bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 – exploring the implications of long-term condition type and extent of multimorbidity on years of life lost: a modelling study
Authors: Hanlon Peter , Chadwick Fergus , Shah Anoop , Wood Rachael , Minton Jon , McCartney Gerry , Fischbacher Colin , Mair Frances S. , Husmeier Dirk , Matthiopoulos Jason , McAllister David A.
Published: April 2020

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for increasing deaths globally. Most estimates have focused on numbers of deaths, with little direct quantification of years of life lost (YLL) through COVID-19.  As most people dying with COVID-19 are older with underlying long-term conditions (LTCs), some have speculated that YLL are low. We aim to estimate YLL attributable to COVID-19, before and after adjustment for number/type of LTCs.

Methods: We first estimated YLL from COVID-19 using standard WHO life tables, based on published age/sex data from COVID-19 deaths in Italy. We then used aggregate data on number/type of LTCs to model likely combinations of LTCs among people dying with COVID-19. From these, we used routine UK healthcare data to estimate life expectancy based on age/sex/different combinations of LTCs. We then calculated YLL based on age, sex and type of LTCs and multimorbidity count.

Results: Using the standard WHO life tables, YLL per COVID-19 death was 14 for men and 12 for women. After adjustment for number and type of LTCs, the mean YLL was slightly lower, but remained high (13 and 11 years for men and women, respectively). The number and type of LTCs led to wide variability in the estimated YLL at a given age (e.g. at ≥80 years, YLL was >10 years for people with 0 LTCs, and <3 years for people with ≥6).

Conclusions: Deaths from COVID-19 represent a substantial burden in terms of per-person YLL, more than a decade, even after adjusting for the typical number and type of LTCs found in people dying of COVID-19. The extent of multimorbidity heavily influences the estimated YLL at a given age. More comprehensive and standardised collection of data on LTCs is needed to better understand and quantify the global burden of COVID-19 and to guide policy-making and interventions.
Do I Have Coronavirus?
Authors: Chang Tina
Published: April 2020

“To journey for the sake of saving our own lives is little by little to cease to live in any sense that really matters, even to ourselves, because it is only by journeying for the world's sake— even when the world bores and sickens and scares you half to death—that little by little we start to come alive.”

—Frederick Buechner
COVID-19 safety in maternity care: lessons for the whole NHS
Authors: Tingle John
Published: April 2020

John Tingle, Lecturer in Law, Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham, discusses some recent reports in maternity care, which can be seen to also to have general application across all clinical specialities
Peripheral intravenous cannulation: reducing pain and local complications
Authors: Welyczko Nikki
Published: April 2020

Caring for patients with peripheral intravenous cannulas/catheters (PIVCs) is an important part of the nurse's role and insertion of PIVCs has traditionally been a post-registration nursing skill. With the introduction of the Nursing and Midwifery Council Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses in 2018, insertion of PIVCs is to be incorporated in pre-registration nursing programmes for all four fields of nursing practice. Although IV cannulation is a commonly performed clinical procedure, it is associated with significant risks and complications, which can cause pain for patients. This article outlines the factors that can cause pain for adult patients requiring a PIVC and recommends that the use of local anaesthetics be more widely considered when inserting a cannula. The identification, prevention and clinical management of commonly occurring painful local complications that can arise post-PIVC insertion are also discussed.
A Ambidestria da Prática Docente de Professores de Administração no Ensino Superior
Authors: Mesquita Rafael Fernandes de , Vasconcelos César Ricardo Maia de
Published: April 2020

As escolas de negócio e a formação em Administração têm sido objetos de preocupação devida à crítica à sua desconexão com a realidade empresarial e social e a pouca relevância e/ou aplicabilidade prática de seus produtos. Neste contexto, os professores, que usualmente são classificados em acadêmicos ou de mercado por características de sua formação, experiências de trabalho e prática docente são convidados a desenvolver uma ambidestria que equilibre as duas categorias. Este artigo analisa as possibilidades desta ambidestria ideal entre professores de Administração a partir de uma pesquisa de abordagem metodológica qualitativa com resultados analisados por meio de técnicas lexicográficas apoiadas no uso do software Iramuteq. Os resultados apontam um equilíbrio possível de ser alcançado, desde que cumpridos alguns requisitos, implicando transformações no modelo vigente do ensino superior brasileiro em Administração.
Correction propagation for user-assisted optical coherence tomography segmentation: general framework and application to Bruch’s membrane segmentation
Authors: Stromer Daniel , Moult Eric M. , Chen Siyu , Waheed Nadia K. , Maier Andreas , Fujimoto James G.
Published: April 2020

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a commonly used ophthalmic imaging modality. While OCT has traditionally been viewed cross-sectionally (i.e., as a sequence of B-scans), higher A-scan rates have increased interest in en face OCT visualization and analysis. The recent clinical introduction of OCT angiography (OCTA) has further spurred this interest, with chorioretinal OCTA being predominantly displayed via en face projections. Although en face visualization and quantitation are natural for many retinal features (e.g., drusen and vasculature), it requires segmentation. Because manual segmentation of volumetric OCT data is prohibitively laborious in many settings, there has been significant research and commercial interest in developing automatic segmentation algorithms. While these algorithms have achieved impressive results, the variability of image qualities and the variety of ocular pathologies cause even the most robust automatic segmentation algorithms to err. In this study, we develop a user-assisted segmentation approach, complementary to fully-automatic methods, wherein correction propagation is used to reduce the burden of manually correcting automatic segmentations. The approach is evaluated for Bruch’s membrane segmentation in eyes with advanced age-related macular degeneration.
Evolution of transmitted depolarization in diffusely scattering media
Authors: Germer Thomas A.
Published: April 2020

