bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hand-assisted laparoscopic versus laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy in the treatment of advanced distal gastric cancer: final results of a single-center randomized study
Authors: Luo Guode , Xiang Qin , Wang Xiaohua , Li Yajiao , Cao Yongkuan , Gong Jiaqing , Li Yunming
Published: July 2022

Objective

To compare the results and 5- and 8-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) and laparoscopic-assisted surgery (LAS) in radical gastrectomy for advanced distal gastric cancer.

Methods

A total of 124 patients admitted to our institution from May 2009 to April 2013 were randomly divided into a HALS group (n = 62) and a LAS group (n = 62). Postoperatively, 110 patients were followed for 5 and 8 years, and 14 patients were lost to follow-up. The 5- and 8-year OS and DFS rates of the groups were compared and analyzed.

Results

The 5- and 8-year OS rates, respectively, were 38.8% and 19.4% in the HALS group and 38.3% and 15.3% in the LAS group (log-rank test, χ2 = 0.250). The 5- and 8-year DFS rates, respectively, were 23.1% and 10.6% in the HALS group and 19.3% and 11.6% in the LAS group (log-rank test, χ2 = 0.109). No significant differences were found.

Conclusion

Compared with LAS, HALS radical gastrectomy for advanced distal gastric cancer had a lower conversion rate to open surgery, shorter surgical duration, and more thorough dissection of lymph nodes; 5- and 8-year OS and DFS rates were similar to those with LAS.
Quality of life and persistence of COVID-19 symptoms 90 days after hospital discharge
Authors: Muñoz-Corona Carolina , Gutiérrez-Canales Lizeth Guadalupe , Ortiz-Ledesma Claudia , Martínez-Navarro Liz Jovanna , Macías Alejandro E. , Scavo-Montes David Alejandro , Guaní-Guerra Eduardo
Published: July 2022

Objective

We aimed to describe the persistence of symptoms in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and quality of life (QoL) among patients 90 days after their discharge from the hospital for infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and to determine differences in QoL domains concerning the absence or presence of persistent symptoms.

Methods

To measure QoL, we used a validated Spanish version of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).

Results

We included 141 patients. Ninety days after discharge, COVID-19 symptoms persisted in 107 patients (75.9%), with fatigue (55.3%) and joint pain (46.8%) being the most frequent. According to the SF-36, the role-physical score was the dimension with the lowest values (median score, 25; interquartile range, 0–75). Patients with joint pain, fatigue, and dyspnea had lower scores than patients without those symptoms, with 10 of the 13 evaluated SF-36 scales showing lower levels.

Conclusion

Ninety days after hospital discharge from COVID-19 reference centers, most patients had persistent symptoms and had lower SF-36 scores than patients without symptoms. It is important to follow-up patients discharged from the hospital after SARS-CoV-2 infection, ideally through a post-COVID-19 health care clinic and rehabilitation program, to improve QoL in these patients.
Urban geography II: Materially important cities
Authors: McNeill Donald
Published: July 2022

This report reviews recent literature that provides a new understanding of the material formation of urban space in the context of carbon/post-carbon urbanism. First, it discusses the concept of extractivist urbanization, which links the excavation of terrestrial materials to a wider agenda of data mining. Second, it considers the relationship of cities to material flows, including debates around how ports and corridors might relate to the urbanization of both ‘circular’ and waste intensive commodity chains and consumption spaces. Third, it traces the relationship between climate change, the redesign of cities and the topographic profile of the Anthropocenic city.
Analysis of Factors Affecting the Sustainable Success of Airlines During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Kiraci Kasım , Tanriverdi Gökhan , Akan Ercan
Published: July 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic increased the risk of financial distress, bankruptcy, or both, in the airline industry. Whether airlines can survive or not during and/or after the pandemic is closely related to their decisions and actions which will enable their success by increasing their resilience. In crisis periods such as COVID-19, the decisions taken by airlines are strategically important for achieving sustainable success. Thus, it is critical to understand which factors are more important for airlines to shape their actions and make correct decisions. This paper investigates the sustainable success factors on which airlines should focus to provide resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. It provides a robust model using the interval type-2 fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (IT2FAHP) and interval type-2 fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (IT2FDEMATEL) to identify and rank success factors. The findings indicate that financial and operational factors are extremely important to ensure resilience for airlines. In addition, the results of the study reveal that operational factors and information sharing factors have an impact on financial factors and customer satisfaction.
Hemoadsorption for severe MIS-C in critically ill children, should we consider it as a therapeutic opportunity?
Authors: Bottari Gabriella , Severini Flavia , Markowich Anna Hermine , Lorenzetti Giulia , Ruiz Rodriguez Juan Carlos , Ferrer Ricard , Francalanci Paola , Ammirati Antonio , Palma Paolo , Cecchetti Corrado
Published: July 2022

