bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Linking South American dry regions by the Gran Chaco: Insights from the evolutionary history and ecological diversification of Gomphrena s.str. (Gomphrenoideae, Amaranthaceae)
Authors: Bena María J. , Baranzelli Matias C. , Costas Santiago M. , Cosacov Andrea , Acosta María C. , Moreira‐Muñoz Andrés , Sérsic Alicia N.
Published: October 2023

Geoclimatic events driving South American aridization have generated biota differentiation due to barriers and new environment formation. New environments allow species climatic niche evolution, or the geographical expansion of an existing one. Understanding the role these processes play may clarify the evolution of South American biota. Gomphrena L. ranges across almost all the continent's arid environments. We tested whether South American drylands are biogeographically connected through the Gran Chaco but, due to different aridity levels, lineage diversification could have also been associated with the evolution of climatic niches and morphological or physiological traits. With available data, we generated a dated phylogeny, estimated ancestral ranges, performed diversification analyses, reconstructed ancestral states of two characters, and examined if niches have changed between lineages. Results showed that Gomphrena diversified throughout the easternmost South American drylands ~15.4 Ma, and subsequently three independent clades colonized the western arid regions during the last Andean pulse, and after the marine transgressions (~4.8–0.4 Ma) via the Gran Chaco. The colonization implied an increase in the diversification rate of annuals over perennials and the progressive east–west differentiation of the occupied climatic niche. This diversification was influenced by C4 photosynthesis, which could have acted as a niche opener to conquer new environments after the Paranaean Sea withdrew. Spatiotemporal patterns found in Gomphrena suggest that geographical expansion and evolution of climatic niches played a common but decoupled role in promoting diversification. These results show that the Gran Chaco may have acted as a historical connection linking South American drylands.
Courtroom workgroup dynamics and implementation of Three Strikes reform
Authors: Chen Elsa Y. , Chung Emily , Sands Emily
Published: October 2023

In 2012, California's voters passed a ballot initiative that scaled back the state's “Three Strikes” sentencing law and permitted certain individuals who were serving 25‐to‐life prison terms to petition for resentencing and potentially release. Using analysis of original qualitative interview data supplemented with court administrative records, this study examines how characteristics of courtroom workgroup members; their intergroup dynamics; political, professional, and administrative considerations; and allocated resources were perceived by court officials to facilitate or impede the implementation of this reform in county courts. Availability of staff and budget was associated with a higher proportion of completed case dispositions in the first 2 years of implementation, but resources were not the only factor associated with timely case processing. Courtroom actors' seniority, experience, and professional security facilitated agreement on processes, schedules, and other details. Small, stable, close‐knit groups established routine procedures and developed expertise more quickly, but could not always avoid bottlenecks or delays. Less stable workgroups had higher rates of denial of petitions for resentencing. Positions toward Proposition 36 shaped by political, professional, or other priorities were perceived to influence some elected DAs' positions and line prosecutors' behavior, manifesting in cooperation, opposition, or mixed messages.
Best of Both Worlds? Fixation of Distal Femur Fractures with the Nail‐Plate Construct
Authors: Pfister Benjamin , Wilson Anthony , Drobetz Herwig
Published: October 2023

Objectives

Distal femoral fractures are a significant injury sustained by low‐ and high‐energy trauma. Common treatment practices are lateral locking plate or intramedullary nail fixation, with disadvantages including risk of non and malunion and limited post‐operative weightbearing status. Combining both techniques as a nail‐plate construct (NPC) theoretically achieves enhanced fixation to allow immediate weightbearing. The aim of this study is to examine radiographic union, malunion and patient‐reported outcomes in distal femur NPC fixation.

Methods

Single‐center retrospective study including all patients >18 years who sustained distal femur fractures treated with NPC. Primary outcomes were radiographic union, malunion and patient reported outcome measures at minimum 1‐year follow‐up. Secondary outcome measures included post‐operative mobility, length of stay and complications. Relevant variables of normality are reported as mean with standard deviation. Subgroup analysis of patients aged <65 and ≥65 years are provided.

Results

Sixteen patients were included in the study. Rate of radiographic union was 100%. There was no case of malunion. All patients were allowed to bear full weight immediately post‐operatively. Mean length of stay was 9.50 days, with 37.5% of patients discharged directly home. The majority (85.7%) of patients returned to pre‐injury mobility. Early post‐operative complications occurred in three patients. Three patients returned to theater. The mean EQ‐5D‐5L index value was 0.713, with 71.4% describing no problems with self‐care and 85.7% reporting no or slight problems with usual daily activities.

