bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Covid-19 pandemic impact on community mental health
Authors: Putri Rosalia , Fajri Nurul , Hanum Safrida , Hanum Misra , Sofia Sofia , Husnah Husnah , Mawarpury Marty
Published: January 2022

The impact of the pandemic is felt by people all over the world. This is caused by stigmatization, discrimination, positive experiences of Covid, and disruption of social support. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to find out the psychological impact during the pandemic on the community. This systematic literature review was compiled by searching for articles from 2020 to 2021 contained in health databases from several journals such as Elsevier, BMC, Index, Cambridge University Press, Dove Press, and Wiley which was performed electronically. The inclusion criteria included in this study were focusing on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and mental health. From 20 articles, it was shown that psychological factors also played an important role in adherence to preventive measures in public health (such as vaccination) and how people deal with the threat of this virus infection with good health protocols. A person with a low level of education had a risk of being prone to depression and anxiety. This was because if someone with a high level of education had extensive knowledge about virus transmission so that they were better able to protect and cope with the anxiety and depression. Theoretically, the implication of this study is to enrich insight related to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on community mental health. While practically, this study might empower the community to maintain a healthy lifestyle during the pandemic that can prevent mental disorders. We hope this study will also empower stakeholders to create a policy that works in facilitating mental health assistant during the pandemic, especially for the Covid-19 patients in the community.
Investigating the midwives’ knowledge on infant and young child feeding during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Annissa Niswanto Nuril , Nasaruddin Nasaruddin , Marthoenis Marthoenis
Published: January 2022

Implementing the WHO gold standards for Infant & Young Child Feeding (IYCF) may help in preventing stunting, which may worsen during Covid-19 Pandemic. Midwives can help educating the mother in proper child feeding. This research aimed to assess the knowledge of midwives working in the community on IYCF during Covid-19. A total of 88 midwives working in various healthcare facilities participated in this study. Using online survey methods, they were invited to answers questions that measure their knowledge on basic practices of IYCF, Covid-19 transmission risk in breastfeeding dyads, breastfeeding practices, and complementary feeding during the pandemic. It was found that the rate of good, moderate and poor knowledge on IYCF during Covid-19 Pandemic were 23%, 67% and 19%, respectively. In conclusion, less than one third of the respondents showed good knowledge – something requiring investigation on the strategies to build stronger capacity of midwives in terms of IYCF during Covid-19 Pandemic.
Wir müssen lernen, Nein zu sagen
Authors: Rebecca Runge Laura
Published: January 2022

Ist eine Work-Life-Balance in der psychiatrischen Pflege möglich? Ja, meint unsere Autorin – wenn Pflegende lernen, Nein zu sagen.
Recovery-College: Hochschule für psychische Gesundheit
Authors: Stiehl Simon
Published: January 2022

Kompetenzen vermitteln, um die seelische Gesundheit zu stärken, so lautet das Ziel von Recovery-Colleges. Das Besondere daran: Menschen aus der Gemeinde, Interessierte sowie (ehemalige) Patienten – hier Studierende genannt – arbeiten selbstbestimmt und partnerschaftlich nicht nur mit klinischen Fachleuten, sondern vor allem mit Tutoren und Peers an recoveryorientierten Themen. Welche Herausforderungen und Potenziale das Recovery-College bietet, schildert unser Autor, der selbst ein Praxisprojekt initiiert hat. Anhand eines Fallbeispiels stellt er Recovery-College-Strukturen vor und beschreibt deren bildungs- und gesundheitsförderlichen Prozesse.
Sehnsucht und Sucht
Authors: Komalasari Schlenker Nila
Published: January 2022

Was ist Sehnsucht? Wann empfindet man Sehnsucht und warum? Welchen Einfluss hat Sehnsucht darauf, ob Kinder und Jugendliche eine Sucht entwickeln – nach Drogen, Alkohol oder Spielen? Und kann man dieser Sucht vorbeugen? Autorin Nila Schlenker hat sich dem Thema philosophisch genähert.
Competence-based approaches in organizational and individual context
Authors: Škrinjarić Bruno
Published: January 2022

With an increasing pace of digitalization, automatization, and robotization, firms need to quickly anticipate new consumer values, trends, and needs and adjust their production, thus requiring constant adaptation of competences and competence-based models. This review: (1) briefly outlines the development of competence-based models; (2) presents difficulties when defining and delineating differences between competences, skills, and abilities; (3) presents the main challenges of competence measurement; (4) presents recent findings of competence-based models in organizational and individual context; and (5) highlights challenges these models are likely to encounter in the future. To this end, a non-systematic literature review was carried out to summarize relevant published research studies and to define future research directions. Results show that further competence-based research should focus on generalizing the findings by looking at various groups of workers and industries, expanding the set of competences used in the analyses, using different definitions of key competences, and developing alternative models to assess their impact on performance. Such research would allow to better assess employees’ preparedness in terms of competence requirements, as well as to identify the most critical gaps and opportunities for the formal educational system and as part of on-the-job training.
A functional quantum communication network using time-bin entanglement
Authors: Thompson Avery
Published: January 2022

