bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with survival and racing performance of 114 Thoroughbred foals with septic arthritis compared with maternal siblings (2009‐2015)
Authors: O’Brien Thomas J. , Rosanowski Sarah M. , Mitchell Keith D. , Carrick Joan B. , Butt Troy D. , Adkins Angus R.
Published: November 2020

Background

There is little consensus on factors associated with survival in foals with septic arthritis and limited data on long‐term racing performance of Thoroughbred foals treated for septic arthritis. A more thorough understanding of short‐ and long‐term outcome is necessary to help inform owners, and subsequently guide treatment.

Objectives

To investigate factors associated with survival, and to analyse racing performance of foals with septic arthritis compared with their maternal siblings.

Study design

Retrospective cohort and a case‐control study.

Methods

Veterinary clinical records of Thoroughbred foals ≤180 days old that underwent arthroscopic, cannulae or through‐and‐through needle lavage for the treatment of septic arthritis between 2009 and 2015 were reviewed. Data included signalment, and clinicopathological information. The dam's foaling records were reviewed and the lifetime racing records were obtained for affected foals and two of their maternal siblings. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with survival to discharge or racing. Comparisons between treated foals and their maternal siblings were made.

Results

Ninety (78%) of 115 foals diagnosed with septic arthritis were discharged alive. Foals <26 days old at the time of admission were five times less likely (P = .003) and foals with concurrent multisystemic disease were six times less likely (P = .02) to be discharged alive. Sixty (67%) foals discharged alive started in ≥1 race, and there was no difference in the proportion of foals that started in a race or racing performance between foals treated for septic arthritis and their maternal siblings.

Main limitations

Retrospective study design, limited number of foals with multiple joint involvement and failure to accurately record duration of clinical signs.

Conclusions

Foals treated for septic arthritis at the Scone Equine Hospital, New South Wales, Australia had a good prognosis for survival, and for this cohort, foals that survived to discharge had a similar ability to race as their maternal siblings.
Gamifying the foreign language classroom for brain‐friendly learning
Authors: Rueckert Daniel , Pico Karina , Kim Daesang , Calero Sánchez Ximena
Published: November 2020

New instructional models for learning are emerging as alternatives to traditional education. Gamified instruction is touted as a motivational alternative for learning that increases learner autonomy, but research is lacking into its educational merit beyond those claims. This study measured the extent to which a gamified English as a foreign language classroom adhered to 21 principles of good education proposed by Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) researchers in comparison to a traditional classroom. It also explored the claim that gamification promotes greater learner autonomy. Two sections of a college English class in Ecuador were used in this study. One was gamified and the other used a traditional education model. Both groups completed a 22 Likert Scale item questionnaire which correlated questions with each MBE principle and one question about perceived autonomy. The teacher and the students also provided comments about the experience. The data showed that the gamified group had higher rankings of perceived adherence to all of the 21 principles and a statement about autonomy with 14 of them being significantly higher. The qualitative data also supported the greater perceived adherence to MBE principles and an increase in perceived autonomy amongst students from the gamified group. It was concluded that gamified instruction did provide a learning environment that adhered more closely to proposals made by MBE researchers for good education and did create an atmosphere where students felt greater control of their learning.
Mapping a high‐level overview of information flows in the Dutch declaration chain for medical specialist health care
Authors: van der Voorn Philippe , Brand Nico
Published: November 2020

This study is based on Philippe van der Voorn’s master’s dissertation at the Utrecht University, Department of Science, Information and Computing Sciences. The problem identified was a lack of an integrated information chain and clear governance structure for information flow in the Netherlands’ health care sector. The method of Design Science was followed to construct an overview model of the chain, and towards a business process model that is intuitive for both technical and business users. An initial declaration chain was identified in the literature and presented, to be confirmed and elaborated on via eight interviews at seven different organisations in the medical specialist health care sector. Based on these interviews, the draft overview was adjusted and a Business Process Model and Notation model created that indicates the shared understanding of the data elements and activities between the organisations. The contribution of the overview of the declaration chain, in particular, can help medical specialist staff obtain an understanding of the administrative side of their work, and with a clear information infrastructure lead to better working processes and information quality. F.J.
Selling Arms and Expressing Harm
Authors: Christensen James
Published: November 2020

According to an argument commonly made by politicians, selling weapons to oppressive and aggressive regimes can sometimes be permissible because the sale renders the victims of these regimes no worse off than they would have been had the sale not been made. We can refer to this argument as the inconsequence argument. My primary aim in this article is to identify one reason why the inconsequence argument will often not succeed in vindicating arms sales to oppressive and aggressive regimes. The inconsequence argument will often not succeed because arms sales to oppressive and aggressive regimes often do make the victims of these regimes worse off than they would have been had the sales not gone ahead. The victims of these regimes are often made worse off in virtue of the fact that arms sales can generate expressed harms, which, unlike some of the material harms often engendered by such sales, are additive (rather than substitutive) in character. As I shall explain, expressed harms are similar to, but also significantly different from, expressive harms. The differences are important because they allow us to construct a reply that can answer the inconsequence argument on its own (consequentialist) terms.
An endangered bird calls less when invasive birds are calling
Authors: Hopkins Jaimie M. , Edwards Will , Laguna Juan Mula , Schwarzkopf Lin
Published: November 2020

