bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Concepts in Hip Implant Body Contouring: Patient Evaluation & Implant Fabrication
Authors: Troell Robert J. , Eppley Barry , Javaheri Shahin
Published: June 2022

Introduction: One of the most requested aesthetic procedures is body contouring using liposuction. Adjunctive procedures using fat grafting can provide enhancement in most body areas, commonly used in both gluteal and hip augmentation. Performing processing and enrichment to optimize fat transfer survival can avoid the use of body implants. When there is insufficient fat for the desired degree of augmentation, silastic implant placement is an alternative treatment. Much has been written in the medical cosmetic literature regarding gluteal and breast implants, but nothing in terms of hip silastic implants. Material and Methods: Hip implant patient selection, the body frame analysis, associated enhancing body contouring procedures, implant design and fabrication, and implant surgical placement are analyzed. In 3 different cosmetic surgery practices, methods of patient analysis and the process of creating a custom hip implant is presented. Techniques and protocols in the use of fat grafting in association with both gluteal and hip implants are elucidated. Results: The minimally manipulating fat maneuvers to increase fat survival are detailed. This paper defines the process of planning, designing, and fabricating a custom hip implant with significant patient input. By definition, patient-specific or custom implants can be any shape, size, and projection. The patient and surgeon provide the implant fabrication company a paper tracing of the surface area of the proposed implant along with the maximum projection. Engineering creates a 2-dimensional drawing using a computational software for intelligent system design or CAD. The implants are fabricated with input from the surgeon on silastic durometer, implant alterations to lower weight and enhance ease of folding for placement, and shape. Caveats and pitfalls in surgical planning, implant design, fabrication, and surgical placement are identified. Discussion: Body contouring using ultrasound liposuction may provide the desired aesthetic result. When augmentation is requested, fat transfer is the preferred initial procedure. If there is an insufficient volume of fat to augment both the buttocks and hip area, hip fat grafting is preferred to avoid a hip alloplastic implant. The reason for this treatment recommendation is to avoid the hip implant with a higher risk profile. Once the indication for the hip implant is confirmed, usually because of either inadequate presence of fat or a desired maximum hip projection that cannot be attained by fat grafting alone, the body shape analysis is finalized. Conclusion: Custom silastic hip implants are designed, fabricated, and surgically placed to provide the patient desired cosmetic hip augmentation.
Numerical solution for elliptical orbit pursuit-evasion game via deep neural networks and pseudospectral method
Authors: Zhang Cheng-ming , Zhu Yan-wei , Yang Le-ping , Zeng Xin , Zhang Run-de
Published: June 2022

This paper presents an efficient and stable DNNs-based Radau pseudospectral method for the free-time elliptical orbit pursuit-evasion game based on the equivalent reconstruction of the game model. Firstly, the relative dynamics equations are established by adding the nonlinear terms caused by the eccentricity to the Hill–Clohessy–Wilshire equations. Then the original pursuit-evasion problem is deduced to a 4-dimensional one-sided optimal control problem (OCP) based on the equivalent reconstruction. Secondly, in order to apply the deep neural networks (DNNs) to map the relationship between the OCP and the solution, the normalization of costates is introduced to eliminate the non-uniqueness of solutions when generating samples for training DNNs. Thirdly, the DNNs-based Radau pseudospectral method is proposed where the DNNs output the guesses of solutions to the derived OCP and the Radau pseudospectral method optimizes the histories of controls obtained by the guesses to the convergence. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method converges more stably and decreases the calculation time greatly compared with the traditional indirect method.
Lack of Belonging Predicts Depressive Symptomatology in College Students
Authors: Dutcher Janine M. , Lederman James , Jain Megha , Price Stephen , Kumar Agam , Villalba Daniella K. , Tumminia Michael J. , Doryab Afsaneh , Creswell Kasey G. , Riskin Eve , Sefdigar Yasaman , Seo Woosuk , Mankoff Jennifer , Cohen Sheldon , Dey Anind , Creswell J. David
Published: June 2022

Feeling a sense of belonging is a central human motivation that has consequences for mental health and well-being, yet surprisingly little research has examined how belonging shapes mental health among young adults. In three data sets from two universities (exploratory study: N = 157; Confirmatory Study 1: N = 121; Confirmatory Study 2: n = 188 in winter term, n = 172 in spring term), we found that lower levels of daily-assessed feelings of belonging early and across the academic term predicted higher depressive symptoms at the end of the term. Furthermore, these relationships held when models controlled for baseline depressive symptoms, sense of social fit, and other social factors (loneliness and frequency of social interactions). These results highlight the relationship between feelings of belonging and depressive symptoms over and above other social factors. This work underscores the importance of daily-assessed feelings of belonging in predicting subsequent depressive symptoms and has implications for early detection and mental health interventions among young adults.
Efficacy of GARCH-EVT Model in Intraday Risk Management: Evidence from Severely Pandemic-affected Countries
Authors: Roy Abhijit
Published: June 2022