We performed Mueller matrix Monte Carlo simulations of the propagation
of optical radiation in diffusely scattering media for collimated
incidence and report the results as a function of thickness and the
angle subtended by the detector. For sufficiently small thickness, a
fraction of the radiation does not undergo any scattering events and
is emitted at zero angle. Thus, for a very small detector angle, the
measured signal will indicate mostly the attenuation of the coherent
contribution, while for larger angles, the diffuse scattering
radiation will contribute significantly more. The degree to which the
radiation is depolarized thus depends on the angle subtended by the
detector. A three-stream model—where the coherent radiation, the
forward diffusely scattered radiation, and the backward scattered
radiation are propagated according to the differential Mueller matrix
formalism—is introduced and describes the results from the Monte Carlo
simulations and the results of measurements well. This scatter-based
model for depolarization in diffusely scattering media is an
alternative to that based upon elementary fluctuation theory applied
to a single propagation stream. Results for average photon path
length, determined from the Monte Carlo simulations, suggest that
applying fluctuation theory to photon path length may unify the two
approaches.
Application of a binary curved fork grating for the generation and detection of optical vortices outside the focal plane
Authors: Khonina Svetlana N. , Ustinov Andrey V. , Kirilenko Mikhail S. , Kuchmizhak Aleksandr A. , Porfirev Alexey P.
Published: April 2020

In this paper, we consider using a binary curved fork grating not only for the simultaneous formation of several Bessel vortex beams but also for detecting the presence of angular harmonics (optical vortices) in an analyzed beam outside the focal plane. In this case, we use the effect of a longitudinal shift of focus (or correlation peak) when the lens is supplemented with an axicon. The combination of a lens and an axicon provides, in the focal plane, the generation of narrow light rings whose radii do not depend on the vortex phase component. Thus, the detection of an optical vortex cannot be carried out in the focal plane, but only at a certain distance from it, which provides additional security for information transmission. In addition, the use of these gratings makes it possible to simultaneously manipulate microparticles in various planes, and they can be used for fabricating complex three-dimensional metastructures as well as the single-shot pulse laser processing of transparent materials or polymers.
Mapping initial transverse momenta of tunnel-ionized electrons to rescattering double ionization in nondipole regimes
Authors: Chen Xiang , Ruiz Camilo , He Feng , Zhang Jie
Published: April 2020

We investigate the double ionization of a model Neon atom in strong middle infrared laser pulses by simulating the classical trajectories of the electron ensemble. After one electron tunnels out from the laser-dressed Coulomb barrier, it might undergo different returning trajectories depending on its initial transverse momentum, which in this wavelength may propagate along or deviate from the polarization direction. This initial transverse momentum determines the rescattering time, and thus some trajectories can have returning time longer than one optical cycle. These late-returning trajectories determine the correlated electron-electron momentum distribution for double ionization and allow us to disentangle each double ionization event from the final momentum distribution. The description of these trajectories allow us also to understand how the nondipole effects modify the correlated electron-electron momentum distribution in double ionization.
Overlapping two standing waves in a microcavity for a multi-atom photon interface
Authors: Garcia Sébastien , Ferri Francesco , Reichel Jakob , Long Romain
Published: April 2020

We develop a light-matter interface enabling strong and uniform coupling between a chain of cold atoms and photons of an optical cavity. This interface is a fiber Fabry-Perot cavity, doubly resonant for both the wavelength of the atomic transition and for a geometrically commensurate red-detuned intracavity trapping lattice. Fulfilling the condition of a strong and uniform atom-photon coupling requires optimization of the spatial overlap between the two standing waves in the cavity. In a strong-coupling cavity, where the mode waists and Rayleigh range are small, we derive the expression of the optimal trapping wavelength, taking into account the Gouy phase. The main parameter controlling the overlap of the standing waves is the relative phase shift at the reflection on the cavity mirrors between the two wavelengths, for which we derive the optimal value. We have built a microcavity optimized according to these results, employing custom-made mirrors with engineered reflection phase for both wavelengths. We present a method to measure with high precision the relative phase shift at reflection, which allows us to determine the spatial overlap of the two modes in this cavity.
Enhanced high-quality super-resolution imaging in air using microsphere lens groups
Authors: Luo Hao , Yu Haibo , Wen Yangdong , Zhang Tianyao , Li Pan , Wang Feifei , Liu Lianqing
Published: April 2020

