bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the diagnostic and prognostic value of the C-reactive protein/lymphocyte ratio for dilated cardiomyopathy based on a real-world study
Authors: Qi Bin , Yang Zhi-Jie , Huang Nan , Zheng Wen-Bo , Gui Chun
Published: November 2023

To determine the risk factors for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and construct a risk model for predicting HF in patients with DCM, We enrolled a total of 2122 patients, excluding those who did not meet the requirements. A total of 913 patients were included in the analysis (611 males and 302 females) from October 2012 to May 2020, and data on demographic characteristics, blood biochemical markers, and cardiac ultrasound results were collected. Patients were strictly screened for DCM based on the diagnostic criteria. First, these patients were evaluated using propensity score matching (PSM). Next, unconditional logistic regression was used to assess HF risk. Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted to determine diagnostic efficiency, and a nomogram was developed to predict HF. Finally, the Kaplan‒Meier survival curve was plotted. Of the initial 2122 patients, the ejection fraction (EF) in males was worse. We included 913 patients after the final DCM diagnosis. The results showed that the levels of NT-proBNP, WBC, PLT, neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, and IL-6, C-reactive protein (CRP) and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and CRP/lymphocyte ratio (CLR) were higher in males than in females (P < 0.001–0.009). The nomogram showed that factors such as sex, WBC, neutrophils, PLR, and CLR could predict the risk of worsening cardiac function in patients with DCM before and after PSM (P < 0.05). The ROC curve showed that CLR with an 85.6% area demonstrated higher diagnostic efficacy than the NLR (77.0%) and PLR (76.6%, P < 0.05). Survival analysis showed a higher mortality risk in females with higher CLR levels (P < 0.001–0.009). However, high CLR levels indicated a higher mortality risk (P < 0.001) compared to sex. Male EF is lower in DCM patients. CLR could predict the risk of declined cardiac function in patients with DCM. The mortality in females with higher CLR levels was highest; however, the exact mechanism should be investigated.
KMD clustering: robust general-purpose clustering of biological data
Authors: Zelig Aviv , Kariti Hagai , Kaplan Noam
Published: November 2023

The noisy and high-dimensional nature of biological data has spawned advanced clustering algorithms that are tailored for specific biological datatypes. However, the performance of such methods varies greatly between datasets and they require post hoc tuning of cryptic hyperparameters. We present k minimal distance (KMD) clustering, a general-purpose method based on a generalization of single and average linkage hierarchical clustering. We introduce a generalized silhouette-like function to eliminate the cryptic hyperparameter k, and use sampling to enable application to million-object datasets. Rigorous comparisons to general and specialized clustering methods on simulated, mass cytometry and scRNA-seq datasets show consistent high performance of KMD clustering across all datasets.
Conformational ensemble-dependent lipid recognition and segregation by prenylated intrinsically disordered regions in small GTPases
Authors: Araya Mussie K. , Gorfe Alemayehu A.
Published: November 2023

We studied diverse prenylated intrinsically disordered regions (PIDRs) of Ras and Rho family small GTPases using long timescale atomistic molecular dynamics simulations in an asymmetric model membrane of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylserine (PS) lipids. Here we show that conformational plasticity is a key determinant of lipid sorting by polybasic PIDRs and provide evidence for lipid sorting based on both headgroup and acyl chain structures. We further show that conformational ensemble-based lipid recognition is generalizable to all polybasic PIDRs, and that the sequence outside the polybasic domain (PBD) modulates the conformational plasticity, bilayer adsorption, and interactions of PIDRs with membrane lipids. Specifically, we find that palmitoylation, the ratio of basic to acidic residues, and the hydrophobic content of the sequence outside the PBD significantly impact the diversity of conformational substates and hence the extent of conformation-dependent lipid interactions. We thus propose that the PBD is required but not sufficient for the full realization of lipid sorting by prenylated PBD-containing membrane anchors, and that the membrane anchor is not only responsible for high affinity membrane binding but also directs the protein to the right target membrane where it participates in lipid sorting.
A fluorogenic, peptide-based probe for the detection of Cathepsin D in macrophages
Authors: Rodriguez-Rios Maria , McHugh Brian J. , Liang Zhengqi , Megia-Fernandez Alicia , Lilienkampf Annamaria , Dockrell David , Bradley Mark
Published: November 2023

Cathepsin D is a protease that is an effector in the immune response of macrophages, yet to date, only a limited number of probes have been developed for its detection. Herein, we report a water soluble, highly sensitive, pH insensitive fluorescent probe for the detection of Cathepsin D activity that provides a strong OFF/ON signal upon activation and with bright emission at 515 nm. The probe was synthesised using a combination of solid and solution-phase chemistries, with probe optimisation to increase its water solubility and activation kinetics by addition of a long PEG chain (5 kDa) at the C-terminus. A BODIPY fluorophore allowed detection of Cathepsin D across a wide pH range, important as the protease is active both at the low pH found in lysosomes and also in higher pH phagolysosomes, and in the cytosol. The probe was successfully used to detect Cathepsin D activity in macrophages challenged by exposure to bacteria.
Nonlinear dynamics and Kerr frequency comb formation in lattices of coupled microresonators
Authors: Tusnin Aleksandr , Tikan Alexey , Komagata Kenichi , Kippenberg Tobias J.
Published: November 2023

