bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge as a theoretical object: Implications for knowledge management
Authors: Edgar William B , Albright Kendra S , Krymskaya Albina
Published: August 2022

The thesis of this paper is that, despite its substantial accomplishments over the past 40 years as a professional practice, knowledge management (KM) has yet to mature as an intellectual discipline. The goal of this conceptual paper is to accelerate this maturation by generalizing KM. The paper does so by identifying KM’s generic social phenomena and how these phenomena can be better understood through the development of theory oriented around knowledge that defines, predicts, and explains them. KM theory is examined through an extensive review of the existing literature. Four levels of organizational KM are offered, including two that examine an organization’s basis (resources) and essence (ideas and actions), while the second two build upon these to examine resource management in general, and the management of knowledge resources specifically. Treating KM as a theoretical object will lead to greater understanding of KM. This enriched understanding will lead to a more effective performance of KM. The achievement of this paper’s goal (i.e., generalizing KM) will facilitate the maturation of KM into a discipline and practice that consistently contributes to organizational effectiveness. Little KM literature exists on the conceptualization of knowledge as a theoretical object, which offers the opportunity not only to develop theory that defines, predicts, and explains KM within organizations more systematically but also ultimately to understand better the ways in which KM contributes to individual happiness, community cohesion, and social prosperity.
Conspiracy thinking and the role of media use: Exploring the antecedents of conspiratorial predispositions
Authors: Strömbäck Jesper , Broda Elena , Bouchafra Salma , Johansson Sofia , Rettenegger Gregor , Lindgren Elina
Published: August 2022

In contrast to beliefs in specific conspiracy theories, conspiratorial predispositions refer to people's propensity to view the world in conspiratorial terms. As such, they are one of the most important antecedents of beliefs in specific conspiracy theories. Understanding the antecedents of conspiratorial predispositions is hence important. Despite this, there is still only limited research on the antecedents of conspiratorial predispositions. Previous research has also not taken the role of media use into account, even though media constitute the most important source of politically and societally information. To remedy this, in the current study we use a large-scale panel study in Sweden to investigate the antecedents of conspiratorial predispositions, with a particular focus on the role of media use. Among other things, the results show that use of right-wing political alternative media is one of the most important antecedents of conspiratorial predispositions, even when accounting for ideological leaning and ideological extremity.
Intention-Aware Interactive Transformer for Real-Time Vehicle Trajectory Prediction in Dense Traffic
Authors: Jiang Titong , Liu Yahui , Dong Qing , Xu Tao
Published: August 2022

The intelligent transportation system (ITS) is one of the key components of future transportation. Vehicle trajectory prediction, which is made possible by recent advancement in sensor and communication technology, can help ITS to improve efficiency and safety of transportation by detecting potential conflicts and accidents. However, prior works mainly focus on trajectory prediction for autonomous vehicles in small-scale scenarios. In addition, interpretability of trajectory prediction, which facilitates trustworthiness of ITS, has received scant attention in the research literature. This study proposes intention-aware interactive transformer (IIT) model to address the problem of real-time vehicle trajectory prediction in large-scale dense traffic scenarios. IIT follows the transformer architecture to process time-series data and adopts an intention-based scheme to predict future trajectories. Unlike prior works that use complicated data structure to represent the spatial relation between vehicles, what is unique about IIT is that the interactions between vehicles are captured using a multi-head attention (MHA) mechanism. Moreover, the interpretability of IIT is illustrated in two levels: inter-vehicle attention and intra-vehicle intention. Experimental results suggest that MHA significantly reduces the computational cost of data preprocessing for IIT. Consequently, IIT runs up to eight times faster than baseline models in large-scale dense traffic scenarios while only suffering an average of 7.6% accuracy degradation in a 5-s prediction horizon. Further, interpretability analysis is conducted, which reveals that the interpretability of IIT is beneficial to ITS in many ways, such as detecting potential congestion and solving driver conflicts.
Naming and Recognition of Intimate Partner Violence and Family of Origin Violence Among LGBTQ Communities in Australia
Authors: Bourne Adam , Amos Natalie , Donovan Catherine , Carman Marina , Parsons Matthew , Lusby Stephanie , Lyons Anthony , Hill Adam O.
Published: August 2022

Dominant framings of intimate partner violence (IPV) construct the experience as one where a cisgender man enacts violence against a cisgender woman. While often the case, this framing obfuscates the experiences of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender diverse, or queer (LGBTQ) and may challenge their ability to conceive of their relationship-based experiences as abusive or violent. The extent to which hostile experiences from family of origin violence (FOV) members are conceived or named as violence is also unclear. A large, online, national survey of LGBTQ adults separately assessed experiences of IPV and FOV in two ways: a direct question relating to abuse from a partner/s or family member/s, and a second question (asked irrespective of the previous answer) which sought to establish experience of a nuanced list of abusive acts that can constitute violence (including emotional abuse, LGBTQ-specific forms of violence, and enforced social isolation). Following comparison of responses, multiple regression analyses were performed to assess variation by demographic characteristics. Among the full sample of 6,835 individuals, when asked directly, 30.93% ( n = 2,108) of participants indicated that they had ever experienced FOV and 41.73% ( n = 2,846) indicated that they had ever experienced IPV. However, when asked about experiences of FOV using the second nuanced question, 43.18% ( n = 2,675) responded in ways that indicated that they had ever experienced FOV and 60.71% ( n = 3,716) with respect to IPV. The recognition of violence, as indicated by responses to the direct question varied by numerous characteristics, including age, gender, and educational attainment. These findings indicate some LGBTQ people may struggle to recognize or name their family or relationship experiences as abusive or violent, which may complicate their ability or willingness to access professional support. More expansive framings, policies, and responses to IPV and FOV are required.
A Systematic Review of Training Educators to Implement Response Prompting
Authors: Shawbitz Kara N. , Brock Matthew E.
Published: August 2022

