pathogen causing substantial yield losses, especially to sunflower, it may be a serious threat to safflower cultivation in the country and anywhere else. Therefore, the detection and identification ofD. helianthican be helpful in alarming the threat at an early stage thereby minimizing the probable damage to safflower cultivation in near future.
A first order continuous timeVARwith random coefficients
Authors: Hoyos Milena
Published: March 2023

This article considers a first order continuous time vector autoregression with random coefficients. We discuss some difficulties that arise when the exact discrete analogue is used for estimating the continuous time parameters and provide an estimation method based on an approximate discrete model. Some expressions for the estimator of the drift parameter matrix, for its approximated bias and for the covariance matrix of the parameter estimates are derived. The finite sample performance of the proposed method is studied by a Monte Carlo experiment. We also illustrate the advantages of our model in an application on the expectations theory of the term structure of interest rates. Results show that the performance of the proposed methodology is good, and allowing for time variation on coefficients results in large reductions in the root mean square error of the parameter estimates.
Rethinking the contributions of young people with learning disabilities to iPad storymaking: a new model of distributed authorship
Authors: Doak Lauran
Published: March 2023

Digital technologies such as iPads are now ubiquitous in classrooms and family homes, enabling new possibilities for all learners but particularly for those with disabilities. Existing literature explores how children with learning disabilities create and benefit from personalised digital stories but does not unpack theoretical understandings of their ‘authorship’. This paper addresses this gap by proposing an original model of ‘distributed authorship’ with three axes of distribution—interpersonal, technological and temporal—to account for the authorial contributions of young people with learning disabilities. Five families were given an iPad with Pictello storymaking app and instructed to use it with their young person in any way which was engaging for them. Data generation over 12 weeks included weekly diaries, home videos, semi‐structured interviews and story collection. Findings indicated that whilst ability to directly engage with the app varied, all the young people could be said to exert authorial influence on the stories distributed across three axes: support from others, support from the technology itself and incorporation of prior embodied agency. The study has theoretical implications for our understanding of ‘authorship’ as well as implications for pedagogy and practice by reconceptualising severely disabled children as literate learners and co‐authors.
Third dose of SARS‐CoV2 mRNA vaccination produces robust persistent cellular and humoral immune responses in liver transplant recipients
Authors: Montalbano Marzia , Piccolo Paola , Lionetti Raffaella , Visco‐Comandini Ubaldo , Agrati Chiara , Grassi Germana , Meschi Silvia , Matusali Giulia , Conte Federica , Angelone Federica , Ettorre Giuseppe Maria , Guglielmo Nicola , Maggi Fabrizio , Francalancia Massimo , Mereu Tiziana , Puro Vincenzo , Girardi Enrico , D'Offizi Gianpiero
Published: March 2023

Weaker responses have been described after two doses of anti‐SARS‐CoV2 vaccination in liver transplant recipients (LTRs). At the Italian National Institute for Infectious Diseases, 122 LTRs (84% males, median age 64 years) were tested for humoral and cell‐mediated immune response after a third doses of anti‐SARS‐CoV2 mRNA vaccines. Humoral response was measured by quantifying anti‐receptor binding domain and neutralizing antibodies; cell‐mediated response was measured by quantifying IFN‐γ after stimulation of T cells with SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific peptides. Humoral and cellular responses improved significantly compared to the second vaccine dose; 86.4% of previous non‐responders to the first 2 vaccine doses (N = 22) became responders. Mycophenolate mofetil‐containing regimens were not associated with lower response rates to a third vaccine; shorter time since transplantation (<6 years) was associated with lower humoral and cellular responses to third vaccine. Protective antibodies against Omicron variant were detected in 60% of patients 12 weeks after third vaccine dose.
Multilingualism and persistence in multiple language learning
Authors: Henry Alastair
Published: March 2023