Countries around the world have experienced severe-to-moderate economic restrictions during the first two waves of COVID-19 pandemic. The present article captures the time frame of this unprecedented turmoil to test the efficacy of the conditional extreme value theory (EVT) model to forecast value at risk (VaR) and expected shortfall (ES). The article considers the eight most-affected countries and applies the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) process in appropriate GARCH-EVT models assuming Student’s t distribution to accommodate the fat-tailed behaviour of financial return series. The study confirms that our model is substantially superior in forecasting intraday VaR and ES in comparison to other conditional EVT models with a classical assumption of normal distribution as well as an unconditional EVT model. Contrary to more commonly used 5-minute-frequency data in intraday risk management, we use hourly data, which is much less researched in the context of stock market volatility forecasting. Moreover, our study adds to the reliability of conditional EVT models because of its accuracy in predicting intraday risk during extreme economic uncertainty in severely pandemic-hit countries.
Book review: Tom Barnes, Informal Labour in Urban India: Three Cities, Three Journeys
Authors: Sharma Vidyasagar
Published: June 2022

Tom Barnes, Informal Labour in Urban India: Three Cities, Three Journeys. Routledge, 2018, 222 pp., £42.99. ISBN: 9781138492264 (Paperback).
Solidarity and Schism: A Study on Bihar’s Backward Classes’ Movement
Authors: Singh Shashi Bhushan
Published: June 2022

Social movements play an important role in social transformation. In a social movement, a group of people come together to achieve certain goals which they cannot achieve individually. But who will come together and against whom, as well as the nature of the rules and resources the participants use in a movement are affected by the contour of the social structure. Social structure leaves a definite mark on the nature of solidarity and schism among the participants of a movement. Taking Bihar’s backward classes’ movement as a case study, this article partially supports Marx’s dictum that ‘men make history, but not the way they please…’
Book review: Alex. M. Thomas, Macroeconomics: An Introduction
Authors: Aswathy M. V. D.
Published: June 2022

Alex. M. Thomas, Macroeconomics: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press, 2021, xx + 234 pp., ₹495. ISBN: 9781108731997 (Paperback).
Predictive Role of Blood Cellular Indices and Their Relationship with Endogenous Glycosaminoglycans as Determinants of Inflammatory Biomarkers in Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Kantarcioglu Bulent , Darki Amir , Siddiqui Fakiha , Krupa Emily , Vural Mehmet , Kacmaz Murat , Hoppensteadt Debra , Iqbal Omer , Jeske Walter , Walenga Jeanine , Adiguzel Cafer , Fareed Jawed
Published: June 2022

Introduction

In this study, we profiled the levels of blood cellular indices, endogenous glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and inflammatory biomarkers in a cohort comprised of pulmonary embolism (PE) patients, to determine their inter-relationships. Identification of this relationship may provide insight to the complex pathophysiology of PE and the predictive role of blood cellular indices in acute PE patients.

Materials and Methods

Plasma samples from PE patients and healthy controls were analyzed for thrombo-inflammatory biomarkers (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, VEGF, IFN-ɣ, TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-1β, MCP-1, EGF, D-dimer, CRP and MMP-9) using biochip array and ELISA methods. The endogenous GAG levels were quantified using a fluorescence quenching method. The data regarding the blood cellular indices were collected through the review of patient medical records and analyzed to demonstrate their relationship.

Results

The levels of inflammatory biomarkers and endogenous GAGs were elevated in acute PE patients compared to controls ( P < .05). Most of the blood cellular indices have shown significant differences in acute PE patients compared to controls ( P < .05). The levels of inflammatory biomarkers, endogenous GAGs and the blood cellular indices have shown significant associations in correlation and multivariable analysis. While NLR, PLR and SII were significantly predicting the 30-day mortality, PNR, ELR and EMR were not sufficient to predict 30-day mortality in acute PE.

Conclusion

Our results show that the increased thrombo-inflammatory response is associated with the release of GAGs and the changes in blood cellular indices. The predictive role of the blood cellular indices for mortality is dependent on their relationship with the inflammatory response.
Data extrapolation and sound field reconstruction based on the boundary element method
Authors: Zhang Zixin , Xiao Youhong
Published: June 2022

Near-field acoustic holography (NAH) based on the boundary element method (BEM) is a powerful tool for noise source identification which is the premise of noise control. For large-scale structures, the measurement aperture should be large enough to ensure that the reconstruction results are accurate. However, the layout of field points often cannot meet the conditions necessary for reliable measurements. The patch NAH methods proposed in previous literature do not explore the influence of the initial and extrapolated aperture on the reconstruction of the vibration velocity. In this paper, the field distribution modes are redefined by the BEM and applied to extrapolation technology. First, the sound pressure of the field points on an expanded hologram is obtained by a data extrapolation method. The expanded data can then be used to reconstruct the vibration velocity of the structure and the sound pressure in the sound field via BEM-based NAH. A modified Tikhonov regularization is utilized in the inverse process. Different sound sources with simple or complex radiated sound fields are used for simulations to explore the influence of the initial and extrapolated aperture on the reconstruction. The application scope of the proposed extrapolation technology is identified and the conclusions are verified by experiments.
Co-Presence and Contingency: Comics as a Methodological Innovation in Researching Automated Futures
Authors: Dahlgren Kari , Pink Sarah , Strengers Yolande , Nicholls Larissa
Published: June 2022

