bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Oxaliplatin (3 months v 6 months) With 6 Months of Fluoropyrimidine as Adjuvant Therapy in Patients With Stage II/III Colon Cancer: KCSG CO09-07
Authors: Kim Seung Tae , Kim Sun Young , Lee Jeeyun , Yun Seong Hyeon , Kim Hee Cheol , Lee Woo Yong , Kim Tae Won , Hong Yong Sang , Lim Seok-Byung , Baek Ji Yeon , Oh Jae Hwan , Ahn Joong Bae , Shin Sang Joon , Han Sae-Won , Kim Seong Geun , Kang Seok Yun , Sym Sun Jin , Zang Dae Young , Kim Yeul Hong , Choi In Sil , Kang Jung Hun , Kim Min-Ji , Park Young Suk
Published: June 2022

PURPOSE

The combination of oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidine for 6 months is one of the standard options for adjuvant therapy for high-risk stage II and III colorectal cancers (CRCs). The optimal duration of oxaliplatin to diminish neurotoxicity without compromising efficacy needs to be clarified.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This open-label, randomized, phase III, noninferiority trial randomly assigned patients with high-risk stage II and III CRC to 3 and 6 months of oxaliplatin with 6 months of fluoropyrimidine groups (3- and 6-month arms, respectively). The primary end point was disease-free survival (DFS), and the noninferiority margin was a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.25.

RESULTS

In total, 1,788 patients were randomly assigned to the 6-month (n = 895) and 3-month (n = 893) arms, and 83.6% in the 6-month arm and 85.7% in the 3-month arm completed the treatment. The neuropathy rates with any grade were higher in the 6-month arm than in the 3-month arm (69.5% v 58.3%; P < .0001). The 3-year DFS rates were 83.7% and 84.7% in the 6-month and 3-month arms, respectively, with an HR of 0.953 (95% CI, 0.769 to 1.180; test for noninferiority, P = .0065) within the noninferiority margin. Among patients with stage III CRC treated by capecitabine plus oxaliplatin, the 3-year DFS of the 3-month arm was noninferior as compared with that of the 6-month arm with an HR of 0.713 (95% CI, 0.530 to 0.959; P = .0009). However, among patients with high-risk stage II and stage III CRC treated by infusional fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin, the noninferiority of the 3-month arm compared with the 6-month arm was not proven.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that adding 3 months of oxaliplatin to 6 months of capecitabine could be considered an alternative adjuvant treatment for stage III CRC (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01092481 ).
PARP Inhibitor Insensitivity to BRCA1/2 Monoallelic Mutations in Microsatellite Instability-High Cancers
Authors: Sokol Ethan S. , Jin Dexter X. , Fine Alexander , Trabucco Sally E. , Maund Sophia , Frampton Garrett , Molinero Luciana , Antonarakis Emmanuel S.
Published: June 2022

PURPOSE

To examine the overlap of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) and microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) status, and to dissect driver versus bystander status of BRCA1/2 mutations ( BRCAm) in this context.

METHODS

A pan-cancer comprehensive genomic profiling cohort (n = 213,199) was examined for overlap between BRCAm and MSI-H status. BRCA1/2 variant zygosity was examined and correlated with MSI-H status, tumor mutational burden, and genome-wide loss of heterozygosity (gLOH). Clinical histories of two patients with prostate cancer with co-occurring BRCAm and MSI-H are described.

RESULTS

HRD and MSI-H phenotypes were generally mutually exclusive events ( P < .001). BRCAm that co-occurred together with high tumor mutational burden or MSI-H were predominantly monoallelic bystander alterations. In breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers, very few BRCAm occurred in the context of MSI-H; however, in prostate cancer, 12.8% of BRCA1 and 3.4% of BRCA2 alterations co-occurred with MSI-H. In these BRCA-associated cancers, co-occurring BRCAm were generally monoallelic and were not associated with elevated gLOH. Two patients with prostate cancer with co-occurring BRCAm and MSI-H showed resistance to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibition but sensitivity to subsequent anti–programmed cell death protein 1 therapy.

CONCLUSION

MSI-H status and HRD are generally mutually exclusive phenomena across cancer types, but may rarely co-occur, especially in prostate cancer. Although MSI-H samples had a higher BRCAm prevalence relative to microsatellite-stable tumors, these BRCA1/2 mutations were generally monoallelic and were not associated with elevated gLOH. Our findings suggest that most BRCAm coexisting with microsatellite instability are likely bystander events that may not result in sensitivity to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors.
Tumor Mutational Burden Is a Potential Predictive Biomarker for Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients With Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer
Authors: Liddell Savannah S. , Chakrabarti Sakti , Wintheiser Grant A. , Zemla Tyler J. , Shi Qian , Tella Sri Harsha , Jin Zhaohui , Wookey Vanessa B. , Hassan Hind , Tran Nguyen H. , Borad Mitesh J. , Mahipal Amit
Published: June 2022

PURPOSE

Patients with advanced biliary tract cancers (BTCs) have a dismal prognosis. This multisite, single-institution study analyzed the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with advanced BTC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The prospectively maintained institutional database was searched for patients with advanced BTC. Electronic medical records of the patients with advanced BTC treated with an ICI that included programmed death-1 or programmed death-ligand 1 blockers were retrospectively reviewed to obtain data on patient characteristics, tumor characteristics including molecular biomarkers, detailed treatment, response characteristics, survival, and toxicities. The analysis included overall response rate, survival, and correlation between survival and molecular biomarkers.