Novel noises can affect various animal behaviours, and changes to vocal behaviour are some of the most documented. The calls of invasive species are an important source of novel noise, yet their effects on native species are poorly understood. We examined the effects of invasive bird calls on the vocal activity of an endangered Australian finch to investigate whether: 1) native finch calling behaviour was affected by novel invasive bird calls, and 2) the calls of the finches overlapped in frequency with those of invasive birds. We exposed a wild population of black‐throated finch southern subspecies Poephila cincta cincta to the vocalisations of two invasive birds, nutmeg mannikins Lonchura punctulata and common mynas Acridotheres tristis, a synthetic ‘pink' noise, and a silent control. To determine whether the amount of black‐throated finch calling differed in response to treatments, we recorded and quantified black‐throated finch vocalisations, and assessed the amount of calling using a generalised linear mixed model followed by pairwise comparisons. We also measured, for both black‐throated finches and the stimulus noises: dominant, minimum and maximum frequency, and assessed the degree of frequency overlap between black‐throated finch calls and stimulus noises. Compared to silent controls, black‐throated finches called less when exposed to common myna calls and pink noise, but not to nutmeg mannikin calls. We also found that pink noise overlapped most in frequency with black‐throated finch calls. Common myna calls also somewhat overlapped the frequency range of black‐throated finch calls, whereas nutmeg mannikin calls overlapped the least. It is possible that masking interference is the mechanism behind the reduction in calling in response to common myna calls and pink noise, but more work is needed to resolve this. Regardless, these results indicate that the calls of invasive species can affect the behaviour of native species, and future research should aim to understand the scope and severity of this issue.
Equilibrium reproductive strategy of the peacock bass Cichla kelberi facilitates invasion into a Neotropical reservoir
Authors: Soares Guedes Gustavo Henrique , Gomes Iracema David , Alves do Nascimento Aparecida , Silva de Aguiar Fernanda , Araújo Francisco Gerson
Published: November 2020

The reproductive strategy of the non‐native predator cichlid Cichla kelberi was determined to explain its success after more than 60 years of being introduced into an isolated reservoir in southeastern Brazil. This was one of the first‐known translocations of the genus Cichla out of its natural range. Macro‐ and microscopy characteristics of the gonadal development stages and the maturation phases, along with the reproductive features (size at first maturation size, gonado‐somatic index and sex ratio), were described. It was hypothesized that the stable conditions of the reservoir, with low connectivity, weakly defined spatial gradient and slight seasonal changes in environmental variables, favour the equilibrium strategy that enables predators to have high offspring survivorship because of great parental investment in individual progeny. Sex ratio was well balanced, with males and females reaching first maturity between 30.0 and 28.6 cm total length (LT), respectively. The stages of oocyte (primary and secondary growth, vitellogenic and atresia) and spermatocyte (spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids and spermatozoa) development were identified. Five phases of gonadal development (immature, developing, spawning capable, regressing and regenerating) were described for both sexes. A long reproductive season was found, with spawning peaks in August/September and, to a lesser extent, in April/May. Parental care and spawns in parcels (batch spawns) corroborated the raised equilibrium strategy that was effective in this isolated reservoir. This species developed reproductive mechanisms that fit to different environmental conditions, with multiple spawning being associated with lentic environments and asynchronous development of oocytes, which are released over long periods. The reproductive plasticity in reservoirs may be one of the main factors inherent to the successful of colonization and establishment of the peacock bass in the environments in which they were introduced.
Nicotiana benthamiana LRR‐RLP NbEIX2 mediates the perception of an EIX‐like protein from Verticillium dahliae
Authors: Yin Zhiyuan , Wang Nan , Pi Lei , Li Lei , Duan Weiwei , Wang Xiaodan , Dou Daolong
Published: November 2020

Verticillium wilt diseases caused by the soil‐borne fungus Verticillium dahliae result in devastating yield losses in many economically important crops annually. Here, we identified a novel ethylene‐inducing xylanase (EIX)‐like protein, VdEIX3, from V. dahliae, which exhibits immunity‐inducing activity in Nicotiana benthamiana. In vitro‐purified VdEIX3 can induce strong oxidative burst, activate the expression of defense‐related genes, and increase resistance against oomycete and fungal pathogens in N. benthamiana. VdEIX3 orthologs of other Verticillium pathogens also induce cell death in N. benthamiana, which form a new type of EIX protein family that is distinct from the known EIX proteins. A leucine‐rich repeat receptor‐like protein, NbEIX2, regulates the perception of VdEIX3 in N. benthamiana. Our results demonstrate that VdEIX3 is a novel EIX‐like protein that can be recognized by N. benthamiana NbEIX2, and also suggest that NbEIX2 is a promising receptor‐like protein that is potentially applicable to transgenic breeding for improving resistance to Verticillium wilt diseases.
Anatomopathological lesions of infection caused by Platynosomum illiciens (Braun, 1901) in Neotropical primates kept in captivity
Authors: Pereira Washington Luiz Assunção , Conga David Marcial Fernandez , da Silva Klena Sarges Marruaz , da Silva Reinaldo José , Imbeloni Aline Amaral
Published: November 2020