Recent interest in futures anthropology has argued that the discipline should play a more active role in shaping futures. However, this raises methodological problems for accessing futures and recreating the co-presence that is central to ethnography. Studying automated futures is particularly challenging because of the strong visions of technology-led futures, which rely on solutionist narratives and fail to account for everyday life. This article discusses a methodological innovation for studying automated futures through ethnographic visits, home tours, and comic strips that enable imaginative potential while drawing in the realities of everyday life and the maintenance of contingency into the future.
Landing Sites, Cities, and Nonplaces: Collaborating Across the Conference Circuit
Authors: de Freitas Elizabeth , Sinclair Nathalie
Published: June 2022

This article keeps tuned to the ritual of scholarly gathering, an activity continued somewhat differently today in the online meeting. We aim to speak to current concerns about place and belonging under new climatic and digital regimes. We pose the question, “What will be the spatial logic and shape of scholarly collaboration after lockdown and ‘zoomtopia’?” The article recounts our decade-long collaboration and is structured around 10 sketches of singular meetings—intensive encounters—where we met for 3 to 5 days and developed various theories about form, space, number, affect, body and the imagination.
Three Refrains: Jumps in the Assemblage
Authors: Soler Santibanez Gabriel Edgardo
Published: June 2022

This article aims to explore the three types of refrain proposed by Deleuze and Guattari through Writing as Inquiry. I explore some memories of my childhood in a dictatorship, then the process of a breakup when I was at university, and the beginning of a mental health crisis. In this exploration, I reflect on the loss of my uncle, the role of songs in my life, and the changes in my territory through these difficult times. All of this is under the umbrella of the three refrains.
Does climate policy uncertainty affect tourism demand? Evidence from time-varying causality tests
Authors: Apergis Nicholas , Gavriilidis Konstantinos , Gupta Rangan
Published: June 2022

This study examines whether climate policy uncertainty affects the propensity of people to travel. To do so, we employ the Climate Policy Uncertainty (CPU) index and US air-travel data to eight regional overseas destinations for the period 2000–2019. Using time-varying causality tests to deal with the structural breaks that exist in the relationship between CPU and US air travel, we find that CPU is a major determinant of air-travel demand to all destinations examined. The results are robust when we control for macroeconomic factors, uncertainty and geopolitical risks. The findings have important implications for destination countries and tourism professionals.
The multifaceted function of rubrics as formative assessment tools: A classroom-based action research in an L2 writing context
Authors: Khairallah Megan , Adra Omar
Published: June 2022

This classroom-based action research (CBAR) corroborated our belief in the valuable role rubrics play in a tertiary L2 writing context where English is the medium of instruction. The three-stage CBAR involved ongoing discussions between us, two writing teacher-researchers, as we adapted our teaching and assessment strategies to explore the potential of rubrics as formative tools. This study confirmed the proactive role rubrics could play in teaching writing and promoting successful partnerships between teachers and students during the assessment process. The multifaceted function of rubrics as driver of change in practitioners’ approaches to teaching and assessing writing as well as a tool that enables students to take ownership of the different stages of their writing was a major finding of our study.
Rehabilitation within pre-crime interventions: The hybrid criminology of social crime prevention and countering violent extremism
Authors: Heath-Kelly Charlotte , Shanaah Sadi
Published: June 2022

Criminological literature frequently argues that the rehabilitative penological paradigm of the 20th century (‘penal welfarism’) has been replaced by pre-crime, risk-based, ‘new penology’. Under the conditions of social and economic neoliberalism, it is claimed, the commitment to rehabilitating individuals has been withdrawn. In this article, we explore the curious persistence of rehabilitation—enacted within crime prevention and countering-violent-extremism programmes. We show that rather than ‘new penology’ replacing ‘penal welfarism’, the history of social crime prevention programmes demonstrates the presence of a ‘hybrid penology’. Here, rehabilitation was brought into the pre-criminal space and practised upon pre-delinquents. This pre-emptive rehabilitation of at-risk subjects pervaded preventive policy in both Western Europe and the socialist Former Yugoslavia. In both case studies, this logic of pre-crime rehabilitation then transferred into the counterterrorism sector—with ideological dissidence identified as the threshold for reform-oriented intervention. Rehabilitation remains with us, warped by the turn to pre-emption.
Not only people are getting old, the new media are too: Technology generations and the changes in new media use
Authors: Loos Eugène , Ivan Loredana
Published: June 2022

This article investigates the changes in the use of traditional and new media by different technology generations. Focusing on the changes in the use of Email, Chat and Social Network Sites by older people, it explores the process by which new media become ‘old’ and reach a saturation point. Collected survey data suggest differences in media use between the three technology generations distinguished in this study: the ‘mechanical’ generation (born in 1938 or before), the ‘household revolution’ generation (born between 1939 and 1948), and the ‘technology spread’ generation (born between 1949 and 1963). This longitudinal and transnational study provides evidence of media saturation, showing that an increase in both the availability of and access to media does not lead to an increase in use, even in older adults who are behind in the adoption of the new media. Finally, the article discusses the findings, arguing for an interplay between individual and structural lag in later life.
W.E.B. Du Bois and modern social theory
Authors: Meer Nasar
Published: June 2022