RESULTS

The institutional database query identified 47 patients with advanced BTC who received at least one dose of an ICI; 11 (24%) patients in the first-line setting and the rest of the patients had refractory disease. The median age of the cohort was 62 years, and 51% were female. The overall response rate was 10.6%, with a disease control rate of 53.2%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival were 3.6 months and 6.9 months, respectively. Biomarker analysis revealed improved PFS in patients with tumor mutational burden > 5 mutations per megabase (median PFS: 6.4 v 2.2 months; P = .0027). No unexpected adverse events were observed.

CONCLUSION

ICIs are well tolerated and have modest antitumor activity in patients with advanced BTC. The study result supports the exploration of tumor mutational burden as a potential predictive biomarker for response to ICIs in patients with advanced BTC.
Diagnosis and Management of Central Diabetes Insipidus in Adults
Authors: Tomkins Maria , Lawless Sarah , Martin-Grace Julie , Sherlock Mark , Thompson Chris J
Published: June 2022

Central diabetes insipidus (CDI) is a clinical syndrome which results from loss or impaired function of vasopressinergic neurons in the hypothalamus/posterior pituitary, resulting in impaired synthesis and/or secretion of arginine vasopressin (AVP). AVP deficiency leads to the inability to concentrate urine and excessive renal water losses, resulting in a clinical syndrome of hypotonic polyuria with compensatory thirst. CDI is caused by diverse etiologies, although it typically develops due to neoplastic, traumatic, or autoimmune destruction of AVP-synthesizing/secreting neurons. This review focuses on the diagnosis and management of CDI, providing insights into the physiological disturbances underpinning the syndrome. Recent developments in diagnostic techniques, particularly the development of the copeptin assay, have improved accuracy and acceptability of the diagnostic approach to the hypotonic polyuria syndrome. We discuss the management of CDI with particular emphasis on management of fluid intake and pharmacological replacement of AVP. Specific clinical syndromes such as adipsic diabetes insipidus and diabetes insipidus in pregnancy as well as management of the perioperative patient with diabetes insipidus are also discussed.
Toward a Genealogy of the Wall-Screen
Authors: Li Jinying
Published: June 2022

This essay explores the genealogical overlap between the wall and the screen by tracing the material and discursive formation of China’s Great Firewall, a geoblocking system for network censorship, to the cultural history of ping (screen).The censoring effect of the Great Firewall is described in Chinese as pingbi, with the word ping referring to an architectural object that is simultaneously a system of visual display and a device of spatial management. Examining the structure and operation of ping in Chinese history, the essay argues that ping is a combinational media system of the wall-screen, a noninformation surface that displays itself to enable spatial enclosure. As a self-displaying system, the positioning of ping not only signifies sociopolitical demarcation but is also bound up with the spectacular display and performance of the imperial sovereign. This meaning of ping as wall-screen has shaped the construction of the Great Firewall as a technological and political project, shifting its conceptual framework from security to sovereignty.
Gender Constitution and Reversible Potentiality: The Making of the Masculine Subject in Longus’sDaphnis and Chloe
Authors: Waller Emily
Published: June 2022

This study places Longus’s Daphnis and Chloe in dialogue with Foucault and Freud, arguing that within the liminality of adolescence, the formation of gendered subjectivity is a condition of “reversible potentiality” in which any given act of the subject represents the radical potential for the subject to be acted upon. Seeking to disrupt the presumptive equivalence between masculine subjectivity and knowledge/power, the author turns to Lycaeneion’s education of Daphnis as a case study in male subject formation. Here, knowledge functions as a force of immobilization rather than empowerment. If Daphnis’s psychosomatic identification with feminine sexuality is understood as a symptom of male sexual development in pederastic culture, then the Freudian female Oedipus complex can be reimagined as descriptive of the boy’s progression out of sexual objectification and into the role of active sexual pursuer, a stage through which boys in pederastic culture must pass on their way to adult male subjectivity.
Absence of a robust mitotic timer mechanism in early preimplantation mouse embryos leads to chromosome instability
Authors: Allais Adélaïde , FitzHarris Greg
Published: June 2022

Preimplantation embryos often consist of a combination of euploid and aneuploid cells, suggesting that safeguards preventing the generation and propagation of aneuploid cells in somatic cells might be deficient in embryos. In somatic cells, a mitotic timer mechanism has been described, in which even a small increase in the duration of M phase can cause a cell cycle arrest in the subsequent interphase, preventing further propagation of cells that have undergone a potentially hazardously long M phase. Here, we report that cell divisions in the mouse embryo and embryonic development continue even after a mitotic prolongation of several hours. However, similar M-phase extensions caused cohesion fatigue, resulting in prematurely separated sister chromatids and the production of micronuclei. Only extreme prolongation of M phase caused a subsequent interphase arrest, through a mechanism involving DNA damage. Our data suggest that the simultaneous absence of a robust mitotic timer and susceptibility of the embryo to cohesion fatigue could contribute to chromosome instability in mammalian embryos.