The network connects multiple users separated by 60 kilometers and allows for simultaneous communication.
Quantum spin Hall insulating phase and van Hove singularities in Zintl single-quintuple-layer AM2X2 (A = Ca, Sr, or Ba; M = Zn or Cd; X = Sb or Bi) family
Authors: Perez Marku Nyevel R. , Villaos Rovi Angelo B. , Feng Liang-Ying , Maghirang Aniceto B. , Cheng Chih-Peng , Huang Zhi-Quan , Hsu Chia-Hsiu , Bansil Arun , Chuang Feng-Chuan
Published: January 2022

Recent experiments on bulk Zintl CaAl2Si2 reveal the presence of nontrivial topological states. However, the large family of two-dimensional (2D) Zintl materials remains unexplored. Using first-principles calculations, we discuss the stability and topological electronic structures of 12 Zintl single-quintuple-layer (1-QL) AM2X2 compounds in the CaAl2Si2-structure (A = Ca, Sr, or Ba; M = Zn or Cd; and X = Sb or Bi). Considering various layer-stackings, we show that the M-X-A-X-M stacking, where the transition metal M is exposed, is energetically most favorable. Phonon dispersion computations support the thermodynamic stability of all the investigated compounds. Nontrivial topological properties are ascertained through the calculation of Z2 invariants and edge states using the hybrid functional. Insulating topological phases driven by a band inversion at the Γ-point involving Bi-(px + py) orbitals are found in CaZn2Bi2, SrZn2Bi2, BaZn2Bi2, CaCd2Bi2, SrCd2Bi2, and BaCd2Bi2 with bandgaps (eV) of 0.571, 0.500, 0.025, 0.774, 0.650, and 0.655, respectively. Interestingly, van Hove singularities are found in CaCd2Bi2 and BaCd2Bi2, implying the possibility of coexisting insulating and superconducting topological phases. We discuss how topological 1-QL Zintl compounds could be synthesized through atomic substitutions resulting in Janus materials (1-QL AM2XY). In particular, the thermodynamically stable Janus BaCd2SbBi film is shown to exhibit both an insulating topological state and the Rashba effect. Our study identifies a new family of materials for developing 2D topological materials platforms and paves the way for the discovery of 2D topological superconductors.
High thermal conductivity and ultrahigh thermal boundary conductance of homoepitaxial AlN thin films
Authors: Alvarez-Escalante Gustavo , Page Ryan , Hu Renjiu , Xing Huili Grace , Jena Debdeep , Tian Zhiting
Published: January 2022

Wurtzite aluminum nitride (AlN) has attracted increasing attention for high-power and high-temperature operations due to its high piezoelectricity, ultrawide-bandgap, and large thermal conductivity k. The k of epitaxially grown AlN on foreign substrates has been investigated; however, no thermal studies have been conducted on homoepitaxially grown AlN. In this study, the thickness dependent k and thermal boundary conductance G of homoepitaxial AlN thin films were systematically studied using the optical pump–probe method of frequency-domain thermoreflectance. Our results show that k increases with the thickness and k values are among the highest reported for film thicknesses of 200 nm, 500 nm, and 1 μm, with values of 71.95, 152.04, and 195.71 W/(mK), respectively. Our first-principles calculations show good agreement with our measured data. Remarkably, the G between the epilayer and the substrate reported high values of 328, 477, 1180, and 2590 MW/(m2K) for sample thicknesses of 200 nm, 500 nm, 1 μm, and 3 μm, respectively. The high k and ultrahigh G of homoepitaxially grown AlN are very promising for efficient heat dissipation, which helps in device design and has advanced applications in micro-electromechanical systems, ultraviolet photonics, and high-power electronics.
Beijing 798 Arts District Demonstrates the Power of Cultural and Creative Industry
Authors: Lihui Wu
Published: January 2022

The success of the 798 Arts District stems from the grassroots movement initiated by the artists and non-profit institutes. They challenged the authorities, who intended to carry out the demolition of the 798 Arts District, to preserve the cultural heritage of that area and shift power to the people. The 798 Arts District can serve as a model of sustainability for other arts districts or redevelopment projects in urban areas.