How might we move the current discussion of W.E.B Du Bois from a concern with omission to re-construction within modern social theory? Bhambra and Holmwood offer a novel means to do this through revisiting three texts: The Philadelphia Negro (1899), Souls of Black Folk (1903) and Black Reconstruction (1935). The following account explores the benefits of this approach, what it highlights for students and teachers, and discusses where other emphases might also lead a contemporary understanding of Du Bois.
Inferior Vena Cava—Balloon Occlusion and Its Effect on the Myocardium During Endograft Deployment in the Arch
Authors: Karelis Angelos , Dias Nuno V. , Holmström Anders , Kölbel Tilo , Sonesson Björn
Published: June 2022

Purpose:

To evaluate the impact of cava balloon occlusion on the myocardium during endovascular repair of thoracic aortic pathologies.

Material and methods:

A prospective observational cohort study of 21 patients who underwent endovascular repair of aortic arch and thoracic aorta in a single tertiary referral center with use of inferior vena cava (IVC) balloon occlusion as a method of intraoperative cardiac output reduction. Pre-, intra-, and postoperative measurements of heart rate, blood pressure, stroke volume index, and central venous oxygen saturation were noted. High-sensitive serum troponin levels were also analyzed according to a pre-established protocol. Endpoints were cardiac troponin T levels after induced hypotension and left ventricular ejection fraction during follow-up. Secondary endpoints were procedure technical success and overall survival.

Results:

Twenty-one patients (18 male, median age 69, (62-75, IQR)) enrolled in the study between May 2015 and January 2019. Indication for endovascular treatment was an aortic arch aneurysm (n=10), descending aortic aneurysm (n=8), lusorian artery aneurysm (n=2), and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (n=1). Median time to reach half mean arterial pressure was 60 seconds while median recovery time of blood pressure was 135 seconds. In 5 (24%) cases, we observed a > 50% change of Troponin T on the reference level. Technical success was achieved in all cases. Two (10%) patients developed new and persistent atrial fibrillation and 1 (5%) suffered a peri-operative ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Conclusion:

The use of IVC balloon occlusion is a feasible technique for cardiac output reduction during endovascular repair of thoracic aortic pathologies. One fourth of the patients develop significant troponin leakage but the significance of the finding needs further studies.
The Impact of the Proctor Assistance for a Safe Learning Curve in the Development of a Complex Aortic Endovascular Program
Authors: Gouveia e Melo Ryan , Fernandes e Fernandes Ruy , Salvado Margarida , Duarte António , Lopes Alice , Verhoeven Eric , Fernandes e Fernandes José , Mendes Pedro Luís
Published: June 2022

Introduction:

Initiating an endovascular aortic program for treatment of complex aortic aneurysms with fenestrated and branched grafts (FB-EVAR) is challenging. Using a Proctor is one option for training and development of the team. However, this approach has not been formally analyzed. The aim of this study was to analyze the learning curve and the effect of the Proctor regarding safety and effectiveness in FB-EVAR.

Methods:

A single-center retrospective cohort study was performed, including all consecutive elective patients submitted to FB-EVAR (including both thoraco-abdominal-TAAA and complex abdominal aortic aneurysms-C-AAA) from 2013 to 2021. Patients were divided into 2 groups, the first operated with the Proctor present and the second without. Primary outcomes were 30-day mortality (safety) and technical and procedure success (efficacy). Secondary outcomes included treatment performance (procedure time, blood loss, contrast, and radiation use), re-interventions, aneurysm shrinking, target vessel patency, 30-day mortality, aneurysm-related mortality, and overall mortality.

Results:

Overall, 105 patients were included in the study, 35 operated with Proctor and 70 operated without. The first 20 patients were operated always with the Proctor, and the remaining were operated with the Proctor selectively. Mean age was 71.8 (±7.3) years and 95 patients were male (90.5%). Overall, 62 (65%) patients had C-AAA or extent IV TAAAs and 43 (35%) had extensive TAAAs. There were no significant differences regarding 30-day mortality (Log Rank=0.99), technical success (p=0.4), or procedure success (p=0.8). Mean surgical time was longer in the non-Proctor group (p=0.005), as well as significant intra-operative blood loss (p=0.042). Contrast use (p=0.5) and radiation (p=0.53) were non-significantly different between groups. There were no significant differences regarding length of stay (p=0.4), major adverse events (p=0.6), target vessel patency (Log Rank=0.97), early (p=0.7) and late endoleaks (0.7), aneurysm shrinking (p=0.6), re-interventions (p=0.2), and overall mortality (Log Rank=0.87).