Systematic prompting is a versatile evidence-based practice that can improve a range of outcomes for students with disabilities, but many teachers and paraeducators are not familiar with systematic prompting or may struggle with implementation. In this systematic review, the authors identified 28 articles that evaluated training practices for school practitioners implementing systematic prompting procedures in school settings. Fifteen studies focused on paraeducators and 13 on teachers, with an increased focus on paraeducators in more recently published studies. The authors found that a variety of training approaches were effective, and that all studies included two core strategies: didactic instruction and performance feedback. These two strategies represent only a subset of recommended practices from the broader staff training literature but may be sufficient for training basic practices like systematic prompting. Future research is needed to directly compare training approaches and identify the most efficient means for enabling educators to implement systematic prompting with fidelity.
Conceptualising Work as a ‘Safe Space’ for Negotiating LGBT Identities: Navigating Careers in the Construction Sector
Authors: Barnard Sarah , Dainty Andrew , Lewis Sian , Culora Andreas
Published: August 2022

Despite sustained focus in recent years on understanding the experiences of underrepresented groups in construction, there has been a paucity of work that has explored the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers. Research has shown homophobia is commonplace in the construction industry and very few gay employees feel able to be open about their sexuality. Using qualitative data garnered from 16 in-depth interviews and a focus group with LGBT workers in the UK construction sector, this article analyses how participants negotiate identities at work and navigate their careers. Drawing on the concept of heteronormativity we consider how organisational contexts frame, constrict and liberate identities in the workplace. Significantly, our findings show that despite enduring heteronormative structures, work was described by participants as a ‘safe space’. By demonstrating how workers assess, move between and create ‘safe spaces’, this article contributes novel insights into the challenging of heteronormativity in heteronormative work contexts.
Experimental probe on machining attributes of Al 7075-T6/SiC/crumb rubber/MoS2-based green hybrid composite using artificial neural network model
Authors: Singh Nikhilesh , Deepika Deepika , Belokar RM , Walia RS
Published: August 2022

Machinability of hybrid metal matrix composite is quite difficult because of an anisotropic nature, abrasive effect, and nonhomogeneous arrangement of two (or more) hard reinforcements, which are infused in an unreinforced base alloy. Therefore, this paper proposes an experimental probe on machining attributes of the novel green hybrid metal matrix composite which is prepared by an advanced vacuum-sealed bottom pouring stir casting technique with Al7075-T6 as a base matrix and SiC/crumb rubber/MoS2 as three distinct reinforcements. The variable input parameters such as SiC content (3.5 and 4.5 wt.%), crumb rubber content (0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 wt.%), MoS2 content (3.5, 4.5, and 5.5 wt.%), stirring speed (580, 600 and 620 rpm), stirring time (2, 5 and 8 minutes), and pouring temperature (670, 700, and 730°C) are selected for the fabrication of hybrid composites via Taguchi L18 mixed-level orthogonal array. For the machinability of fabricated composites in terms of material removing rate and surface roughness under dry conditions, a conventional turning operation on a lathe machine was opted for fixed input parameters such as spindle speed (200 rpm), depth of cut (1.0 mm), feed rate (0.25 mm/rev), and machining time (30 seconds). In contrast to an unreinforced base alloy, the material removing rate of the proposed green hybrid composite is slightly increased by 1.47%, whereas surface roughness is significantly decreased by 12.14%. Further, these experimental outcomes are validated with the model created using an artificial neural network, which is based on Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm. Besides, the predicted values obtained from the artificial neural network model lie in the close vicinity of the experimental outcomes, which in turn ensure the authentication of the developed artificial neural network model for the machined aluminum-based green hybrid composites.
Judges’ Understanding of Protests and the Cultural Underpinnings of Legal Repression: Examining Hong Kong Court Verdicts
Authors: Lee Francis L. F.
Published: August 2022

Given a concern with legal repression of protests and based on the premise that judges inevitably draw upon common sense ideas in judicial decision-making, this article examines how understandings of protests, protesters and protest policing are embedded in verdicts in protest-related court cases. A textual analysis was conducted on judgements in 21 cases about rioting and incitement associated with three prominent protest events in Hong Kong between 2014 and 2019. The analysis shows that the assumptions of risk aversion and perceptiveness were applied to the protesters and onlookers, whereas the assumption of professionalism was applied to the police. How police actions might influence protesters was ignored. The emergence of protest violence was typically understood in terms of emotional contagion within the crowd. Overall, such ideas and assumptions substantially constrain protests, though they sometimes benefitted the defendants in individual cases. The findings illustrate the cultural underpinnings of legal repression of protests.
Banning Tobacco Smoking in Public Places via Customized Tobacco Control Vaccine Framework: Experience From Tigray, Ethiopia
Authors: Gebre Teklay Weldemariam , Xing Weibo
Published: August 2022