Recently, substantial progress has been made in the understanding of microresonators frequency combs based on dissipative Kerr solitons (DKSs). However, most of the studies have focused on the single-resonator level. Coupled resonator systems can open new avenues in dispersion engineering and exhibit unconventional four-wave mixing (FWM) pathways. However, these systems still lack theoretical treatment. Here, starting from general considerations for the N-(spatial) dimensional case, we derive a model for a one-dimensional lattice of microresonators having the form of the two-dimensional Lugiato-Lefever equation (LLE) with a complex dispersion surface. Two fundamentally different dynamical regimes can be identified in this system: elliptic and hyperbolic. Considering both regimes, we investigate Turing patterns, regularized wave collapse, and 2D (i.e., spatio-temporal) DKSs. Extending the system to the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, we show that the edge-state dynamics can be approximated by the conventional LLE and demonstrate the edge-bulk interactions initiated by the edge-state DKS.
Thermoreversible gels for the encapsulation of macrophages: evaluation of polymer type on rheology and cytocompatibility
Authors: Zeqiri E. , da Silva M. A. , Aspinall S. R. , Hoffman E. , Hutter V. , Cook M. T.
Published: November 2023

Exploring phase behaviour of: A) Poloxamer 407, B) Soluplus, C) Methylcellulose and D) P-NIPAM, showing two different states, liquid at 21 °C and gel at 37 °C. Methylcellulose thermoreversible gels outperformed competitor materials in utility for macrophage encapsulation.
Formation of intermetallic PdIn nanoparticles: influence of surfactants on nanoparticle atomic structure
Authors: Wang Baiyu , Mathiesen Jette K. , Kirsch Andrea , Schlegel Nicolas , Anker Andy S. , Johansen Frederik L. , Kjær Emil T. S. , Aalling-Frederiksen Olivia , Nielsen Tobias M. , Thomsen Maria S. , Jakobsen Rasmus K. , Arenz Matthias , Jensen Kirsten M. Ø.
Published: November 2023

Using parametric studies and in situ X-ray scattering, we study the formation of bimetallic palladium indium nanoparticles to understand how the synthesis parameters used influence the atomic structure of the obtained product.
Bead-enriched catalyzed hairpin assembly for the flow cytometric detection of microRNA via FRET signal readout
Authors: Dong Zhengkun , Fan Wenjiao , Ren Wei , Liu Chenghui
Published: November 2023

A bead-enriched catalyzed hairpin assembly assay is developed for the flow cytometric microRNA analysis via FRET signal readout.
Synthesis of Axially Chiral Bibenzo[g]coumarin Derivatives by Rhodium-Catalyzed Oxidative Annulation of Thiocarbamates
Authors: Nishii Yuji , Miura Masahiro , Takishima Ryo , Ghosh Koushik
Published: November 2023

Polyaromatic organic compounds have attracted significant attention because of their wide range of applications in various functional materials. Recently, transition-metal-catalyzed C–H bond activation and the subsequent oxidative cyclization with unsaturated compounds has emerged as a promising synthetic method for multiring systems. We report a two-step synthesis of binaphthyl-fused chiral bibenzo[g]coumarin derivatives by Rh-catalyzed annulative coupling reaction of BINOL-based thiocarbamates with alkynes. The optical properties of the coupling products were evaluated.
Management of Sigmoid Volvulus: A Literature Review
Authors: Atamanalp Sabri Selcuk , Disci Esra , Peksoz Rifat , Atamanalp Refik Selim , Tatar Atamanalp Cansu
Published: November 2023

Sigmoid volvulus (SV) is a rare form of intestinal obstruction in which the sigmoid colon twists around its own base. Endoscopic detorsion is the primary treatment in uncomplicated patients, while urgent surgery is required in the cases with bowel perforation, peritonitis, and unsuccessful endoscopic detorsion. In surgery, the gangrenous sigmoid colon is managed by resection, whereas sigmoid detorsion alone or with an additional recurrence-reducing procedure is applied in patients with viable bowel. However, the risk of recurrence following endoscopic or operative detorsion alone is as high as 90% with a risk of mortality up to 35%. To prevent or reduce SV recurrence, some selected cases require emergent or elective recurrence-preventive management including sigmoidopexy, mesopexy, mesoplasty, extraperitonealization, sigmoidectomy, and endoscopic percutaneous sigmoidopexy. However, the indications, techniques, and results of the above-mentioned procedures are controversial. In this review, the treatment options of SV and patient selection criteria for recurrence-preventive treatments are discussed.
Bilateral political tension and the signaling role of patenting in a host country
Authors: Zhou Nan , Li Jiatao , Wang Jue
Published: November 2023