This study described the hepatobiliary anatomopathological lesions associated with trematode Platynosomum illiciens parasitism in Neotropical primates kept in captivity. In the evaluated organs, we observed portal fibrosis, biliary epithelial hyperplasia, and inflammatory reaction with a predominance of lymphocytes and plasmocytes, and in some cases infiltration of eosinophils and neutrophils.
Degeneration alters structure‐function relationships at multiple length‐scales and across interfaces in human intervertebral discs
Authors: Ashinsky Beth G. , Gullbrand Sarah E. , Wang Chao , Bonnevie Edward D. , Han Lin , Mauck Robert L. , Smith Harvey E.
Published: November 2020

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration and associated back pain place a significant burden on the population. IVD degeneration is a progressive cascade of cellular, compositional, and structural changes, which results in a loss of disc height, disorganization of extracellular matrix architecture, tears in the annulus fibrosus which may involve herniation of the nucleus pulposus, and remodeling of the bony and cartilaginous endplates (CEP). These changes to the IVD often occur concomitantly, across the entire motion segment from the disc subcomponents to the CEP and vertebral bone, making it difficult to determine the causal initiating factor of degeneration. Furthermore, assessments of the subcomponents of the IVD have been largely qualitative, with most studies focusing on a single attribute, rather than multiple adjacent IVD substructures. The objective of this study was to perform a multiscale and multimodal analysis of human lumbar motion segments across various length scales and degrees of degeneration. We performed multiple assays on every sample and identified several correlations between structural and functional measurements of disc subcomponents. Our results demonstrate that with increasing Pfirrmann grade there is a reduction in disc height and nucleus pulposus T2 relaxation time, in addition to alterations in motion segment macromechanical function, disc matrix composition and cellular morphology. At the cartilage endplate‐vertebral bone interface, substantial remodeling was observed coinciding with alterations in micromechanical properties. Finally, we report significant relationships between vertebral bone and nucleus pulposus metrics, as well as between micromechanical properties of the endplate and whole motion segment biomechanical parameters, indicating the importance of studying IVD degeneration as a whole organ.
Fractional ablative carbon dioxide laser treatment of facial scars: Improvement of patients' quality of life, scar quality, and cosmesis
Authors: Meynköhn Anna , Fischer Sebastian , Neuss Clara , Willkomm Lina Marie , Kneser Ulrich , Kotsougiani‐Fischer Dimitra
Published: November 2020

Background

Disfiguring facial scars can be a massive burden on patients' psychosocial health and severely impact patients' self‐esteem.

Aims

The aim of this study was to analyze whether ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser (CO2‐AFL) treatment can positively influence facial scarring and quality of life (QoL) while improving the aesthetic appearance.

Patientes/Methods

Patients with facial scars who had received CO2‐AFL treatment between May 2019 and May 2020 were included in a retrospective study. The post‐interventional course and patient and/or observer reported outcomes were inquired before and three months after treatment. Primary outcomes were changes in the Patient and Observer Scar Scale (POSAS) and QoL (Short Form (SF) 36). In addition, two independent examiners evaluated the aesthetic outcome by comparing initial scarring with the post‐intervention results using photographs.

Results

A total of 16 patients with facial scars were included. Most of the scars were caused by burns (43.8%) or trauma (31.3%). The post‐interventional course was uneventful. Overall POSAS scores improved decisively for both observers (n=2) and patients (n=16) (p<0.001 and p<0.001). Also, there was an improvement in QoL with an increase in emotional well‐being (p=0.043) and social functioning (p=0.01). Furthermore, the aesthetic outcome was significantly enhanced (p=0.001) after treatment.

Conclusion

The CO2‐AFL offers a safe and effective treatment for disfiguring facial scars. We have shown that improvement of scar appearance and scar quality was meaningful to the patient, with a significant impact on a patient’s life quality. Based on these findings we suggest including the CO2‐AFL in the facial scar treatment concept.
The root‐knot nematode effector MiEFF18 interacts with the plant core spliceosomal protein SmD1 required for giant cell formation
Authors: Mejias Joffrey , Bazin Jérémie , Truong Nhat‐My , Chen Yongpan , Marteu Nathalie , Bouteiller Nathalie , Sawa Shinichiro , Crespi Martin D. , Vaucheret Hervé , Abad Pierre , Favery Bruno , Quentin Michaël
Published: November 2020

The root‐knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita secretes specific effectors (MiEFF) and induces the redifferentiation of plant root cells into enlarged multinucleate feeding ‘giant cells’ essential for nematode development.

Immunolocalizations revealed the presence of the MiEFF18 protein in the salivary glands of M. incognita juveniles. In planta, MiEFF18 localizes to the nuclei of giant cells demonstrating its secretion during plant–nematode interactions. A yeast two‐hybrid approach identified the nuclear ribonucleoprotein SmD1 as a MiEFF18 partner in tomato and Arabidopsis. SmD1 is an essential component of the spliceosome, a complex involved in pre‐mRNA splicing and alternative splicing.