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Vancouver Island University World Leisure Centre of Excellence Main image by Leeluv (2011)

© Lihui Wu 2022
Contact times in professional football before and during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic: Tracking data from the German Bundesliga
Authors: Szymski Dominik , Weber Hendrik , Anzer Gabriel , Alt Volker , Meyer Tim , Gärtner Barbara C. , Krutsch Werner
Published: January 2022

The global SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic led to a lockdown in team sports in March 2020. Because the risk of virus transmission seems to correlate with the duration of close contacts, data on contact times are necessary to assess the risk of virus transmission in sports. In this study, an optical tracking system was used to determine contact times between players of the two highest men's professional football leagues in Germany in the 2019–20 season and in the first half of the 2020–21 season. Contacts between players were defined as being within a two‐metre radius during matches and were differentiated as either match‐specific or non‐match‐specific. In total, 918 matches with 197,087 contacts were analysed. The mean overall contact time of one‐to‐one situations of 36 s (SD: ± 66) before the lockdown was reduced to 30 s after the lockdown (SD: ± 60) (p < 0.0001). In professional football, contacts between two players infrequently occur within a two‐metre radius, averaging less than 35 s. Only 36 player pair contacts lasted for more than 15 min (0.00018%). The mean accumulated contact time per player with all others was 10.6 ± 6.9 min per match, with a decrease from 11.6 ± 7.0 min before the lockdown to 10.0 ± 6.6 min (p < 0.0001) after lockdown in the season 2019‐20. The SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic has resulted in a reduction in match‐specific contacts of 25%. It seems questionable if such short contacts in open‐air sports may lead to considerable virus transmission.
Photoproduction

in an effective Lagrangian approach *
Authors: Wei Neng-Chang , Wang Ai-Chao , Huang Fei
Published: January 2022

A gauge-invariant model is constructed for the

reaction within a tree-level effective Lagrangian approach to understand the underlying production mechanisms and study the resonance contributions in this reaction. In addition to the t-channel K and

exchanges, s-channel nucleon exchange, and interaction current, the s-channel nucleon resonance exchanges are included in constructing the reaction amplitudes to describe the data. It is found that the contributions from the s-channel

exchange are required to describe the most recently measured total cross-section data for

from the CLAS Collaboration. Further analysis indicates that the interaction current dominates the

reaction near the threshold as a result of gauge invariance. The t-channel K exchange contributes significantly, while the contributions from the t-channel

exchange and s-channel nucleon exchange are ultimately negligible. The contributions from the s-channel

exchange are found to be responsible for the bump structure shown in the CLAS total cross-section data above the center-of-mass energy

GeV. The predictions of the differential cross sections for

are presented and discussed, which can provide theoretical guidance for future experiments.
Large discrepancy between observed and modeled wintertime tropospheric NO2 variabilities due to COVID-19 controls in China
Authors: Chen Jiaqi , Jiang Zhe , Li Rui , Liao Chenggong , Miyazaki Kazuyuki , Jones Dylan B A
Published: January 2022

Recent studies demonstrated the difficulties to explain observed tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) variabilities over the United States and Europe, but thorough analysis for the impacts on tropospheric NO2 in China is still lacking. Here we provide a comparative analysis for the observed and modeled (Goddard Earth Observing System-Chem) tropospheric NO2 in early 2020 in China. Both ozone monitoring instrument and surface NO2 measurements show marked decreases in NO2 abundances due to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) controls. However, we find a large discrepancy between observed and modeled NO2 changes over highly polluted provinces: the observed reductions in tropospheric NO2 columns are about 40% lower than those in surface NO2 concentrations. By contrast, the modeled reductions in tropospheric NO2 columns are about two times higher than those in surface NO2 concentrations. This discrepancy could be driven by the combined effects from uncertainties in simulations and observations, associated with possible inaccurate simulations of lower tropospheric NO2, larger uncertainties in the modeled interannual variabilities of NO2 columns, as well as insufficient consideration of aerosol effects and a priori NO2 variability in satellite retrievals. In addition, our analysis suggests a small influence from free tropospheric NO2 backgrounds in E. China in winter. This work demonstrates the challenge to interpret wintertime tropospheric NO2 changes in China, highlighting the importance of integrating surface NO2 observations to provide better analysis for NO2 variabilities.
No-go theorems for deterministic purification and probabilistic enhancement of coherence
Authors: Ding Qiming , Liu Quancheng
Published: January 2022

The manipulation of quantum coherence is one of the principal issues in the resource theory of coherence, with two critical topics being the purification and enhancement of coherence. Here, we present two no-go theorems for the deterministic purification of coherence and the probabilistic enhancement of coherence, respectively. Specifically, we prove that a quantum state cannot be deterministically purified if it can be expressed as a convex combination of an incoherent state and a coherent state. Besides, we give an easy-to-verified sufficient and necessary condition to determine whether a state can be probabilistically enhanced via a stochastic strictly incoherent operation. Our findings provide two feasibility criteria for the deterministic purification and the probabilistic enhancement of coherence, respectively. These results have repercussions on the understanding of quantum coherence in real quantum systems.
A celebration of the 25th anniversary of chromatin-mediated spindle assembly
Authors: Verma Vikash , Maresca Thomas J.
Published: January 2022