Conclusion

The NPC provided stable fixation permitting full weightbearing post‐operatively with no cases of non or malunion. Return to pre‐injury mobility and activity are encouraging. Based on these results we support the use of nail‐plate construct fixation in the management of distal femur fractures.
Leaf structure and water relations of an allotetraploid Mediterranean fern and its diploid parents
Authors: Nadal Miquel , Quintanilla Luis G. , Pons‐Perpinyà Joan , Lima Valéria F. , Gago Jorge , Aranda Ismael
Published: October 2023

Allopolyploidy is a common speciation mechanism in plants; however, its physiological and ecological consequences in niche partitioning have been scarcely studied. In this sense, leaf traits are good proxies to study the adaptive capacity of allopolyploids and diploid parents to their respective environmental conditions. In the present work, leaf water relations (assessed through pressure–volume curves) and structural and anatomical traits of the allotetraploid fern Oeosporangium tinaei and its diploid parents, Oeosporangium hispanicum and Oeosporangium pteridioides, were studied under controlled conditions in response to a water stress (WS) cycle. O. hispanicum showed the lowest osmotic potential at turgor loss point (πtlp) and leaf capacitance, together with higher leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf thickness (LT), leaf density (LD), and leaf dry matter content (LDMC), whereas O. pteridioides presented the opposite set of traits (high πtlp and capacitance, and low LMA, LT, LD, and LDMC). O. tinaei showed an intermediate position for most of the studied traits. The responsiveness (osmotic and elastic adjustments) to WS was low, although most of the traits explained the segregation of the three species across a range of drought tolerance according to the rank: O. hispanicum > O. tinaei > O. pteridioides. These trait differences may underlie the niche segregation among coexisting populations of the three species in the Mediterranean basin.
Restoration of wet meadows to enhance Gunnison sage‐grouse habitat and drought resilience in arid rangelands
Authors: Rondeau Renée J. , Austin Gay , Miller Rachel S. , Parker Suzann , Breibart Andrew , Conner Shawn , Neely Elizabeth , Seward Nathan W. , Vasquez Matthew G. , Zeedyk William D.
Published: October 2023

The arid sagebrush landscape of the Gunnison Basin, Colorado is home to the federally threatened Gunnison sage‐grouse (GUSG; Centrocercus minimus) and is expected to become hotter and drier with a changing climate. Wet meadows within the sagebrush ecosystem are a critical lifeline for wildlife and livestock, particularly during drought years, yet they occupy less than 2% of the landscape. Our objective was to enhance wet meadow drought resiliency by slowing the water down, reconnecting floodplains, and increasing wetland vegetation. Indirectly we also aimed to enhance GUSG habitat and improve rangeland condition. Between 2012 and 2020, we constructed nearly 900 low‐tech restoration structures (Zeedyk structures), across seven drainageways with wet meadows. Six of these years were drought years. We used a before‐after‐control‐impact design to assess vegetation response. Vegetation data were collected on 135 randomly selected treated and 30 control transects. We found that 75% of ephemeral units and all of perennial units achieved or surpassed the wetland plant cover management goal of a 4% yearly increase. This led to an average enhancement of 40% in wetland plant cover in the treated drainageways. There was a significant positive difference between treated and control transects in 50% of the drainageways, regardless of hydroperiod status. The low‐tech restoration structures were effective at rewetting perennial and ephemeral wet meadows within the arid landscape, even during a megadrought, and reduced non‐native invasive weeds in all but one of the treated units. Forbs and grasses critical to sage‐grouse and important to livestock operations increased in 67% of the units.
How can Mediterranean temporary ponds benefit from disturbance? Challenges and lessons learned from vegetation management
Authors: Pinto‐Cruz Carla , Matono Paula , Almeida Erika , Meireles Catarina , Fernandes Mariana P. , Ferreira Luís , Belo Anabela D. F.
Published: October 2023

Mediterranean temporary ponds (MTPs) are seasonal wetland habitats usually flooded during the rainy season but drying out during the warmer months. Due to their biodiversity, uniqueness, and numerous threats, they are listed as a priority for conservation under the Habitats Directive. Despite all the efforts made so far, they are still in poor conservation status in the Mediterranean biogeographic region, making it urgent to define efficient conservation and restoration actions. In this work, we used two case studies to evaluate the conservation status improvement of MTPs located on the southwest coast of Portugal, following the implementation of different management techniques. Sampling was based on floristic surveys to assess plant richness and species frequency, namely of characteristic MTPs species. In the first case, we tested three management techniques (direct grazing, vegetation cutting, and biomass cut/removal, followed by topsoil plowing—simulating wild boar trampling and wallowing) in plots installed in three MTPs between 2017 and 2018. Plots subject to wild boar simulation disturbance showed higher species richness, higher frequency of characteristic species, and lower dominance of Agrostis stolonifera. In the second case, we upscaled this technique as an ecological restoration action by using it in 10 MTPs between 2018 and 2021. We observed a positive effect on the habitat's structure and conservation status, although the possible influence of recurrent drought periods in the last decade is discussed. This study provides insights into a rare wetland habitat based on lessons learned from hands‐on conservation actions, while also identifying new challenges and knowledge gaps.
Oblique angle collisions between three or more billiard balls
Authors: Cross Rod
Published: October 2023