Most microsphere-assisted super-resolution imaging experiments require a high-refractive-index microsphere to be immersed in a liquid to improve the super-resolution. However, samples are inevitably polluted by residuals in the liquid. This Letter presents a novel (to the best of our knowledge) method employing a microsphere lens group (MLG) that can easily achieve high-quality super-resolution imaging in air. The performance of this method is at par or better than that of the high-refractive-index microspheres immersed in liquid. In addition, the MLG generates a real image that is closely related to the photonic nanojet position of the microsphere super-lens. This imaging method is beneficial in microsphere imaging applications where liquids are impractical.
Auto-focusing and self-healing of symmetric odd-Pearcey Gauss beams
Authors: Liu Yujun , Xu Chuangjie , Lin Zejia , Wu You , Wu Yehui , Wu Lican , Deng Dongmei
Published: April 2020

In this study, a new, to the best of our knowledge, form of odd-Pearcey Gauss beams with peculiar characteristics is presented. Compared with the Pearcey beam, the odd-Pearcey Gauss beam is symmetrical about the origin. At the initial stages, the odd-Pearcey Gauss beam propagates with a main central lobe and some residual spots that autofocus to the center, and then splits into two off-axis parabolic lobes after the autofocus finishes. Furthermore, we also introduce the soft well function to investigate the propagation profiles of the odd-Pearcey Gauss beams passing through it with different calibers and discuss the influence of the Gaussian waist width towards the focal distance and the propagation form of the odd-Pearcey Gauss beam. We also enumerate some potential and possible applications based on its peculiar characteristics.
Drawing: Practice and politics
Authors: Petherbridge Deanna
Published: April 2020

This article focuses on my recent pen and ink drawings, which are multi-panelled works on paper dealing with wars, migration and political themes. They are contextualized in relation to a long career of disruptive themes, as well as the critique and celebration of cities and places through the employment of architectonic, mechanistic and landscape imagery. They are intended to function as visual metaphors for social, cultural and historical narratives. My subject-matter and the deliberate referentiality of drawn detail and semi-recognizable objects, constructions and spaces are discussed in relation to formal issues of texture, manipulation of space and perspectival ambiguity. These relate to some of the ideas about the strategies of making and the special status and properties of drawing that I formulated in my book The Primacy of Drawing: Histories and Theories of Drawing, 2010. I suggest in conclusion that my life-long commitment to the austerity and economy of drawing reflects my early training in South Africa.
The lion king? Drawings of the lion garden ornament
Authors: Horton Sarah
Published: April 2020

Exploring the lion as a symbol of England’s colonial past the drawings presented in this research project seek to subvert the idea of the lion as a symbol of power through the decorative interventions applied to them. The history of the lion as a symbol of British identity and strength in public monuments such as Trafalgar Square is compared to the ways in which owners of ordinary suburban housing in England use lion garden ornaments as indicators of habitus, or class (Bourdieu), and conspicuous consumption (Veblen). The act of drawing brings these ornaments into the ownership of the artist who employs a number of decorative interventions that seek to undermine the lion’s symbolic status. This is a speculative set of work created during the limbo of Britain’s Brexit negotiations in 2019. It has potential implications for anyone researching the relationship between ornament and identity, or drawing and ornament.
Arachne’s Loom: A public art drawing for Porto Design Biennale 2019
Authors: Côrte-Real Eduardo
Published: April 2020

The essay claims that a substantial part of contemporary drawing research has worked on the conceptual boundaries of what drawing is or when it takes place. It reports on a piece of public art on the limits of drawing that illustrates contemporary research issues based on drawings as elements or substantial parts of installations, public art, urban interventions, performances, unconventional media and materials. The piece – Arachne’s Loom – was an installation of 1500 m of black fibre-optic cable displayed across an artificial lake connecting a public library building to five computer heads. It was paired with a wind turbine blade placed in a public square – The Children of Eos – and the two together were presented under the title Hard Design. Curating this intervention was an opportunity to explore in a practical way issues that interweave the materiality/immateriality of graphic elements and that have been an important part of the author’s previous work. The wind turbine blade and cables installed in public spaces set up a number of polarities, two of which are relevant for drawing research: monuments vs. festivals and shapes vs. shapeless. Within the first polarity, a symbolic foundation for public art rooted in ancient myths is discussed. Particular attention is given to the power of Arachne’s myth as a cautionary narrative connected to the origins of both figurative and abstract drawing. Within the second polarity, in opposition to the wind blade’s distinct, ‘pure’ form, the rhizomatic structure of a web-like network of fibre-optic cables is explored in the context of drawing research. The text links philosophical rhizomes, real rhizomes, representations of rhizomes and visual allusions to rhizomes with public art, drawing, drawing as process, the World Wide Web and its extensions. The epilogue frames the piece within Nelson Goodman’s aesthetics, suggesting that further research into the work of this philosopher may open interesting paths for drawing theory.
Fashion Film: Art and Advertising in the Digital Age, Nick Rees-Roberts (2018)
Authors: Skjulstad Synne
Published: April 2020

Review of: Fashion Film: Art and Advertising in the Digital Age, Nick Rees-Roberts (2018)

London: Bloomsbury, 206 pp.,

ISBN 978-0-8578-5666-1, h/bk, $105

ISBN 978-0-8578-5700-2, p/bk, $34.99
Prática da Arquitectura e Disposição Antropológica
Authors: Providência Paulo
Published: April 2020