Tobacco use remained the most preventable cause of premature morbidities and deaths. Despite notable decrement of tobacco use prevalence globally, the prospect of the low- and middle-income countries lies at crossroads due to government’s complacence and increased influence of the tobacco industry. Tigray regional state in Ethiopia which received World Health Organization recognition in 2017 spearheaded the tobacco control endeavor using cost-effective and whole-government approach via customized tobacco control vaccine framework. The job required interrelated endeavors of law making, advocacy, and law enforcement, but all with an effective community engagement and ownership framework. It did not require re-inventing the wheel but synthesizing available evidence and exhibiting the potential to reverse the course; enlisting challenges alone do not bear fruit. Tigray’s notable achievement and Ethiopia’s promising results should be supported by rigorous law enforcement and accountability mechanisms. The evolving tobacco industry influence and illicit tobacco trade pose a serious concern.
Characterization and mitigation of wheel-rail impact at a singular rail defect
Authors: Tao Hongyu , Zhang Pan
Published: August 2022

Wheel-rail impact, which arises from structural discontinuities and short-wave defects, becomes more serious with higher train speeds and larger axle loads. The large impact load can accelerate the deterioration of vehicle-track components and induce a high level of impact noise. This paper aims to better understand the characteristics of wheel-rail impact and redevelop corresponding mitigation measures. First, a well-validated vehicle-track vertical interaction model with a singular rail defect is built up considering nonlinear Hertz contact. Then, the simulated wheel-rail impact force is characterized in both the time and frequency domains with different running speeds and defect geometries employing continuous wavelet transform. The identified characteristic frequencies are correlated to the track resonance modes. Afterward, a parameter sensitivity analysis of railpads, ballast, roadbed, and suspensions is performed to obtain the mitigation measures of wheel-rail impact. The results show that the wheel-rail impact force can be characterized by four stages in the time domain, the quasi-static stage before the impact, the forced vibration, the free vibration, and the quasi-static stage after the impact, respectively. Four characteristic frequencies are identified in the wheel-rail impact response: f1 at 45 Hz, f2 at 100 Hz, f3 at 260 Hz, and f4 at 810 Hz. Among them, f4 has the dominant vibration energy and is determined together by the pinned-pinned resonance mode and the defect excitation frequency. Characteristic frequencies f1, f2, and f3 correspond to the ballast, sleeper, and rail resonance modes, respectively, which are independent of the defect geometry. The increase of railpad stiffness can effectively reduce the maximum wheel-rail impact force and thus the impact factor. Larger railpad stiffness and damping can significantly reduce the dominant vibration energy at about 810 Hz of f4. This work can contribute to the optimization of vehicle-track parameters for a new design of more impact-resistant railways.
Anti-discrimination jurisprudence: US v. Carrillo-Lopez
Authors: Jobe Kevin Scott
Published: August 2022

In August 2021, a U.S. Federal District Court ruled that §1326 of the Immigration Naturalization Act (INA) which criminalizes illegal reentry violated the Equal Protection clause of the Fifth Amendment because it has disparate impact upon and discriminatory intent against Mexican and Latinx individuals. While §1326 has been unsuccessfully challenged in numerous other federal courts, US v. Carrillo-Lopez stands out in its originality of interpretation regarding the discriminatory intent of a federal statute. In this case commentary, the reasoning of the case will be explicated, followed by an analysis of the unique statutory interpretation applied within the context of discriminatory intent doctrine.
The financial implications of cardiac stress testing prior to abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
Authors: Ponukumati Aravind S , Columbo Jesse A , Suckow Bjoern D , Stableford Jennifer A , Henkin Stanislav , Beach Jocelyn M , Goodney Philip P , Stone David H
Published: August 2022

Background:

The utilization and cost-effectiveness of stress testing before abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair remains insufficiently studied. We examined the variation and financial implications of stress testing, and their association with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).

Methods:

We studied patients who underwent elective endovascular (EVAR) or open AAA repair (OAR) at Vascular Quality Initiative centers from 2015 to 2019. We grouped centers into quintiles of preoperative stress testing frequency. We calculated the risk of postoperative MACE, a composite of in-hospital myocardial infarction, heart failure, or death, for each center-quintile. We obtained charges for stress tests locally and applied these to the cohort to estimate charges per 1000 patients.