Oblique angle collisions between two balls or two disks have been addressed by many authors. This paper describes oblique angle collisions between three or four billiard balls. Measurements and calculations are presented for cases where one ball is incident obliquely on two or three identical balls, which are in contact and initially at rest. Conservation laws alone are not sufficient to predict the outcome. Adding information about the impact forces on each ball (and ignoring friction forces) provides good theoretical agreement with experimental results.
The first Global e-Competition on Astronomy and Astrophysics
Authors: Zelko Ioana A. , Barclay Charles , Eenmäe Tõnis , Kalda Taavet , Papathanassiou Hara , Poljakov Nikita , Rojas Gustavo A. , Sepp Tiit , Stachowski Greg , Sule Aniket
Published: October 2023

The first global e-competition on astronomy and astrophysics was held online in September–October 2020 as a replacement for the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the short time available for organization, 8 weeks, the competition was run successfully, with 325 students from over 42 countries participating with no major issues. The feedback from the participants was positive and reflects the ways in which such events can boost interest in astronomy and astronomy education. With online activities set to become more prevalent in the future, we present an overview of the competition process, the challenges faced, and some of the lessons learned, aiming to contribute to the development of best practices for organizing online competitions.
Hearing thresholds for “otologically normal” adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2011–12 and 2015–16
Authors: Humes Larry E.
Published: October 2023

Hearing threshold levels (HTLs) get worse with advancing age in adults. Publications of nationally representative data from U.S. adults have been confined to HTLs from unscreened individuals. ISO 7029:2017 provides equations for the hearing loss of adults of various ages. Equations were generated from a synthesis of international studies of HTLs for “otologically normal” or screened adults. No nationally representative data for screened U.S. adults were included in the ISO synthesis. This study investigated three different levels of screening rigor, referred to here as Screened, Screened+, and Screened++. Median HTLs are provided for Screened (N = 1545) and Screened++ (N = 795) groups from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys for 2011–12 and 2015–16, the two most recent surveys of adults from 20 to 69 years of age with audiograms. Median HTLs from the Screened and Screened++ groups differed slightly between the sexes, were not affected by race/ethnicity, and increased substantially with age. For young adults, there were no differences in HTLs between screened (any level) and unscreened adults, but such differences in HTLs increased with advancing age, especially at higher frequencies. The default power-function model from ISO 7029:2017 did not provide a good description of the median age-associated HTLs from screened U.S. adults.
Entropy generation analysis of non-miscible couple stress and Newtonian fluid in an inclined porous channel with variable flow properties: HAM Analysis
Authors: Kumar Ankit , Yadav Pramod Kumar
Published: October 2023

The aim of this study is to investigate the entropy production characteristics of two non-miscible fluids in an inclined porous channel with temperature-dependent thermal conductivity and viscosity. The porous region of the channel is divided in two regions. In region-1 and region-2, the Couple stress and Newtonian fluid take place due to constant pressure gradient, respectively, under the influence of a uniform magnetic field. Here, the Darcy–Brinkman model is used for the flow of immiscible fluid through the porous media. In this work, we used a semi-analytical method named as homotopy analysis method (HAM) to solve the coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The goal of the considered problem is to examine the consequences of a variety of thermophysical parameters, including Hartmann number, varying viscosity parameter, varying thermal conductivity parameters, and Grashof number on the characteristics of entropy generation, Bejan number distribution, thermal behavior and flow characteristics of non-miscible couple stress and Newtonian fluid passing through a porous channel. The novel aspect of this study is the formation of entropy and Bejan number as a result of non-miscible Newtonian and couple stress fluids with varying thermal conductivity and viscosity in porous media. In terms of rheological investigation, a semi-analytical simulation for changeable thermal and flow properties in an immiscible Newtonian and couple stress fluid via an inclined porous channel is a brand-new concept, and the behaviors of such flows have not been examined yet. From this study, it is concluded that on raising the variable thermal conductivity, Hartmann number and the permeability of the porous medium, the flow velocity, thermal characteristics and entropy generation number decrease. The authors also come to the significant conclusion that non-miscible Newtonian and couple stress fluids have larger entropy production numbers, flow velocities, and temperature profiles for higher values of Grashof number, variable viscosity parameter, and couple stress parameter. The findings of this work have also been graphically validated through the previously established work. The results of the present analysis can be used in petroleum industry, lubrication theory, etc.
Magnetic and magnetocaloric characteristics of the mixed Graphullerene-like structure: A theoretical study
Authors: Fadil Z. , Jayprakash Raorane Chaitany , Fdil R. El , Mhirech A. , Kabouchi B. , Bahmad L. , Karam Steve , Kim Seong-Cheol
Published: October 2023

This paper presents an investigation of the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of a mixed Graphullerene-like nanostructure. The Blume–Capel model is employed, and Monte Carlo computations were performed using the Metropolis algorithm. The study examines various spin configurations within different parameter planes and reveals stable configurations. Furthermore, the paper analyzes magnetizations, susceptibilities, specific heat, and Binder cumulant as a function of the temperature to determine the transition temperature and characterize magnetic phase transitions in the system. The suitability of the investigated structure for magnetic refrigeration was also assessed by examining the magnetic entropy change and relative cooling power at different external magnetic field strengths. The results show a direct correlation between the external magnetic field and maximum entropy changes, indicating a significant magnetocaloric effect.
Structural, optical, elastic, thermoelectric and thermodynamic properties of the IrMn material: A DFT study
Authors: Jabar A. , Bahmad L. , Benyoussef S.
Published: October 2023