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) is a new severe clinical condition that has emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. MIS-C affects children and the young usually after a mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 infection. MIS-C has a high tropism for the cardiovascular system with need for inotropes and vasopressor support in 62% of cases. As of today a mortality from 1.5% to 1.9% related to MIS-C is reported. Hemoadsorption via the inflammatory mediator adsorber CytoSorb (CytoSorbents Europe, Berlin Germany) has been used as adjunctive therapy with the aim to restore the host response in septic shock and other hyper-inflammatory syndromes. We present the clinical experience of an adolescent boy with a refractory shock secondary to left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) in the context of MIS-C, treated with hemoadsorption, and continuous kidney replacement therapy (CKRT) in combination with immunomodulatory therapies. The therapeutic strategy resulted in hemodynamic and clinical stabilization as well as control of the hyperinflammatory response. Treatment appeared to be safe and feasible. Our findings are in line with previously published clinical cases on Cytosorb use in MIS-C showing the beneficial role of the hemoperfusion with Cytosorb in severe MIS-C to manage the cytokine storm. We provide an analysis and comparison of recent evidence on the use of hemoadsorption as an adjuvant therapy in critically ill children with severe forms of MIS-C, suggesting this blood purification strategy could be a therapeutic opportunity in severe LVD due to MIS-C, sparing the need for extracorporeal membrane oxygentation (ECMO) and other mechanical cardiocirculatory supports.
Cross-sectional Study of Factors Associated With Suicide Ideation in Ontario Adolescents
Authors: Rakoff Jonah , Chavarria Jesus , Hamilton Hayley A. , Elton-Marshall Tara
Published: July 2022

Objective

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in Canadian adolescents. The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide attempts to explain suicide etiology and proposes that feelings of perceived burdensomeness or thwarted belongingness lead to suicide ideation, but this has not been extensively studied in adolescents. This study aimed to use the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide to examine factors that may be associated with suicide ideation in adolescents. The factors of interest were school connectedness, perceived availability of support, self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of hopelessness, bullying and cyberbullying victimization, substance use, and social media use.

Methods

Data were from the 2017 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a survey of 7th to 12th graders enrolled in a publicly funded school in Ontario. Weighted multivariate logistic regression of suicide ideation on all exposure variables was conducted.

Results

13.6% of students in the sample endorsed having suicidal ideation in the preceding 12 months. Not knowing where to turn to for support, feeling worthless, endorsing low self-esteem, being bullied, and using cannabis were each associated with greater odds of suicide ideation. Feeling hopeless, social media use, using alcohol and tobacco, and being cyberbullied were not associated with suicide ideation in the weighted multivariate logistic regression model.

Conclusions

This study is consistent with the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide as low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness, two indicators of perceived burdensomeness, and not knowing where to turn to for support, an indicator of thwarted belongingness, were associated with greater odds of suicide ideation. These findings can help guide interventions aimed at reducing the burden of suicidality during adolescence and demonstrate the need to provide accessible mental health support for youth.
Coping Strategies Used by Patients After Diagnosis Disclosure in the Transition to Palliative Care: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Schmauch Natália Ubisse , Rego Francisca , Castro Luísa , Sacarlal Jahit , Rego Guilhermina
Published: July 2022

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to identify the coping strategies used by cancer and non-cancer patients with palliative needs, and to verify if there were differences in the coping strategies adopted between sociodemographic groups. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out from September to November 2019, at Maputo Central Hospital, in the units of Medicine, Surgery, Orthopedics, Gynecology and Obstetrics. Eligible patients (n = 94) were included in the study and answered a self-completion scale adapted from the Coping Strategies Inventory by Folkman and Lazarus together with a sociodemographic questionnaire. Results: Our study demonstrates that the most used coping strategies were Social Support, followed by Planful Problem Solving, Escape-Avoidance, and Positive Reappraisal strategies. In addition, significant differences were observed between religious beliefs, with Christians resorting more to coping strategies related to Social Support, Accepting Responsibility and Escape-Avoidance than Evangelicals, and between different levels of education, with greater resort to Social Support, Accepting Responsibility, Planful Problem Solving, and Positive Reappraisal in patients with high education. Conclusions: The results indicate that most of the respondents in this study used more adaptive coping strategies, such as Social Support and Positive Reappraisal, and less avoidant strategies, such as Distancing and Confrontation. There is a need to reinforce positive strategies from health professionals to increase satisfaction, autonomy, and promote patient’s quality of life.
Efficacy and Safety of Cisatracurium Compared to Vecuronium for Neuromuscular Blockade in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Authors: Vallabh Priya , Ha Michael , Ahern Krystina
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Previous studies analyzing neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have evaluated the benefit of cisatracurium with conflicting results, and data evaluating other NMBAs remains limited. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of cisatracurium to vecuronium in ARDS.