Conclusion:

In our experience, the use of a Proctor to start and accompany our complex endovascular aortic program for FB-EVAR was both safe and effective and may serve as a template by other countries and centers that aim to developing their programs.
The Dark Figure of Delinquency:New Evidence and Its Underlying Psychopathology
Authors: Minkler Molly , Bonner Taea , DeLisi Matt , Pechorro Pedro , Vaughn Michael G.
Published: June 2022

Although research on the dark figure of delinquency has produced valuable quantitative estimates of its size, prior research is mechanistic and atheoretical about the conceptual underpinnings of the crimes that go undetected by the juvenile justice system. Drawing on data from 253 adjudicated youth in residential placements in the Midwestern United States, the current study found that youth self-reported over 25 delinquent offenses for every one police contact. The dark figure of delinquency has a wide distribution with some youth reporting upwards of 290 delinquent offenses per police contact or arrest. Youth who exhibited more psychopathic features, who displayed temperamental profiles characterized by low effortful control and high negative emotionality, males, and those who were older had larger dark figures of delinquency. Findings provide support for general criminological theories that invoke psychopathy or temperament as important individual-level drivers of delinquent conduct, much of which never results in juvenile justice system intervention and thus never achieves legal resolution.
Anxiety Severity and Influencing Factors in Day Surgery Patients or Relatives in Covid-19 Normalized Prevention Phase
Authors: Teng Zeng , Lin Rongruo , Liu Jing , Yin Yu , Dai Yan , Huang Mingjun
Published: June 2022

Background

As the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) repeated, the prevention and treatment will be normalized in a period. “Large number of patients” and “ Turnover quickly” of the day surgery ward greatly increased the difficulty of policy formulation and implementation. The normalization also had a huge negative psychological impact on patients/family members. This study aims to introduce effective epidemic prevention and control measures in day surgery wards, and to clarify the influencing factors of anxiety and subjective discomfort of patients and their families during the normalization of COVID-19.

Methods

To prepare for normalization of epidemic, research discuss improvements in the management of staff, environment, process. A total of 148 patients admitted to West China Hospital from December 2021 to March 2022 and their relatives were asked to complete a questionnaire effectively. Using the Self-rating Anxiety Scale, Social Support Rating Scale and Subjective Units of Distress scales to analyze anxiety and its risk factors.

Results

Under normalized control measures, no staff was infected. The subjective discomfort score was higher in people with lower body mass index (BMI). Young and high social support score were risk factors for anxiety (P < .05), and social support was positively correlated with anxiety.

Conclusion

The normalization of epidemic is an inevitable trend in a period. A stable and safe medical environment needs to fully eliminate the policy defects, to fit the people and focus on mental health of the people. For patients/family members, who are younger,a lower BMI and higher social support should be attention more.
Nurses’ strategies to provide emotional and practical support to the mothers of preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Maleki Maryam , Mardani Abbas , Harding Celia , Basirinezhad Mohammad Hasan , Vaismoradi Mojtaba
Published: June 2022

Aim:

To synthesize and integrate current international knowledge regarding nursing strategies for the provision of emotional and practical support to the mothers of preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Methods:

A systematic review and meta-analysis was undertaken. Four English-language databases including EMBASE, PubMed (including MEDLINE), Scopus, and Web of Science were searched from January 2010 to October 2021. Original quantitative studies that were written in English and focused on nursing strategies for the provision of emotional and practical support to the mothers of preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit were included. Eligibility assessment, data extraction, and methodological quality appraisal were conducted independently by the review authors. A narrative synthesis of the review results and a meta-analysis were performed.

Results:

Twenty studies that were published from 2010 to 2021 were included in the review. Three categories concerning the review aims were identified: ‘nursing strategies related to mothers’ emotions and infant-mother attachment’, ‘nursing strategies related to mothers’ empowerment’, and ‘nursing strategies related to mothers’ participation in care process and support’. Eight interventional studies that reported mothers’ stress as the study outcome were entered into the meta-analysis. Interventions consisted of the educational programme, spiritual care, telenursing, parent support programme, skin-to-skin care, and guided family centred care. Significantly lower maternal stress was found in the intervention group compared with that of the control group ( g: −1.06; 95% confidence interval: −1.64, −0.49; Z = 3.62, p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

This review identified and highlighted key nursing strategies used to provide emotional and practical support to the mothers of preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. They included family centred care, skin-to-skin care, parent support and education programmes, interpersonal psychotherapy, spiritual care, newborn individualized developmental care and assessment programme, and telenursing.
The injustices of school district fragmentation
Authors: Cynamon Jeremy Kingston , Pavel Sonia Maria
Published: June 2022

The authors argue that from the perspective of distributive justice, school district fragmentation—meaning both the existing reality of hyper-proliferated school districts and the practice of further breaking larger districts into smaller ones—produces three distinct injustices. First, it undermines racial solidarity and the bonds of community. Second, it violates the demands of procedural justice. And third, it leads to substantively unfair outcomes. Taken together, these concerns suggest that to create a more just educational system we ought to resist further fragmentation and push for larger, more consolidated school districts coupled with progressive redistributive funding. To support this central normative argument, the article provides two justifications for conceptualizing education as a fundamental entitlement and its provision as a form of mutual aid.
Democratic Principles and Performance: What do the Experts Think?
Authors: Russo Guilherme A. , Avelino George , Guarnieri Fernando H. E.
Published: June 2022