In this work, we present a study of the structural, optical, elastic, thermoelectric and thermodynamic properties of iridium manganese (IrMn) using the code “WIEN2k” with the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. The lattice constants of the IrMn compound are calculated by the generalized gradient approximation with Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof (GGA-PBE). Indeed, we have studied the magnetism exhibited by the compound IrMn. We found that the antiferromagnetic phase of this material is the most stable phase. The magnetic moment, plasma frequency, bandgap, elastic constants, and electronic and magnetic properties of this material are deduced and discussed. We have shown that the antiferromagnetic phase is the most stable with a minimum energy value of around −1034947.477[Formula: see text]eV. We optimized the [Formula: see text] ratio and found that its value is approximately [Formula: see text] 0.923133. On the other hand, the absorption and reflectivity coefficients, the optical conductivity and the dielectric tensor are studied. In addition, the thermo-electric and thermodynamic properties have been illustrated. The IrMn compound could be useful for different applications of spintronics.
The Good, the Bad, and the Missing: Neural Code Generation for Machine Learning Tasks
Authors: Shin Jiho , Wei Moshi , Wang Junjie , Shi Lin , Wang Song
Published: October 2023

Machine learning (ML) has been increasingly used in a variety of domains, while solving ML programming tasks poses unique challenges due to the fundamental difference in the nature and the construct of general programming tasks, especially for developers who do not have ML backgrounds. Automatic code generation that produces a code snippet from a natural language description can be a promising technique to accelerate ML programming tasks. In recent years, although many deep learning-based neural code generation models have been proposed with high accuracy, the fact that most of them are mainly evaluated on general programming tasks calls into question their effectiveness and usefulness in ML programming tasks. In this article, we set out to investigate the effectiveness of existing neural code generation models on ML programming tasks. For our analysis, we select six state-of-the-art neural code generation models and evaluate their performance on four widely used ML libraries, with newly created 83K pairs of natural-language described ML programming tasks. Our empirical study reveals some good, bad, and missing aspects of neural code generation models on ML tasks, with a few major ones listed below. (
Good
) Neural code generation models perform significantly better on ML tasks than on non-ML tasks with an average difference of 10.6 points in BLEU-4 scores. (
Bad
) More than 80% of the generated code is semantically incorrect. (
Bad
) Code generation models do not have significance in improving developers’ completion time. (
Good
) The generated code can help developers write correct code by providing developers with clues for using correct APIs. (
Missing
) The observation from our user study reveals the missing aspects of code generation for ML tasks, e.g., decomposing code generation for divide-and-conquer into API sequence identification and API usage generation.
How Important Are Good Method Names in Neural Code Generation? A Model Robustness Perspective
Authors: Yang Guang , Zhou Yu , Yang Wenhua , Yue Tao , Chen Xiang , Chen Taolue
Published: October 2023

Pre-trained code generation models (PCGMs) have been widely applied in neural code generation, which can generate executable code from functional descriptions in natural languages, possibly together with signatures. Despite substantial performance improvement of PCGMs, the role of method names in neural code generation has not been thoroughly investigated. In this article, we study and demonstrate the potential of benefiting from method names to enhance the performance of PCGMs from a model robustness perspective. Specifically, we propose a novel approach, named neu
RA
l co
D
e gener
A
tor
R
obustifier (RADAR).
RADAR
consists of two components:
RADAR
-Attack and
RADAR
-Defense. The former attacks a PCGM by generating adversarial method names as part of the input, which are semantic and visual similar to the original input but may trick the PCGM to generate completely unrelated code snippets. As a countermeasure to such attacks,
RADAR
-Defense synthesizes a new method name from the functional description and supplies it to the PCGM. Evaluation results show that
RADAR
-Attack can reduce the CodeBLEU of generated code by 19.72% to 38.74% in three state-of-the-art PCGMs (i.e., CodeGPT, PLBART, and CodeT5) in the fine-tuning code generation task and reduce the Pass@1 of generated code by 32.28% to 44.42% in three state-of-the-art PCGMs (i.e., Replit, CodeGen, and CodeT5+) in the zero-shot code generation task. Moreover,
RADAR
-Defense is able to reinstate the performance of PCGMs with synthesized method names. These results highlight the importance of good method names in neural code generation and implicate the benefits of studying model robustness in software engineering.
Financialization and the Household
Authors: Zaloom Caitlin , James Deborah
Published: October 2023