Materials and methods

A single-center, retrospective, propensity matched review of patients who received cisatracurium or vecuronium continuous infusions between October 1, 2017 and June 30, 2020 for ARDS was conducted. The primary endpoint was duration of mechanical ventilation. Secondary endpoints included change in PaO2/FiO2 ratio at 48 h, intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital mortality, and ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS). Safety endpoints included newly developed myopathy, presence of bradycardia or hypotension, and newly developed barotrauma or volutrauma.

Results

Twenty-nine patients were included in each group. There was no statistically significant difference in the primary endpoint of ventilator days between cisatracurium and vecuronium groups (mean 15.9 vs. 20.5 days respectively; p = .2). No statistically significant differences were found in secondary endpoints of ICU mortality (51.7% vs. 51.7%) or length of stay (18.7 vs. 23.9 days, p  =  .19), hospital mortality (51.7% vs. 55.2%, p  =  .79) or length of stay (22 vs. 30.6 days, p  =  .08), or mean change in PaO2/FiO2 (29.8 vs. 36.6; p  =  .74). Statistically significant differences were not observed in safety endpoints of myopathy (37.9% vs. 37.9%), barotrauma or volutrauma (13.8% vs. 3.5%; p = .16), bradycardia (31% vs. 13.8%; p = .12), or hypotension (96.6% vs. 82.8%; p = .08)

Conclusions

No significant differences were seen in efficacy or safety endpoints between cisatracurium or vecuronium groups, suggesting that vecuronium may be a safe alternative agent for neuromuscular blockade in ARDS. Results of this analysis warrant confirmation in a larger, randomized study.
An in-depth investigation into high fluence femtosecond laser percussion drilling of titanium alloy
Authors: Kiran Kumar K , Samuel GL , Shunmugam MS
Published: July 2022

High fluence femtosecond laser percussion drilling has a potential to produce micro holes for cooling purpose in turbine blades made of titanium alloys due to its short interaction time with the material. For an in-depth investigation, numerical simulation is carried out using 2D axi-symmetric two-temperature and heat conduction models in tandem, mimicking the laser percussion drilling. Moving mesh approach in finite element based COMSOL Multiphysics software is used to arrive at the crater geometry during the ablation process. The heat conduction model provides the value of surface temperature after each pulse. Taking temperature-dependent thermo-physical and optical properties with intraband absorption effect, the simulations are carried out on a 2 mm thick Ti6Al4V plate for 1–15 pulses with fluence in the range of 0.84 to 8.4 J cm−2. For comparison, the simulation results based on room temperature properties are also included. Validation experiments are carried out and the crater morphology is measured using laser scanning confocal microscope. The overall average absolute deviations of the results for crater diameter and depth are within 20% and 40% respectively. The proposed simulation approach is robust and can be used to investigate multi pulses laser ablation process in any other applications.
Development of CO2 efficiency index for evaluating sustainability of microelectrical discharge drilling process
Authors: Ravasio Chiara , Pellegrini Giuseppe , Quarto Mariangela
Published: July 2022

Recently, there has been a growing awareness of environmental issues, and the concept of sustainability has been introduced. This concept applies to different fields, including the manufacturing industry. This study focuses on the sustainability of the micro-electrical discharge machining (EDM) drilling process. In EDM technology, the critical aspects of sustainability are consumed energy, electrode wear, gas emissions, and generated waste. The operational conditions impact consumption and emissions. The aim of this study is to develop a CO2 efficiency index for evaluating the environmental–economic efficiency of the micro-EDM drilling process. The index was calculated as the emissions that occurred during machining and logistic activities divided by the added value, and it was expressed as the kg equivalent CO2 per unit money. For the emissions, all process activities that have an environmental impact were considered, such as transportation, absorbed energy generation, production of fumes by the dielectric during machining, and emissions attributed to the production of nonconforming pieces. The proposed index was applied to a medical case study in which titanium bone plates were produced for fractures of small body parts. It was found that the process performance significantly depended on the operation conditions of the dielectric fluid and electrode. The material removal rate (MRR) significantly influenced the index. Quality problems and scraping influenced the overall performance significantly, whereas dielectric management had a moderate effect. The optimum conditions were determined by varying the dielectric fluid, electrode material, and process parameters. Demineralized water was the best dielectric because it facilitated a high MRR, whereas hydrocarbon oil resulted in a high quality and a low scrap rate. Vegetable oil caused problems, resulting in a low MRR and poor quality. Further investigations should be conducted to improve its performance in microdrilling applications.
Throughput evaluation of AGV transportation systems based on queueing modeling and AGV route decomposition
Authors: Gao Sixiao , Kobayashi Toyokazu , Tajiri Akiko , Liu Hui , Ota Jun
Published: July 2022