The current increasing volatility in international politics makes it more important to understand how multinational enterprises respond to political tension between host and home countries. This paper explains the impact of macro-level bilateral political tension on micro-level strategy of multinationals in the host country. We developed the idea that patenting may be used to signal a firm’s commitment and contribution to the host country’s economy and development. Data on 437 large multinationals and interviews with senior managers of 20 foreign subsidiaries in China show that patenting local innovation does indeed help an investing firm signal its usefulness to the host country government. It can thus serve as a response to bilateral political tension. The relationship between political tension and local patenting also depends on the relative trade dependence of the home and host countries and on the investing firm’s technology level and its stake in China. The greater the dependence of an MNE and its home country government on the host country, the more likely patenting of local innovations would increase in times of bilateral political tension.
Opening doors to new treatments for spinal cord injury
Authors: Lim Alane
Published: November 2023

New simulation method enables prediction of promising treatments for spinal cord injury without requiring experimentation in patients.
Anion elements incorporation into corals skeletons: Experimental approach for biomineralization and paleo-proxies
Authors: Ram Sharon , Erez Jonathan
Published: November 2023

The elemental composition of coral skeletons provides important information for palaeoceanographic reconstructions and coral biomineralization. Partition of anions and their stable isotopes in coral skeleton enables the reconstruction of past seawater carbonate chemistry, paleo-CO
2
, and past climates. Here, we investigated the partition of B, S, As, Br, I, and Mo into the skeletons of two corals,
Acropora cervicornis
and
Pocillopora damicornis
, as a function of calcium and carbonate concentrations.

*

Anion-to-calcium ratio in the corals (An/Ca
Coral
) were correlated with the equivalent ratios in the culturing seawater (An/CO
3
2−
SW
). Negative intercepts of these relationships suggest a higher CO
3
2−
concentration in the coral extracellular calcifying fluid (ECF) relative to seawater, from which the skeleton precipitates. The enrichment factor of CO
3
2−
at the ECF was 2.5 for
A. cervicornis
and 1.9 for
P. damicornis
, consistent with their relative calcification rates. The CO
3
2−
ECF
concentrations thus calculated are similar to those proposed by previous studies based on B/Ca coupled with δ
11
B, as well as by direct measurements using microsensors and fluorescent dyes. Rayleigh fractionation modeling demonstrates a uniform Ca utilization at various Ca
SW
concentrations, providing further evidence that coral calcification occurs directly from a semiclosed seawater reservoir as reported previously. The partition coefficients reported in this study for B, S, As, Br, I, and Mo open up wide possibilities for past ocean chemistry reconstructions based on Br having long residence time (~160 Ma) in the ocean. Other elements like S, Mo, B, as well as
p
CO
2
may also be calculated based on these elements in fossil coral.
A tale of analogies: a review on gravitomagnetic effects, rotating sources, observers and all that
Authors: Ruggiero Matteo Luca , Astesiano Davide
Published: November 2023

Gravitoelectromagnetic analogies are somewhat ubiquitous in General Relativity, and they are often used to explain peculiar effects of Einstein’s theory of gravity in terms of familiar results from classical electromagnetism. Perhaps, the best known of these analogy pertains to the similarity between the equations of electromagnetism and those of the linearized theory of General Relativity. But the analogy is somewhat deeper and ultimately rooted in the splitting of spacetime, which is preliminary to the definition of the measurement process in General Relativity. In this paper we review the various approaches that lead to the introduction of a magnetic-like part of the gravitational interaction, briefly called gravitomagnetic and, then, we provide a survey of the recent developments both from the theoretical and experimental viewpoints.
The effects of amino acid functionalisation on the optoelectronic properties and self-assembly of perylene bisimides
Authors: Welsh Thomas A , Egan Jacquelyn G , Dietrich Bart , Rafferty Niamh , Ginesi Rebecca E , Doutch James , Schweins Ralf , Draper Emily R
Published: November 2023

Here we report on ten water-soluble perylene bisimides that are functionalised with the amino acids L-alanine, L-aspartic acid, L-glutamic acid, L-phenylalanine, L-histidine, L-leucine, L-methionine, L-valine, L-tryptophan, and L-tyrosine. Reduction potentials, absoprtion and emission spectra, molar absorptivity, quantum yield, and rheology are obtained and the data interpreted for each species in aqueous solution or hydrogels in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subtle effects of amino acid functionalisation on the optoelectronic and supramolecular properties.
Static theoretical investigations of organic redox active materials for redox flow batteries
Authors: Zaichenko Aleksandr , Achazi Andreas J , Kunz Simon , Wegner Hermann A , Janek Jürgen , Mollenhauer Doreen
Published: November 2023

New efficient redox flow batteries (RFBs) are currently of great interest for large-scale storage of renewable energy. Further development requires the improvement of the redox active materials. Quantum chemical calculations allow the screening of large numbers of redox active molecules for required static molecular properties. In particular, redox potentials are calculated in high-throughput studies. In addition, calculations of solubility and reactivity and in-depth electronic structure analysis are performed for smaller numbers of molecules. In this review, we provide an overview of the static theoretical investigations carried out on the known classes of molecules that are considered as redox active materials in RFBs. We will focus on electronic structure methods such as density functional theory and wave function-based methods. Furthermore, investigations using the increasingly important machine learning techniques are presented. For each class of redox active molecules considered, significant theoretical results are presented and discussed. In addition, the different quantum chemical approaches used are examined, in particular with regard to their advantages and limitations. Another focus of this review is the comparison of theoretically predicted results with available experimental studies. Finally, future challenges and trends in the theoretical studies of redox active materials are highlighted.
Runtime optimization of acquisition trajectories for x-ray computed tomography with a robotic sample holder
Authors: Pekel Erdal , Lancho Lavilla María , Pfeiffer Franz , Lasser Tobias
Published: November 2023