Não Disponível
Teaching Strategies about Architectural Projects
Authors: Moreno Carmen
Published: April 2020

Discovering the origin of in adamant objects and looking beyond the formality with which they are presented, has always been the aim of all science and creative activity.  This orientation encourages different solutions and adopts a specific criterion to solve the problem. Project workshops should become places where there will be discussions about ideas and also about the physical materiality of architecture.  Architectural course work must facilitate continuous production of information about the general subject of work.  These course must include varying disciplines from the construction, structural design or facilities, to the social and urban development, philosophy, art ... The development of the profession is extremely open ended, which allows us to investigate our field in a broad based atmosphere. Issues such as climate change or social and economic precariousness, introduce new variables on our thinking affecting teaching and learning architecture. Using recycled materials, reuse / occupancy of existing structures, sustainability, temporary constructions, ease of assembly (self), and even temporary colonization of territory humanitarian somehow,  each one of these variables, opens new project possibilities that can become staples and prevalent professional practices.
Edificar pela Dissertação: Nexos de coerência entre elaboração do Projecto Final e redacção da Dissertação no Mestrado Integrado em Arquitectura
Authors: Rapagão João Paulo , Malheiro Miguel , Delgado João Paulo
Published: April 2020

A comunicação parte da premissa de que todos os estudantes finalistas deverão dedicar-se a duas actividades paralelas mas distintas: elaborar um projecto final e redigir uma dissertação de mestrado. Tendo em conta que o curso deve concluir-se em 3+2 anos, todas as tarefas lectivas devem ser conduzidas de modo a que ambas as actividades sejam elaboradas em simultâneo. A dificuldade desta situação reside tanto na referida simultaneidade, como no elevado nível de exigência e de rigor que as duas actividades exigem. É ainda necessário ter em conta que os instrumentos e as competências indispensáveis para uma actividade são muito diferentes, ou até opostas, às requeridas para a outra. O objectivo da comunicação é apresentar e discutir uma experiência docente de seis anos lectivos consecutivos, com especial ênfase nas metodologias empregues para se conseguirem os nexos de coerência mais adequados entre projecto e dissertação, e se atingirem os resultados mais satisfatórios, incluindo projectos merecedores de prémios nacionais. A comunicação apresentará as conclusões desta experiência, consideradas úteis para docentes e estudantes do 2.º ciclo.
Final thesis in architecture
Authors: Gonçalves José Fernando
Published: April 2020

With the integration of schools of architecture into colleges, that is,into the logic of scientific structure and classification systems of theuniversity, new pedagogical challenges were put forward for teachers and especially students, to wit:Systematize, with logical-deductive assumptions, a productionprocess that results from the interdependence between empirical and technical knowledge, and which classification is within the area of the cultural artefact.
Quando um Discurso Geralmente Valorizado Não é Bem‑ Vindo: O Caso da Expressão da Crença Num Mundo Geral Justo por Um Membro (Fictício) da Elite Financeira
Authors: Alves Hélder Vinagreiro , Fernández-Dols José-Miguel
Published: April 2020

Pretendemos mostrar que uma ideia geralmente valorizada (“mundo justo”), nomeadamente no contexto financeiro, quando expressa por pessoas comuns, se torna paradoxalmente num sinal de imoralidade quando expressa pela elite financeira. Participantes de Portugal e Espanha leram o caso fictício (inspirado em acontecimentos reais) de “George M.”, um membro estereotípico da elite financeira. Aleatoriamente os participantes leram que o alvo teria exprimido a ideia de que o mundo é justo ou injusto para as pessoas em geral, avaliaram a sua imoralidade e indicaram quanto lhe desejavam um conjunto de acontecimentos. Comparando o alvo que exprimiu “mundo não justo”, o que exprimiu “mundo justo” foi avaliado como mais imoral. Este julgamento predisse maiores desejos de acontecimentos negativos. Estes resultados desaconselham o recurso, por parte da elite, a discursos moralizadores que terão o efeito oposto ao pretendido.
Decomposição do Salário Mínimo: Uma Análise Comparativa Internacional
Authors: Oliveira Elsa , Jörgens Helge , Ramos Pedro Nogueira
Published: April 2020

O Salário Mínimo (SM) é uma política pública de redistribuição, cuja génese não será alheia a questões humanitárias e ligadas à Paz social. Existe em vinte e oito dos trinta e seis países da Organização para a Cooperação e Desenvolvimento Económico (OCDE). Os salários são obrigatoriamente limitados pelo que, em média, se produz por trabalhador. Havendo várias formas de comparação internacional do salário mínimo, calculou‑se a sua relação com a produtividade, nos vários países da OCDE, concluindo‑se que a generosidade, assim medida, desta política, difere bastante entre países e que não existe um padrão de desenvolvimento para as agrupar. O presente artigo analisa esta generosidade do salário mínimo nos vários territórios, concomitantemente com a influência que nela exercem a abrangência do salário mínimo, a desigualdade salarial, as contribuições para a Segurança Social e o peso dos custos de trabalho no que se produz (em média, por trabalhador). Para cumprir tal desiderato procede à decomposição do rácio (A) salário mínimo/produtividade, no que se designou por: (B) relação do salário mínimo com a distribuição salarial; (C) desigualdade salarial; (D) custos extrassalariais e (E) custos unitários do trabalho (CUT). Propõem‑se interpretações para as diferentes combinações de valores dos rácios intra‑país e para os seus diversos valores entre nações, terminando com os desafios futuros, nomeadamente de inclusão de variáveis políticas relacionadas com atores relevantes e regras institucionalizadas do processo político.
Economia da Saúde, Inovação e Desigualdades Globais
Authors: Maia João
Published: April 2020