Recently, many political scientists have argued that democracy may be threatened more by the erosion of its principles, embodied in the democratic institutions, than by traditional breakdowns. This debate led to a series of initiatives that sought to identify and evaluate this process of institutional erosion. This research note contributes to these efforts by assessing the importance and current performance of a set of formal and informal democratic institutions. We present results from a survey, conducted in 2020 with 419 Brazilian political scientists, which sought their opinions on the importance of a series of democratic principles and the status of Brazilian democracy. This survey is part of the Bright Line Watch project that brings together a group of political scientists to monitor democratic practices, their resilience, and potential threats.
A critical review of the role of technology and context in digital health research
Authors: Nielsen Petter , Sahay Sundeep
Published: June 2022

Digital health represents a research field dedicated to realising digital technologies’ potential and developing knowledge about their feasibility and impacts. Yet, drawing on a critical review of the articles in the most prominent multidisciplinary digital health journals, this paper argues that the digital health field has not profoundly engaged with its core subject, namely technology. The features of digital technologies remain in the background, and research is disconnected from the complexities of healthcare settings, including multiple technologies, established practices and people. Instead, the overarching focus in the digital health literature is the processing capabilities of digital technologies and their posited impacts. This paper proposes a research direction in digital health where technology and the context of use take a more prominent role. It argues that realising the potential of digital health requires intensive investigation drawing on different disciplines, grounded on understanding healthcare processes, related informational needs and the concrete features of digital technologies.
Specification of hematopoietic stem cells in mammalian embryos: A rare or frequent event?
Authors: Ganuza Miguel , Clements Wilson Kendrick , McKinney Freeman Shannon L
Published: June 2022

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are the blood forming stem cells thought to be responsible for supporting the blood system throughout life. Transplantability has long been the flagship assay used to define and characterize HSCs throughout ontogeny. However, it has recently become clear that many cells emerge during ontogeny that lack transplantability, yet nevertheless are fated to ultimately contribute to the adult HSC pool. Here, we explore recent advances in understanding the numbers and kinetics of cells that emerge during development to support lifelong hematopoiesis-advances that are made possible by new technologies allowing interrogation of lifelong blood potential without embryo perturbation or transplantation. Illuminating the dynamics of these cells during normal development informs efforts to better understand the origins of hematologic disease and engineer HSCs from differentiating pluripotent stem cells.
Punctual and kinetic MRD analysis from the Fondazione Italiana Linfomi MCL0208 phase 3 trial in mantle cell lymphoma
Authors: Ferrero Simone , Grimaldi Daniele , Genuardi Elisa , Drandi Daniela , Zaccaria Gian Maria , Alessandria Beatrice , Ghislieri Marco , Ferrante Martina , Evangelista Andrea , Mantoan Barbara , De Luca Gabriele , Stefani Piero Maria , Benedetti Fabio , Casaroli Ivana , Zanni Manuela , Castellino Claudia , Pavone Vincenzo , Petrini Mario , Re Francesca , Hohaus Stefan , Musuraca Gerardo , Cascavilla Nicola , Ghiggi Chiara , Liberati Anna Marina , Cortelazzo Sergio , Ladetto Marco
Published: June 2022

Minimal residual disease (MRD) analysis is a known predictive tool in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). We describe MRD results from the Fondazione Italiana Linfomi phase 3 MCL0208 prospective clinical trial assessing lenalidomide (LEN) maintenance vs observation after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in the first prospective comprehensive analysis of different techniques, molecular markers, and tissues (peripheral blood [PB] and bone marrow [BM]), taken at well-defined time points. Among the 300 patients enrolled, a molecular marker was identified in 250 (83%), allowing us to analyze 234 patients and 4351 analytical findings from 10 time points. ASCT induced high rates of molecular remission (91% in PB and 83% in BM, by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction [RQ-PCR]). Nevertheless, the number of patients with persistent clinical and molecular remission decreased over time in both arms (up to 30% after 36 months). MRD predicted early progression and long-term outcome, particularly from 6 months after ASCT (6-month time to progression [TTP] hazard ratio [HR], 3.83; P < .001). In single-timepoint analysis, BM outperformed PB, and RQ-PCR was more reliable, while nested PCR appeared applicable to a larger number of patients (234 vs 176). To improve MRD performance, we developed a time-varying kinetic model based on regularly updated MRD results and the MIPI (Mantle Cell Lymphoma International Prognostic Index), showing an area under the ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curve (AUROC) of up to 0.87 using BM. Most notably, PB reached an AUROC of up to 0.81; with kinetic analysis, it was comparable to BM in performance. MRD is a powerful predictor over the entire natural history of MCL and is suitable for models with a continuous adaptation of patient risk. The study can be found in EudraCT N. 2009-012807-25 (https://eudract.ema.europa.eu/).
Liver-to-lung microembolic NETs promote gasdermin D–dependent inflammatory lung injury in sickle cell disease
Authors: Vats Ravi , Kaminski Tomasz W. , Brzoska Tomasz , Leech John A. , Tutuncuoglu Egemen , Katoch Omika , Jonassaint Jude , Tejero Jesus , Novelli Enrico M. , Pradhan-Sundd Tirthadipa , Gladwin Mark T. , Sundd Prithu
Published: June 2022