Automated guided vehicle (AGV) transportation systems are an important component of flexible warehouse systems, and research on the performance evaluation of AGV transportation systems contributes to the optimization and decision-making of flexible warehouse systems. Compared to simulation and experimental methods, analytic methods require less computational time, which is more applicable when integrated with optimization and decision-making methods. However, the previous analytical methods for performance evaluation neglected the velocity change and collision avoidance of AGVs, which decreased the evaluation accuracy. Therefore, herein, a throughput evaluation methodology based on AGV route decomposition is proposed for AGV transportation systems. In the proposed methodology, an AGV transportation system is modeled as an open queueing network model considering the velocity change of AGVs. The open queueing network model is decomposed into sub-models based on preplanned AGV routes, considering the collision avoidance among AGVs, to decrease the analysis complexity and computational time. Finally, the throughput of the AGV transportation system is obtained by the throughput sum of the sub-models corresponding to the unload stations. The numerical results indicate that the proposed methodology evaluates the throughput of an AGV transportation system with an accuracy of ≥94%. This study will facilitate the efficient throughput and decision-making of AGV transportation systems.
Effect of tool pin profiles on the properties of foamable precursor developed by friction stir processing
Authors: Kumar Mandeep , Singh Ratnesh Kumar Raj , Jain Vivek
Published: July 2022

The high-strength lightweight materials are commonly used in automotive industries. Foam is one such material that has a porous structure which makes it light but at the same time provides good absorbent of impact load. In recent years, friction stir processing (FSP) is commonly used for the development of foam. However, the quality of the foam developed mostly depends on the FSP parameters that control the distribution of foamable particles. Thus in this study, the impact of tool pin profiles and numbers of passes on the distribution of a foamable mixture of AA7075/TiH2 in the substrate has been investigated. The three different tool pin profiles, i.e. straight threaded cylindrical (STC), triangular (TR), and square (SQ) pins are used with 2, 4, and 6 number of FSP passes. It is observed that dispersion of TiH2/AA7075 particles in specimens produced with STC tool pin profiles is more uniform than that of TR and SQ pins, resulting in superior material stirring and flow. A significant reduction in particle clustering and improved mixture distribution has been observed in the STC pin profile. Vickers hardness test shows the SQ and TR pin profiles show higher hardness in the processed zone due to lower exposure of temperature. Microwave heating is used to heat the precursor for the development of foam. It is found that the foam developed by STC pin has superior compressive properties due to uniformly distributed small pores.
Performance analysis of reshaped Gabor filter for removing the Rician distributed noise in brain MR images
Authors: Kumar Vinay , Srivastava Subodh
Published: July 2022

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an essential clinical tool for detecting the abnormalities such as tumors and clots in the human brain. The brain MR images are contaminated by artifacts and noise that follow Rician distribution during the acquisition process. It causes the loss of fine details information, distortion, and a blurred vision of the image. A reshaped Gabor filter-based denoising technique is proposed to overcome these issues. To develop the reshaped Gabor filter, the range of reshaping parameters of the filter is initially obtained by a random search method. Further, to evaluate the better performance of the proposed filter, a manual search is used to find the optimal parametric values and tested on T1, T2, and PD weighted MR data sets one by one. Also, the proposed technique is compared with the existing state of the art filtering methods such as Wiener, Median, Partial differential equation (PDE), Anisotropic diffusion filter (ADF), Non-local means filter (NLM), Modified complex diffusion filter (MCD), Multichannel residual learning of CNN (MRL), Maximum a posteriori (MAP), Adaptive non-local means algorithm (ADNLM), and Advance NLM filtering with non-sub sampled (AVNLMNS) on the basic reference and no reference parameter. The parameters such as mean square error (MSE), peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index metric (SSIM), perception-based image quality evaluator (PIQE), and blind/referenceless image spatial quality evaluator (BRISQE) are evaluated on T1, T2, and PD weighted MR images with different noise variances such as 1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, and 9%. The proposed method may be used as a better denoising scheme for Rician distributed noise, edge preservation, fine details restoration, and enhancement of abnormalities.
Effect of process parameters on the temperature changes during robotic bone drilling
Authors: Han Ying , Cai Chenxu , Lv Qinjing , Song Yixuan , Zhang Qinhe
Published: July 2022

In medical surgery, bone drilling is an inevitable procedure. The thermal necrosis in the drilling process can affect post-operative recovery. In this study, the method of drill bit precooling is proposed in bone drilling with robot assisted system. The influence of process parameters on the drilling temperature were investigated and analyzed. The results showed that the method of drill bit precooling could reduce the drilling temperature. The drill bit starting temperature and the feed rate were more important parameters on the drilling temperature compared with rotational speed and cooling length of the drill bit. The quadratic regression model obtained from response surface experiments can predicted the drilling temperature correctly under the range of process parameters in this study. The optimal parameter combination is rotational speed = 1610 rpm, feed rate = 0.5 mm/s, the starting temperature of drill bit = 8°C, and the cooling length = 34.8 mm. The results provide an effective method to reduce thermal necrosis of bone cells in drilling.
Character’s mental functioning during a ‘neuro-transition’: Pragmatic failures in Flowers for Algernon
Authors: Trevisan Piergiorgio
Published: July 2022