Formation of a bipolar spindle is required for the faithful segregation of chromosomes during cell division. Twenty-five years ago, a transformative insight into how bipolarity is achieved was provided by Rebecca Heald, Eric Karsenti, and colleagues in their landmark publication characterizing a chromatin-mediated spindle assembly pathway in which centrosomes and kinetochores were dispensable. The discovery revealed that bipolar spindle assembly is a self-organizing process where microtubules, which possess an intrinsic polarity, polymerize around chromatin and become sorted by mitotic motors into a bipolar structure. On the 25th anniversary of this seminal paper, we discuss what was known before, what we have learned since, and what may lie ahead in understanding the bipolar spindle.
Identifying and Alleviating Bias Due to Differential Depletion of Susceptible People in Postmarketing Evaluations of COVID-19 Vaccines
Authors: Kahn Rebecca , Schrag Stephanie J , Verani Jennifer R , Lipsitch Marc
Published: January 2022

Recent studies have provided key information about SARS-CoV-2 vaccines’ efficacy and effectiveness (VE). One important question that remains is whether the protection conferred by vaccines wanes over time. However, estimates over time are subject to bias from differential depletion of susceptible individuals between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. We examined the extent to which biases occur under different scenarios and assessed whether serological testing has the potential to correct this bias. By identifying nonvaccine antibodies, these tests could identify individuals with prior infection. We found that in scenarios with high baseline VE, differential depletion of susceptible individuals created minimal bias in VE estimates, suggesting that any observed declines are likely not due to spurious waning alone. However, if baseline VE was lower, the bias for leaky vaccines (which reduce individual probability of infection given contact) was larger and should be corrected for by excluding individuals with past infection if the mechanism is known to be leaky. Conducting analyses both unadjusted and adjusted for past infection could give lower and upper bounds for the true VE. Studies of VE should therefore enroll individuals regardless of prior infection history but also collect information, ideally through serological testing, on this critical variable.
HCRNet: high-throughput circRNA-binding event identification from CLIP-seq data using deep temporal convolutional network
Authors: Yang Yuning , Hou Zilong , Wang Yansong , Ma Hongli , Sun Pingping , Ma Zhiqiang , Wong Ka-Chun , Li Xiangtao
Published: January 2022

Identifying genome-wide binding events between circular RNAs (circRNAs) and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) can greatly facilitate our understanding of functional mechanisms within circRNAs. Thanks to the development of cross-linked immunoprecipitation sequencing technology, large amounts of genome-wide circRNA binding event data have accumulated, providing opportunities for designing high-performance computational models to discriminate RBP interaction sites and thus to interpret the biological significance of circRNAs. Unfortunately, there are still no computational models sufficiently flexible to accommodate circRNAs from different data scales and with various degrees of feature representation. Here, we present HCRNet, a novel end-to-end framework for identification of circRNA-RBP binding events. To capture the hierarchical relationships, the multi-source biological information is fused to represent circRNAs, including various natural language sequence features. Furthermore, a deep temporal convolutional network incorporating global expectation pooling was developed to exploit the latent nucleotide dependencies in an exhaustive manner. We benchmarked HCRNet on 37 circRNA datasets and 31 linear RNA datasets to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method. To evaluate further the model’s robustness, we performed HCRNet on a full-length dataset containing 740 circRNAs. Results indicate that HCRNet generally outperforms existing methods. In addition, motif analyses were conducted to exhibit the interpretability of HCRNet on circRNAs. All supporting source code and data can be downloaded from https://github.com/yangyn533/HCRNet and https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16943722.v1. And the web server of HCRNet is publicly accessible at http://39.104.118.143:5001/.
Preparation of a New Solid-Phase Microextraction Fiber Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Monitoring of Phenobarbital in Urine Samples
Authors: Rahimi Marzieh , Bahar Soleiman
Published: January 2022

A simple solid-phase microextraction technique using molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP-SPME) was prepared to monitor phenobarbital in urine samples. In this technique, the fiber was prepared via insertion of the modified stainless-steel wire in the reaction solution including 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and tetraethyl orthosilicate in the presence of an acidic catalyst (acetic acid). The fabricated MIP-SPME fiber was utilized to selectively extract phenobarbital from urine samples and prepare it for detection through high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The synthesized MIPs were characterized by several techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. The effects of various influencing factors on the extraction yield of phenobarbital were considered and optimized. The conditions that yielded the maximum extraction efficiency were as follows: pH of 5, 25 min extraction time, 500 rpm stirring rate, 15 min desorption time and using methanol as elution solvent. Within the range of concentrations of 0.02 to 100 μg mL−1, the method had linear characteristics, with a suitable coefficient of determination (0.9983). We determined limits of detection and limits of quantification to be 9.88 and 32.9 ng mL−1, respectively. The repeatability and reproducibility of the prepared fibers were 4.6 and 6.5%, respectively.
Chinese Public Opinion about US–China Relations from Trump to Biden
Authors: Fang Songying , Li Xiaojun , Liu Adam Y
Published: January 2022