Results:

We studied 32,459 patients (EVAR: 27,978; OAR: 4481; 283 centers). Stress test utilization varied across quintiles from 13.0% to 68.6% (median: 36.8%) before EVAR and 15.9% to 85.0% (median: 59.4%) before OAR. The risk of MACE was 1.4% after EVAR and 10.2% after OAR. There was a trend towards more common MACE after EVAR among centers with higher utilization of stress testing: 0.9% among centers in the lowest quintile, versus 1.7% in the highest quintile ( p-trend = 0.068). There was no association between MACE and stress testing frequency for OAR ( p-trend = 0.223). The estimated financial charges for stress testing before EVAR ranged from $125,806 per 1000 patients at 1st-quintile centers, to $665,975 at 5th-quintile centers. Charges before OAR ranged from $153,861 at 1st-quintile centers, to $825,473 at 5th-quintile centers.

Conclusion:

Stress test use before AAA repair is highly variable and associated with substantial cost, with an unclear association with postoperative MACE. This highlights the need for improved stress testing paradigms prior to surgery.
Pregnant in a Pandemic: Connecting Perceptions of Uplifts and Hassles to Mental Health
Authors: Reich Stephanie M , Tulagan Nestor , Dahlin Melissa , Labaff Sina , Dutt Nikil , Rahmani Amir
Published: August 2022

How women experience pregnancy as uplifting or a hassle is related to their mental and physical health and birth outcomes. Pregnancy during a pandemic introduces new hassles, but may offer benefits that could affect how women perceive their pregnancy. Surveying 118 ethnically and racially diverse pregnant women, we explore (1) women’s traditional and pandemic-related pregnancy uplifts and hassles and (2) how these experiences of pregnancy relate to their feelings of loneliness, positivity, depression, and anxiety. Regressions show that women who experience more intense feelings of uplifts than hassles also feel more positive, less lonely, and have better mental health. Findings suggest that focusing on positive aspects of being pregnant, in general and during a pandemic, might be beneficial for pregnant women’s mental health.
Shadows as leaders? The amendment success of shadow rapporteurs in the European Parliament
Authors: Steinecke David
Published: August 2022

In light of secluded decision-making and early agreements, a binding mandate for the European Parliament’s negotiation team is essential to prevent agency loss in trilogue negotiations. In this article, I investigate the influence of the often-overlooked shadow rapporteurs on this mandate. Shadow rapporteurs are their party group’s representatives and act as checks on the rapporteur. Drawing on novel insights from network analysis, I expect shadow rapporteurs and their stance on EU integration to affect the success of amendments they are sponsoring. I draw on a novel dataset of 1524 committee amendments and employ three-level multinomial logistic regression to test these expectations. I find shadow rapporteurs to be influential policy leaders who successfully shape the committee report and, therefore, mitigate the risk of agency loss in potential trilogues. Shadow rapporteurs can successfully check the rapporteur and thereby influence the content of EU legislation.
CRI diesel injector transient heat–mass transfer with combustion-pollution indicated parameters consideration for Helical Orifice by various needle profiles
Authors: Bagherpoor Farid , Farajollahi Amir Hamzeh , Firuzi Reza
Published: August 2022

In the present paper, the effect of using Helical Orifice on transient heat-mass transfer and Combustion Indicated Quantities has been investigated in High Pressure Liquid Fuel Injector for different needle Movements using Avl Fire CFD code. The effect of each of the proposed needle movement profiles (triangular, trapezius, and boot) with the help of a three-dimensional moving mesh by numerical model in AVL Fire software, which has been validated with experimental data in each part, on the performance of the diesel engine and its air emission species has been investigated. Numerical results show that spiral nozzle leads to a rotational flow of fuel spray, increasing the spray cone angle and turbulence intensity inside the combustion chamber. Spiral Nozzle has more mean pressure and temperature than simple geometry of nozzle. Spiral motion leading to increasing turbulent kinetic energy and having more mean pressure, temperature, and wall heat flux. Increasing the resulting spray cone angle improves the performance of the diesel engine by reducing fuel consumption and increasing power and torque, and the production of nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide pollutants due to a better fuel-air mixture, increased turbulence intensity and average temperature inside the chamber. fuel consumption decreases by 30% and its power and torque increase 55%. Also in this case, carbon monoxide pollutants decrease by 38% and nitrogen oxide pollutants decreasing by 30% for spiral nozzle with trapezius profile for needle movement.
The Importance of Team Fit for NBA Rookies’ Career Earnings
Authors: Kuehn Joseph , Rebessi Filippo
Published: August 2022

Workers entering the labor market often face a trade off between job matches that maximizes their short run and long run compensation. This trade off is influenced by peers who may enhance or diminish the worker’s productivity, and thus affect their future salary. We study this question for rookies in the National Basketball Association (NBA). We find that for rookies drafted between 2011 and 2017, playing with teammates that facilitated them getting 1 additional point per 100 possessions was predicted to increase the value of their second contract by between 9.9% and 23.6%. This implies that being drafted by the team that provides the ‘best fit’ is an important determinant of a rookie’s future earnings.
A structural health monitoring method proposal based on optical scanning and computational models
Authors: Flores-Fuentes Wendy , Alba-Corpus Ivan Yeniseysk , Sergiyenko Oleg , Rodríguez-Quiñonez Julio C.
Published: August 2022