A economia global da saúde reflete o forte investimento em investigação e desenvolvimento (I&D) que tem sido realizado nos países desenvolvidos. No entanto, trata‑se de uma realidade que não se reflete nos países em desenvolvimento, os países do Sul sociológico. Estes países inclusivamente debatem‑se com outro tipo de problemáticas na área da saúde. Este artigo mostra uma panorâmica das lógicas dominantes na economia da saúde, à escala global, evidenciando as discrepâncias que se estão a originar em indicadores de referência. As considerações finais apontam como determinantes, para a correção das assimetrias, o nível de exequibilidade e de efetividade que os movimentos sociais que atuam neste campo possam vir a obter para o desenvolvimento de uma biopolítica democrática que corresponda às necessidades de todos.
Chronic Constipation in the United States: Results From a Population-Based Survey Assessing Healthcare Seeking and Use of Pharmacotherapy
Authors: Oh Sun Jung , Fuller Garth , Patel Devin , Khalil Carine , Spalding William , Nag Arpita , Spiegel Brennan M. R. , Almario Christopher V.
Published: April 2020

OBJECTIVES:

Chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) is characterized by unsatisfactory defecation and difficult or infrequent stools. CIC affects 9%–20% of adults in the United States, and although prevalent, gaps in knowledge remain regarding CIC healthcare seeking and medication use in the community. We recruited a population-based sample to determine the prevalence and predictors of (i) individuals having discussed their constipation symptoms with a healthcare provider and (ii) the use of constipation therapies.

METHODS:

We recruited a representative sample of Americans aged 18 years or older who had experienced constipation. Those who met the Rome IV criteria for irritable bowel syndrome and opioid-induced constipation were excluded. The survey included questions on constipation severity, healthcare seeking, and the use of constipation medications. We used multivariable regression methods to adjust for confounders.

RESULTS:

Overall, 4,702 participants had experienced constipation (24.0% met the Rome IV CIC criteria). Among all respondents with previous constipation, 37.6% discussed their symptoms with a clinician (primary care provider 87.6%, gastroenterologist 26.0%, and urgent care/emergency room physician 7.7%). Age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, employment status, having a source of usual care, insurance status, comorbidities, locus of control, and constipation severity were associated with seeking care (P< 0.05). Overall, 47.8% of respondents were taking medication to manage their constipation: over-the-counter medication(s) only, 93.5%; prescription medication(s) only, 1.3%; and both over-the-counter medication(s) and prescription medication(s), 5.2%.

DISCUSSION:

We found that 3 of 5 Americans with constipation have never discussed their symptoms with a healthcare provider. Furthermore, the use of prescription medications for managing constipation symptoms is low because individuals mainly rely on over-the-counter therapies.
Real-World Practice Patterns in the Era of Rectal Indomethacin for Prophylaxis Against Post-ERCP Pancreatitis in a High-Risk Cohort
Authors: Smith Zachary L. , Elmunzer B. Joseph , Cooper Gregory S. , Chak Amitabh
Published: April 2020

INTRODUCTION:

The benefit of indomethacin suppositories for prophylaxis against post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) in high-risk patients was established in a landmark trial published in 2012. The aims of this study were to measure the adoption of indomethacin prophylaxis in widespread clinical practice, evaluate concurrent trends in pancreatic duct (PD) stent utilization, and estimate the impact of these changes on PEP in a high-risk population.

METHODS:

Data were extracted from a commercial database (Explorys, IBM Watson Health, Somers, NY) that aggregates electronic health records from 26 US healthcare systems from 2009 to 2018. Using Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms, we identified a cohort of patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and were at high risk for PEP based on narrow criteria. PEP was defined as an emergency department or hospital admission 1–5 days after ERCP with an associated diagnosis of pancreatitis.

RESULTS:

Twenty six thousand eight hundred twenty ERCPs were performed on this high-risk cohort from 2009 to 2018. The overall PEP rate during the study period was 8.6%. There was no decrease in PEP rates from 2012 to 2018. Beginning in 2012, indomethacin usage increased linearly (P < 0.001), but remained below 50% in 2018. As indomethacin increased, utilization of PD stents declined abruptly from 2013 to 2014 (40.7%–8.5%) and trended to a nadir of 3.0%.