Acute lung injury, referred to as the acute chest syndrome, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), which often occurs in the setting of a vaso-occlusive painful crisis. P-selectin antibody therapy reduces hospitalization of patients with SCD by ∼50%, suggesting that an unknown P-selectin–independent mechanism promotes remaining vaso-occlusive events. In patients with SCD, intraerythrocytic polymerization of mutant hemoglobin promotes ischemia-reperfusion injury and hemolysis, which leads to the development of sterile inflammation. Using intravital microscopy in transgenic, humanized mice with SCD and in vitro studies with blood from patients with SCD, we reveal for the first time that the sterile inflammatory milieu in SCD promotes caspase-4/11–dependent activation of neutrophil–gasdermin D (GSDMD), which triggers P-selectin–independent shedding of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in the liver. Remarkably, these NETs travel intravascularly from liver to lung, where they promote neutrophil-platelet aggregation and the development of acute lung injury. This study introduces a novel paradigm that liver-to-lung embolic translocation of NETs promotes pulmonary vascular vaso-occlusion and identifies a new GSDMD-mediated, P-selectin–independent mechanism of lung injury in SCD.
Telemedicine home CPAP titration and follow-up in the COVID-19 scenario
Authors: Bordas-Martinez Jaume , Salord Neus , Fontanilles Eva , Prado Eliseo , Calvo María , Carmezim João , Santos Salud , Monasterio Carmen
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration was dramatically affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic due to increased biological risk. This study aimed to compare successful CPAP adaptation and compliance with home telemedicine CPAP titration with the usual method based on face-to-face visits.

Methodology

A prospective cohort using telemedicine home CPAP titration and follow-up during the COVID-19 pandemic (TC) was compared with a retrospective cohort receiving face-to-face pre-pandemic home titration (RC). The TC included a subgroup with a smartphone application (TC-APP). Successful CPAP adaptation and compliance at 1 month of follow-up were the main endpoints, while patient satisfaction and costs were secondary endpoints.

Results

210 consecutive patients were evaluated (80 RC and 130 TC). 36 patients were in the TC-APP subgroup. CPAP titration was successful in 90% in RCversus95% in TC and 100% in TC-APP. No compliance differences between groups were found at 1  month (4.79 h·night−1RC, 4.33  h·night−1TC and 4.59 h·night−1TC-APP). Mean±sdpatient satisfaction out of 10 was 7.69±2.05 in RCversus9.02±0.64 in TC (p<0.001). 64% of the TC-APP subgroup reported that their telemedicine strategy influenced an increase in CPAP use (p=0.011). CPAP adaptation with follow-up had an estimated direct staff cost per patient of EUR 19.61±8.61 in TC with no smartphone application usedversusEUR 23.79±9.94 in TC-APP (p=0.048).

Conclusions

Telemedicine in CPAP titration and early follow-up is equivalent to the usual care in terms of successful adaptation and compliance, while achieving greater patient satisfaction.
Modulation Technique of Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance of Palladium Nanospheres by Coating with Titanium Dioxide Shell for Application to Photothermal Therapy Agent
Authors: Hayakawa Yutaro , Furuya Masato , Tahara Hironobu , Kosuge Yasuhiro , Kimura Tsuyoshi , Sugawa Kosuke , Otsuki Joe
Published: June 2022

Although plasmonic palladium (Pd) nanospheres are thermodynamically stable and have high photothermal conversion due to the free and bound electron coupling associated with the intrinsic high interband transition, they have not attracted attention as a photothermal conversion material for next-generation photothermal cancer therapy. This is because the Pd nanospheres generate the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) intrinsically in the ultraviolet region, which is far away from the biological transparent window (750–900 nm). In this study, we controlled the LSP wavelength of Pd nanospheres by coating with high refractive index TiO2 shells taking advantage of the Pd LSPR which is highly sensitive to changes in the local refractive index around the nanospheres. Our calculations indicated that the absorption cross section at 808 nm (corresponding to the wavelength used for photothermal treatment) was increased by 4.5 times by redshifting the LSPR and increasing the extinction intensity associated with the coating with TiO2 shell. Experiments confirmed the theoretical prediction in that the LSPR of the synthesized Pd nanospheres with a diameter of 81 nm was significantly redshifted by coating with amorphous TiO2 shell, resulting in significant large extinction intensity at 808 nm. The photothermal conversion efficiency was estimated to be 50%. In vitro cell tests, HeLa cells incubated with 100–300 μg/mL TiO2-coated Pd nanospheres were efficiently killed by irradiating 808 nm laser (1.8 W) even though the nanospheres with the same concentrations showed little cytotoxicity. These results indicate that the Pd nanospheres coated with high refractive index shells can be promising as a photothermal therapy agent.
Machine-learning algorithms based on personalized pathways for a novel predictive model for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Cheng Binglin , Zhou Peitao , Chen Yuhan
Published: June 2022

Background

At present, the diagnostic ability of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on serum alpha-fetoprotein level is limited. Finding markers that can effectively distinguish cancer and non-cancerous tissues is important for improving the diagnostic efficiency of HCC.