RNA‐seq analyses of Arabidopsis roots ectopically expressing MiEFF18 or partially impaired in SmD1 function (smd1b mutant) revealed the contribution of the effector and its target to alternative splicing and proteome diversity. The comparison with Arabidopsis galls data showed that MiEFF18 modifies the expression of genes important for giant cell ontogenesis, indicating that MiEFF18 modulates SmD1 functions to facilitate giant cell formation.

Finally, Arabidopsis smd1b mutants exhibited less susceptibility to M. incognita infection, and the giant cells formed on these mutants displayed developmental defects, suggesting that SmD1 plays an important role in the formation of giant cells and is required for successful nematode infection.
Why people make friends: The nature of friendship
Authors: Apostolou Menelaos , Keramari Despoina , Kagialis Antonios , Sullman Mark
Published: November 2020

Friendship constitutes an important facet of human behavior, and the current research investigated the reasons that motivate people to make friends. First, a combination of qualitative research methods were used to identify 41 perceived reasons why people make friends. Using a sample of 1,316 Greek‐speaking participants, these reasons were classified into five broad factors. Participants indicated that the most important reasons for making friends were to receive social input, support, and because of someone else's good qualities. Sex differences and age effects were found in most factors. Finally, the five factors were classified into two broader domains, the first reflecting motivation to make a true friendship and the second to gain opportunistic benefits.
Ecological engineering in pond aquaculture: a review from the whole‐process perspective in China
Authors: Liu XingGuo , Shao Zhengyi , Cheng Guofeng , Lu Shimin , Gu Zhaojun , Zhu Hao , Shen Hongye , Wang Jie , Chen Xiaolong
Published: November 2020

Pond aquaculture undeniably offers the potential for food production worldwide. In China, 45.83% of aquatic production is currently from pond aquaculture. However, with the continuous expansion of this practice, environmental problems such as a high level of water consumption, aquaculture water deterioration, pollution from effluent and aquatic product quality decline seriously restrict the sustainable development of pond aquaculture. In this review, we summarise the (i) the impacts of pond aquaculture on the environment, (ii) research progress in pond aquaculture ecological engineering, (iii) existing technologies regarding pond aquaculture ecological engineering systems, (iv) effects of applying pond aquaculture ecological engineering and (v) summary and prospects. Moreover, we discuss the merits and drawbacks of each method and technology, and future research priorities are reviewed. With this, an understanding of the role played by ecological engineering in pond aquaculture is provided, as well as guidance for precisely managing aquaculture water and effluent, aquaculture practices, and technological developments. In summary, the pond aquaculture ecological engineering can be managed so as to improve animal welfare and the stability of water treatment systems, reducing the adverse effects on the environment and public health, and enabling the sustainable development of pond aquaculture.
Development of a Potential Facility Risk Index for Radiological Security
Authors: Rane Shraddha , Harris Jason
Published: November 2020

Given the threat of radiological and nuclear terrorism, it is imperative to understand and evaluate the security risk of radioactive sources. In this context, risk assessment is a function of threat, vulnerability, and consequences. Currently, no broad risk index exists for radiological facilities, such as healthcare centers and universities. This study aims to develop and demonstrate a methodology to compute a potential facility risk index (PFRI) based on a probable loss event (LE) and loss magnitude (LM) resulting from a radiological dispersal device (RDD) attack. The threat component of the PFRI is devised as a utility function weighing the threat group attributes and RDD radioactive material preference. The principles of probabilistic risk assessment and pathway analysis are implemented to account for RDD radioactive material theft probabilities in different attack scenarios. Locational hazards and nuclear security culture are measured as a function of radiological facility vulnerability for LE. The LM of the attack, in the form of loss of life and economic damage, is then estimated to construct the PFRI. The methodology is applied to a hypothetical healthcare facility with a single radioactive material asset. For this example, the PFRI resulted in a value of 2.0 (on a scale of 1–10), showing low risk to the facility. The development of the PFRI provides a risk analysis tool that may be useful in making decisions for radiological security improvements.
Are Individuals Harmed by Gerrymandering? Examining Access to Congressional District Offices
Authors: Niven David , Cover Benjamin Plener , Solimine Michael
Published: November 2020

Objective

We consider proximity and access to the district offices of members of Congress to explore whether gerrymandering affects individuals’ capacity to be heard and thus impairs their representation.

Methods

In a study of six states, we conduct more than 123 million distance measurements to identify residents whose closest district office is in the wrong congressional district. Based on survey results, we then estimate the likelihood that such mismatched individuals will personally visit the office of their member of Congress.

Results

We find that in five gerrymandered states, between 28.7 and 47.5 percent of residents have a mismatched closest district office, a rate several times higher than in a non‐gerrymandered state. Extrapolating from survey results, we find that mismatched residents are 38 percent less likely to visit their own district office, and that across five states gerrymandering effectively deters nearly 600,000 office visits over a two‐year congressional session.