For language learners who aspire to become multilingual, commitment involves a personal journey. Defining persistence as a preoccupation with goal‐focused action directed to a desired future state and drawing on research from cognitive psychology and the mental time travel paradigm, this article presents an identity‐based framework of persistence in multiple language learning. In the framework, persistence is supported through the operation of 3 interconnecting processes: (a) the generation of personally meaningful goals aimed at becoming multilingual, (b) the conjuring of mental images that represent states, events, and values associated with being multilingual, and (c) the integration of representations of multilingualism within an unfolding personal history. To illustrate these processes, data from online sources and research literature exploring language learners’ narrative biographies is used. The relevance of the framework is critically assessed in relation to (a) the development of interventions supporting motivation for foreign language learning, (b) the exploration of motivational processes through narrative‐based inquiry, and (c) the varying linguistic, social, and societal contexts in which multiple language learning takes place.
Let's get physical! A time‐lagged examination of the motivation for daily physical activity and implications for next‐day performance and health
Authors: Li Yolanda Na , Cheng Bonnie Hayden , Yu Bingjie , Zhu Julie N. Y.
Published: March 2023

Although physical activity is presumed to influence individuals’ work, motivation for daily physical activity and resulting implications for job performance are absent in the management literature. Integrating conservation of resources theory with the literature on physical activity, we build a theoretical model to address the nomological network of physical activity, inclusive of a predictor (autonomous motivation), mediators (resource caravans: physical, affective, and cognitive), outcomes (performance and health), and boundary condition (job self‐efficacy). We test our theoretical model in two experience sampling studies that track employees’ physical activity across 10 workdays, using multiple data sources (self, supervisor, and objective). Findings across two studies consistently reveal that autonomous motivation prompts employees’ average levels of daily physical activity, which, on a daily basis, generates resource caravans—physical (sleep quality), affective (vigor), and cognitive (task focus)—that, in turn, variously benefit next‐day performance (task and creative performance) and health (somatic symptoms). Next‐day task performance is enhanced through increased task focus, while next‐day somatic symptoms are reduced through improved sleep quality and vigor. Further, job self‐efficacy strengthens the benefits of daily physical activity on work outcomes through sleep quality and task focus but not vigor.
Diurnal transcriptome dynamics reveal the photoperiod response of Pyrus
Authors: Liu Zhe , Liu Weijuan , Wang Zhangqing , Qi Kaijie , Xie Zhihua , Zhang Shaoling , Wu Juyou , Wang Peng
Published: March 2023

Photoperiod provides a key environmental signal that controls plant growth. Plants have evolved an integrated mechanism for sensing photoperiods with internal clocks to orchestrate physiological events. This mechanism has been identified to enable timely plant growth and improve fitness. Although the components and pathways underlying photoperiod regulation have been described in many species, diurnal patterns of gene expression at the genome‐wide level under different photoperiods are rarely reported in perennial fruit trees. To explore the global gene expression in response to photoperiod, pear plants were cultured under long‐day (LD) and short‐day (SD) conditions. A time‐series transcriptomic study was implemented using LD and SD samples collected at 4 h intervals over 2 days. We identified 13,677 rhythmic genes, of which 7639 were identified under LD and 10,557 under SD conditions. Additionally, 4674 genes were differentially expressed in response to photoperiod change. We also characterized the candidate homologs of clock‐associated genes in pear. Clock genes were involved in the regulation of many processes throughout the day, including photosynthesis, stress response, hormone dynamics, and secondary metabolism. Strikingly, genes within photosynthesis‐related pathways were enriched in both the rhythmic and differential expression analyses. Several key candidate genes were identified to be associated with regulating photosynthesis and improving productivity under different photoperiods. The results suggest that temporal variation in gene expression should not be ignored in pear gene function research. Overall, our work expands the understanding of photoperiod regulation of plant growth, particularly by extending the research to non‐model trees.
Not easy to ‘green’ old ways: National courts and rights‐based smog cases in Poland
Authors: Karpus Karolina
Published: March 2023