Results

In this study, we developed a predictive model for HCC diagnosis using personalized biological pathways combined with a machine learning algorithm based on regularized regression and carry out relevant examinations. In two training sets, the overall cross-study-validated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), the area under the precision-recall curve and the Brier score of the diagnostic model were 0.987 [95%confidence interval (CI): 0.979–0.996], 0.981 and 0.091, respectively. Besides, the model showed good transferability in external validation set. In TCGA-LIHC cohort, the AUROC, AURPC and Brier score were 0.992 (95%CI: 0.985–0.998), 0.967 and 0.112, respectively. The diagnostic model has accomplished very impressive performance in distinguishing HCC from non-cancerous liver tissues. Moreover, we further analyzed the extracted biological pathways to explore molecular features and prognostic factors. The risk score generated from a 12-gene signature extracted from the characteristic pathways was correlated with some immune related pathways and served as an independent prognostic factor for HCC.

Conclusion

We used personalized biological pathways analysis and machine learning algorithm to construct a highly accurate HCC diagnostic model. The excellent interpretable performance and good transferability of this model enables it with great potential for personalized medicine, which can assist clinicians in diagnosis for HCC patients.
Main reasons and predictive factors of cancer-related emergency department visits in a Hungarian tertiary care center
Authors: Koch Márton , Varga Csaba , Soós Viktor , Prenek Lilla , Porcsa Lili , Szakáll Alíz , Bilics Gergely , Hunka Balázs , Bellyei Szabolcs , Girán János , Kiss István , Pozsgai Éva
Published: June 2022

Background

Identifying the reasons for the Emergency Department (ED) visit of patients with cancer would be essential for possibly decreasing the burden of ED use. The aim of our study was to analyze the distribution of the demographic and clinical parameters of patients with cancer based on the reasons for the ED visits and to identify possible predictive factors for their visits.

Methods

This retrospective study, carried out at a large, public tertiary hospital in Hungary, involved all patients 18 years or over, who had received a cancer diagnosis latest within five years of their visit to the ED in 2018. Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected partly via automated data collection and partly through the manual chart review by a team of experts, including six emergency physicians and an oncologist. Five main reasons for the ED visit were hypothesized, pilot-tested, then identified, including those with cancer-related ED visits (whose visit was unambiguously related to their cancer illness) and those with non-cancer-related ED visits (whose visit to the ED was in no way associated with their cancer illness.) A descriptive approach was used for data analysis and binary logistic regression was used to determine predictive factors for patients with cancer visiting the ED.

Results

23.2% of the altogether 2383 ED visits were directly cancer-related, and these patients had a significantly worse overall survival than patients with non-cancer related ED visits. Age 65 or below (Odds Ratio: 1.51), presence of two more comorbidities (OR: 7.14), dyspnea as chief complaint (OR: 1.52), respiratory cancer (OR: 3.37), any prior chemotherapy (OR: 1.8), any prior immune/biological treatment (OR: 2.21), any prior Best Supportive Care/palliative care (OR: 19.06), or any prior hospice care (OR: 9.43), and hospitalization (OR:2.88) were independent risk factors for the ED visit to be cancer-related.

Conclusions

Our study is the first to identify independent predictive factors of ED use by patients with cancer based on the chief cause of their visit in the Central and Eastern European region. These results may provide important information for the development of algorithms intended to identify the needs of care of patients with cancer at the ED.
Effectiveness of high-flow nasal cannula for tracheal intubation in the emergency department
Authors: Mitsuyama Yumi , Nakao Shunichiro , Shimazaki Junya , Ogura Hiroshi , Shimazu Takeshi
Published: June 2022

Background

Tracheal intubation in the emergency department (ED) can cause serious complications. Available evidence on the use of a high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) during intubation in the ED is limited. This study evaluated the effect of oxygen therapy by HFNC on oxygen desaturation during tracheal intubation in the ED.

Methods

This was a single-center before-and-after study designed to compare two groups that received oxygen therapy during intubation: one received conventional oxygen, and the other received oxygen therapy using HFNC. We included non-trauma patients who required tracheal intubation in the ED. Linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between oxygen therapy using HFNC and the lowest peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) during intubation in the conventional and HFNC groups.

Results

The study population included 87 patients (conventional group, n = 67; HFNC group, n = 20). The median lowest SpO2 in the HFNC group was significantly higher than that in the conventional group (94% [84–99%] vs. 85% [76–91%], p = 0.006). The percentage of cases with oxygen desaturation to < 90% during the intubation procedure in the HFNC group was significantly lower than that in the conventional group (40% vs. 63.8%, p = 0.037). The use of HFNC was significantly associated with the lowest SpO2, and the use of HFNC increased the lowest SpO2 during intubation procedures by 3.658% (p = 0.048).

Conclusion

We found that the use of HFNC during tracheal intubation was potentially associated with a higher lowest SpO2 during the procedure in comparison to conventional oxygen administration in non-trauma patients in the ED.