Conclusion

Of significance in both the legal and scholarly arena, we find that gerrymandering increases the prevalence of mismatched district offices, thereby impeding constituents from making in‐person visits that are widely viewed as the most effective mechanism for communicating their opinions and needs to Congress. We believe this heretofore undocumented mismatch warrants additional scholarly consideration of gerrymandering's effects on individual's access to tangible aspects of representation.
Ultrasound examination is doubly effective for hoarseness: imaging for the vocal cords and the recurrent laryngeal nerve
Authors: Chang Ke-Vin , Wu Wei-Ting , Özçakar Levent
Published: November 2020

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First Pages and Contents
Authors: -- --
Published: November 2020

Contents
A Tête-à-Tête about Willenbrock Christoph Hein and Cecilia Novero in Conversation (2008)
Authors: Novero Cecilia
Published: November 2020

Interview with writer Christoph Hein
Excess, Distortion, and Archival Value: Exhibiting the East German Everyday at the Wende Museum
Authors: Blaylock Sara
Published: November 2020

Wende Museum, Los Angeles
Interhotels der DDR: Einrichtung zwischen historischer Wahrheit und Dichtung Ein Forschungsbericht
Authors: Ulrich Silvia
Published: November 2020

Essay on the Interhotels in the GDR
"Die wilde Frau": Colonialism in Christa Wolf's Medea. Stimmen
Authors: Stone Brangwen
Published: November 2020

Essay on Wolf's Text
Love Stories and Hot Summers A Reflection on Romance, Youth and a Socialist Musical
Authors: Crawford Ruth
Published: November 2020

Essay on the musical Heisser Sommer
Notes on Contributors
Authors: -- --
Published: November 2020

Biographies
Getting an Internship in the Sport Industry: The Institutionalization of Privilege
Authors: Walker Nefertiti A. , Agyemang Kwame J.A. , Washington Marvin , Hindman Lauren C. , MacCharles Jeffrey
Published: November 2020

Unpaid internships are embedded in sport hegemony. These unpaid sport internships often offer fewer learning opportunities and foster an environment wherein interns feel like “second-class citizens” in their organization. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the world of unpaid internships in the sport industry by exploring students’ perspectives of them as an institutionalized practice, as well as how privilege impacts their internship experiences. Grounded in institutional theory, data from semistructured interviews with 17 sports management students were analyzed using the Gioia methodology. Three themes emerged from the findings: the idiosyncratic nature of sport internships, the legitimization of unpaid internships in the sport industry, and the institutionalization of privilege spurred by such positions. Practical implications from the study include increasing sport organizations’ awareness of how unpaid internships disadvantage students from less privileged backgrounds and may, therefore, result in a less socioeconomically diverse workforce in the sport industry.
The known unknowns of T cell immunity to COVID-19
Authors: Karlsson Annika C. , Humbert Marion , Buggert Marcus
Published: November 2020

Unanswered questions remain about the contributions of T cell immunity to protective and dysfunctional responses in COVID-19.
Unique Mode of Cell Division by the Mycobacterial Genetic Resister Clones Emerging
De Novo
from the Antibiotic-Surviving Population
Authors: Jakkala Kishor , Paul Avraneel , Pradhan Atul , Nair Rashmi Ravindran , Sharan Deepti , Swaminath Sharmada , Ajitkumar Parthasarathi
Published: November 2020

The bacterial pathogens that are tolerant to antibiotics and survive in the continued presence of antibiotics have the chance to acquire genetically resistant mutations against the antibiotics and emerge
de novo
as antibiotic resisters. Once the antibiotic resister clone has emerged, often with compromise on growth characteristics, for the protection of the species, it is important to establish an antibiotic-resistant population quickly in the continued presence of the antibiotic. In this regard, the present study has unraveled multinucleation and multiseptation followed by multiple constrictions as the cellular processes used by the bacteria for quick multiplication to establish antibiotic-resistant populations. The study also points out the same phenomenon occurring in other bacterial systems investigated in our laboratory and others’ laboratories. Identification of these specific cellular events involved in quick multiplication offers additional cellular processes that can be targeted in combination with the existing antibiotics’ targets to preempt the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.
Evidence for a late glacial advance near the beginning of the Younger Dryas in western New York State: An event postdating the record for local Laurentide ice sheet recession
Authors: Young Richard A. , Gordon Lee M. , Owen Lewis A. , Huot Sebastien , Zerfas Timothy D.
Published: November 2020