Tomographic imaging systems are expected to work with a wide range of samples that house complex structures and challenging material compositions, which can influence image quality in a bad way. Complex samples increase total measurement duration and may introduce beam-hardening artifacts that lead to poor reconstruction image quality. This work presents an online trajectory optimization method for an x-ray computed tomography system with a robotic sample holder. The proposed method reduces measurement time and increases reconstruction image quality by generating an optimized spherical trajectory for the given sample without prior knowledge. The trajectory is generated successively at runtime based on intermediate sample measurements. We present experimental results with the robotic sample holder where two sample measurements using an optimized spherical trajectory achieve improved reconstruction quality compared to a conventional spherical trajectory. Our results demonstrate the ability of our system to increase reconstruction image quality and avoid artifacts at runtime when no prior information about the sample is provided.
An algorithm for localization of fatigue crack in spinning rotor based on proof by negation
Authors: Teyi Nabam , Singh Sandeep
Published: November 2023

This paper presents an innovative signal-based approach for detection and localization of a fatigue crack induced in spinning rotors. For development of the algorithm and demonstration of the its capabilities, a conventional rotor supported by rigid end bearings has been considered. In this demonstration, a cracked rotor is simulated using finite elements with four degrees of freedom per node. The model accounts for the gyroscopic effects caused by the offset disc and the breathing of the fatigue crack. The gyroscopic effects are accounted for by the introduction of the gyroscopic matrix in the finite element formulation, and the crack breathing effect is considered by introduction of the crack excitation function in the equations of motion The developed algorithm can also be used to simultaneously determine the magnitude and direction of the disc unbalance relative to the crack front. Also, the algorithm is used to validate the crack location hypothesis at a single node by introducing a variable crack location flag vector. The crack location flag vector with the highest crack stiffness value accurately represents the true crack location.
Towards a robust and reliable deep learning approach for detection of compact binary mergers in gravitational wave data
Authors: Jadhav Shreejit , Shrivastava Mihir , Mitra Sanjit
Published: November 2023

The ability of deep learning (DL) approaches to learn generalised signal and noise models, coupled with their fast inference on GPUs, holds great promise for enhancing gravitational-wave (GW) searches in terms of speed, parameter space coverage, and search sensitivity. However, the opaque nature of DL models severely harms their reliability. In this work, we meticulously develop a DL model stage-wise and work towards improving its robustness and reliability. First, we address the problems in maintaining the purity of training data by deriving a new metric that better reflects the visual strength of the ‘chirp’ signal features in the data. Using a reduced, smooth representation obtained through a variational auto-encoder (VAE), we build a classifier to search for compact binary coalescence (CBC) signals. Our tests on real LIGO data show an impressive performance of the model. However, upon probing the robustness of the model through adversarial attacks, its simple failure modes were identified, underlining how such models can still be highly fragile. As a first step towards bringing robustness, we retrain the model in a novel framework involving a generative adversarial network (GAN). Over the course of training, the model learns to eliminate the primary modes of failure identified by the adversaries. Although absolute robustness is practically impossible to achieve, we demonstrate some fundamental improvements earned through such training, like sparseness and reduced degeneracy in the extracted features at different layers inside the model. We show that these gains are achieved at practically zero loss in terms of model performance on real LIGO data before and after GAN training. Through a direct search on

∼

8.8

days of LIGO data, we recover two significant CBC events from GWTC-2.1 (Abbott et al 2022 2108.01045 [gr-qc]), GW190519_153544 and GW190521_074359. We also report the search sensitivity obtained from an injection study.
The Literary Detective
Authors: Rowson Martin
Published: November 2023

The Literary Detective is an omnibus edition of John Sutherland's three best-selling collections of literary puzzles, Is Heathcliffe a Murderer?, Can Jane Eyre be Happy?, and Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet? Investigating a variety of anomalies, enigmas, and conundrums such as 'Why does Robinson Crusoe find only one footprint?' and 'Where does Fanny Hill keep her contraceptives?', Professor Sutherland explores the questions readers often ask and critics rarely discuss. His forensic skills focus on authors from Defoe and Fielding to Wells and Woolf, relishing in particular the nineteenth-century novelists, Austen, Collins, Dickens, and the Brontës. By addressing 'real world' questions John Sutherland has brought lit. crit. Down from the rarefied heights of academe and into the everyday discourse of ordinary readers, who bring their own expertise to bear on these novels. In his introduction he quotes from some of the many letters he has received, which demonstrate that we can all be astute and entertaining critics. The 'Sherlock Holmes of Literature', as he has been called, John Sutherland reminds us of the sheer pleasure and excitement that good books inspire, and of their endless ability to surprise and delight us.
Measurement of blood flow
Authors: Peters A M , Myers M J
Published: November 2023