This article proposes a method for continuous bridge displacement monitoring combining the dynamic triangulation scanning and load estimation by vehicle image recognition. The vehicle–bridge interaction is a non-stationary dynamic process parameter of high relevance to understanding the static instability behavior of bridges. The knowledge of the load on a bridge in the specific time when its structural spatial coordinates are measured allows correlating the bridge displacement with the effect of vehicle–bridge interaction. The evaluation of such correlation is mandatory in order to verify if the observed bridge displacement is due to the nature of its operation or due to it is presenting structural damage. The proposed method is continuous structural health monitoring method, based on the combination of three approaches evaluated at laboratory environment: (1) a three-dimensional optical scanning system for displacement measurement, (2) a load measurement system for vehicle–bridge interaction assessment, and (3) a two-measurement systems data correlation; to be implemented in bridges at a real environment to collect their historical behavior. Overall, for each approach, the measurement systems’ principles, the laboratory experimental methodology followed, and results obtained are presented.
Research on the influence of supersonic phenomena on the gas film flow field of micron-groove-orifice aerostatic journal bearings under high gas supply pressure
Authors: Li Shusen , Cui Wei
Published: August 2022

To solve the problem of performance degradation caused by supersonic phenomena under high gas supply pressures in orifice-compensated aerostatic journal bearings (OCAJBs), a double-row gas supply micron-groove-orifice aerostatic journal bearing (MGOAJB) is designed, and the SST k- ω turbulence model is used to analyze the influences of the supersonic phenomena on the gas film flow field under different gas supply pressures, gas film thicknesses and orifice diameters. Compared with traditional OCAJBs, under high gas supply pressure, supersonic phenomena occur near the gas film inlet in both the MGOAJB and the OCAJB. The Mach number, maximum pressure, temperature and Reynolds number of the OCAJB are higher than those of the MGOAJB, but the MGOAJB has a more stable gas film pressure due to pressure equalization. As the gas film thickness of the MGOAJB increases, the Mach number, Reynolds number and temperature near the gas film inlet increase, but the pressure decreases, the recovery of the pressure and temperature becomes more obvious when the gas velocity drops to a subsonic speed. With increases in the MGOAJB orifice diameter, the pressure, temperature and Reynolds number increase, the Mach number decreases, and the recovery of the pressure and gas temperature becomes more obvious.
Efficacy and safety of selpercatinib in Chinese patients with advanced RET-altered thyroid cancers: results from the phase II LIBRETTO-321 study
Authors: Zheng Xiangqian , Ji Qinghai , Sun Yuping , Ge Minghua , Zhang Bin , Cheng Ying , Lei Shangtong , Shi Feng , Guo Ye , Li Linfa , Chen Lu , Shao Jingxin , Zhang Wanli , Gao Ming
Published: August 2022

Background:

Selpercatinib, a highly selective and potent REarranged during Transfection (RET) kinase inhibitor, is effective in advanced RET-altered thyroid cancer (TC). However, the efficacy and safety in Chinese patients are unknown.

Patients and methods:

In the open-label, multi-center phase II LIBRETTO-321 (NCT04280081) study, Chinese patients with advanced solid tumors harboring RET alterations received selpercatinib 160 mg twice daily. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR; RECIST v1.1) by independent review committee (IRC). Secondary endpoints included duration of response (DoR) and safety. Efficacy was assessed in the primary analysis set [PAS; treated patients with RET fusion-positive TC or RET-mutant medullary TC (MTC) confirmed by central laboratory] and all enrolled patients with MTC.

Results:

Of 77 enrolled patients, 29 had RET-mutant MTC and one had RET fusion-positive TC. In the PAS ( n = 26), the ORR by IRC was 57.7% [95% confidence interval (CI), 36.9–76.6]. Median DoR was not reached and 93.3% of responses were ongoing at a median follow-up of 8.7 months. In all enrolled MTC patients ( n = 29), the ORR by IRC was 58.6% (95% CI, 38.9–76.5). One RET fusion-positive TC patient treated for 23.4 weeks achieved a partial response at week 8 that was ongoing at cutoff. In the safety population ( n = 77), 59.7% experienced grade ⩾3 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). TEAEs led to dose reductions in 32.5% ( n = 25) and discontinuations in 5.2% [ n = 4; 3.9% ( n = 3) considered treatment related] of patients.

Conclusions:

Selpercatinib showed robust antitumor activity and was well tolerated in Chinese patients with advanced RET-altered TC, consistent with global data from LIBRETTO-001 (NCT04280081).

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:

NCT04280081 (first posted Feb 21, 2020)
A real-world analysis of nanoliposomal-irinotecan with 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid as third- or later-line therapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma
Authors: Chun Jung Won , Woo Sang Myung , Lee Sang Hyub , Choi Jin Ho , Park Namyoung , Kim Joo Seong , Cho In Rae , Paik Woo Hyun , Lee Woo Jin , Ryu Ji Kon , Kim Yong-Tae
Published: August 2022

Background:

Nanoliposomal encapsulation of irinotecan (nal-IRI) with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (5-FU/LV) has shown a survival benefit for gemcitabine-pretreated patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPAC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of nal-IRI with 5-FU/LV for use beyond second-line treatment after standard frontline therapy for mPAC.