Widespread evidence of an unrecognized late glacial advance across preexisting moraines in western New York is confirmed by 40 14C ages and six new optically stimulated luminescence analyses between the Genesee Valley and the Cattaraugus Creek basin of eastern Lake Erie. The Late Wisconsin chronology is relatively unconstrained by local dating of moraines between Pennsylvania and Lake Ontario. Few published 14C ages record discrete events, unlike evidence in the upper Great Lakes and New England. The new 14C ages from wood in glacial tills along Buttermilk Creek south of Springville, New York, and reevaluation of numerous 14C ages from miscellaneous investigations in the Genesee Valley document a significant glacial advance into Cattaraugus and Livingston Counties between 13,000 and 13,300 cal yr B.P., near the Greenland Interstadial 1b (GI-1b) cooling leading into the transition from the Bölling-Alleröd to the Younger Dryas. The chronology from four widely distributed sites indicates that a Late Wisconsin advance spread till discontinuously over the surface, without significantly modifying the preexisting glacial topography. A short-lived advance by a partially grounded ice shelf best explains the evidence. The advance, ending 43 km south of Rochester and a similar distance south of Buffalo, overlaps the revised chronology for glacial Lake Iroquois, now considered to extend from ca. 14,800–13,000 cal yr B.P. The spread of the radiocarbon ages is similar to the well-known Two Creeks Forest Bed, which equates the event with the Two Rivers advance in Wisconsin.
Population vitamin D supplementation in UK adults: too much of nothing?
Authors: Avenell Alison , Bolland Mark J , Grey Andrew
Published: November 2020

Topics for DTB review articles are selected by DTB’s editorial board to provide concise overviews of medicines and other treatments to help patients get the best care. Articles include a summary of key points and a brief overview for patients. Articles may also have a series of multiple choice CME questions.
App-based guided problem-solving intervention for adolescent mental health: a pilot cohort study in Indian schools
Authors: Gonsalves Pattie P , Hodgson Eleanor Sara , Bhat Bhargav , Sharma Rhea , Jambhale Abhijeet , Michelson Daniel , Patel Vikram
Published: November 2020

Background

This paper describes the pilot evaluation of ‘POD Adventures’, a lay counsellor-guided problem-solving intervention delivered via a smartphone app in Indian secondary schools.

Objective

To test the feasibility and acceptability of POD Adventures for adolescents with a felt need for psychological support, and to explore the intervention’s effects on self-reported mental health symptoms, prioritised problems, stress and well-being.

Methods

We used a mixed-methods pre-post cohort design. Participants were self-referred from grades 9–12 in two coeducational government-aided secondary schools in Goa, India. The intervention was delivered in two formats, ‘mixed’ (comprising individual and small group sessions) and ‘group’ (small group sessions only).

Findings

248 participants enrolled in the study and 230 (92.7%) completed the intervention. Outcomes at 4 weeks showed significant improvements on all measures that were maintained at 12 weeks. Large effects were observed on problem severity scores (4 weeks, d=1.47; 12 weeks, d=1.53) while small to moderate effects were seen on mental health symptoms, stress and well-being. 22 students completed qualitative interviews about their experience of the intervention. Participants found POD Adventures easy to use, engaging and helpful in solving their problems. They were satisfied with the guidance provided by the counsellor irrespective of delivery format.

Conclusions

POD Adventures was feasible to deliver with guidance from lay counsellors in Indian schools, acceptable to participants and associated with large improvements in problem severity and mental health symptom severity.

Clinical implications

POD Adventures has promise as an early intervention for adolescents with a felt need for psychological support in low-resource settings.
Diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care lung ultrasound in COVID-19
Authors: Haak Svenja L , Renken Iris JE , Jager L Cara , Lameijer Heleen , van der Kolk Brigitta (Britt) YM
Published: November 2020

Background

A promising modality for diagnosing pulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 in the emergency department (ED) is point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) of the lungs. The currently used PCR as well as chest X-ray and CT scanning have important disadvantages. The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of POCUS in patients with suspected pulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 in the ED.

Methods

This prospective diagnostic accuracy study was conducted at the ED of our non-academic level 1 trauma centre (Isala, Zwolle, the Netherlands). Patients were enrolled between 14 April and 22 April 2020. Patients (aged ≥16 years) with suspected COVID-19 presenting to the ED underwent POCUS. All patients received current standard of care, including PCR (naso-oropharyngeal swab). Outcome of POCUS was compared with PCR or CT scan outcome to determine diagnostic accuracy. Diagnostic accuracy measures were calculated using 2×2 contingency tables.

Results

100 patients were eligible to participate in this study, data of 93 patients were analysed. 27 (29%) patients were found positive for COVID-19 by PCR or CT. POCUS had a sensitivity of 89% (95% CI 70% to 97%), specificity of 59% (95% CI 46% to 71%), negative predictive value of 93% (95% CI 79% to 98%) and positive predictive value of 47% (95% CI 33% to 61%). In a subgroup of patients without previous cardiopulmonary disease (n=37), POCUS had a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI 70% to 100%), specificity of 76% (95% CI 54% to 90%), negative predictive value of 100% (95% CI 79% to 100%) and positive predictive value of 67% (95% CI 41% to 86%).

Conclusion

POCUS of the lungs could serve as a valuable, radiation-free tool for excluding pulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 in patients in the ED at the point of assessment, especially in patients without previous cardiopulmonary disease.