The relationship between pressure, flow and resistance in the vasculature is the same as that between voltage, current and resistance in Ohm’s law, i.e 7.2. The cardiac pump maintains a total resting flow of about 5 litres/min distributed to the major systems of the body as listed in Table 3.1. Blood flow to an organ can be expressed in several different ways; firstly, as blood flow itself, with units of ml/min. Secondly, as perfusion which takes account of the size of the organ, expressed as ml/min/ml of tissue or ml/min/g of tissue, and thirdly, in a unitless form, as The Fick principle states that when an indicator is introduced into a system it must be subject to the conservation.
Pharmacokinetics of agents routinely used in nuclear medicine
Authors: Peters A M , Myers M J
Published: November 2023

The appropriate use of radiopharmaceuticals de mands a clear understanding of their physiological handling, in particular the kinetics of bio-distribution and the physiological data they generate. The kinetics of most radiopharmaceuticals are well understood. However there are examples of agents, which, although having specific clinical applications, are not fully understood in terms of kinetics. Radio iodine and DTPA are agents with kinetics that are well understood, while those of DMSA and IDA analogues, for example, remain controversial.
A portfolio of postpartum disorders
Authors: Brockington Ian
Published: November 2023

For many or most mothers, giving birth is one of the supreme moments of their lives. ‘The most characteristic mood experienced shortly after delivery is one of euphoria and elation’. In her book, the Psychology of Birth, Brudal wrote,

For some women, giving birth can be a peak experience. Immediately after delivery they feel extraordinarily strong and important. For some, delivery is an emotional ‘trip’. Some women, after delivery, enter a state of conscious ness similar to ecstasy.
Infant loss
Authors: Brockington Ian
Published: November 2023

The manifestations of bereavement have been described by Lindemann, Wret mark121 and Parke. Grief is the proof of love and the cost of commitment. The loss of a person, to whom one is devoted, results in a chain of psychological events lasting for years. When death is unexpected, there is a stage of shock, in which the bereaved person is stunned, dazed and emotionally numbed, and acts automatically for hours, days or even weeks. The reality and finality of the death is but slowly assimilated.
Staff development and the quality of teaching
Authors: Elton Lewis
Published: November 2023

Most people would be very concerned, if they were operated on by untrained surgeons, if their cars were designed by untrained engineers, or their children taught by untrained teachers. In other words, we expect our bodies, our cars, and even our children to be in the hands of professionals, when they need attention. Yet when our children reach student age, it has been considered quite normal until recently that their professors should be untrained, and this may well still be the majority view within the profession of university teachers. Yet the very fact that such people are untrained calls into question the statement that they constitute a profession (Elton 1992; Warren Piper 1992). They are of course trained experts in what they teach, but they have normally had no training in how they teach. Furthermore, the how, of teaching is not confined to personal competencies as a teacher in the classroom; possibly even more important are the competencies of curriculum design, which greatly influence the what of teaching, and the attitudes which teachers bring to their varied teaching tasks. As there is now a concern both inside and outside universities, about the quality of teaching in universities, there ought to be a corresponding concern about the absence of training and development of university teachers. We shall address these two concerns in turn.
Useful opioid analgesic drugs
Authors: Park Gilbert , Fulton Barbara , Senthuran Siva
Published: November 2023

The analgesic and euphoric properties of opium have been known for several thousand years. The word ‘opium’ is derived from the Greek, meaning juice—the source of the juice being the unripe seed-heads of the poppy Papaver somnifernm. Despite the years of use and abuse its derivatives still remain a useful and rightly popular drug for the treatment of pain.
Inhalational techniques and alternative therapies
Authors: Park Gilbert , Fulton Barbara , Senthuran Siva
Published: November 2023

Probably the earliest form of inhalational analgesia was the smoking of opium, addicts absorbing the inhaled vaporized drug. More recently the inhalational route has been restricted to the use of a 50 per cent nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture known as entonox. Trichloroethylene and methoxyflurane, both anaesthetic vapours, were once used in low inhaled concentrations for analgesia but have now been withdrawn from use—Lmethoxyflurane due to its nephrotoxic effects, and trichloroethylene as it became commercially unviable. When the inhalational route is used the blood concentration of the agent reaches an equilibrium at a rate dependent upon the alveolar minute ventilation and the solubility of the agent in the blood. Insoluble agents such as nitrous oxide reach analgesic blood concentrations more rapidly than more soluble agents such as methoxyflurane and trichloroethylene. Similarly once inhalation of the agent has been stopped the analgesic effects of the insoluble agents wear off more rapidly.
Cognitive deficits
Authors: Baldwin Tony , Seddon Heather , Demellweek Colin , Hughes Bronwen , Fishwick Sue
Published: November 2023

The purpose of this chapter is to give a basic outline of the cognitive and educational difficulties which may follow an acquired brain injury. The focus of the chapter will be on traumatic brain injuries as these tend to be more frequently associated with long-term educational problems, which may often be subtle and become apparent only some months or years following the injury. As with other chapters there is considerable overlap with additional problems - including speech and language impairment and emotional and behavioural difficulties - which again reinforces the need for a coordinated and multidisciplinary approach for these children.
Gastrointestinal tract and liver
Authors: Harding L K , Notghi A
Published: November 2023