Numerous public opinion surveys have found that Americans’ views of China have become extremely negative in recent years. Much less is understood about the trends in Chinese views of the USA and the countries’ bilateral relations. As leaders in both countries have come under public pressure about their policy stances toward the other side, it is critical to fill the gap. This study develops a theoretical argument about how a concern for political legitimacy may allow public opinion to influence foreign policy making in authoritarian countries, and it presents findings from a two-wave public opinion survey in China conducted before and after the 2020 US presidential election. The results show that Chinese evaluations of the bilateral relationship and of the USA slumped during the Trump era but rebounded somewhat after Biden took office. In addition, the majority of Chinese respondents believed their country to be the world’s largest and leading economy and favored China being the world’s leading power, either by itself or alongside the USA. Furthermore, younger and more educated respondents held more negative views, although these were mitigated by personal connections with and experiences in the USA. These findings have important policy implications.
Efficacy and safety of warfarin in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and CKD G3–G5D
Authors: Welander Frida , Renlund Henrik , Dimény Emöke , Holmberg Henrik , Själander Anders
Published: January 2022

Background

Observational data comparing warfarin with no treatment for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and severely reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) are conflicting and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are lacking. Most studies do not provide information on warfarin treatment quality, making them difficult to compare.

Methods

This national cohort study investigates the risk of ischaemic stroke and major bleeding during warfarin treatment compared with no oral anticoagulants in patients with NVAF, GFR category 3–5 (G3–G5) or on dialysis (G5D), with kidney transplant recipients excluded, between 2009 and 2018. Data extracted from high-quality Swedish national healthcare registries, including the Swedish Renal Registry, AuriculA—the Swedish national quality registry for atrial fibrillation and anticoagulation—and the Stroke Registry.

Results

At enrolment of 12 106 patients, 21.4% were G3, 43.5% were G4, 11.6% were G5 and 23.6% were G5D. The mean time in the therapeutic range was 70%. Warfarin compared with no treatment showed a lower risk for ischaemic stroke for G3 {hazard ratio [HR] 0.37 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18–0.76]}, G4 [0.53 (0.38–0.74)] and G5D [0.49 (0.30–0.79)] and an increased risk of major bleeding in G4 [HR 1.22 (1.02–1.46)], G5 [1.52 (1.15–2.01)] and G5D [1.23 (1.00–1.51)]. All-cause mortality was more than halved on warfarin compared with no treatment in all GFR categories.

Conclusions

Warfarin treatment is associated with a lower risk of ischaemic stroke for patients with NVAF and G3, G4 and G5D at the cost of a higher risk of major bleeding for G4–G5D. Existing observational data are conflicting, stressing the need for RCTs on warfarin compared with no treatment in G4–G5D. Awaiting RCTs, it seems reasonable to treat selected patients on dialysis and NVAF with warfarin.
Management of acute renal replacement therapy in critically ill cirrhotic patients
Authors: Del Risco-Zevallos Jimena , Andújar Alicia Molina , Piñeiro Gastón , Reverter Enric , Toapanta Néstor David , Sanz Miquel , Blasco Miquel , Fernández Javier , Poch Esteban
Published: January 2022

Renal replacement therapy (RRT) in cirrhotic patients encompasses a number of issues related to the particular characteristics of this population, especially in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. The short-term prognosis of cirrhotic patients with acute kidney injury is poor, with a mortality rate higher than 65% in patients with RRT requirement, raising questions about the futility of its initiation. Regarding the management of the RRT itself, there is still no consensus with respect to the modality (continuous versus intermittent) or the anticoagulation required to improve the circuit life, which is shorter than similar at-risk populations, despite the altered haemostasis in traditional coagulation tests frequently found in these patients. Furthermore, volume management is one of the most complex issues in this cohort, where tools used for ambulatory dialysis have not yet been successfully reproducible in the ICU setting.

This review attempts to shed light on the management of acute RRT in the critically ill cirrhotic population based on the current evidence and the newly available tools. We will discuss the timing of RRT initiation and cessation, the modality, anticoagulation and fluid management, as well as the outcomes of the RRT in this population, and provide a brief review of the albumin extracorporeal dialysis from the point of view of a nephrologist.
Classically boosted network embeddings
Authors: Nishimura Joel , Zhao Yunpeng
Published: January 2022

Network embeddings are a popular and effective pre-processing step when performing machine learning with network data. We demonstrate that standard boosting techniques, AdaBoost and Real AdaBoost can be applied to network embedding techniques to increase performance, particularly in terms of link prediction on test data in a cross-validation context. These approaches produce results competitive with other state-of-the-art embedding approaches when applied to a number of empirical networks. Additionally, we show on simulated data that Real AdaBoost can de-aggregate some networks, wherein networks created by two independent latent features can have those separate latent features inferred by different boosted rounds. Further analysis of the performance of these boosted methods shows that they retain the characteristic robustness to over-fitting as boosting methods in classical settings.
Predictive ability of the sequential organ failure assessment score for in-hospital mortality in patients with cardiac critical illnesses: a nationwide observational study
Authors: Nishimoto Yuji , Ohbe Hiroyuki , Matsui Hiroki , Nakajima Mikio , Sasabuchi Yusuke , Goto Tadahiro , Morita Kojiro , Fushimi Kiyohide , Sato Yukihito , Yasunaga Hideo
Published: January 2022

Aims

Several studies have reported a high predictive ability of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score for in-hospital mortality specifically for patients with cardiac critical illnesses, however, differences according to the admission classification (surgical or non-surgical) are unknown. The present study aimed to evaluate the predictive ability of the SOFA score in surgical and non-surgical patients with cardiac critical illnesses.