This article has an associated ‘The people behind the papers’ interview.
Exposure to e-cigarette vapor extract induces vocal fold epithelial injury and triggers intense mucosal remodeling
Authors: Lungova Vlasta , Wendt Kristy , Thibeault Susan L.
Published: June 2022

Vaping has been reported to cause acute epiglottitis, a life-threatening airway obstruction induced by direct epithelial injury and subsequent inflammatory reaction. Here, we show that we were able to recapitulate this phenomenon in vitro. Exposure of human engineered vocal fold (VF) mucosae to 0.5% and 5% electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) vapor extract (ECVE) for 1 week induced cellular damage of luminal cells, disrupting homeostasis and innate immune responses. Epithelial erosion was likely caused by accumulation of solvents and lipid particles in the cytosol and intercellular spaces, which altered lipid metabolism and plasma membrane properties. Next, we investigated how the mucosal cells responded to the epithelial damage. We withdrew the ECVE from the experimental system and allowed VF mucosae to regenerate for 1, 3 and 7 days, which triggered intense epithelial remodeling. The epithelial changes included expansion of P63 (TP63)-positive basal cells and cytokeratin 14 (KRT14) and laminin subunit α-5 (LAMA5) deposition, which might lead to local basal cell hyperplasia, hyperkeratinization and basement membrane thickening. In summary, vaping presents a threat to VF mucosal health and airway protection, thereby raising further concerns over the safety of e-cigarette use.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Radical and Incremental Innovation: The Roles of Firms, Managers, and Innovators
Authors: Acemoglu Daron , Akcigit Ufuk , Celik Murat Alp
Published: June 2022

We investigate the determinants of radical (“creative”) innovations that break new ground in knowledge creation. We develop a model focusing on the choice between incremental and radical innovation and on how managers of different ages and human capital are sorted across firms. Firm- and patent-level evidence reveals that firms that are more “open to disruption” are significantly more likely to engage in radical innovation and hire younger managers and inventors with a comparative advantage in radical innovation. However, once the effect of the sorting is factored in, the (causal) impact of manager age on creative innovations, though positive, is small. (JEL D22, L26, M10, M14, O31, O34)
Flexibility and Frictions in Multisector Models
Authors: Miranda-Pinto Jorge , Youngs Eric R.
Published: June 2022

We show that during the Great Recession, more-flexible sectors paid lower sectoral bond spreads. We rationalize this fact with a model with input-output linkages, heterogeneous elasticities, and binding working capital constraints in the use of intermediates. We show that the difference in flexibility between upstream and downstream sectors is key for determining the role of input-output linkages in amplifying or mitigating distortions. Calibrating the model to the US economy, we find that our sectoral elasticity estimates amplify distortions by a factor of 1.7 compared to the Cobb-Douglas case, and generate an input-output multiplier 1.2 times the homogeneous elasticity case. (JEL E23, E32, E43, E44, H56, L16)
Learning by Sharing: Monetary Policy and Common Knowledge
Authors: Kohlhas Alexandre N.
Published: June 2022

A common view states that central bank releases decrease central banks' own information about the economy and are harmful if about inefficient disturbances, such as cost-push shocks. This paper shows how neither is true in a microfounded macroeconomic model in which households and firms learn from central bank releases and the central bank learns from the observation of firm prices. Central bank releases make private sector and central bank expectations closer to common knowledge. This helps transmit dispersed information between the private sector and the central bank. As a result, the release of additional central bank information decreases the central bank's own uncertainty and can be beneficial, irrespective of the efficacy of macroeconomic fluctuations. A calibrated example suggests that the benefits of disclosure are substantial. (JEL D82, D83, D84, E12, E52, E58)
The Decline of the Labor Share: New Empirical Evidence
Authors: Bergholt Drago , Furlanetto Francesco , Maffei-Faccioli Nicolò
Published: June 2022

We use time series techniques to estimate the importance of four main explanations for the decline of the US labor income share: rising firm markups, falling bargaining power of workers, higher investment-specific technology growth, and more automated production processes. Identification is achieved with restrictions derived from a stylized model of structural change. Our results point to automation as the main driver of the labor share, although rising markups have played an important role in the last 20 years. We also find evidence of capital-labor complementarity, suggesting that capital deepening may have raised the labor share. (JEL D21, D43, E25, J51, L23, O33, O41)
Hours, Occupations, and Gender Differences in Labor Market Outcomes
Authors: Erosa Andrés , Fuster Luisa , Kambourov Gueorgui , Rogerson Richard
Published: June 2022

Goldin (2014) offers a narrative in which gender differences in home production responsibilities create gender gaps in labor market outcomes. We carry out a model-based quantitative assessment of this narrative and find that it can account for a significant share of gender gaps in occupational choice, wages, and hours. Our analysis emphasizes the quantitative significance of two key elements not highlighted by Goldin: heterogeneity in comparative advantage and multimember households. Gender differences in nonmarket responsibilities have important aggregate effects on welfare and productivity, similar to those emphasized by Hsieh et al. (2019). (JEL J16, J22, J24, J31, J71)
REFLEXO EPISTEMOLÓGICO DAS TESES SOBRE PESQUISA, ENSINO E EDUCAÇÃO CONTÁBIL
Authors: Ferreira Lucas Benedito Gomes Rocha , Silva Marcia Zanievicz da
Published: June 2022