The functions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are digestion and absorption of food, and elimination of waste as faeces. After ingestion, food passes down the oesophagus and is temporarily stored in the stomach, where it is mixed with digestive juices and broken down into small particles. It then passes through the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, large intestine, and finally the rectum and anal canal (Fig. 11.1). During its passage through the tract it is mixed with saliva, gastric juice, bile, and pancreatic juice, and other enzymes which are secreted by the small bowel. The digested food particles are thus absorbed and further metabolized in the liver, which is involved in storage and breakdown of many metabolic products.
Brachytherapy
Authors: Aird E G , Williams J R , Rembowska A
Published: November 2023

Brachytherapy makes use of radioactive sources placed directly into, or immediately adjacent to, the volume of tissue to be treated. The main advantage of this type of therapy is that the very short source-tumour distance allows a high dose of radiation to be given to the tumour, while the surrounding normal tissues receive a low dose. There are three distinct types of brachytherapy: interstitial, intracavitary, and surface applicator.
Respiratory Disease
Authors: Harvey CJ , Roberts HRS , Shaw PJ
Published: November 2023

This is a chest radiograph of a 25-year-old female with chronic sputum production. What is the diagnosis? The chest radiograph demonstrates cystic bronchiectasis (ring shadows are seen, particularly in the right upper lobe) with lung hyperinflation in a patient with cystic fibrosis. Bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy is also present. Bronchial wall thickening, appearing like tramlines, is seen in the right perihilar region.
Gastroenterology
Authors: Harvey CJ , Roberts HRS , Shaw PJ
Published: November 2023

A 65-year-old man presented to casualty with a 2-hour history of left sided chest pain associated with nausea and vomiting. His serum amylase and electro-cardiogram were normal.
Nephrology
Authors: Harvey CJ , Roberts HRS , Shaw PJ
Published: November 2023

What does this intravenous urogram show? The lower poles of the kidneys are united by a bridge of tissue, which is parenchymal in 90% and fibrous tissue in 10%. The kidneys are lower in the abdomen than usual. The orientation of the kidneys is abnormal, the lower poles being more medially sited than the upper poles.
Nephrology
Authors: Round Jonathan
Published: November 2023

Paediatric nephrology and urinary medicine is a complicated subject; however, at undergraduate level it is dominated by only a few conditions that are simple to understand and fairly common. You are almost certain to be asked about urinary tract infections in regard to their presentation, treatment, and investigation. Adult and paediatric urinary tract infections (UTls) differ markedly in their significance and implications and examiners like to check you know this.
Syllabus of proven preventive measures for diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Ismail Nuhad , Samaha Antoine
Published: November 2023

The fact that only 20-50% of patients with type 2 diabetes develop proteinuria after 20 years from the onset of the disease (depending on the population studied) suggests that factors other than hyperglycaemia may be determinants of diabetic nephropathy. Therefore, being able to predict the subset of patients with type 2 diabetes who will develop the nephropathy would be an important tool that allows early preventive interventions. Of the risk factors for the development or progression of renal disease in type 2 diabetes, the genetic predisposition, age, family history, and gender are not modifiable. On the other hand, several established benefits have been demonstrated to help prevent the development, or slow the progression of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes, including blood pressure control, counteraction of angiotensin II effects, and glycaemic control.
Epidemiology of end-stage renal disease in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Rychlik Ivan , Ritz Eberhard , Halimi Serge , Locatelli Francesco
Published: November 2023

The incidence and prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in patients with type 2 diabetes vary considerably between countries. Nevertheless, a consistent secular increase of the incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in patients with type 2 diabetes is noted throughout the Western world and beyond. It has been argued that this represents a silent epidemic, which has not been properly taken note of by the non-nephrological medical community. In this chapter, we provide an update of available information from Europe, the United States, and Asia on: (1) the incidence and prevalence ofESRD in patients with type 2 diabetes; (2) the mode of occurrence of ESRD; (3) the selection of treatment modalities; and (4) survival and quality of life.
Early infant intelligence and Rett syndrome
Authors: Trevarthen Colwyn , Burford Bronwen
Published: November 2023

The developmental psychobiology of Rett syndrome may explain how a young child who is severely reduced in voluntary activity, intelligent response to experience and learning, and who lacks speech, can have appeared normal in early infancy, when many psychological capacities are already functional, before the development of language. A defect in the regulatory mechanisms of the brainstem that begins in the embryo appears to be responsible for dysregulation of neocortical mechanisms at a critical stage in late infancy. Examination of home movies of 12 infants aged 7-12 months shows that there are subtle signs before regression.
Risk factors for lacunar infarction
Authors: Boiten J , Lodder J
Published: November 2023

Stroke has an enormous impact on public health as a leading cause of death and permanent disability. Identifying and modifying risk factors for stroke may reduce mortality and morbidity. Many studies have revealed various risk factors for stroke. Stroke is a heterogeneous group of disorders, and the question is whether the ischaemic stroke subgroups such as lacunar infarcts are associated with distinct risk factor profiles. Unfortunately, ischaemic stroke subtypes were not distinguished in many studies.
Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics
Authors: Grahame-Smith D G , Aronson J K
Published: November 2023