Trial registration

Dutch Trial Register, No: NTR8544.
Pathologists can get it right the first time
Authors: Varma Murali , McCluggage W Glenn , Shah Varsha , Berney Daniel M
Published: November 2020

It is established good practice for histopathologists to obtain a second opinion in difficult cases. However, it is becoming more common for histology material to be reviewed either at the time of reporting (double-reporting) or as part of the preparation for multidisciplinary team meetings. Routine histological review does not provide ‘value for money’ and could even increase the risk of diagnostic error. The focus should be on error prevention as opposed to error detection. If pathologists get it right the first time, then there would be less need for ‘double checking’. Increased subspecialisation could increase diagnostic confidence and reduce error rates. Double-reporting and retrospective review should be limited to selected cases. We describe a protocol for clearly recording the process and outcome of such reviews.
Cumulative impact of high job demands, low job control and high job insecurity on midlife depression and anxiety: a prospective cohort study of Australian employees
Authors: Too Lay San , Leach Liana , Butterworth Peter
Published: November 2020

Objective

There is a lack of evidence concerning the prospective effect of cumulative exposure to psychosocial job stressors over time on mental ill-health. This study aimed to assess whether cumulative exposure to poor quality jobs places employees at risk of future common mental disorder.

Methods

Data were from the Personality and Total Health Through Life project (n=1279, age 40–46 at baseline). Data reported on the cumulative exposure to multiple indicators of poor psychosocial job quality over time (ie, a combination of low control, high demands and high insecurity) and future common mental disorder (ie, depressive and/or anxiety symptom scores above a validated threshold) 12 years later. Data were analysed using logistic regression models and controlled for potential confounders across the lifespan.

Results

Cumulative exposure to poor-quality work (particularly more secure work) on multiple occasions elevated the risk of subsequent common mental disorder, independent of social, health, verbal intelligence and personality trait confounders (OR=1.30, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.59).

Conclusions

Our findings show that cumulative exposure to poor psychosocial job quality over time independently predicts future common mental disorder—supporting the need for workplace interventions to prevent repeated exposure of poor quality work.
Incidence and duration of incident oropharyngeal gonorrhoea and chlamydia infections among men who have sex with men: prospective cohort study
Authors: Chow Eric P F , Vodstrcil Lenka A , Williamson Deborah A , Maddaford Kate , Hocking Jane S , Ashcroft Melinda , De Petra Vesna , Bradshaw Catriona S , Fairley Christopher K
Published: November 2020

Objectives

This prospective cohort study aimed to determine the natural history and incidence of oropharyngeal gonorrhoea and chlamydia among a cohort of men who have sex with men (MSM) over a 12-week period, and to examine risk factors associated with incident oropharyngeal infections.

Methods

MSM either aged ≥18 years and had a diagnosis of oropharyngeal gonorrhoea by nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) in the past 3 months or aged 18–35 years who were HIV-negative taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) were eligible for this study. Enrolled men were followed up for 12 weeks. Oropharyngeal swabs were collected at week 0 (baseline) and week 12 (end of study). Between these time points, weekly saliva specimens and the number of tongue kissing, penile–oral and insertive rimming partners were collected by post. Oropharyngeal swabs and saliva specimens were tested by NAAT forNeisseria gonorrhoeaeandChlamydia trachomatis. Poisson regression was performed to examine the risk factors (weekly number of partners) associated with incident oropharyngeal gonorrhoea.

Results

A total of 100 MSM were recruited. The incidence of oropharyngeal gonorrhoea and chlamydia was 62 (95% CI 37 to 105) and 9 (95% CI 2 to 35)/100 person-years, respectively. The median duration of incident oropharyngeal infection with gonorrhoea was 28 days (IQR=21–36, n=7). The incidence rate ratio (IRR) for oropharyngeal gonorrhoea increased with an increased number of kissing partners (IRR=1.08; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.12) an increased number of penile-oral sex partners (IRR=1.07, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.14) but not with an increased number of insertive rimming partners (IRR=1.11, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.29) or other demographic factors. The IRR and duration of incident oropharyngeal chlamydia were not calculated due to the small number of cases (n=2).

Conclusions

MSM have a high incidence of oropharyngeal gonorrhoea and the median duration of infection was less than 3 months.
Holographic Lifshitz superconductors with Weyl correction
Authors: Lu Jun-Wang , Wu Ya-Bo , Dong Bao-Ping , Zhang Yu
Published: November 2020

At the probe approximation, we construct a holographic p-wave conductor/superconductor model in the five-dimensional Lifshitz black hole with the Weyl correction via both numerical and analytical methods, and study the effects of the Lifshitz parameter z as well as the Weyl parameter $$\gamma $$
γ
on the superconductor model. As we take into account one of the two corrections separately, the increasing z ($$\gamma $$
γ
) inhibits(enhances) the superconductor phase transition. When the two corrections are considered comprehensively, they display the obviously competitive effects on both the critical temperature and the vector condensate. In particular, the promoting effects of the Weyl parameter $$\gamma $$
γ
on the critical temperature are obviously suppressed by the increasing Lifshitz parameter. Meanwhile, in the case of $$z<2.35$$

z
<
2.35

($$z>2.35$$

z
>
2.35

), the condensate at lower temperature decreases(increases) with the increasing Weyl parameter $$\gamma $$
γ
. What is more, the difference among the condensate with the fixed Weyl parameter($$\gamma =-\frac{6}{100},0,\frac{4}{100}$$