The representation of fictional minds that work in idiosyncratic ways has received significant attention in the past few decades, particularly regarding characters with some form of developmental delay or pathological disorder. The present paper attempts to investigate the mental functioning of the central character in Daniel Keyes’s widely acclaimed short-story Flowers for Algernon, which presents two versions of the same character: after being introduced as cognitively delayed and with a very low IQ, a futuristic treatment turns him into a neurotypical individual first, and into a genius later. With the unfolding of the plot, however, it soon becomes clear that the character’s mental gains are doomed to deteriorate by the end of the story, when he finds himself as cognitively delayed as he was at the beginning. By building on previous research, this paper is concerned with the effects of drastic changes in mind style in the course of the same story. More particularly, the final aim of this article is to study whether an abrupt shift in mind style may bear consequences on the character’s ability to interact with the other characters. Mental schemata and adherence/flouting of Grice’s maxims are closely investigated in the two versions of the characters, together with analyses of deictical patterns carried out by means of corpus techniques.
The Role of Servicescape on Emotions and Satisfaction of Patients in Indian Hospitals
Authors: Batra Manik , Taneja Udita
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to propose and test the causal relationship among the constructs servicescape, emotions and satisfaction among users of corporate hospital services.

Design/Methodology/Approach

A review of literature was done, and items were adapted construct-wise from existing scales. Data were collected from 220 respondents, and the reliability and validity of the scales were tested. The relationship among the constructs was tested using structural equation modelling.

Findings

The model in this study postulated that (a) servicescape is positively related to satisfaction, (b) servicescape is positively related to positive emotions and negatively related to negative emotions and (c) positive emotions are positively related to patient satisfaction and negative emotions are negatively related to satisfaction. All the hypotheses were supported, and it was confirmed that servicescape has both direct and indirect relationships with satisfaction.

Originality/Value

The article has direct implications for healthcare service providers. Healthcare executives are encouraged to monitor the physical environment of their healthcare units. This study shows that emotions of patients play an important role in determining their satisfaction with hospital services.
One Father’s Journey Toward Peace: Integrating the Qur’an Into Narrative Therapy to Address Loss From Parent–Child Estrangement
Authors: Ali Mary Beth
Published: July 2022

Islamic culture values strong family bonds and rupturing family relations is not often an option for family members, leading to estrangement. For Muslim parents, the failed familial repair, compounded with estrangement, may lead to isolation and become an obstacle to seeking therapeutic aid. Teaming a non-pathologizing intervention of narrative therapy (NT) with a bibliotherapy tool, the Qur’an can be explored as a therapeutic support. NT guides individuals to share their dominant problem-saturated narratives as the clinician listens for alternate strength-based narratives. This case study will augment NT to include the Qur’an as a bibliotherapy tool in reconstructing a father’s journey of loss as he seeks resolution and meaning from his daughter’s permanent estrangement. Pairing NT and the Qur’an to reshape the father’s loss narratives aids in externalizing the problem narrative and reconstructing a meaning-making narrative.
Mothers’ Experiences of Emotional Connection During COVID-19 in the United States: A Thematic Analysis
Authors: Miller Emily K. , O’Donnell Kari A. , Bender Anna E. , Evans Kylie E. , Holmes Megan R.
Published: July 2022

Understanding the role of social support in mitigating the stress associated with disease outbreaks is imperative. This qualitative study explored how mothers with children between the ages of 5 and 12 years ( N = 185) in the United States drew on social support resources to maintain emotional connections during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were gathered through an online survey. Technology and physically distanced, in-person interactions with a close group of friends or family were two primary ways participants maintained emotional connection. Participants reported that important qualities of emotional connection included empathy, acceptance, and value agreement. Implications for practice include identifying technology-based and safe, in-person strategies for clients and patients to connect with family members and close friends to maintain vital emotional and social support resources.
Performance of visual Inspection With Acetic Acid for Cervical Cancer Screening as Compared to Human papillomavirus Deoxyribonucleic acid Testing Among Women With HIV in Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Bogale Agajie Likie , Teklehaymanot Tilahun , Kassie Getnet Mitike , Medhin Girmay , Ali Jemal Haidar , Belay Nega Berhe
Published: July 2022

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of visual inspection with acetic acid compared with Human papillomavirus Deoxyribonucleic acid (HPV DNA) testing among women with HIV in Ethiopia.

Methods

A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted to address the aforementioned objective. Data were collected from January to October 2021, to compare the performance of these two screening modalities. Trained clinicians collected cervical specimens and immediately applied acetic acid for visual inspection. The HPV DNA testing was done using Abbott m2000rt/SP by trained laboratory professionals in accredited laboratories. A total of 578 women with HIV aged 25-49 years were included.