O estudo realizou uma análise epistemológica das teses produzidas no país com o tema “Pesquisa, Ensino e Educação Contábil”, disponibilizadas no portal CAPES, referentes ao período de 2016 a 2019. Com base nos critérios de inclusão e exclusão definidos no percurso metodológico, 24 teses foram analisadas. A análise epistemológica adotada demonstra que as teses provenientes de 5 Programas de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Contábeis adotaram, majoritariamente, o paradigma construtivista, a estratégia de pesquisa levantamento, os métodos de coleta observações e as análises computacionais. Os resultados também apontam que 14 das teses investigadas contêm o Termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido, 6 foram submetidas ao Comitê de Ética e apenas 1 tese abordou um subcapítulo sobre ética. Constata-se um declínio, durante o período analisado, na produção de teses sobre “Pesquisa, Ensino e Educação Contábil”. Este estudo contribui à prática profissional dos pesquisadores em contabilidade, ao destacar a análise das dimensões epistemológicas, sendo possível identificar características que são específicas desse tema em contexto brasileiro, tornando possível visualizar possíveis tendências de estudos futuros. As evidências possibilitam, também, instigar os programas a ampliarem a realização de teses na área de Pesquisa, Ensino e Educação Contábil, fundamental para o desenvolvimento do conhecimento científico.
Radiographic patterns on Chest X-ray as a supporting imaging tool in triaging of suspected Corona Virus Disease (COVID) patients
Authors: NISHTAR TAHIRA , ULLAH NADEEM , AHMAD FATIMA SULTAN , RAHIM SOHANA
Published: June 2022

Objective: To evaluate the radiographic patterns on Chest X-Ray (CXR) in accordance with Modified Brixia Scoring as supporting imaging tool in triaging of Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) pneumonia.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, chest radiographs of suspected COVID patients at emergency triage, Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) from April 18th to July 22nd 2020 were evaluated for patterns of COVID pneumonia and scored in accordance with modified Brixia score. Each zone was categorized as score of “one” for interstitial pattern, “two” for mixed interstitial /alveolar pattern and “three” for alveolar pattern. Radiographic patterns consistent with COVID pneumonia or patients having strong clinical suspicion were advised Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests.

Results: Total of 2,225 individuals were screened for patterns of COVID-19 pneumonia on chest radiograph. Out of these 1465(65.8%) had normal chest radiograph and 760(34.2%) had abnormal findings. Out of the total, 648 suspected COVID patients were selected for PCR. The radiographic patterns ranged from mixed interstitial/alveolar pattern in 261(40.3%) patients, alveolar pattern in 231(35.6%), interstitial pattern in 87(13.4%), pleural effusion in 12(1.9%), other findings in 5(0.8%) while 52(8%) suspected Covid patients had normal radiographs. The PCR was positive in 326(50.3%), negative in 100(15.4%) and inconclusive in 60(9.3%) while 162(25%) were lost to follow up. Amongst the 52 suspected Covid patients having normal chest radiographs, 10 were positive on PCR, 21 negative, seven suspected and two inconclusive, while 12 were lost to follow up.

Conclusion: Chest radiograph is used for triaging of suspected COVID pneumonia patients in emergency settings. It assesses the severity of disease according to modified Brixia scoring for treatment plan.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.6.5279

How to cite this:Nishtar T, Nadeem Ullah, Ahmad FS, Rahim S. Radiographic patterns on Chest X-ray as a supporting imaging tool in triaging of suspected Corona Virus Disease (COVID) patients. Pak J Med Sci. 2022;38(6):---------.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.6.5279

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Identifying knowledge gaps for successful restorative aquaculture of Ostrea edulis: a bibliometric analysis
Authors: Bertolini Camilla , Pastres Roberto
Published: June 2022

Background: Active restoration is necessary to enhance the recovery of Ostrea edulis reefs, which contribute to many ecosystem services. Restoration can be integrated within aquaculture practices, bringing positive environmental changes while maximising space utilisation. The restoration project MAREA (MAtchmaking Restoration Ecology and Aquaculture) aims to bring back O. edulis in the North-West Adriatic addressing the feasibility of its cultivation. Both successful restoration and sustainable aquaculture require a thorough understanding of the ecological needs, as the requirements of both activities need to be harmonized. Therefore, one of the preliminary activities before embarking on the pilot was the completion of a thorough literature review to identify research directions and gaps required for ‘restorative aquaculture’, aiming to gather the most up to date O. edulis knowledge on a global and local scale. 

Methods: Internet (Web of Science, Scopus, Google scholar) and physical resources (libraries) were searched for all available global and local knowledge on O. edulis. Bibliometrix was used to identify the main research topics using keywords, titles, and abstracts analyses. Studies were then manually screened and summarised to extract knowledge specific to restoration and aquaculture.