DISCUSSION:

Despite its low cost, widespread availability, and level I evidence of benefit in reducing the risk of PEP in high-risk patients, the adoption of rectal indomethacin during ERCP has been slow and the medication continues to be under-utilized. In parallel, the PD stent usage has declined dramatically. The lack of change in PEP rates during the study period could be attributable to the persistent low usage of rectal indomethacin or the decline in PD stent use. Further educational efforts and quality assurance measures are warranted to ensure that rectal indomethacin and PD stent placement are more appropriately used in clinical practice.
Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Is Not Associated With Future Clostridium difficile Infection
Authors: Kumar Shria , Metz David C. , Kaplan David E. , Goldberg David S.
Published: April 2020

INTRODUCTION:

Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection is associated with many gastrointestinal disorders, including gastric cancer, and consensus guidelines recommend eradication after detection. There is a theoretical, yet uninvestigated, concern that HP treatment could increase the risk of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Using the data from a large cohort of patients with HP, we investigated whether HP eradication is associated with CDI.

METHODS:

A retrospective cohort study within the Veterans Health Administration on 38,535 patients (median age 61.8 years; 91.8% men) with detected HP between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 2018 was conducted. Primary outcome was a positive laboratory test for CDI within 3 months of HP detection. Multivariable logistic regression evaluated the following: patient demographics, previous CDI, recent hospitalization, and whether the patient received HP eradication therapy (by antibiotic and regimen, and including proton pump therapy). Secondary analysis of those treated evaluated whether eradication of HP was associated with CDI.

RESULTS:

Among 38,535 patients, 28,818 (74.8%) were treated for HP and 284 (0.74%) developed CDI. In multivariable analysis, prominent factors included hospital discharge within 12 weeks (odds ratio [OR] 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22–3.77) and 4 weeks (OR 3.46; 95% CI: 2.18–5.48), P < 0.001, and previous CDI (OR 12.5; 95% CI: 9.21–17.0, P < 0.001). Treatment of HP was not associated with future CDI. In secondary analysis of those treated, confirmation of eradication was not associated with future CDI (OR 1.49; 95% CI: 0.67–3.29).

DISCUSSION:

In a large study of US patients with HP, we demonstrate that neither treatment nor eradication of HP is associated with CDI. Previous C. difficile infection and recent hospital discharge, established risk factors for CDI, are strongly associated. These findings suggest that treatment should be continued to be prescribed when HP is detected (http://links.lww.com/AJG/B507).
Overutilization of Endoscopic Surveillance in Barrett's Esophagus: The Perils of Too Much of a Good Thing
Authors: Cotton Cary C. , Shaheen Nicholas J.
Published: April 2020

A cost-utility analysis in the current issue of AJG examines the ramifications of the overuse of surveillance endoscopy in Barrett's esophagus (BE). This study suggests that excess surveillance is expensive, increasing costs by 50% or more, with only nominal increases in quality-adjusted life expectancy. This study joins a growing literature of cost-utility analyses that suggest that more is not likely better when it comes to surveillance endoscopy. Given the plentiful literature showing overutilization of surveillance endoscopy in BE, the authors argue for a focus on the quality of endoscopy rather than increased frequency of surveillance to improve returns on our healthcare investment.
La construction d’une parenté à la marge
Authors: Fieyre Marie-Lise
Published: April 2020

Symboles de la transgression du mariage chrétien, les enfants naturels sont frappés d’incapacités juridiques, définies par le droit coutumier, l’Église et la jurisprudence à partir du XIe siècle. L’objectif est de préserver les intérêts successoraux des enfants légitimes. Ceux qui naissent hors mariage se trouvent distingués au sein de la parenté. À travers la famille ducale de Bourbon (XIVe-XVIe siècle), l’objectif est de comprendre la place donnée aux enfants naturels nobles au sein d’un groupe de parenté. Si leur exclusion successorale n’entraîne pas une exclusion sociale, ils restent volontairement positionnés à la marge de la parenté et destinés à servir les intérêts du lignage.
El cuerpo perfumado. Los aromas de la intimidad femenina en Ifigenia (Teresa de la Parra, 1924)1
Authors: Malaver Narváez María Carmela
Published: April 2020

El perfume y los olores tienen una especial relevancia en la novela Ifigenia (1924) de Teresa de la Parra. Este sutil elemento revela secretos de la sociedad desde el punto de vista sociológico, cultural, antropológico y comunica un mensaje. Se hará un breve recorrido por la historia del perfume. Desde esa base se hará una aproximación a la olfacción en la novela Ifigenia, donde el perfume y los olores aportan matices a la identidad de los personajes principales, develando secretos del alma de la casa criolla. Se utilizará la metodología interpretativa para analizar la relevancia del perfume en la obra y demostrar cómo la autora se vale de la olfacción para la construcción del sentido de la novela, descifrando un código para transmitir un mensaje. Nos serviremos de algunos teóricos de la olfacción, el perfume, el cuerpo y la identidad, entre ellos: Vroon, Corbin, Freud, Squicciarino, Foucault, Sáez, Mattalía, Torras.
Caleidoscopio del cuerpo: Entre imaginarios y narrativas de la diversidad corporal
Authors: González Peña Luisa Fernanda
Published: April 2020