Results

Test positivity was 8.9% using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and 23.3% using HPV DNA test. The sensitivity and specificity of the VIA test were 19.2% and 95.1%, respectively. The strength of agreement between the two screening methods was poor (k = .184). The burden of genetic distribution of high risk HPV16 was 6.1%, and HPV18 was 1.1%. Other high risk HPV types (ie non-HPV 16/18 high risk HPV genotypes) were predominant in this study (18.6%).

Conclusion

The higher positivity result using HPV DNA testing compared with VIA, and low sensitivity of VIA are indicating that the implementation of HPV DNA testing as the primary screening strategy is likely to reduce cervical cancer cases and deaths of women in the country.
Fear Learning: An Evolving Picture for Plasticity at Synaptic Afferents to the Amygdala
Authors: Palchaudhuri Shriya , Osypenko Denys , Schneggenburger Ralf
Published: July 2022

Unraveling the neuronal mechanisms of fear learning might allow neuroscientists to make links between a learned behavior and the underlying plasticity at specific synaptic connections. In fear learning, an innocuous sensory event such as a tone (called the conditioned stimulus, CS) acquires an emotional value when paired with an aversive outcome (unconditioned stimulus, US). Here, we review earlier studies that have shown that synaptic plasticity at thalamic and cortical afferents to the lateral amygdala (LA) is critical for the formation of auditory-cued fear memories. Despite the early progress, it has remained unclear whether there are separate synaptic inputs that carry US information to the LA to act as a teaching signal for plasticity at CS-coding synapses. Recent findings have begun to fill this gap by showing, first, that thalamic and cortical auditory afferents can also carry US information; second, that the release of neuromodulators contributes to US-driven teaching signals; and third, that synaptic plasticity additionally happens at connections up- and downstream of the LA. Together, a picture emerges in which coordinated synaptic plasticity in serial and parallel circuits enables the formation of a finely regulated fear memory.
The Role of Women in Local Governments: An Analysis of Efficiency in Spain
Authors: Ríos Ana-María , Guillamón María-Dolores , Cuadrado-Ballesteros Beatriz
Published: July 2022

Female representation may be a key factor in improving the quality of governance. In fact, the literature considers that the presence of women in organisations tends to improve performance. In this context, this paper attempts to analyse whether the presence of women in municipal councils has an influence on the efficiency of public services for a sample of 141 Spanish municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants for the period 2014–2018. Our results show a U-shaped relationship between the number of female councillors and the level of efficiency in Spanish municipalities. This means that the presence of women is positively associated with municipal efficiency but only if the number of female councillors is relatively high. On the contrary, their voice and personal characteristics are diluted among their male counterparts, and efficiency may be reduced.
Pinnae and facial hypertrichosis induced by cetuximab
Authors: Alexandris Dimitrios , Alevizopoulos Nektarios , Palamaris Kostas , Gakiopoulou Charikleia , Theocharis Stamatios
Published: July 2022

Introduction

Anti-EGFR targeted anti-cancer treatment is associated with various skin adverse events. Cetuximab is often associated with acneiform papules and skin disorders. Hypertrichosis cited in face pinnae and eyelash trichomegaly are seldom described.

Case report

A 72-year-old female cancer patient presented deteriorating facial-pinnae hypertrichosis and eyelash prolongation post cetuximab infusion.

Management and outcome

Consecutive cetuximab administration led to exaggerating hairy skin side effects, fully alleviated when the drug was discontinued.

Discussion

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an anti-EGFR-associated diffuse pinnae hypertrichosis presentation in a female patient in literature. This distinct entity can be easily diagnosed and manipulated with early drug withdrawal. An extensive review of relevant basic molecular research is provided to increase physicians’ awareness.
Do Treatments for Adult ADHD Improve Emotional Behavior? A Systematic Review and Analysis
Authors: Surman Craig B. H. , Walsh Daniel M.
Published: July 2022

Objective:

Dysregulated emotional behavior occurs often in adults with ADHD. Analysis of clinical trials may guide clinical intervention and future research.

Method:

Controlled trials of adult ADHD measuring emotional behavior were included if another study offered a comparable analysis of the same treatment method. Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) of effects were calculated, and the size of effects for emotional and non-emotional ADHD behavior were compared.

Results:

13 out of 14 studies of methylphenidate, atomoxetine, and lisdexamfetamine demonstrated significant improvement in emotional behavior measures, with small to high SMDs. The proportional effect on emotional versus non-emotional behavior ranged from 46% to 110% for methylphenidate, 56% to 129% for atomoxetine, and 36% to 96% for lisdexamfetamine.