Finance and the household are a pair that has not received sufficient attention. As a system, finance joins citizens, states, and global markets through the connections of kinship and residence. Householders use loans, investments, and assets to craft, reproduce, attenuate, and sever social connections and to elevate or maintain their class position. Householders’ social creativity fuels borrowing, making them the target of banks and other lenders. In pursuit of their own agendas, however, householders strategically deploy financial tools and techniques, sometimes mimicking and sometimes challenging their requirements. Writing against the financialization of daily life framework, which implies a one-way, top-down intrusion of the market into intimate relations, we explore how householders use finance within systems of social obligations. Financial and household value are not opposed, we argue. Acts of conversion between them produce care for the self and others and refashion inherited duties. Social aspiration for connection and freedom is an essential force in both financial lives and institutions.
Innovation in the Delivery of Behavioral Health Services
Authors: D'Aunno Thomas , Neighbors Charles J.
Published: October 2023

Several factors motivate the need for innovation to improve the delivery of behavioral health services, including increased rates of mental health and substance use disorders, limited access to services, inconsistent use of evidence-based practices, and persistent racial and ethnic disparities. This narrative review identifies promising innovations that address these challenges, assesses empirical evidence for the effectiveness of these innovations and the extent to which they have been adopted and implemented, and suggests next steps for research. We review five categories of innovations: organizational models, including a range of novel locations for providing services and new ways of organizing services within and across sites; information and communication technologies; workforce; treatment technologies; and policy and regulatory changes. We conclude by discussing the need to strengthen and accelerate the contributions of implementation science to close the gap between the launch of innovative behavioral health services and their widespread use.
Maturation of lipid metabolism in the fetal and newborn sheep heart
Authors: Drake Rachel R. , Louey Samantha , Thornburg Kent L.
Published: October 2023

This study characterized the previously unknown expression patterns of genes that regulate the metabolism of free fatty acids in the perinatal sheep myocardium. This study shows that the prenatal myocardium prepares for the dramatic switch from carbohydrate metabolism to near complete reliance on free fatty acids postnatally. Fetal and neonatal cardiomyocytes also demonstrate differing lipid storage mechanisms where fetal cardiomyocytes form larger lipid droplets compared with newborn cardiomyocytes.
Agronomic Behaviour and Chemical Composition of Three Varieties of Pennisetum sp in the Peruvian Tropics
Authors: Watanabe Escobedo Enrique Susumu , Juancho Ramirez Ronald , Alvarado Atanacio Carlos Enrique , López Rengifo Debora , Injante Silva Pedro Hugo , Ampuero Trigoso Gustavo , Saucedo-Uriarte José Américo
Published: October 2023

Livestock production in the Peruvian tropics is mainly based on grazing and cutting grasses, which have variable productive and nutritional characteristics according to the variety of grasses, agronomic management, and climatic conditions. The objective of this research was to compare the agronomic behaviour and chemical composition of three varieties of Pennisetum sp (Pennisetum purpureum Schum cv. Cameroon or Cameroon grass, Pennisetum sp. or Maralfalfa, and Pennisetum purpureum × Pennisetum typhoides or King grass). The experiment was carried out at the Estación Experimental Agraria “Campo Verde,” Ucayali, Peru, under a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with a 3 (Pennisetum sp. variety) × 3 (cutting age) factorial arrangement and 4 replicates each. Thirty-six subplots were installed, and treatments were randomly assigned, using vegetative seed with three buds each. Measurements of agronomic behaviour and chemical analysis were carried out in the 8th, 12th, and 16th week. The data were subjected to ANOVA and multiple comparisons with the Duncan and Kruskal–Wallis tests (p < 0.05) and correlations using Pearson coefficients (p < 0.05). The agronomic behaviour did not vary between Pennisetum sp. varieties, but according to cutting age, Cameroon grass produced greater plant height, biomass, dry matter, and Mg content at the 8th week. The highest concentrations of N (2.38 ± 0.11%), P (0.18 ± 0.01%), and Ca (0.70 ± 0.03%) were recorded at the 8th week, Zn (27.33 ± 1.91 mg/kg) at the 12th week, and Mg (0.26 ± 0.02%) at the 16th week. A negative correlation was found between biomass and the stem-leaf ratio at the 12th week because the first leaves of plants died, but the stems increased in size. It is concluded that, at an early cutting age in varieties of Pennisetum sp., lower biomass and dry matter result, but higher content of N, P, Ca, and Fe; and at a late cutting age, it shows greater biomass, dry matter, Cu, and Mg content.
Depressive Symptoms among People Living with HIV Attending ART Centers of Lumbini Province, Nepal: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Shrestha Saneep , Shakya Shrestha Upasana , Priyanka Jyoti , Shrestha Pragya
Published: October 2023