Methods and results

Using the Japanese nationwide Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, we identified patients with cardiac critical illnesses, defined as patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and treated by cardiologists or cardiovascular surgeons as their physicians in charge from April 2018 to March 2020. The discriminatory ability of the SOFA score for in-hospital mortality was assessed by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Among 52 819 eligible patients with available data on their SOFA scores, 33 526 (64%) were postoperative cardiac surgeries. The median SOFA score on ICU admission was 5.0 (interquartile range, 2.0–8.0) and overall in-hospital mortality 6.8%. The AUROC of the SOFA score was 0.75 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.75–0.76]. In the subgroup analyses, the AUROCs were 0.76 (95% CI, 0.74–0.77) in the surgical patients, 0.83 (95% CI, 0.83–0.84) in the non-surgical patients, and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.87–0.89) in the non-surgical acute coronary syndrome patients.

Conclusions

The predictive ability of the SOFA score on the day of ICU admission for in-hospital mortality was confirmed to be acceptable in the patients with cardiac critical illnesses and varied according to the admission classification and primary diagnoses.
Surgical outcomes of pulmonary artery sling and congenital tracheal stenosis with right lung anomaly
Authors: Wada Yuson , Matsuhisa Hironori , Morita Keiichi , Hasegawa Shota , Matsushima Shunsuke , Higuma Tomonori , Oshima Yoshihiro
Published: January 2022

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate whether computed tomographic indices support surgical decision-making in patients with pulmonary artery sling, congenital tracheal stenosis and right lung underdevelopment.

METHODS

A total of 38 patients with pulmonary artery sling and congenital tracheal stenosis underwent tracheoplasty. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on anatomical categorization: group normal lung (NL; n = 21), group H (right lung hypoplasia, n = 12) and group A (right lung agenesis or aplasia, n = 5). Using preoperative computed tomographic images, the severity of the tracheal bending due to the right posterior deviation of the aortic arch and the relative length of the left pulmonary artery for reimplantation was evaluated.

RESULTS

Slide tracheoplasty posterior to the aortic arch with pulmonary artery reimplantation was performed in 32 patients (21, 10 and 1 in groups NL, H and A, respectively). Slide tracheoplasty anterior to the aortic arch was performed in 4 patients (2 patients each in groups H and A). Among the 6 patients with severe tracheal bending who underwent slide tracheoplasty posterior to the aortic arch, 5 required aortopexy for tracheomalacia. The overall mortality rate was 3% (group NL, n = 1). The relative length of the left pulmonary artery in group H (0.85) was significantly shorter than that in group NL (1.36, P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with right lung underdevelopment, preoperative computed tomography elucidated the tracheal bending due to right posterior deviation of the aortic arch, which compromised tracheoplasty and shortness of the left pulmonary artery for pulmonary artery sling repair.
Outcomes of isolated tricuspid valve surgery in contemporary practice
Authors: Weiss Thomas , Villadsen Peter Ryom , Jensen Jesper Khedri , Lehnert Per , Nielsen Per Hostrup , Modrau Ivy Susanne
Published: January 2022

OBJECTIVES

Isolated tricuspid valve (TV) surgery is rarely performed and has been associated with high mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical outcome and functional capacity following isolated TV surgery in contemporary practice.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study including all patients who underwent isolated TV surgery at our institution from 2013 to 2019. Our cohort was identified using the Western Denmark Heart Registry. Postoperative outcomes were evaluated using patients’ medical records. The clinical and echocardiographic status was reported for patients who survived beyond 1 year.

RESULTS

We included 43 patients [mean age 65.2 ± 13.8, median European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II 1.8 (interquartile range 2.0)]. Twelve (27.9%) had prior cardiac surgery. Up to 90-day follow-up, no patient died and major morbidity was limited to 4 patients (9.3%) requiring pacemaker implantation and 1 patient requiring 2 reoperations. Within 1 year, 4 patients (9.3%) died. Nine patients (20.1%) required single readmission for cardiac reasons during the median follow-up of 38.4 months (interquartile range 30.9 months). All patients who survived beyond 1 year (n = 39) completed clinical follow-up. At follow-up, 38/39 (97.4%) patients were New York Heart Association I or II compared to 12/39 (30.8%) preoperatively (P = 0.001). The presence of oedema and intensity of diuretic treatment were significantly reduced (P = 0.005 and P = 0.008, respectively). Echocardiographic follow-up showed significant improvement of TV dysfunction in all patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that isolated TV surgery can be performed safely and greatly improve patients’ functional status. Our findings support the importance of optimal surgical timing and patient selection.
Optimal non-pharmaceutical intervention policy for Covid-19 epidemic via neuroevolution algorithm
Authors: Saeidpour Arash , Rohani Pejman
Published: January 2022

Background

National responses to the Covid-19 pandemic varied markedly across countries, from business-as-usual to complete shutdowns. Policies aimed at disrupting the viral transmission cycle and preventing the overwhelming of healthcare systems inevitably exact an economic toll.