Method:

This multicenter, retrospective, non-comparative observational study included mPAC patients who received nal-IRI plus 5-FU/LV as third- or later-line therapy after disease progression on first-line FOLFIRINOX (FFX) or gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel.

Results:

In all, 128 patients who received nal-IRI plus 5-FU/LV beyond second-line treatment between October 2017 and July 2021 were analyzed. Most patients (82%) received nal-IRI plus 5-FU/LV as a third-line treatment. The median overall survival (OS) was 4.9 months and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.4 months. Patients with better Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status experienced significantly longer OS (ECOG 0, 8.7 months; ECOG 1, 4.8 months; ECOG 2, 2.9 months; p < 0.001) and PFS (3.9 months; 2.1 months; 1.5 months; p = 0.019). Patients who had not been previously treated with FFX or had a time to progression of 7 months or more on FFX experienced longer OS and PFS than those who did not (6.1 months and 5.6 versus 4.1 months, p = 0.053; 3.6 months and 2.4 versus 2.1 months, p = 0.002). The most common adverse events were neutropenia (56%) and anemia (51%).

Conclusion:

Our real-world data indicated that nal-IRI plus 5-FU/LV can be effective not only as second-line therapy, but also as third-line or later-line treatment in selected patients. Nal-IRI plus 5-FU/LV may be particularly beneficial for the survival of patients that maintain good general condition or those with favorable prior experience to irinotecan.
Incidental Finding of Plantar Plate Pathology on Routine Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Foot and Ankle
Authors: Kachooei Amir R. , Roedl Johannes , Shakked Rachel J. , Pedowitz David I.
Published: August 2022

Background

We hypothesized that there would be a comparable and high incidence of an incidental torn plantar plate on routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in asymptomatic patients.

Methods

We included adult patients undergoing a foot MRI from 2019 to 2020. Based on the documented reason for MRI, patients were divided into symptomatic and asymptomatic. A separate musculoskeletal radiologist re-evaluated MRI images. Findings were categorized as “torn vs intact.” We also used the anatomical grading system (AGS).

Results:

We reviewed 218 records, including 165 asymptomatic and 53 symptomatic patients. The chance of finding a plantar plate (PP) tear on MRI of symptomatic patients was 28% (21% in PP2, 5.7% in PP3, 5.7% in PP4, and 2% in PP5), while PP tear in asymptomatic patients was only apparent in 2% of MRIs (1.5% in PP2, 0 in PP3, 0 in PP4, and 0.6% in PP5). Cohen’s kappa coefficient was 0.92, showing excellent agreement between the radiologists. Odds calculation revealed that the chance of finding a torn PP in an asymptomatic patient is 2.5%. In comparison, the chance of finding an intact PP in a symptomatic patient is 72%, showing 2.5 times more likely to find an intact PP than a torn PP in symptomatic individuals.

Conclusion:

Interestingly, there was a low rate of abnormal PP appearance on MRI in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, which suggests that the chance of finding a false-positive PP tear in an asymptomatic patient is minimal and probably negligible.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV diagnostic
Sensory Processing Sensitivity and Reactivity to Daily Events
Authors: Van Reyn Chiara , Koval Peter , Bastian Brock
Published: August 2022

Sensory processing sensitivity is an individual difference that captures the extent to which people show heightened emotional reactivity to, and increased cognitive processing of, their environment. Although central to its definition, there has been no research examining whether highly sensitive individuals display stronger reactivity to naturally occurring negative and positive events in everyday life. We addressed this gap by carrying out a 21-day online diary study with 239 participants, varying in sensory processing sensitivity, who reported their daily life-satisfaction, affective experiences, and self-esteem along with appraisals of the most negative and positive events of the day. Multilevel analyses demonstrated that individuals higher in sensory processing sensitivity showed greater reactivity to more subjectively intense negative events, but no difference in their reactivity to positive events. These findings provide initial insights into how sensory processing sensitivity manifests in daily emotional reactivity with greater reactivity to negative events in our study.
A case and literature review of intraocular echinococcus causing bilateral visual loss in a HIV-infected patient
Authors: Konar Kylie Divashnee , Pillay Somasundram
Published: August 2022

Although echinococcosis is a common parasitic disease endemic to Africa, ocular echinococcosis is rare. We present a case of intraocular echinococcosis in a HIV-infected patient. A 38-year-old South African HIV-infected woman presented to a district-level hospital in Kwa-Zulu Natal on 10 March 2020. Her main presenting complaint was that of progressive, painless, bilateral visual loss. A B-ultrasonography scan revealed tractional retinal detachment on the right eye, while the left eye had tractional bands with a ‘double-walled’ cystic cavity causing retinal traction. A systemic work-up revealed a positive Echinococcus ELISA IgG with a value of 1.3, eosinophilia of 5.70% (0.41 × 109), and elevated C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 47 mg/L and 93 mm/hr, respectively. Based on the above clinical, biochemical and ultrasonographical evidence, a diagnosis of ocular echinococcosis was made. Our differential diagnosis includes toxic optic neuropathy, Jarisch-Herxheimer-like reaction secondary to immune reconstitution and necrotizing herpetic retinitis. She was initiated on topical and intravitreal steroids which led to decreased intraocular inflammation and dry maculae. Five months after presentation, her visual acuity remained unchanged with no light perception in both eyes. We conclude that ocular echinococcosis, although rare, can lead to severe visual impairment as there are no known definite treatment modalities for intraocular hydatid disease. Reports on co-infections with HIV and Echinococcus are limited with a potential scope for research.
The Mediator Role of Employee Voice in the Effect of Agile Leadership on Teachers’ Affective Occupational Commitment
Authors: Yazıcı Şebnem , Özgenel Mustafa , Koç Mehmet Hilmi , Baydar Fatih
Published: August 2022