Results: While restoration studies are recent, evidence for the loss of this species and potential causes (and solutions) have been discussed since the end of the 19th century. While diseases were a leading cause for reef loss, substratum limitation appears to be one of the leading limiting factors for both restoration and aquaculture of O. edulis, and was already mentioned in the early texts that were found.

Conclusions: The review highlighted that restoration success and aquaculture feasibility depend upon the crucial stage of settlement. The project ‘MAREA’ will therefore increase its focus on this stage, both in terms of timing, location, and materials for settlement plates placement.
Interactive computer model for aurora forecast and analysis
Authors: Vorobev Andrey , Soloviev Anatoly , Pilipenko Vyacheslav , Vorobeva Gulnara
Published: June 2022

An interactive computer model of a short-term (with a horizon 30–70 min) forecast of aurora intensity has been developed in the form of a web-based geoinformation system. The OVATION-Prime empirical model is used as the basic software, which establishes statistical relationships between parameters of the solar wind, the interplanetary magnetic field, and auroral particle fluxes. On the basis of this model, a system has been built which simulates the spatial planetary distribution of the probability of observing auroras and a number of accompanying quantities. Data visualization is carried out on the basis of the virtual globe technology and is provided to the end user via a specialized web service. The forecast has been verified by comparing the model predictions with the data from 16 cameras conducting continuous observations of the auroras in the visible spectrum. The proportion of coincidences between the predicted and observed auroras was 86 %. The developed service enables both forecasting and analysis of past events. The system allows us to compare the spatial distribution of probability of auroras with railway transport systems for the territory of the Russian Federation.
Synchronous globally observable ultrashort-period pulses
Authors: Marchuk Roman , Potapov Alexander , Mishin Vladimir
Published: June 2022

We have studied the properties of impulsive geomagnetic disturbances, which are observed synchronously at the network of induction magnetometers of the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP SB RAS) and Canadian stations of the CARISMA project [Mann, et al., 2008]. A feature of the pulses we detected is that their frequency range (f~5–30 Hz) lies at the junction of the ranges of two known classes of electromagnetic oscillations: ultra-low-frequency (ULF) oscillations (f<5–10 Hz), or geomagnetic pulsations, and extra-low frequency (ELF) oscillations (f~30–300 Hz); therefore, the 5–30 Hz range is poorly studied. The work is of undoubted interest for physics of processes in the magnetosphere–ionosphere–atmosphere system. Morphological analysis of the pulses detected has been carried out using data from ISTP stations. As a result, we obtained statistical characteristics of the pulses, plotted their dynamic spectra, and determined a number of unusual properties that distinguish them, on the one hand, from geomagnetic pulsations of the pulsed type (irregular pulsations of the Pi1B type), and, on the other hand, from higher frequency ELF and VLF signals (atmospherics, whistlers, etc.). On the basis of the results, we have made an assumption that a source of the pulses under study can be electrical sprites caused by powerful thunderstorms at middle and low latitudes. Using the results obtained by Wang, et al. in 2019 on spatial and temporal fixation of sprites in North China, we have confirmed that ultra-short-period pulses occur following the emergence of sprites. Thunderstorm activity, both local and global, is considered to be one of the main sources of excitation of the ionospheric Alfvén resonator (IAR), which plays an important role in coupling the ionosphere and the magnetosphere. The pulsed oscillations of interest may be one of the agents through which the energy of thunderstorms is transferred to IAR, thereby including the atmosphere in the system considered.
Generation of Alfvén waves in magnetized plasma by laser plasma bunches at Mach numbers much less than unity
Authors: Tishchenko Vladimir , Berezutsky Artem , Dmitrieva Leila , Miroshnichenko Ilya , Shaikhislamov Ildar
Published: June 2022

In this paper, we examine a torsional Alfvén wave produced by periodic plasma bunches in a magnetized plasma flux tube. A new effect has been revealed: the wave is generated not only during the action of bunches, but also for a long time after the termination, which makes it possible to increase the wavelength by several times. We have determined the conditions under which the wave contains η~40 % of the total bunch energy. The wave radius depends on the energy of one bunch; and the length, on their number. The optimum number of bunches is 15. Simultaneously with the Alfvén wave, a bunch plasma jet (η~35 %) and a slow magnetosonic wave (η~10 %) propagate in the force tube. Similarity parameters scale the results to laboratory and near-Earth magnetized plasma.
Forecasting the directions of the EU sugar market development after limiting government intervention
Authors: Budzyńska Anna , Urbanek Mirosław
Published: June 2022

Motivation: The EU sugar industry is one of the most regulated industry which is subject to import duties, subsidies and quotas. Government intervention in sugar markets significantly affects sugar production, consumption and trade. The GATT/WTO negotiations led to the commencement of the liberalization process in the EU sugar market, and initiated a number of reforms aimed at abolishing government support. Consequently, the sugar market in the EU has undergone considerable changes. Proper recognition of the directions of changes will contribute to reducing the difficulties of entities operating on the global sugar market.

Aim: The purpose of this publication is to present the forecasts made in 2017 regarding the main categories characterizing the EU sugar market and to verify their validity following the analysis of the actual data. The work uses the forecasts made for 2017–2020 based on empirical data collected from 1993–2016, and then verifies their validity when set against the real data.