Pharmacogenetics is a long-standing word that means the study of how genetic variations affect both the pharmacokinetics of drugs and the pharmacodynamic responses to them; it can also mean the genetic variations themselves. Pharmacogenomics is a recent coinage, which has been given at least two different meanings. It has been used in the pharmaceutical industry to mean the development of drugs based on the structure of the genome. An early example was the discovery of calcitonin gene-related peptide, a potent vasodilator, as a result of alternative processing of RNA transcripts from the calcitonin gene on chromosome 11. Although calcitonin gene-related peptide has not been used as a therapeutic drug, it is hoped that the method by which it was discovered, and other genomic methods, will lead to further drug discovery.
1797–1798
Authors: Gill Stephen
Published: November 2023

In 1805 Wordsworth recalled ‘in clearer view/ Than any sweetest sight of yesterday’, the year when ‘on Quantocks grassy hills / Far ranging and among the sylvan coombs’ he and Coleridge had ‘wantoned in wild Poesy’. This was a beautifully judged memory with which to close the ‘Poem addressed to Coleridge’, as it was amidst the Quantock Hills that Wordsworth acknowledged the poetic vocation which the closing lines of The Prelude reaffirm, and Coleridge who fired him to Miltonic ardour for the labour it entailed. Above all, ‘wantoned in wild poesy’ is exactly right. Later portraits of both poets, Haydon’s Wordsworth on Helvellyn, for example, or Washington Allston’s 1814 painting of Coleridge, depict them as solitary beings, dwelling calmly in the immensity of their own thoughts. But in 1797–8 they were increasingly in love with one another, and daily contact, endless talk, madcap walking expeditions, and, most important of all, writing and planning poems made them, simply, very happy. Irritants and problems, ranging from smoky chimneys to government spies, over-shadowed them, but in their despite they laughed a lot.
1810–1815
Authors: Gill Stephen
Published: November 2023

‘WE find that C is offended with William’, Dorothy reported to Catherine Clarkson in May 1811. She would have chosen a stronger word than ‘offended’ if she had known that for months Coleridge had been frenzied by the certainty that Wordsworth had betrayed him, that his dearest friend had become his ‘bitterest Calumniator’.
1833–1839
Authors: Gill Stephen
Published: November 2023

He was preparing for death, even going so far as to close a letter to an old acquaintance, ‘Wishing you ease and consolation for the remainder of your days, and a quiet passage to a happy Immortality … ‘. Only two years before, however, this old man had travelled with Crabb Robinson to the Isle of Man, and then once again to Scotland, tolerating the new discomforts of the steamship as well as the familiar ones of carriages and bad inns in his determination to see Staffa with ‘Fingal’s Cave’ and the Christian site, lona.
Order and Society
Authors: Briggs Julia
Published: November 2023

Sir Thomas Elyot opened his Boke named the Governour (153I) by justifying his translation of the Latin term respublica as ‘public weal ‘, and carefully distinguishing it from ‘common ‘ (or ‘commune ‘) ‘weal ‘ on the grounds that ‘public ‘ referred to the whole of society, while the ‘commonaltie ‘, or ‘commons ‘ (Latin plebs) ‘signifieth only the multitude wherein be contained the base and vulgar inhabitants not advanced to any honour or dignity ‘. For Elyot, a proper distinction between gentles and commons was necessary ‘for the discrepance of degrees, where of proceedeth order ‘. If England were to be a genuine common wealth, ‘either the commoners only must be wealthy, and the gentle and noble men needy and miserable, or else, excluding gentility, all men must be of one degree and sort, and a new name provided ‘.
Women and the Family
Authors: Briggs Julia
Published: November 2023

I Am the husband, and all the whole isle is my lawful wife; I am the head and it is my body ‘,1 James I told his first Parliament in the course of a debate on the proposed union of England and Scotland in 1603. Today, the word ‘patriarchy ‘ signifies social structures dominated by men and male interests, but in early modern England it described a specific political theory then prevailing, that the family and the state were parallel structures, governed by father and monarch respectively. James represented himself as father even oftener than as husband to his people, deriving his claims to authority, as did the father of a household, from Adam, as the father of all men: ‘Not only Adam, but the succeeding patriarchs, had by right of fatherhood, royal authority over their children ‘, wrote Robert Filmer in Patriarcha, his account of this theory. The fifth of the ten commandments, ‘Honour thy father and thy mother ‘, was interpreted as demanding respect for those in authority more generally, from the father up to the king. For James, claims to be the husband or the father of the nation were linked with claims to absolute power, to rule, if not by divine right, then at least by the universal acceptance that his decisions were final.
The Technique of Playing the Flute
Authors: Morris Gareth
Published: November 2023

Every sound, made by bells, strings, or vibrating columns of air, is composed of a fundamental tone with an infinite number of higher notes resulting from it; these overtones contribute to the resonance, are not usually heard independently, and form a natural phenomenon which is known as the Harmonic Series. In the playing of wind instruments the notes in this series are separated, by a method of blowing which is explained later; this technique is necessary for playing nearly every note on brass instruments, but it is used on the flute only to produce its various registers, and so obtain a compass of more than three octaves from a tube of only 261/2 inches in length.
The Practice of Scales, Arpeggios, and Exercises
Authors: Morris Gareth
Published: November 2023