Methodology

We developed an intervention policy model that comprised the relative human, implementation and healthcare costs of non-pharmaceutical epidemic interventions and identified the optimal strategy using a neuroevolution algorithm. The proposed model finds the minimum required reduction in transmission rates to maintain the burden on the healthcare system below the maximum capacity.

Results

We find that such a policy renders a sharp increase in the control strength during the early stages of the epidemic, followed by a steady increase in the subsequent ten weeks as the epidemic approaches its peak, and finally the control strength is gradually decreased as the population moves towards herd immunity. We have also shown how such a model can provide an efficient adaptive intervention policy at different stages of the epidemic without having access to the entire history of its progression in the population.

Conclusions and implications

This work emphasizes the importance of imposing intervention measures early and provides insights into adaptive intervention policies to minimize the economic impacts of the epidemic without putting an extra burden on the healthcare system.

Lay Summary

We developed an intervention policy model that comprised the relative human, implementation and healthcare costs of non-pharmaceutical epidemic interventions and identified the optimal strategy using a neuroevolution algorithm. Our work emphasizes the importance of imposing intervention measures early and provides insights into adaptive intervention policies to minimize the economic impacts of the epidemic without putting an extra burden on the healthcare system.
Controlling for Variable Transposition Rate with an Age-Adjusted Site Frequency Spectrum
Authors: Horvath Robert , Menon Mitra , Stitzer Michelle , Ross-Ibarra Jeffrey
Published: January 2022

Recognition of the important role of transposable elements (TEs) in eukaryotic genomes quickly led to a burgeoning literature modeling and estimating the effects of selection on TEs. Much of the empirical work on selection has focused on analyzing the site frequency spectrum (SFS) of TEs. But TE evolution differs from standard models in a number of ways that can impact the power and interpretation of the SFS. For example, rather than mutating under a clock-like model, transposition often occurs in bursts which can inflate particular frequency categories compared with expectations under a standard neutral model. If a TE burst has been recent, the excess of low-frequency polymorphisms can mimic the effect of purifying selection. Here, we investigate how transposition bursts affect the frequency distribution of TEs and the correlation between age and allele frequency. Using information on the TE age distribution, we propose an age-adjusted SFS to compare TEs and neutral polymorphisms to more effectively evaluate whether TEs are under selective constraints. We show that our approach can minimize instances of false inference of selective constraint, remains robust to simple demographic changes, and allows for a correct identification of even weak selection affecting TEs which experienced a transposition burst. The results presented here will help researchers working on TEs to more reliably identify the effects of selection on TEs without having to rely on the assumption of a constant transposition rate.
Rapid Detection of Neutral Faces Associated With Emotional Value Among Older Adults
Authors: Saito Akie , Sato Wataru , Yoshikawa Sakiko
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Previous studies using visual search paradigms have provided inconsistent results regarding rapid detection of emotional faces among older adults. Furthermore, it is uncertain whether the emotional significance of the faces contributes to efficient searches for emotional faces due to the possible confounding effects of visual saliency. We addressed this issue by excluding the influence of visual factors and examined older adults’ ability to detect faces with emotional meaning.

Method

We used an associative learning procedure in which neutral faces were paired with monetary reward or punishment, such that the neutral faces acquired positive or negative emotional value. Older participants completed the associative learning task and then engaged in a visual search task, in which previously learned neutral faces were presented as discrepant faces among newly presented neutral distractor faces. Data of young adults from a previous study that used identical experimental procedures were also analyzed.

Results

Older participants exhibited lower learning ability than young participants. However, older adults who were successful at learning were able to detect neutral faces associated with reward or punishment more rapidly than those without monetary outcomes, similar to the pattern observed for young adults.

Discussion

The results suggest that acquired emotional value promotes the detection of value-associated neutral faces among older adults who succeed at learning. It is therefore possible that the ability to detect faces that evoke emotions is preserved in older adults.
Older Adults’ Internal Migration Toward Faraway Siblings
Authors: Artamonova Alyona , Gillespie Brian Joseph
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Research on the role of siblings in older adult migration lags behind a growing number of studies on adult children as a mobility attraction. We attend to this gap by examining (a) to what extent the absence of partners and/or adult children influences older adults’ (age 70–84) migration toward faraway siblings (at least 50 km away) and (b) how these migrations are patterned by the location of other family members (children, other siblings, and nephews/nieces).

Methods

We use multinomial logistic regression models and analyze dyads of older adults and all distant siblings from the Swedish population register data between 2012 and 2016 (N = 1,743,234). We control for several characteristics of older adults and their siblings that may affect the decision to move closer, including sociodemographic characteristics and measures of location-specific capital.