The research aims to reveal the effect of teachers’ agile leadership perceptions on their affective occupational commitment and how employee voice plays a mediating role in this effect. The study group of the research consists of 354 teachers working in Istanbul in 2021. The research is carried out according to the relational survey model. Correlation analysis is carried out and tested using the suggested mediation model based on the relationship between the variables to determine the relationship between variables. According to the research findings, the agile leadership characteristics of school principals positively affect their affective occupational commitment. Additionally, mediation analysis showed that employee voice is a partial mediator between agile leadership characteristics and affective occupational commitment. This research contributes to the theory by revealing the important effects of the agile leader in the school. In the light of the findings, the implications of the agile leader, employee voice, and occupational commitment of teachers were discussed, and suggestions were made for future research.
Imaging Findings of Complications After Lateral Extra-Articular Tenodesis of the Knee: A Current Concepts Review
Authors: Marshall Danielle C. , Silva Flavio D. , Goldenberg Brandon T. , Quintero Daniel , Baraga Michael G. , Jose Jean
Published: August 2022

Background:

Despite successful anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, many patients continue to experience persistent anterolateral rotatory instability. Lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) is used to address this instability by harvesting a portion of the iliotibial band, passing it underneath the fibular collateral ligament, and attaching it just proximal and posterior to the lateral femoral epicondyle. Based on the most recent clinical evidence, the addition of LET to ACL reconstruction improves clinical outcomes, which has led to an increase in the use of this technique.

Purpose:

To provide an overview of the postoperative complications of the LET procedure and their associated imaging findings, with a focus on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Study Design:

Narrative review.

Methods:

In this scoping review, the authors reviewed available radiographic, computed tomography, and MRI scans of patients who experienced postoperative complications after ACL reconstruction with LET, in which the complication was determined to be from the LET procedure. Images were reviewed and subsequently described by an on-staff musculoskeletal radiologist.

Results:

The authors found 9 different complications associated with LET: graft failure, hematoma, infection, chronic pain, tunnel convergence, fixation device migration, muscular hernia, peroneal nerve palsy, and knee stiffness. They supplemented these findings with radiographic evidence from 6 patients.

Conclusion:

As extra-articular reconstruction techniques including LET become more popular among orthopaedic surgeons, it is important that radiologists and surgeons be adept at recognizing the normal imaging findings of LET and associated complications.
The Statistical Fragility of Platelet-Rich Plasma as Treatment for Chronic Noninsertional Achilles Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Xu Amy L. , Ortiz-Babilonia Carlos , Gupta Arjun , Rogers Davis , Aiyer Amiethab A. , Vulcano Ettore
Published: August 2022

Background:

Randomized controlled trial (RCT) outcomes reaching statistical significance, frequently determined by P <.05, are often used to guide decision making. Noted lack of reproducibility of some RCTs has brought special attention to the limitations of this approach. In this meta-analysis, we assessed the robustness of RCTs evaluating platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for the treatment of chronic noninsertional Achilles tendinopathy (AT) by using fragility indices.

Methods:

The present study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs comparing outcomes after PRP injection vs alternative treatment in patients with AT. Representative data sets were generated for each reported continuous outcome event using summary statistics. Fragility indices refer to the minimal number of patients whose status would have to change from a nonevent to an event to turn a statistically significant result into a nonsignificant result, or vice versa. The fragility index (FI) and continuous FI (CFI) were determined for dichotomous and continuous outcomes, respectively, by manipulating each data set until reversal of significance (a=0.05) was achieved. The corresponding fragility quotient (FQ) and continuous FQ (CFQ) were calculated by dividing FI/CFI by sample size.

Results:

Of 432 studies screened, 8 studies (52 outcome events) were included in this analysis. The 12 dichotomous outcomes had a median FI of 4.5 (FQ: 0.111), and the 40 continuous outcomes had a median CFI of 5 (CFQ: 0.154). All 52 outcome events included lost-to-follow-up data, and 12 (23.1%) indicated a greater number of patients lost to follow-up than the FI or CFI.

Conclusion:

Our findings suggest that RCTs evaluating PRP for AT therapy lack statistical robustness, because changing only a small number of events may alter outcome significance.