Conclusion:

Psychopharmacological treatments for ADHD are likely to improve emotional behavior, and available scales are sensitive to these effects. Studies dedicated to treatment of this domain of function can further refine clinical approaches.
Statistical Power for Detecting Moderation in Partially Nested Designs
Authors: Cox Kyle , Kelcey Benjamin
Published: July 2022

Analysis of the differential treatment effects across targeted subgroups and contexts is a critical objective in many evaluations because it delineates for whom and under what conditions particular programs, therapies or treatments are effective. Unfortunately, it is unclear how to plan efficient and effective evaluations that include these moderated effects when the design includes partial nesting (i.e., disparate grouping structures across treatment conditions). In this study, we develop statistical power formulas to identify requisite sample sizes and guide the planning of evaluations probing moderation under two-level partially nested designs. The results suggest that the power to detect moderation effects in partially nested designs is substantially influenced by sample size, moderation effect size, and moderator variance structure (i.e., varies within groups only or within and between groups). We implement the power formulas in the R-Shiny application PowerUpRShiny and demonstrate their use to plan evaluations.
Co-partisanship with mayors, institutional performance, and citizen trust in local governance institutions: Evidence from Tunisia
Authors: Yasun Salih
Published: July 2022

Does co-partisanship with mayors influence citizen trust in local governance institutions in new democracies? I answer this question through conducting a case study in Tunisia. I evaluate Arab Barometer (2018) survey data on trust in local governance institutions, and interview data with mayors, council members and civil society organizations (CSOs). The results indicate that Tunisians who support the same political party as their mayors tend to develop greater levels of trust in local governance institutions. Both quantitative evidence through a mediation model and qualitative evidence link a substantive portion of this relationship to the perceptions of institutional performance, such as their degrees of corruption, clientelism, inclusivity and efficiency. The findings identify the role and mechanism of co-partisanship in shaping trust in local governance institutions among the emerging democracies. This contributes to understanding the influence of parties in new democracies despite their weaknesses.
Denationalisation and discrimination in postcolonial India
Authors: Choudhury Sumedha
Published: July 2022

With the recent National Register of Citizens updating process in Assam (a northeastern state in India) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA 2019), there have been significant changes to India’s citizenship laws and policies. This may create one of the world’s largest stateless populations in modern times. These changes manifest the government’s othering process of creating binaries of belonging and non-belongingness between the majority Hindus and minorities (especially followers of the Islamic faith).

In this article, taking these recent changes to citizenship as a case study, I discuss how India’s colonial past, the experience of partition, and the henceforth nation-building contributed to perceiving the ‘citizen’ primarily along Hindu majoritarian lines. I argue that the nation-building process in India was based on retaining and simultaneously re-establishing the ‘others’, thereby reinforcing colonial legacies in the structure and functioning of the postcolonial state. Consequently, this article deals with two questions, first, how the adoption of discriminatory citizenship laws and the risk of statelessness in India is rooted in its complex history, the impact of British colonial expansion and the postcolonial realities and second, what role ‘law’ has played in the process.
Cross-cultural adaptation of four instruments to measure stigma towards people with mental illness and substance use problems among primary care professionals in Chile
Authors: Parra Videla Claudia , Sapag Jaime C. , Klabunde Rachel , Velasco Paola R. , Anríquez Samanta , Aracena Álvarez Marcela , Mascayano Franco , Bravo Paulina , Sena Brena F. , Jofré Escalona Ana , Bobbili Sireesha J. , Corrigan Patrick W. , Bustamante Inés , Poblete Fernando , Alvarado Rubén
Published: July 2022

Stigma toward people with mental illness and substance use problems is a significant global concern, and prevents people with these conditions from accessing treatment, particularly in primary health care (PHC) settings. Stigma is a cultural phenomenon that is influenced by particular contexts and can differ by country and region. The majority of stigma research focuses on Europe or North America leading to a lack of culturally relevant stigma research instruments for the Latin American context. The present study describes and discusses the methodology for cross-culturally adapting four stigma measurement scales to the Chilean context. The cross-cultural adaptation process included nine phases: (1) preparation; (2) independent translations; (3) synthesis 1 with expert committee; (4) focus groups and interviews with researchers, PHC professionals, and PHC users; (5) synthesis 2 with expert committee; (6) independent back translations; (7) synthesis 3 with expert committee; (8) pilot with PHC professionals; and (9) final revisions. The adaptation process included an array of diverse voices from the PHC context, and met three adaptation objectives defined prior to beginning the process (Understandability, Relevance, and Acceptability and Answer Options). The resulting, culturally adapted questionnaire is being validated and implemented within PHC settings across Chile to provide in-depth insight into stigma among PHC professionals in the country. The authors hope it will be useful for future research on mental illness and substance use stigma in similar settings across Latin America.
Bilingual processing of case-marking and locative verbs in Korean: Use of L2-unique information
Authors: Park Sun Hee , Kim Hyunwoo
Published: July 2022

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions:

Previous studies show conflicting findings regarding bilingual processing of target information not instantiated in learners’ first language. The current study addresses this issue by investigating whether Chinese speakers can integrate case-marking information, which is unique to Korean, with locative verb information in their processing of the Korean locative constructions.