Results: The results of the research showed that statistical models are not able to predict correctly not only the forecasted values, but also the directions of their changes. The range of indicators of forecast errors was almost 40 percentage points, which reduced their credibility. The Pearson correlation index of over 0.7 indicated a significant correlation between the real data and the forecast values for the consumption or sugar beet harvest, while interpreting the discrepancy coefficient index, which did not exceed 1 for the forecast of the sugar production volume. This allows to conclude that this forecast shows the smallest differentiation in comparison to the actual data obtained.
A qualitative study of women and midwives' reflections on midwifery practice in public maternity units in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
Authors: Wibbelink Margreet , James Sindiwe , Thomson Ann M
Published: June 2022

Background/Aims

South Africa has a high rate of maternal and neonatal mortality. Although the global consensus is that quality midwifery care makes an essential contribution to improving maternal and neonatal outcomes, the literature still highlights that quality midwifery care in South Africa is lacking and midwives' voices are not heard. This study aimed to describe the factors affecting clinical practice in public maternity units from the perspectives of women who received care and midwives who provided it.

Methods

This was an exploratory and contextual qualitative study conducted in public maternity units in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, with midwives and women who received care from these midwives. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to select a suitable sample. Data were collected using semi-structured audio-recorded interviews and analysed with Creswell's spiral data analysis.

Results

Midwives experienced burdens related to the practice of midwifery care as a result of the shortage of suitable staff and material resources, as well as managerial issues that affected clinical performance. Women experienced negative staff attitudes that influenced the care they received.

Conclusions

Midwifery practice in public maternity units in the Eastern Cape is affected by multifaceted factors and attention is needed to ways to improve practice. For midwifery to flourish and for women to receive high-quality care, competent midwives and an enabling working environment are needed. There is an urgent need to bring midwifery education in line with international standards, to improve quality of care, end preventable maternal and newborn mortality and stillbirths and deliver the agenda of universal health coverage.
Perceived barriers to the prevention of preterm births in obstetric units of the Limpopo Province, South Africa
Authors: Malwela Thivhulawi , Maputle Maria Sonto , Netshisaulu Khathutshelo Grace
Published: June 2022

Background/Aims

Most African states are faced with challenges in the healthcare sector, such as the lack of skilled healthcare professionals, materials and supplies and inadequate infrastructure. These challenges lead to an increased rate of preterm births. The aim of this study was to explore and describe barriers to the prevention of preterm births in the obstetric units of Limpopo Province.

Methods

An explorative, descriptive design was used to obtain primary data, which were used to develop guidelines to assist resource-limited obstetric units. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 managers and 15 midwives, making a total of 25 participants. In-depth individual interviews were used to collect data that were analysed using Tesch's open coding approach.

Results

The barriers to the prevention of preterm births in Limpopo Province, South Africa were a shortage of healthcare professionals, a lack of emotional and psychological support and poor communication.

Conclusions

The successful prevention of preterm births in Limpopo Province is not possible because of structural and psychosocial barriers alluded to by midwives and managers at obstetric units. It is recommended that the Maternal, Women and Child Health Directorate in Limpopo implement the standards of care as stipulated in the national maternity guidelines of South Africa, to address the quality and quantity of human resources and equipment.
Highlighting the latest research: June 2022
Authors: Palmer Sarah Jane
Published: June 2022

Sarah Jane Palmer presents a selection of recently published articles of interest to nurses working in cardiovascular nursing. The aim of this roundup is to provide a brief overview of the research papers selected. A full reference is provided for those who wish to look at the research in further detail.
Dificultades para la regulación emocional del profesorado chileno en tiempos de SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Fuentes-Vilugrón Gerardo , Lagos Hernández Roberto , Fuentes Merino Paola
Published: June 2022

INTRODUCCIÓN. El contexto educativo se ha visto sometido a diversos cambios producto de la pandemia SARS-CoV-2. Dichos cambios han obligado a todos los sectores a reinventarse, provocando una rápida adopción de estrategias de enseñanza-aprendizaje desarrolladas bajo diferentes modalidades y denominaciones. Este proceso de adaptación al teletrabajo ha provocado que los profesionales de la educación tengan dificultades en la regulación emocional, derivadas de las experiencias de aislamiento o distancia social y de la sobrecarga de trabajo que provocan las actividades laborales en modalidad online. MÉTODO. Esta investigación educativa tiene un enfoque cuantitativo, de tipo no experimental y alcance transversal. La muestra fue de tipo no probabilística e intencional, la cual estuvo compuesta por 1307 profesores divididos en 1040 mujeres (79.6%) y 267 hombres (20.4%). El instrumento para la recolección de datos consistió en la Escala de Dificultades de Regulación Emocional en su versión adaptada al español y validada en población chilena. RESULTADOS. Los datos indican una fiabilidad de .942 según la prueba alfa de Cronbach. En la escala aplicada existe un promedio de 2.484, lo que indica existencia de desregulación emocional en los profesores y profesoras. Asimismo, la desregulación emocional en el grupo género femenino (n = 1040, M = 678.58) presenta un promedio superior al grupo género masculino (n = 267, M = 558.25), la cual resultó estadísticamente significativa (p = .000). DISCUSIÓN. Respecto al papel de los profesores y profesoras en la formación emocional de sus estudiantes, el profesor debe ser capaz de transmitir valores, ser un ejemplo a seguir y ser una figura mediadora entre los conocimientos que imparte y los que asimilan sus estudiantes. CONCLUSION. La presente investigación destaca que la regulación emocional posee un rol relevante en el desarrollo infantil, donde los profesores y profesoras tienen un protagonismo insustituible ya quefinalmente tienen impactos en los aprendizajes.
Creativity, confidence and the courage to change: the future dental workforce – part one
Authors: Gallagher Jenny
Published: June 2022