Background. Depression is a common mental disorder and is a leading cause of disability globally. Depressive symptoms among people living with HIV can be a significant barrier to ART initiation and thus lead to poor ART adherence. Global studies have found the prevalence of depressive symptoms among people living with HIV ranges from 12 to 63%. The real scenario of Nepal still needs to be explored. Thus, this study aimed to identify the prevalence and predictors of depression in individuals with HIV. Methods. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was carried out from August to December 2020 among 406 people living with HIV attending ART centers in Lumbini province. Participants were selected using a systematic random sampling technique and surveyed with a structured questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic variables, HIV AIDS-related variables, and 21 items Beck Depression Inventory tool. The odds ratio was used as the ultimate measure of association, with a 95% confidence interval computed to establish statistical significance. A multivariate regression analysis was carried out to identify the final predictors of depressive symptoms. Results. The study found that 26.8% of the respondents had depressive symptoms. Those who were literate (AOR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.10–0.61), in the poorest wealth quintile (AOR = 7.28, 95% CI: 2.22-23.87), initiated ART within 12 months (AOR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.03–3.42), had CD4 cell counts below 200 (AOR = 2.50, 95% CI: 1.54–4.06), and had a time difference of 3 months or less between HIV diagnosis and ART initiation (AOR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.29–0.86) were independently associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusion. Routine screening for depressive symptoms should be integrated into national HIV prevention and control programs for people living with HIV. An enabling environment should be created to facilitate the rapid enrollment of individuals newly diagnosed with HIV in ART services, thereby reducing the time gap between HIV diagnosis and ART initiation.
The Effect of Organic Solid Waste Compost on Soil Properties, Growth, and Yield of Swiss Chard Crop (Beta vulgaris L.)
Authors: Kebede Temesgen , Diriba Dereje , Boki Ararsa
Published: October 2023

In Dilla town and the university compound, huge amounts of biodegradable solid waste (BDSW), which include food and farm and yard wastes, are generated from student and staff cafeterias and animal farms. Improper treatment and disposal of this waste resulted in contamination of surface water and soil, air pollution, and spreading of diseases. On the other hand, soil fertility of most arable lands of Dilla Zuria woreda is highly depleted due to low levels of soil fertility management practices and inorganic-based farming. These factors make a considerable contribution to the degradation of fertile soil and reduction of yield. Thus, the management of BDSW through composting is important to minimize environmental problems and improve the soil fertility of arable lands. However, the effects of BSWC compost on plant growth and crop yield are highly variable in different studies. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of food waste compost (FWC) and leaf yard compost (LYC) at different application rates on the soil properties, growth, and yield responses of Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L.). Food waste, leaf and yard waste, and animal dung were collected and composted in a heap-composting method. The produced organic amendments were applied to soil at an application rate of 5, 10, and 15 t/ha, respectively. Two harvesting times were considered, and at each leaf harvesting time, plant growth parameters (height, leaf number, leaf area, and fresh weight) were analyzed; after the second harvesting time, soil properties were analyzed. Results indicated that increasing rates of FWC significantly (

p

 < 0.001) increased the plant height, leaf area, and fresh yield of Swiss chard. The application of 15 t/ha of FWC also increased SOC, TN, available P, and CEC. Food waste was recycled through composting as a soil amendment to improve soil properties and the yield of Swiss chard.
Functional Effects of Hydrolyzable Tannins on the Growth, Health Status, and Hepatopancreas Histology of Pacific White Shrimp Penaeus vannamei Reared under Commercial Pond Conditions
Authors: Novriadi Romi , Hasan Otie Dylan Soebhakti , Nguyen Khanh , Davies Simon , Panjaitan Zahid Gozali , Sektiana Sinar Pagi , Gaddipati Giridhar Rahul , Trullàs Clara
Published: October 2023

In the present study, the functional effects of hydrolyzable tannins (HT) extracted from the sweet chestnut tree Castanea sativa were evaluated either by directly incorporating them into the diet or by using a top-dressing application on the growth, body composition, total hemocyte counts, lysozyme activity, and histomorphological condition of the hepatopancreas of Pacific white shrimp Penaeus vannamei. Shrimp was confined in hapa nets installed within commercial outdoor ponds for 90 days. Eight experimental diets included a basal formulated diet (BD) with varying inclusion levels of HT (BD-0%, BD-0.1%, BD-0.2%, and BD-0.3%), a low fish meal (FM) diet with reduction on the inclusion level of FM from 10% to 7.5% and labeled as LFM 0.3% HT, a top-dressing HT application (TC) on basal diet (BDTD-0.4% HT), and a commercial diet (CDTD-0% HT and CDTD-0.4% HT). The final body weight (FBW), percentage weight gain (PWG), thermal growth coefficient (TGC), average daily growth (ADG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were significantly better in the group of shrimp fed with BD-0.3% HT compared to BD-0% HT. The administration of CD-0.4% HT was able to enhance the growth performance of shrimp compared to BD-0% HT and CD without HT. Higher protein and fat contents were found in the body of shrimp fed with graded levels of HT compared to shrimp fed with BD or CD without HT. Numerically, the direct inclusion and top-dressing process of HT increased the total hemocyte count and lysozyme activity in shrimp. Both BDTD-0.4% HT and CDTD-0.4% HT were also able to support a better hepatopancreatic condition with reference to histomorphology and integrity. These results indicated that BD-0.3% HT inclusion could significantly improve the growth performance and prevent the alteration in health and histomorphological condition of the hepatopancreas of shrimp P. vannamei cultured in hapa nets under commercial farm conditions, but also 0.4% HT could be used as a supplementation dosage for the top-dressing process in diets.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Use of Robot-Assisted Surgery and Minimally Invasive Surgery in Pelvic Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review
Authors: Mao Jialin , Genkinger Jeanine M. , Rundle Andrew G. , Wright Jason D. , Aryal Suvekshya , Liebeskind Alexander Y. , Tehranifar Parisa
Published: October 2023