Results

Widowed, divorced, and never-married older adults were more likely to move closer to distant siblings than those with a partner. Not having children was associated with a higher likelihood of moving toward a sibling. Living near adult children or other siblings deterred relocation toward siblings, while family clustered at a distance reinforced the location’s attractiveness for migration.

Discussion

As declines in fertility broadly reflect people’s decisions to have fewer children or forego having families, siblings might emerge as more active players in the family networks of older adults. Our research indicates that siblings can be a destination for migration and, therefore, should be considered as important members of social networks of older adults, especially those who do not have partners and/or adult children available.
Narcissism, Social Experiences, and Mood in Late Life
Authors: Zhang Shiyang , Kim Yijung K , Fingerman Karen L , Birditt Kira S , Charles Susan T
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Social ties increase in importance in late life and narcissism may be deleterious to these ties. More narcissistic older adults may have more frequent social encounters than less narcissistic people and may prefer weak ties (e.g., acquaintances) over close ones (e.g., family, close friends). They may benefit more from these encounters due to their need for adulation. This study examined how daily social experiences and mood varied by narcissism among older adults.

Methods

Older adults aged 65–92 years (N = 303) completed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-16 and completed ecological momentary assessments in which they reported number, type, and quality of social contacts and positive and negative mood every 3 h for 5–6 days.

Results

In multilevel models, narcissism did not predict the number or pleasantness of social encounters. But more narcissistic older adults reported a greater percentage of stressful discussions with weak ties. With regard to mood, more narcissistic people reported higher negative mood if they had more encounters with weak ties and when discussing something stressful with weak ties. Less narcissistic people reported lowered positive mood after they discussed something stressful with close ties.

Discussion

The findings present a nuanced understanding of how the self-centeredness of narcissism may be manifest in late life. More narcissistic people may be less sensitive to close partner’s (e.g., family, friends) distress, but their mood may be more susceptible to negative social events, especially with weak ties (e.g., acquaintances).
Superwoman Schema, Racial Identity, and Cellular Aging Among African American Women
Authors: Thomas Marilyn D , Mendez Rebecca M , Zhang Youchuan , Wang Yijie , Sohail Saba , Chae David H , Márquez-Magaña Leticia , Sellers Rob , Woods-Giscombé Cheryl L , Allen Amani M
Published: January 2022

Background and Objectives

African American women experience faster telomere shortening (i.e., cellular aging) compared with other racial–gender groups. Prior research demonstrates that race and gender interact to influence culturally specific norms for responding to socially-relevant stress and other stress-coping processes, which may affect healthy aging.

Research Design and Methods

Data are from African American Women’s Heart & Health Study participants who consented to DNA extraction (n = 140). Superwoman Schema (SWS) was measured using 5 validated subscales: presenting strength, emotion suppression, resisting vulnerability, motivation to succeed, and obligation to help others. Racial identity was measured using 3 subscales from the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity: racial centrality, private regard, and public regard. Relative telomere length (rTL) was measured using DNA extracted from blood samples. Path analysis tested associations and interactions between SWS and racial identity dimensions with rTL.

Results

For SWS, higher resistance to being vulnerable predicted longer telomeres. For racial identity, high private regard predicted longer telomeres while high public regard predicted shorter telomeres. Interactions were found between public regard and 2 SWS dimensions: among women with high public regard, emotion suppression (β = 0.20, p < .05) and motivation to succeed (β = 0.18, p < .05) were associated with longer rTL. The interaction between high centrality and emotion suppression predicted shorter rTL (β = −0.17, p < .05).

Discussion and Implications

Culturally specific responses to gendered racism and racial identity, developed early in life and shaped over the life course, are important psychosocial determinants of cellular aging among African American women.
On a Class of Orthogonal-Invariant Quantum Spin Systems on the Complete Graph
Authors: Ryan Kieran
Published: January 2022

We study a two-parameter family of quantum spin systems on the complete graph, which is the most general model invariant under the complex orthogonal group. In spin $S=\frac {1}{2}$ it is equivalent to the XXZ model, and in spin $S=1$ to the bilinear-biquadratic Heisenberg model. The paper is motivated by the work of Björnberg, whose model is invariant under the (larger) complex general linear group. In spin $S=\frac {1}{2}$ and $S=1$ we give an explicit formula for the free energy for all values of the two parameters, and for spin $S>1$ for when one of the parameters is non-negative. This allows us to draw phase diagrams and determine critical temperatures. For spin $S=\frac {1}{2}$ and $S=1$, we give the left and right derivatives as the strength parameter of a certain magnetisation term tends to zero, and we give a formula for a certain total spin observable, and heuristics for the set of extremal Gibbs states in several regions of the phase diagrams, in the style of a recent paper of Björnberg, Fröhlich, and Ueltschi. The key technical tool is expressing the partition function in terms of the irreducible characters of the symmetric group and the Brauer algebra. The parameters considered include, and go beyond, those for which the systems have probabilistic representations as interchange processes.