The topic of environmental rights has been intensely debated at the international and European levels. It is closely connected to another important issue, namely, the role of rights‐based litigation in the enforcement of environmental law. In Poland, members of the public have tried to use the strategy of environmental rights‐based litigation to target ineffective air quality plans. However, existing barriers in access to justice impelled the public concerned to resort to civil lawsuits as another form of private enforcement of ambient air protection measures. The infringement of the right to a clean environment was among the legal arguments presented for the purpose of establishing Poland's liability for smog. The 2021 landmark rulings in the so‐called ‘smog cases’ exemplify how the judiciary's willingness to embrace the concept of environmental rights in its current form can be limited by concerns about the coherence of the national legal system.
Genesis of island dolostones during rapid island subsidence: Example from the Xisha (Paracel) islands, South China Sea
Authors: Li Rong , Jones Brian , Qiao Peijun , Cui Yuchi , Pei Jianxiang , Liu Xinyu , Shao Lei
Published: March 2023

Miocene carbonate successions found on many isolated oceanic islands throughout south‐east Asia commonly include unconformity capped ‘island dolostones’ units. On Shidao, located in the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea, well XK‐1 (1268.2 m deep) penetrated a thick succession of carbonates before being terminated in the Jurassic metamorphic basement. The lower part of the succession is composed of the Sanya Formation (Early Miocene) and the overlying Meishan Formation (Middle Miocene), ca 700 m thick, that are formed of limestones and dolostones. An unconformity divides the Sanya Formation into a Lower Member formed largely of limestones, and an Upper Member formed of dolostones (DI‐8). DI‐8 is separated by a major unconformity into lower (DI‐8L) and upper (DI‐8U) units, that both include numerous subaerial unconformities. The overlying Meishan Formation is a limestone succession that includes three unconformity‐capped dolostones intervals (DI‐5, DI‐6 and DI‐7). Strata below the numerous exposure surfaces throughout the Sanya and Meishan formations are highlighted by Fe‐staining, biomoulds, cavities, caves and solution breccia development. The weakly fabric‐retentive dolostones in DI‐5 to DI‐8 are formed of dolomite crystals that have a dirty core encased by a clear rim, with δ18O values of +0.3 to +4.7‰ (average +2.0‰, n = 50), δ13C values of +2.2 to +3.2‰ (average +2.5‰, n = 50), Fe concentrations of 44 to 442 ppm (average 149 ppm, n = 50), Mn concentrations of 5 to 197 ppm (average 27 ppm, n = 50), Sr concentrations of 169 to 257 ppm (average 218 ppm, n = 50) and 87Sr/86Sr values of 0.70847 to 0.70900 (average 0.70879, n = 32). In all cases, dolomitization post‐dated the subaerial exposure. The 87Sr/86Sr values suggest that the dolostones in DI‐8L formed during the late Early Miocene, whereas the dolostones in DI‐8U, DI‐7, DI‐6 and DI‐5 probably formed simultaneously during the Late Miocene even though these units are stratigraphically hundreds of metres apart and were located well below sea‐level. Dolomitization was preferentially focused in those strata with high porosities and permeabilities that allowed easy circulation of the seawater through the rock. This model suggests that dolomitization was not restricted to strata that were at or close to sea‐level. Although dolomitization may have been related to the new oceanographic circulation regime established during that time, the exact properties of the seawater that promoted dolomitization are open to debate. This model of dolomitization may be applicable to many of the ‘island dolostones’ that are found in the oceans throughout the world.
Analysis of the modern functional field of effective implementation of public control in the system of public administration in Ukraine
Authors: Pukhkal Oleksandr , Reiterovych Ihor , Kuprii Tetiana , Sytnyk Svitlana , Novikov Oleksiy
Published: March 2023