Level of Evidence:

Level II, therapeutic study.
Chronic conditions, late mortality, and health status after childhood AML: a Childhood Cancer Survivor Study report
Authors: Turcotte Lucie M. , Whitton Jillian A. , Leisenring Wendy M. , Howell Rebecca M. , Neglia Joseph P. , Phelan Rachel , Oeffinger Kevin C. , Ness Kirsten K. , Woods William G. , Kolb E. Anders , Robison Leslie L. , Armstrong Gregory T. , Chow Eric J.
Published: August 2022

Five-year survival following childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has increased following improvements in treatment and supportive care. Long-term health outcomes are unknown. To address this, cumulative incidence of late mortality and grades 3 to 5 chronic health condition (CHC) were estimated among 5-year AML survivors diagnosed between 1970 and 1999. Survivors were compared by treatment group (hematopoietic cell transplantation [HCT], chemotherapy with cranial radiation [chemo + CRT], chemotherapy only [chemo-only]), and diagnosis decade. Self-reported health status was compared across treatments, diagnosis decade, and with siblings. Among 856 survivors (median diagnosis age, 7.1 years; median age at last follow-up, 29.4 years), 20-year late mortality cumulative incidence was highest after HCT (13.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 10.0%-17.8%; chemo + CRT, 7.6%; 95% CI, 2.2%-13.1%; chemo-only, 5.1%; 95% CI, 2.8%-7.4%). Cumulative incidence of mortality for HCT survivors diagnosed in the 1990s (8.5%; 95% CI, 4.1%-12.8%) was lower vs those diagnosed in the 1970s (38.9%; 95% CI, 16.4%-61.4%). Most survivors did not experience any grade 3 to 5 CHC after 20 years (HCT, 45.8%; chemo + CRT, 23.7%; chemo-only, 27.0%). Furthermore, a temporal reduction in CHC cumulative incidence was seen after HCT (1970s, 76.1%; 1990s, 38.3%; P = .02), mirroring reduced use of total body irradiation. Self-reported health status was good to excellent for 88.2% of survivors; however, this was lower than that for siblings (94.8%; P < .0001). Although HCT is associated with greater long-term morbidity and mortality than chemotherapy-based treatment, gaps have narrowed, and all treatment groups report favorable health status.
Regulation of Drought and Salt Tolerance by OsSKL2 and OsASR1 in Rice
Authors: Jiang Yingli , Peng Xiaojian , Zhang Qin , Liu Yuqing , Li Aiqi , Cheng Beijiu , Wu Jiandong
Published: August 2022

Abiotic stresses such as salinity and drought greatly impact the growth and production of crops worldwide. Here, a shikimate kinase-like 2 (SKL2) gene was cloned from rice and characterized for its regulatory function in salinity and drought tolerance. OsSKL2 was localized in the chloroplast, and its transcripts were significantly induced by drought and salinity stress as well as H2O2 and abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. Meanwhile, overexpression of OsSKL2 in rice increased tolerance to salinity, drought and oxidative stress by increasing antioxidant enzyme activity, and reducing levels of H2O2, malondialdehyde, and relative electrolyte leakage. In contrast, RNAi-induced suppression of OsSKL2 increased sensitivity to stress treatment. Interestingly, overexpression of OsSKL2 also increased sensitivity to exogenous ABA, with an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Moreover, OsSKL2 was found to physically interact with OsASR1, a well-known chaperone-like protein, which also exhibited positive roles in salt and drought tolerance. A reduction in ROS production was also observed in leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana showing transient co-expression of OsSKL2 with OsASR1. Taken together, these findings suggest that OsSKL2 together with OsASR1 act as important regulatory factors that confer salt and drought tolerance in rice via ROS scavenging.
Role of diffusion-weighted MRI for prediction of regional lymph node positivity in radiologically organ-confined renal tumour: a prospective study
Authors: Ghanghoria Ashish , Barua Sasanka Kumar , Rajeev T. P. , Bagchi Puskal Kumar , Sarma Debanga , Phukan Mandeep , Sharma Vivek
Published: August 2022

Background

Lymph node metastasis is one of the major factors that decide the prognosis of renal cell carcinoma. Presently, lymphadenectomy is only accepted as the most precise and dependable staging method to detect lymph node invasion; still, its therapeutic value for renal cell carcinoma is controversial. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging along with its apparent diffusion coefficient value has already shown great value as a non-invasive modality to detect early microstructural changes in various human tumours. The present study is done to know the role of DWMRI in determining regional lymph node positivity in radiologically organ-confined renal cell carcinoma.

Methods

In this prospective study, we measured the ADC value of renal mass and regional lymph node in patient of RCC. ADC value < 1.25 is taken as cut-off to determine lymph node involvement. A malignant lymph node was confirmed by histopathology postoperatively. After that, we analysed the data retrospectively and studied the association between cut-off ADC value and lymph node positivity.

Results

Total 44 patients of RCC were evaluated in the study. Out of 44 patients, lymph node was found to be malignant on histopathology in 25 (56.8%) patients, and of these, 23 patients had ADC value < 1.25. This association was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The findings of DW MRI were accurate in 72.7% of patients with sensitivity of 63.1%, specificity of 80% and positive predictive value of 70.5%.

Conclusions

Lymph node with ADC value < 1.25 × 10–3 mm2/s has higher probabilities of harbouring malignant cell, so ADC value of DWMRI can be used as a sensitive and specific parameter to differentiate malignant lymph node from benign lymph node. However, our futuristic observation needs to be validated by multi-institutional large sample cohort.