How can we improve infant and child dental health outcomes?
Identifying Optimal Baseline Variant of Unsupervised Term Weighting in Question Classification Based on Bloom Taxonomy
Authors: Sangodiah Anbuselvan , Jee San Tham , Tien Fui Yong , Ean Heng Lim , Ayyasamy Ramesh Kumar , A Jalil Norazira
Published: June 2022

Examination is one of the common ways to evaluate the students’ cognitive levels in higher education institutions. Exam questions are labeled manually by educators in accordance with Bloom’s taxonomy cognitive domain. To ease the burden of the educators, several past research works have proposed the automated question classification based on Bloom’s taxonomy using the machine learning technique. Feature selection, feature extraction and term weighting are common ways to improve the accuracy of question classification. Commonly used term weighting method in the past work is unsupervised namely TF and TF-IDF. There are several variants of TF and TFIDF and the most optimal variant has yet to be identified in the context of question classification based on BT. Therefore, this paper aims to study the TF, TF-IDF and normalized TF-IDF variants and identify the optimal variant that can enhance the exam question classification accuracy. To investigate the variants two different classifiers were used, which are Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Naïve Bayes. The average accuracies achieved by TF-IDF and normalized TF-IDF variants using SVM classifier were 64.3% and 72.4% respectively, while using Naïve Bayes classifier the average accuracies for TF-IDF and normalized TF-IDF were 61.9% and 63.0% respectively. Generally, the normalized TF-IDF variants outperformed TF and TF-IDF variants in accuracy and F1-measure respectively. Further statistical analysis using t-test and Wilcoxon Signed also shows that the differences in accuracy between normalized TF-IDF and TF, TF-IDF are significant. The findings from this study show that the Normalized TF-IDF3 variant recorded the highest accuracy of 74.0% among normalized TF-IDF variants. Also, the differences in accuracy between Normalized TF-IDF3 and other normalized variants are generally significant, thus the optimal variant is Normalized TF-IDF3. Therefore, the normalized TF-IDF3 variant is important for benchmarking purposes, which can be used to compare with other term weighting techniques in future work.
Grouped Pointwise Convolutions Reduce Parameters in Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Schwarz Schuler Joao Paulo , Romani Santiago , Abdel-Nasser Mohamed , Rashwan Hatem , Puig Domenec
Published: June 2022

In DCNNs, the number of parameters in pointwise convolutions rapidly grows due to the multiplication of the number of filters by the number of input channels that come from the previous layer. Our proposal makes pointwise convolutions parameter efficient via grouping filters into parallel branches or groups, where each branch processes a fraction of the input channels. However, by doing so, the learning capability of the DCNN is degraded. To avoid this effect, we suggest interleaving the output of filters from different branches at intermediate layers of consecutive pointwise convolutions. We applied our improvement to the EfficientNet, DenseNet-BC L100, MobileNet and MobileNet V3 Large architectures. We trained these architectures with the CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100, Cropped-PlantDoc and The Oxford-IIIT Pet datasets. When training from scratch, we obtained similar test accuracies to the original EfficientNet and MobileNet V3 Large architectures while saving up to 90% of the parameters and 63% of the flops.
Shall We Profane the Service of the Dead? Burial Divinations, Untimely Burials, and Remembrance in Tang Muzhiming
Authors: Choo Jessey J.C.
Published: June 2022

Abstract: Though various divinatory practices were central to all burial arrangements in Tang China, scholars have paid scant attention to these practices and their social context and effects. This article reconstructs burial divination practices, discusses their ritual and social functions, and examines the social attitudes that influenced and were in turn influenced by them. Focus is on the following questions: why and how did families perform burial divinations? How were the divinatory oracles interpreted, and by whom? Why and to what extent did families subject themselves to these oracles? And what does the practice of burial divinations tell us about the culture of remembrance in Tang China? The article proposes answers to these questions through reading muzhiming (entombed epitaphs) against other transmitted and excavated sources and examining one common, but rarely studied, effect of divination practices on burials: their being rushed or much-delayed. Finally, the article examines a case involving both expedited and postponed burials and reconstructs Tang interpretations and responses to negative oracles in efforts to (re-)create memory.
New Music Bureau Poetry as Memorial: The True Significance of Yuan Zhen’s “Shangyang Baifa Ren”
Authors: Tan Mei Ah
Published: June 2022