γ
=
-

6
100

,
0
,

4
100

) decreases(increases) with the increasing Lifshitz parameter z in the region $$z<2.35$$

z
<
2.35

($$z>2.35$$

z
>
2.35

). Furthermore, the increasing z obviously suppresses the real part of conductivity for all value of the Weyl parameter $$\gamma $$
γ
. In addition, the analytical results agree well with the ones from the numerical method.
Positive Role of Chinese Herbal Medicine in Cancer Immune Regulation
Authors: Wang Sumei , Long Shunqin , Deng Zhiyin , Wu Wanyin
Published: November 2020

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) plays a critical role in treating cancer patients. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the main component of CAM. TCM, especially Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM), has been increasingly used in China, some other Asian countries and European countries. It has been proven to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted-therapy, and immunotherapy. It lessens the damage caused by these therapies. CHM functions on cancer by inhibiting tumor progression and improving an organism’s immune system. Increasing evidence has shown that many CHM exert favorable effects on the immune regulation. We will summarize the role of CHM on patient’s immune system when treating cancer patients. Our evidence reveals that single herbs, including their extracts, compound formulations, and preparations, will provide current advances on CHM study, especially from the perspective of immune regulation and novel insights for CHM application in clinic. The main herbs used to treat cancer patients are health-strengthening (Fu-Zheng) herbs and pathogen eliminating (Qu-Xie) herbs. The key mechanism is regulating the immune system of cancer patients. Firstly, health-strengthening herbs are mainly functioned as immune regulatory effectors on cancer. Secondly, some of the compound formulations mainly strengthen the health of patients by regulating the immune system of cancer patients. Lastly, some Chinese medicine preparations are widely used to treat cancer for their properties of spiriting vital energy and anti-cancer effects, mainly by improving immunity. CHM plays a positive role in regulating patients’ immune system, which helps cancer patients to fight against cancer itself and finally improves patients’ life quality.
An investigation of silicon nitride (Si3N4) nanoparticles interaction with neutrons
Authors: Naghiyev T. G.
Published: November 2020

The absorption of neutrons in nano-[Formula: see text] particles at different energies has been studied by computer modeling. The investigation was carried out separately for the silicon and nitrogen atoms that contain [Formula: see text] nanoparticles. Since the effective cross-section of absorption in different types of isotopes of silicon and nitrogen atoms is different, the modeling was performed separately for each stable isotope. Simultaneously, the effective cross-section spectra of neutrons for silicon and nitrogen atoms were studied.
STRESS DISTRIBUTION IN THE LEFT VENTRICULAR WALL DURING CARDIAC CONTRACTION: STUDY OF A MATHEMATICAL MODEL
Authors: MISRA J. C. , DANDAPAT S. , ADHIKARY S. D.
Published: November 2020

Of concern in the paper is an analytical study of the left ventricular wall stresses due to cardiac contraction. The study has been performed by developing a mathematical model for the intact heart, where the heart is represented as a volume of revolution of cardiod. The study is based on the consideration that during systole, the interstitial pressure is negligibly small compared to the left ventricular pressure. It is assumed that the shear stress on the outer surface of the heart is zero except in the region where the right ventricle wraps around the left ventricle. The results indicate that the increased diastolic filling contracts the ventricle more forcefully, whereby a larger amount of blood is ejected. This is in agreement with the Frank-Starling principle. Theoretical analysis of another alternative model for the heart, viz. a volume of revolution of lemniscate is also presented.
Coarse compactifications and controlled products
Authors: Fukaya Tomohiro , Oguni Shin-ichi , Yamauchi Takamitsu
Published: November 2020

We introduce the notion of controlled products on metric spaces as a generalization of Gromov products, and construct boundaries by using controlled products, which we call the Gromov boundaries. It is shown that the Gromov boundary with respect to a controlled product on a proper metric space is the ideal boundary of a coarse compactification of the space. It is also shown that there is a bijective correspondence between the set of all coarse equivalence classes of controlled products and the set of all equivalence classes of coarse compactifications.
Softening up robots
Authors: Shein Esther
Published: November 2020

Giving robots soft, artificial skin would enable them to work more closely with people.
Hexanediamine Monolayer Electrografted at Glassy Carbon Electrodes Enhances Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Aqueous Neutral Media
Authors: Hamzah Hairul Hisham , Ahmad Kamal Najahtul Najihah , Meneghello Marta , Shafiee Saiful Arifin , Sönmez Turgut , Mohamad Taib Mohamad Nurul Azmi , Mohd Samsuri Shazarizul Haziq , Meor Zulkifli Meor Faisal
Published: November 2020

This study presents for the first time the electrocatalytic behaviour of hexanediamine (HDA) monolayer electrografted at glassy carbon (GC) electrodes that enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in aqueous neutral media. HDA modified GC electrodes gave a higher current density than platinum bare electrodes based on the cyclic voltammograms (CV), although a ∼0.21 Vvs.Ag/AgCl higher onset potential was observed at −0.1 mA cm-2. Electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) showed that the electrocatalytic reaction on HDA monolayer film towards dissolved oxygen molecules is controlled by diffusion and charge transfer processes. From the scan rate studies and the Laviron equation, it was found that the ORR on this modified electrode proceeded via a fast four-electrons transfer.