El presente artículo se enfocará en dos grupos de estudio poseedores de condiciones médicas que modifican su estructura corporal: la acondroplasia y acromegalia (enfermedad congénita y adquirida). Existe un contraste en dichas condiciones médicas; sin embargo, ambas han servido a lo largo del tiempo para resaltar las diferencias corporales ante el espectador que capta estas imágenes en un instante o de manera contemplativa. Podemos exponer que los ojos nos crean una realidad, mientras la conciencia y la imagen corporal se construyen desde varias miradas incluyendo la de los otros. La única manera de comprender este tipo de hibridaciones y su importancia es examinar con atención las imágenes y describir el vocabulario de sus formas. Se abordan estos grupos de estudio desde la experiencia y el imaginario social, partiendo del análisis semiótico-discursivo como herramienta metodológica.
Efecto de abonos orgánicos sobre el rendimiento, valor nutritivo y capacidad antioxidante de tomate verde (Physalis ixocarpa
Authors: Aguiñaga-Bravo Arturo , Medina-Dzul Kati , Garruña-Hernández René , Latournerie-Moreno Luis , Ruíz-Sánchez Esaú
Published: April 2020

Se evaluó en tomate verde el efecto de la adición de bocashi o estiércol de ovino mezclado con 50% de fertilizantes sintéticos. Se estudiaron variables fisiológicas, de producción de biomasa, rendimiento de fruto y contenido de minerales en el follaje, valor nutritivo y capacidad antioxidante del fruto. La biomasa y rendimiento de fruto no presentaron diferencias entre tratamientos, excepto la biomasa de raíz. La acumulación de N fue mayor en el follaje de plantas con estiércol de ovino + fertilización química 50% (EO-FQ 50%), la tasa de transpiración fue mayor y la conductancia estomática menor. La acumulación de P y K no varió entre tratamientos. Los contenidos de grasa, Ca, K, Fe y fenoles totales fueron mayores en frutos con EO-FQ 50%. La adición de abono orgánico con fertilización química al 50% iguala los rendimientos y mejora la calidad de fruto de tomate verde (P. ixocarpa).
Palabras clave: bocashi, ovinasa, Physalis ixocarpa, calidad de fruto, antioxidantes.
Ratcheting Examination of 1045 Notched Steel Plates under Low-High and High-Low Sequences
Authors: Kolasangiani K. , Shariati M. , Varvani-Farahani A.
Published: April 2020

The present study examines the ratcheting response of 1045 notched steel plates undergoing uniaxial step-loading cycles. Loading steps were applied with different Low-High and High-Low sequences. Ratcheting tests were conducted on notched samples, and average local strains were measured with the use of strain gauges mounted in the vicinity of notch roots. Measured ratcheting strains near notch roots were found as high as 10 times those of tests conducted on unnotched samples. The magnitude of applied cyclic load as well as notch diameter influenced local ratcheting strain at the vicinity of the notch root. The lower nominal load level over the first step in the Low-High sequence substantially promoted ratcheting magnitude over subsequent loading steps with higher load magnitudes. In the High-Low loading sequence, the previous load step with higher magnitude retarded the local accumulated plastic strain of the subsequent step with a lower load level. The plastic zone at the notch root was affected over the loading steps. Microhardness tests were conducted at several positions within a small area of 1.5 by 4 mm near the notch root to map the plastic zone and its progress after each loading step. Microhardness data collected at the notch region verified an enlarged plastic zone over the Low-High loading sequence, while the plastic zone for the High-Low loading sequence was estimated about 50 % smaller in size. Cracking at the notch root and fracture surface taken within the plastic zone were examined through optical and scanning electron microscopies.
Tonic GABAAConductance Favors Spike-Timing-Dependent over Theta-Burst-Induced Long-Term Potentiation in the Hippocampus
Authors: Dembitskaya Yulia , Wu Yu-Wei , Semyanov Alexey
Published: April 2020

Synaptic plasticity is triggered by different patterns of network activity. Here, we investigated how LTP in CA3-CA1 synapses induced by different stimulation patterns is affected by tonic GABAAconductances in rat hippocampal slices. Spike-timing-dependent LTP was induced by pairing Schaffer collateral stimulation with antidromic stimulation of CA1 pyramidal neurons. Theta-burst-induced LTP was induced by theta-burst stimulation of Schaffer collaterals. We mimicked increased tonic GABAAconductance by bath application of 30 μmGABA. Surprisingly, tonic GABAAconductance selectively suppressed theta-burst-induced LTP but not spike-timing-dependent LTP. We combined whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology, two-photon Ca2+imaging, glutamate uncaging, and mathematical modeling to dissect the mechanisms underlying these differential effects of tonic GABAAconductance. We found that Ca2+transients during pairing of an action potential with an EPSP were less sensitive to tonic GABAAconductance-induced shunting inhibition than Ca2+transients induced by EPSP burst. Our results may explain how different forms of memory are affected by increasing tonic GABAAconductances under physiological or pathologic conditions, as well as under the influence of substances that target extrasynaptic GABAAreceptors (e.g., neurosteroids, sedatives, antiepileptic drugs, and alcohol).