Surgical innovations for cancer treatment may penetrate differentially across racial and ethnic groups and contribute to disparities in health and health care quality. We summarized the current evidence of racial and ethnic disparities in robot-assisted surgery (RAS) and minimally invasive surgery (MIS) use in four major pelvic cancer treatments. We identified studies related to racial and ethnic disparities in RAS and/or MIS use in the treatment of prostate, endometrial, bladder, and rectal cancers during 2001 to 2022 from PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane database. Twenty-eight studies were selected (prostate = 7, endometrial = 14, bladder = 1, rectal = 5, multiple cancers = 1) and all were retrospective. Thirteen and 23 studies examined racial and ethnic differences in individual patients’ receipt of RAS and MIS, respectively. Black patients were less likely to receive RAS/MIS than White patients in most studies. Hispanic patients were less likely to receive RAS/MIS than White patients in just over half of the studies. Studies of Asian patients were few and reported mixed results. Three studies examined disparities on the center level and found that racial and ethnic minority prostate cancer patients were less likely to be treated at RAS-performing or high-technology facilities. More work is needed to improve understanding of the mechanisms underlying racial and ethnic disparities in RAS and MIS use and their impact on disparities in health outcomes.
Hospital-Acquired Infection at Time of Stroke and Cognitive Decline: The Cardiovascular Health Study
Authors: Cole Kyril L. , Boehme Amelia K. , Thacker Evan L. , Longstreth Jr. W.T. , Brown Bruce L. , Gale Shawn D. , Hedges Dawson W. , Anderson Jacqueline K. , Elkind Mitchell S.V.
Published: October 2023

Introduction: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) after stroke are associated with additional morbidity and mortality, but whether HAIs increase long-term cognitive decline in stroke patients is unknown. We hypothesized that older adults with incident stroke with HAI experience faster cognitive decline than those having stroke without HAI and those without stroke. Methods: We performed a longitudinal analysis in the population-based prospective Cardiovascular Health Study. Medicare-eligible participants aged ≥65 years with and without incident stroke had cognition assessed annually. HAIs were assessed by hospital discharge codes. Global cognitive function was assessed annually by the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MSE) and executive function by the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). We used linear mixed models to estimate the mean decline and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for 3MSE and DSST scores by incident stroke and HAI status, adjusted for demographics and vascular risk factors. Results: Among 5,443 participants ≥65 years without previous history of stroke, 393 participants had stroke with HAI (SI), 766 had a stroke only (SO), and 4,284 had no stroke (NS) throughout a maximum 9-year follow-up. For 3MSE, compared with NS participants, SO participants had a similar adjusted mean decline (additional 0.08 points/year, 95% CI: −0.15, 0.31), while SI participants had a more rapid decline (additional 0.28 points/year, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.40). Adjusted mean decline was 0.20 points/year faster (95% CI: −0.05, 0.45) among SI than SO participants. For DSST, compared with NS participants, SO participants had a faster adjusted mean decline (additional 0.17 points/year [95% CI: 0.003, 0.33]), as did SI participants (additional 0.27 points/year [95% CI: 0.19, 0.35]). Conclusion: Stroke, when accompanied by HAI, leads to a faster long-term decline in cognitive ability than in those without stroke. The clinical and public health implications of the effect of infection on post-stroke cognitive decline warrant further attention.
Use of Amniotic Membrane Transplant and Deep Anterior Keratoplasty in a Patient with Bilateral Acanthamoeba Infectious Keratitis: A Case Report
Authors: Müller-Morales Carlos A. , Vera-Duarte Guillermo Raul , Oliva-Bienzobas Valeria , Ramirez-Miranda Arturo , Navas Alejandro , Graue-Hernandez Enrique O.
Published: October 2023

The aim of this study was to report a case with the use of amniotic membrane transplant and deep anterior keratoplasty in a patient with bilateral Acanthamoeba infectious keratitis as a treatment. A 20-year-old male presented with bilateral Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) who was initially diagnosed with herpetic keratitis receiving full antiviral and corticosteroid topical treatment without any improvement. Corneal biopsy was performed to confirm the suspected diagnosis, and Acanthamoeba stromal cysts were identified in the sample. Treatment was initiated with 0.02% chlorhexidine, 0.1% propamidine isethionate, neomycin, and tropicamide/phenylephrine. Symptoms and clinical improvement were achieved between the 8th and 10th weeks, so corticosteroids were initiated. Treatment was continued until we observed a poor response in the left eye; therefore, an epithelial scraping and amniotic membrane placement were performed. Lately, the right eye underwent a deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty. A challenging case of bilateral AK managed with topical medications, amniotic membrane, and corneal keratoplasty. The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the better the outcome. If the diagnosis is delayed, the amoebas have penetrated deep into the corneal stroma, and successful therapy becomes difficult. A surgical option can be an early solution with a good prognosis for these cases.
Autologous Retinal Transplant Repeat Surgery after Initial Graft Failure: A Case Report
Authors: Chiang TsunKang , Chu Jeffrey , Mehra Ankur , Sobol Warren
Published: October 2023