Abstract: This paper examines Yuan Zhen’s poem of 809, “Shangyang baifa ren” 上陽白髮人, a New Music Bureau poem with the same title as the more famous piece by Bai Juyi, while disputing the judgment of previous scholarship, which asserts that the poem is a thematically jumbled lament for palace women. In fact, the poem is a deliberate, two-pronged argument for the enfeoffment of princes. The poem addresses the problem of the enfeoffment of princes that was revived during the mid-Tang; Yuan has challenged the traditional function of Music Bureau poems by going beyond political critique, making the genre a platform to provide advice on governance, in a manner similar to memorials. This study highlights the innovative nature of Yuan’s New Music Bureau poetry. His New Music Bureau poems comment on the contemporary affairs indicated by the titles, but he often went deeper, to discuss the background of an issue or to offer his views of administration. Moreover, the political situation, particularly regarding the enfeoffment of princes, and Yuan’s own per-sonal endeavors both contributed to the formulation of Yuan’s poem. Yuan’s use of poems as memorials challenges the traditional function of poetry, and exemplifies the mid-Tang trend of experimentation with genre.
Translating the Ta : Pagoda, Tumulus, and Ritualized Mahāyāna in Seventh-Century China
Authors: Miller Tracy
Published: June 2022

Abstract: This essay examines the relationship between pagodas and tombs in Medieval China through a close reading of the “Preface to the Sūtra on the Merits of Constructing a ta, as Spoken by the Buddha” (Foshuo zaota gongde jingxu 佛說造塔功德經序), written by the Silla monk Woncheuk 圓測 (613–696), and an investigation into the cultural environment of the monk himself. Working in and around the cosmopolitan world of court-sponsored Buddhism in both Chang’an and Luoyang, Woncheuk was strongly influenced by Tathāgatagarbha thought, and his interpretation of Yogācāra Buddhism ultimately became very influential in Tibet and Korea. By placing the pagoda in the context of Woncheuk’s thought, as well as recent research on amulets, architecture, and other thaumaturgical devices in the early medieval ritual praxis of South Asia and North China, I argue that Woncheuk’s equation ofta to fen suggests the monuments had more than a memorial or symbolic function. Rather his “Preface” reflects a beliefthat the two types of architecture were operating on the same technological principles—they were both designed as tools to channel natural, even cosmic, energies through “mountains” and into powerful remains in order to aid in personal and societal salvation.
Broadband and high-efficiency ultrathin wavefront manipulation based on the Pancharatnam–Berry phase principle
Authors: Wang Tengfei , Tong Yuanwei
Published: June 2022

A broadband and high-efficiency metasurface is proposed based on the Pancharatnam–Berry (PB) principle. The PB phase principle is analyzed using the scattering matrix approach and proposed to achieve the abrupt phase with an equal amplitude of the transmission coefficient. The abrupt phase

φ

has a linear relationship with the rotation angle

θ

, namely,

φ
=

±
2

θ

. A 1-D gradient metasurface was designed, and the circular polarized waves in the frequency range 8.2–10 GHz were refracted anomalously when left-handed circular polarization or right-handed circular polarization waves were irradiated vertically on the metasurface and the refraction angle of the circular polarized waves, depending on the chirality of the incident wave. Finally, a 2-D parabolic metasurface that not only converts planar circular polarized waves into spherical circular polarized waves, but also converges the parallel wave into a focus point, was designed. The focal distance of the 2-D parabolic metasurface decreases as the frequency of the incident wave decreases, and the half-maximum at full width shows the opposite trend.
Improved YOLOX detection algorithm for contraband in X-ray images
Authors: Zhang Yinsheng , Xu Wenxiao , Yang Shanshan , Xu Yongjie , Yu Xinyuan
Published: June 2022

It is important to perform contraband inspections on items before they are taken into public places in order to ensure the safety of people and property. At present, the mainstream method of judging contraband is that security inspectors observe the X-ray image of objects and judge whether they belong to contraband. Unfortunately, contraband is often hidden under other normal objects. In a high-intensity working environment, security inspectors are very prone to missed detection and wrong detection. To this end, a detection framework based on computer vision technology is proposed, which is trained and improved on the basis of the current state-of-the-art YOLOX object detection network, and adopts strategies such as feature fusion, adding a double attention mechanism and classifying regression loss. Compared with the benchmark YOLOX-S model, the proposed method achieves a higher average accuracy, with an improvement of 5.0% on the public safety SIXray dataset, opening the way to large-scale automatic detection of contraband in public places.
Terahertz polarization sensing for protein concentration and a crystallization process on a reflective metasurface
Authors: Zhang Tianrui , Fan Fei , Cheng Jierong , Wang Xianghui , Chang Shengjiang
Published: June 2022

Terahertz (THz) waves have attracted much attention in the field of biosensing due to advantages including non-destructiveness, being label-free, and high-sensitivity detection. Here we have experimentally demonstrated a THz polarization sensing method based on reflective metasurface sensors for detecting concentrations of protein solutions and their crystallization process. The protein with varying concentrations has been detected by five different polarization parameters, which show different spectral responses and sensing sensitivities. The sensing accuracy can reach the order of

n
g

/

m
m

2

. Furthermore, the crystallization process of the protein sample from the dissolved state to the crystalline has been dynamically measured by polarization sensing, of which the highest sensitivity can reach 0.67 °/%. Therefore, this new sensing platform can have broad development prospects in the trace matter detection of the biological sample.