The relevance of this article lies in the fact that the study of the public administration system in Ukraine is an important issue. In modern Ukrainian society there is a clear demand for effective ways to involve the general public and create real mechanisms for implementing democratic principles of public administration through European integration processes. The aim of the study is to analyse the current functional field in the processes of public control in the public administration system of Ukraine. The following research methods were used: analysis and synthesis of information, comparative method, method of sociological research, as well as the method of induction. At the final stage of the study, an analysis of scientific sources on the research topic was carried out. According to the results of the study, it can be argued that the effectiveness of public control in Ukraine directly depends on the state of development of civil society and the level of interaction of its subjects with state authorities and their officials. This largely depends on the motivation of the competent authorities, since state institutions, especially in the legal and organisational spheres, ensure the development of civil society and form the basis for public participation in governance. The practical significance of the research results lies in the fact that the research presented in the article and the analysis of literature sources provides an idea of the implementation of public control in the public administration system in Ukraine, and also opens up new opportunities for its improvement.
On the mechanism of painful burn sensation in tattoos on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Magnetic substances in tattoo inks used for permanent makeup (PMU) identified: Magnetite, goethite, and hematite
Authors: Serup Jørgen , Alsing Kasper Køhler , Olsen Ole , Koch Christian Bender , Hansen Rasmus Hvass
Published: March 2023

Background

Persons with cosmetic tattoos occasionally experience severe pain and burning sensation on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Objective

To explore the culprit magnetic substances in commonly used permanent makeup inks.

Material and methods

20 inks used for cosmetic tattooing of eyebrows, eyeliners, and lips were selected. Ink bottles were tested for magnetic behavior with a neodymium magnet. Eight iron oxide inks qualified for the final study. Metals were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP‐MS). The magnetic fraction of inks was isolated and analyzed by X‐ray fluorescence (XRF). Magnetic iron compounds were characterized by Mössbauer spectroscopy and powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD).

Results

ICP‐MS showed iron in all magnetic samples, and some nickel and chromium. Mössbauer spectroscopy and XRD detected ferromagnetic minerals, particularly magnetite, followed by goethite and hematite.

Conclusion

This original study of cosmetic ink stock products made with iron oxide pigments reports magnetic impurities in inks for cosmetic tattooing, e.g., magnetite, goethite, and hematite. These may be the main cause of MRI burn sensation in cosmetic tattoos. The mechanism behind sensations is hypothesized to be induction of electrical stimuli of axons from periaxonal pigment/impurity activated by magnetic force. Magnetite is considered the lead culprit.
Reworking of care during workday outings: On migrant domestic workers' everyday negotiation of migration infrastructure in the global city of Hong Kong
Authors: Chan Henry Hin‐yan
Published: March 2023

This paper examines care as a contested bio‐political arena defining the daily lives of live‐in domestic care migrants in Hong Kong. It asks what roles migration infrastructures and mundane city landscapes play in mediating associated everyday care dynamics. Empirically, it examines two sets of care‐related infrastructures in the city that intimately mediate the population's everyday experience of care. The paper first examines the ways the regulatory infrastructures of the city state, whose operational logics are aligned with the production of 'permanent temporariness' and disposability, systematically deny migrants' access to institutional care for themselves. Second, the papers examine the ways care migrants improvise with the city's situational urban geographies and their human bodies as infrastructure resources during regular work‐bound urban outings to elaborate provisional, localised and informal care infrastructures. While not without challenges, these improvised informal care infrastructures essentially allow the migrant care‐labor population to live with their institu‐tionalised precarity. Overall, the paper makes three contributions. First, it reconceptualises live‐in domestic care migrants as urban actors capable of both navigating and crafting their own care infrastructures in the city, even during workdays. Second, it foregrounds 'care' as an urban and socio‐technical construct in relation to both bio‐political control and interpersonal coping. Third, it employs the ideas of precarity, provisionality and robustness to unpack the bio‐political systems that shape migrants' experiences of care. The findings are based on an analysis of the city's migration regulations and the actual urban work‐life stories of a small group of live‐in domestic care migrants based on participants' personal diaries and interviews with the participants.