Autologous retinal transplant (ART) has become an increasingly explored surgical option for managing large chronic holes refractory to standard surgical treatments. However, management strategies for patients who already failed a previous ART are less well-understood. Here, we report on a case of a successful repeat retinal transplant for a refractory macular hole after a previously dislocated ART graft. Subretinal injection of balanced salt solution was used to partially elevate the macular hole and secure the edge of the harvested retinal graft under the edge of the macular hole in the second operation. Postoperatively, the patient developed intraretinal fluid within the retinal graft with an appearance similar to cystoid macular edema, which was controlled with topical steroids. In addition, two separate choroidal neovascular membranes along the subretinal injection sites were seen and treated with vascular endothelial growth factor downregulation. This case illustrates successful repeat ART surgery, but further optimization of ART surgical techniques is necessary to minimize ART’s complication rate.
Microbiological Profiles and Inflammatory Biomarkers of Bacteremia in Children in a Teaching Hospital in Kuwait: An 8-Year Retrospective Study
Authors: Al Benwan Khalifa , Al Banwan Dalal
Published: October 2023

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the bacterial profiles and prevalence of antibiotic resistance patterns of bacteria causing bacteremia in febrile children and to compare levels of inflammatory markers between children with and without bacteremia in Kuwait from 2015 to 2022. Materials and Methods: Isolates from all episodes of significant bacteremia (n = 96) during the study period were recorded and evaluated. Microorganisms were identified using standard microbiological methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out using the VITEK2 system and Etest method. Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production by Enterobacterales was detected by the double-disk diffusion method and VITEK2 system. Patient age, gender, and inflammatory markers were collected at admission and compared between patients with and without bacteremia. Results: A majority of the patients were infants (37, 40%) and newborns (13, 14%). The main ports of entry were the lower respiratory tract, the genitourinary tract, and the gastrointestinal tract. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common pathogen (16, 16.7%) followed by Escherichia coli (12, 12.5%), Staphylococcus aureus (10, 10.4%), and Streptococcus agalactiae (9, 9.4%). High rates of resistance to ampicillin, cefuroxime, ciprofloxacin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole were observed among the Enterobacterales. The prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae were 45% and 29%, respectively. The prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus was 30%. Patients with bacteremia had significantly higher white blood cell (WBC) counts, absolute neutrophil count (ANC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Conclusion: Continuous surveillance of the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of blood isolates is imperative for the formulation of antibiotic policy. WBC, ANC, CRP, and NLR could be valuable indicators of bacteremia in febrile children.
Impact of a COVID-19-Related Lockdown on the Experience of Informal Caregiving in Singapore
Authors: Qin Vicky Mengqi , Visaria Abhijit , Malhotra Rahul
Published: October 2023

Introduction: Lockdowns, while limiting COVID-19 transmission, can affect provision of care by informal caregivers and their caregiving experience. We assessed, among informal caregivers in Singapore, (a) the perceived impact of a 2-month (April to May 2020) nationwide lockdown on their care provision, (b) correlates of different perceptions of the impact of the lockdown on care provision, and (c) association of different perceptions of the impact with negative and positive experiences of caregiving. Methods: In the August 2020 wave of the Singapore Life Panel (SLP; nationally representative, longitudinal monthly survey of Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged 50–70 years at baseline), 1,094 participants identified as informal caregivers reported whether their care provision became easier, remained the same, or became harder during the lockdown, compared to before the lockdown. We used multinomial logistic regression to assess the association of caregiver, care recipient, and caregiving context characteristics with their perceptions. Linear regression models examined the association of their perceptions with negative and positive experience domains of the modified Caregiver Reaction Assessment. Results: Just over one-third (36.1%) of the informal caregivers reported that their care provision became harder during the lockdown compared to before the lockdown. However, nearly one-fifth (18.0%) said that it became easier, and the rest (45.9%) said that it remained the same. Care provision was more likely to be perceived as having become harder among caregivers who were male, of Chinese ethnicity, in worse health, whose care recipients had functional limitations, who did not have caregiving support from cohabiting family members before the lockdown, and who had caregiving support from non-cohabiting family members before the lockdown. The perception that care provision became easier was less likely among caregivers who were of higher age, were unemployed, were socially isolated, and whose care recipients had functional limitations. Caregivers who perceived that care provision became harder during the lockdown were worse-off in negative experiences of caregiving. Conclusion: A nationwide lockdown did not make care provision harder for all informal caregivers. However, informal caregivers for whom it did were more likely to have greater negative experiences of caregiving. The heterogeneity of the impact of lockdowns and the possibility of offering flexibility to non-cohabiting family members who support caregiving should be important considerations when planning for such disruptions.