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTBrain activity is associated with neuronal firing and synaptic signaling among neurons. Synaptic plasticity represents a mechanism for learning and memory. However, some neurotransmitters that escape the synaptic cleft or are released by astrocytes can target extrasynaptic receptors. Extrasynaptic GABAAreceptors mediate tonic conductances that reduce the excitability of neurons by shunting. This results in the decreased ability for neurons to fire action potentials, but when action potentials are successfully triggered, tonic conductances are unable to reduce them significantly. As such, tonic GABAAconductances have minimal effects on spike-timing-dependent synaptic plasticity while strongly attenuating the plasticity evoked by EPSP bursts. Our findings shed light on how changes in tonic conductances can selectively affect different forms of learning and memory.
The Rostrolateral Prefrontal Cortex Mediates a Preference for High-Agency Environments
Authors: Norton Kaitlyn G. , Liljeholm Mimi
Published: April 2020

The ability to exert flexible instrumental control over one's environment is a defining feature of adaptive decision-making. Here, we investigated neural substrates mediating a preference for environments with greater instrumental divergence, the distance between outcome probability distributions associated with alternative actions. A formal index of agency, instrumental divergence allows an organism to flexibly obtain the currently most desired outcome as preferences change. As such, it may have intrinsic utility, guiding decisions toward environments that maximize instrumental power. Consistent with this notion, we found that a measure of expected value that treats instrumental divergence as a reward surrogate provided a better account of male and female human participants' choice preferences than did a conventional model, sensitive only to monetary reward. Using model-based fMRI, we found that activity in the rostrolateral and ventromedial PFC, regions associated with abstract cognitive inferences and subjective value computations, respectively, scaled with the divergence-based account of expected value. Implications for a neural common currency of information theoretic and motivational variables are discussed.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTAgency is a central concept in philosophy and psychology. While research thus far has focused on cognitive and perceptual measures of agency, recent work demonstrating a strong preference for high-agency environments indicates a salient motivational dimension. Here, using instrumental divergence, the distance between outcome distributions associated with alternative actions, as a formal index of agency, we found that brain regions associated with directed exploration and subjective value computations, respectively, were selectively modulated by a model that treated agency as a reward surrogate, over models that assigned utility only to monetary payoffs. In a subset of regions, such effects were predicted by the influence of instrumental divergence on economic choice preferences. Our results elucidate neural mechanisms mediating the utility of agency.
The Effect of 5E Inquiry Learning Model on the Science Achievement in the Learning of “Magnet” among Year 3 Students
Authors: Ong E. T. , Keok B. L. , Yingprayoon J. , Singh C. K.S. , Borhan M. T. , Tho S. W.
Published: April 2020

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of the 5E Inquiry Learning Model as compared to the conventional method in enhancing third-grade students’ science achievement using “magnet” as the learning material. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was employed with the participation of 40 students from two intact Third-grade classes in a primary school in Kuala Kangsar. The experimental group was taught using the 5E Inquiry Learning Model which consists of 5 stages, namely Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Expansion, & Evaluation, while the control group was taught using the teacher-centered conventional method. The science achievement in the learning of “Magnet” was measured using a researcher-developed test consisting of 12 multiple-choice and 8 fill-in-the-blank items. The test has sufficient validity and KR-20 reliability. Analysis of the pretest data indicates that there was no statistically significant difference (t = 1.66, p > .05) in the pretest means between the experimental and control groups. Accordingly, an independent samples t-test was used to compare students’ achievement in the posttest. The analysis of the posttest data indicates that the posttest mean in science achievement (16.05) among the group of students who had followed through the 5E Inquiry Learning Model is statistically significantly higher (t = 4.75, p < .001) than the corresponding mean (13.15) among the group of students in the control group. Therefore, it can be concluded that the 5E Inquiry Learning Model enhances the learning of science in terms of achievement among the primary students.
Enhancement of Student’s Critical Thinking Skill through Science Context-based Inquiry Learning
Authors: Pursitasari I. D. , Suhardi E. , Putra A. P. , Rachman I.
Published: April 2020

This study aims to enhance critical thinking skill through science context-based inquiry learning (SCOIL). This study is a quasi-experimental research with pretest and posttest control group design. The SCOIL was carried out in seventh-grade junior high school in Bogor with 56 students consisted of 24 boys and 36 girls. Data were collected by giving out critical thinking skill tests, observing the teaching and learning process, and students’ activities. Those data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Syntax of SCOIL was namely observation, investigation, representation, conclusions, and communication. The result of the SCOIL model implementation showed increased activity with high category and N-gain critical thinking skill was categorized at the medium level. The significance test showed the critical thinking skills of students with the SCOIL model are greater than the guided inquiry learning model. It can be concluded that the SCOIL model can enhance the critical thinking skills of junior high school students.
Developing a Tool to Assess Students’ Views of Nature of Science in Vietnam
Authors: Yuenyong C. , Thao-Do T. P.
Published: April 2020

Nature of Science (NOS) is a common topic in science education nowadays. However, the fact of the nature of science is not consensus through documents. The assessment of views of nature of science, therefore, was facing multi issues. Especially, in assessing views of NOS in a new context other than from where a validated tool was developed. Researchers and educators should notice certain issues relating to NOS. This paper will provide and discuss how to develop a more appropriate NOS tool to best use for Vietnamese Physics student teachers based on some previously validated tools and the empirical data from the research on the context. Instead of using a provided tool robotically, the paper calls for more critical employment of the tool based on the consideration of social and cultural context. This is not only important in the case of Vietnam but also any new circumstance.