Design/methodology/approach:

We conducted an acceptability judgment task to assess Chinese–Korean bilinguals’ explicit knowledge of case-marking constraints on Korean locative constructions, and a self-paced reading task to probe their application of the knowledge to real-time sentence processing.

Data and analysis:

Twenty-four advanced Chinese–Korean bilinguals’ acceptability judgments and reading times were compared with those of 24 Korean monolingual speakers, using mixed-effects regression modeling.

Findings/conclusions:

Results from the offline acceptability judgment task revealed the bilinguals’ native-like judgment patterns. Both Korean monolingual and Chinese–Korean bilinguals rejected sentences with wrong case-marking sequences paired with locative verbs. In the self-paced reading task, both monolingual and bilingual speakers showed increased reading times when a mismatch arose between case-marking and locative verb information, indicating their sensitivity to locative agreement violations.

Originality:

While previous studies have investigated bilinguals’ integration of multiple sources of information, this study adds a new perspective to this issue by testing whether bilinguals can use L2-unique information (i.e., case marking) to integrate it with other types of information (i.e., locative verbs) for sentence processing.

Significance/implications:

Our findings are consistent with the competition model which predicts that L2-unique information presents little processing difficulty for bilinguals. At the same time, the current results lend credence to the idea that increased proficiency allows bilinguals to integrate multiple information sources during processing.
The association between learning disorders, motor function, and primitive reflexes in pre-school children: A systematic review
Authors: McWhirter Kylie , Steel Amie , Adams Jon
Published: July 2022

This study aimed to systematically review evidence of the association between learning disorders, motor function, and primitive reflexes in preschool children. Seven databases were systematically searched (EMBASE, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, Medline, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane) with no restrictions. Inclusion criteria were full text peer-reviewed articles reporting new empirical data, assessing any two of three phenomena in preschool children: learning disorders, motor function, or primitive reflexes. Intervention studies or studies examining congenital, chromosomal or acquired neurological, or pathological conditions and prematurity were excluded. Included papers ( n = 27) were assessed for methodological quality by the Hoy et al. Risk of bias tool. Learning and motor function were assessed in all except two articles and motor deficits found to be associated with speech/language and executive function as well as several areas of academic performance. Three studies included primitive reflexes, with high levels of the asymmetrical tonic neck reflex positively correlated with fine motor skills, “school readiness” and “impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattention.” Caution must be used when interpreting the review results due to significant study heterogeneity. Further research is needed to further understand common underlying mechanisms that may inform earlier diagnostic methods for these three phenomena. PROSPERO: CRD42021265793
Climate change planning in a coastal tourism destination, A participatory approach
Authors: Horne Lydia , DiMatteo-LePape Asha , Wolf-Gonzalez Gabriela , Briones Valeria , Soucy Alyssa , De Urioste-Stone Sandra
Published: July 2022

Participatory planning is one strategy to increase tourism suppliers’ capacity to jointly anticipate climate change impacts and implement locally feasible and acceptable solutions; however, participatory planning is uncommon. In this study, we co-created a series of planning workshops with tourism partners to examine and address climate change impacts (challenges and opportunities) on Mount Desert Island, Maine, USA. We co-designed and facilitated two Zoom workshops in spring 2021 for tourism suppliers. Workshops focused on (1) identifying climate change impacts to the tourism system and (2) developing planning priorities for the destination. Workshops resulted in two planning priorities: visitation shifts and the opportunity to become a more sustainable destination in response to climate change. Our participatory approach brought together diverse tourism suppliers that do not usually collaborate to increase the destination’s capacity to plan for and respond to climate change. Similar participatory approaches may benefit other natural resource dependent contexts.
A universally applicable 0D turbulence model based on the physical analysis of fundamental tumble behaviors in spark-ignition engines
Authors: Kim Myoungsoo , Song Han Ho
Published: July 2022

Predicting turbulence in a zero-dimensional (0D) simulation is an undeniably challenging task due to the complexity of in-cylinder charge motion. In that respect, a physics-based understanding of in-cylinder flow phenomena is of vital importance for establishing high-fidelity 0D turbulence models under diverse engine conditions. The proposed 0D model is hence built upon the kinetic energy analyses of tumble, evidenced by three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics. Specifically, the overall 0D turbulence model consists of an intake model, a spinning up model, and a turbulence production model. The major difference between this model and the existing 0D turbulence models is that this model is grounded on a kinetic energy perspective of tumble, as opposed to an angular momentum perspective of tumble. That is, the behaviors of tumble, such as spinning up and vortex breakdown, are interpreted and modeled based on the changes in the kinetic energy of tumble. This enables the proposed model to secure wider applicability at various engine conditions, which were otherwise difficult to achieve. Therefore, the 0D simulation in this study was able to predict turbulent intensities at the conditions, differing in valve strategy, engine geometry, and engine operation, without changing any validation constants. Furthermore, along with the validation points used in this study, better predictions of turbulent intensity were achieved using the proposed model compared to the existing state-of-the-art model.