The daily discipline of practising scales in all major and minor keys has always been regarded as the most successful way to obtain an assured and reliable instrumental technique. In flute-playing the ear, lips, and fingers are trained so that the whole range of sound is played in tune and in time, fast and slow, at all dynamic levels. The function of the embouchure is to produce the various registers and simultaneously control the intonation, a task that becomes almost unconscious if it is correctly approached.
Physiological Diagnosis in Neurosurgery
Authors: Black Peter McLaren , Rossitch Eugene
Published: November 2023

Structural abnormalities in the nervous system can often be visual¬ized radiologically, but increasing attention has been paid to imaging of nervous system function with other methods. This chapter de¬scribes several diagnostic methods that attempt to delineate nervous system function as well as structure.
Neurosurgical Emergencies
Authors: Black Peter McLaren , Rossitch Eugene
Published: November 2023

This chapter discusses pathological processes encountered in neurosurgery that require prompt recognition and treatment on the part of the neurosurgeon. Topics presented include head trauma, herniation syndromes, spinal cord injury, paraplegia or quadriplegia, ataxia, coma, status epilepticus, meningitis, and cardiac arrest.
Neurosurgical Procedures
Authors: Black Peter McLaren , Rossitch Eugene
Published: November 2023

Many atlases describe the specific techniques that are employed in neurosurgical operations. The intent of this chapter is to present a brief introduction to neurosurgical techniques without being ex¬haustive. Routine neurosurgical procedures will first be described along with several anesthetic considerations that are pertinent to neurosurgical patients; then emergency and bedside procedures will be outlined.
The Homefront Children at Middle Age
Authors: Tuttle William M
Published: November 2023

Each Generation receives a distinctive imprinting from the social, political, and cultural events of its childhood. Shaping America’s home front girls and boys were the “cohort effects” of the Second World War; but the war’s influence did not surcease in 1945. In fact, the wartime beliefs and values with which the home front children grew up were largely the same beliefs and values that guided them later, during their adolescence and adulthood. The prevailing ideology about patriotism and America’s leadership of the Free World, as well as about marriage and the family and the need to “get ahead,” changed little from the early 1940s to the mid- to late 1960s.
Ethnicity as Festive Culture: Nineteenth-Century German America on Parade
Authors: Conzen Kathleen Neils
Published: November 2023

By 1859, gold rush San Francisco had seen just about everything. But even the most jaded denizen of that raw frontier city must have been bemused on November 10 by the incongruous sight of a flower­ bedecked classical bust, accompanied by a bevy of garlanded maidens, being pulled through the city’s streets. It was the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Friedrich Schiller, and San Francisco’s German citizens were turning out en masse to honor their homeland’s national poet.
Eugenics in Brazil, 1917-1940
Authors: Stepan Nancy Leys
Published: November 2023

As historians of science have shifted their attention away from logical reconstructions of science toward more “naturalistic” views of science as a product of culture and social life, eugenics and genetics have been linked together in scholarship as they once were in reality. As both a social movement and a science, eugenics offers the possibility of testing ideas about the social generation of scientific knowledge, and the last decade has seen considerable debate on the subject (Kevles 1985; McKenzie 1976; Schneider 1982; Searle 1981). In the recent study of eugenics, however, Latin America has been completely ignored by historians.
Adrian Rollini and the California Ramblers
Authors: Sudhalter Richard M
Published: November 2023

On Easter Sunday 1925, New York radio station WGBS serenaded listeners with a program of hymns, played by a dance orchestra called the California Ramblers. It was decorous, reverential, eminently innocuous. Or so the station management thought. Calls from irate listeners swamped the tiny WGBS switchboard; over the next few days, protests swelled the letters columns of newspapers. One such, in the New York Herald-Tribune, cursed the participating musicians for a bunch of ill-educated clods, too ignorant to realize the offense they’d caused.
Casa Loma Stomp
Authors: Sudhalter Richard M
Published: November 2023

To the day he died, Clarence Hutchenrider remembered with undimmed clarity the first time he ever heard the Casa Loma Orchestra. “We were working in Cincinnati,” the clarinetist said in 1985. “It was late ‘29, maybe early ‘30. I was with the Clevelanders, a cooperative band that had been Austin Wylie’s orchestra, at Miller’s Swiss Gardens in Cincinnati. The Casa Loma guys were scheduled to appear at Castle Farms, outside of town, and had to pass our place to get to theirs. Some of them stopped in to listen to us and were very complimentary.
Dorseys and Boswells
Authors: Sudhalter Richard M
Published: November 2023

It’s not that they didn’t love each other. They did, with a loyalty that knew neither stint nor exception. But whatever force bound Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey together as brothers came fully outfitted with tripwires and triggers. They fought. All the time. Anywhere and at the slightest provocation. Invariably one would take a poke at the other, and they’d scrap right there, on stand or off, like kids in a sandlot.