bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A tangled web: Comparing inter‐ and intraspecific mating dynamics in Anasa squash bugs
Authors: Greenway E. V(Ginny) , Hamel Jennifer A. , Miller Christine W.
Published: November 2021

Reproductive interference, reproductive interactions between heterospecific individuals including mating, is commonly reported across taxa, but its drivers are still unclear. Studying interspecific matings in the context of their conspecific mating system—by relating an individual's conspecific mating behaviour to its heterospecific interactions—offers a powerful approach to address this uncertainty. Here, we compare inter‐ and intraspecific mating dynamics in the squash bug Anasa tristis and its close relative Anasa andresii under semi‐natural conditions. Using replicated enclosures, we surveyed the mating behaviour of individually marked A. tristis and A. andresii (five males and five females of each species per trial) at hourly intervals using a robotic camera system over a 14‐day period. We uncovered high levels of reproductive interference (19% of individuals engaged in interspecific matings), but the majority of mating activity took place between conspecifics. A. tristis females which engaged in interspecific matings had comparable hatching success with those which did not. Therefore, in this system, relatively high levels of reproductive interference may emerge under semi‐natural conditions as a by‐product of limited intraspecific pre‐copulatory choice paired with limited fitness penalties for at least one of the species involved.
Design and fabrication of a portable instrument based on elastic fiber/nano‐polypyrrole for evaluating of tensile properties of food samples
Authors: Mahmoodpour Omid , Esmaiili Mohsen , Pirsa Sajad
Published: November 2021

In this study, polypyrrole nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical methods on polyester elastic substrates. SEM images represent the uniform distribution of polypyrrole nanoparticles. Using polypyrrole modified fiber, the analysis system was designed and used as a portable texture analyzer to measure the mechanical properties of food samples. In the designed system, there was a linear and significant relationship between the changes of applied force and the electrical resistance of the elastic fiber. In this device, changes in the applied force can be obtained by tracking changes in electrical resistance. After obtaining a linear relationship between the force and electrical resistance changes for each fiber, the optimal sensor was selected by high sensitivity, the lower detection limit, and higher R2. Subsequently, for the validation of designed device, the biodegradable films based on different materials were used. The results obtained from the designed device and the texture analyzer showed that the designed device has high accuracy and error rate of less than 10%, which indicates the matching of the data obtained from the texture analyzer and the designed device. These results suggest the ability to use a designed device instead of the texture analyzer device to analysis mechanical properties of food samples.

Practical application

The designed device is very cheap and easy to work with. The device is easily capable of measuring mechanical properties such as stress–strain curves, fracture force, and tensile strength in food products and biodegradable polymers. Due to its portability, this device is capable of on‐site analysis and reduces the cost of material analysis to a great extent.
Corruption and money laundering: You scratch my back, i’ll scratch yours
Authors: Barone Raffaella , Masciandaro Donato , Schneider Friedrich
Published: November 2021

This paper is the first to theoretically and empirically analyse the three‐way nexus among corruption, money laundering and anti‐money‐laundering policies. Assuming that the goal of criminals involved in corruption is to minimize the probability of being detected, corruption represents a demand for money laundering (a trigger effect). In this case, money laundering serves as an effective way to clean the revenues from corruption for reinvestment (a multiplier effect). At the same time, criminals can try to maximize the likelihood that anti‐money‐laundering activities will be ineffective. Corruption can be an effective tool for maximizing this likelihood, as organized crime may corrupt financial institutions—both regulators and regulated firms—in order to prevent crime detection and, thereby, facilitate money laundering (an accelerator effect). The three‐way nexus is simulated using a sample of 100 countries for the period 1990 to 2040.
Diurnal changes of colonic motility and regulatory factors for colonic motility in Suncus murinus
Authors: Kobayashi Yuki , Takemi Shota , Sakai Takafumi , Shibata Chikashi , Sakata Ichiro
Published: November 2021

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the fundamental mechanisms of colonic motility in the house musk suncus (Suncus murinus) as an established animal model of gut motility.

Methods

To measure gut motility in free‐moving conscious suncus, strain gauge force transducers were implanted on the serosa of the colon and gastric body.

Key Results

We recorded diurnal changes in colonic motility and observed the relationship between feeding and colonic motility. Giant migrating contractions (GMCs) of the colon were invariably detected during defecation and tended to increase during the dark period, thereby indicating that colonic motility has a circadian rhythm. Given that GMCs in the suncus were observed immediately after feeding during the dark period, we assume the occurrence of a gastrocolic reflex in suncus, similar to that observed in humans and dogs. We also examined the factors that regulate suncus GMCs. Intravenous administration of 5‐HT (100 µg/kg), substance P (10 and 100 µg/kg), calcitonin gene‐related peptide (10 µg/kg), and α2 adrenergic receptor antagonist yohimbine (0.5, 1, and 3 mg/kg) induced GMC‐like contractions, as did intragastric and intracolonic administration of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 agonist, capsaicin (1 mg/kg).

Conclusions & Inferences

These results indicate that the fundamental mechanisms of colonic motility in suncus are similar to those in humans and dogs, and we thus propose that suncus could serve as a novel small animal model for studying colonic motility.
Visual photosensitivity threshold and objective photosensitivity luminance in healthy human eyes assessed using an automated ocular photosensitivity analyser: a step towards translation of a clinical tool for assessing photophobia
Authors: Durgam Shravya Sri , Bagari Sowjanya , Nandyala Sushma , Mohamed Ashik , Konda Nagaraju , Chaurasia Sunita , Vaddavalli Pravin K , Parel Jean‐Marie
Published: November 2021

Purpose

To evaluate the visual photosensitivity threshold and objective photosensitivity luminance in healthy eyes, thereby providing a normative dataset that will lead to a better understanding of diseases causing photophobia.

Methods

This was a prospective cross‐sectional study. Emmetropes whose visual acuity was better than 0.18 logMAR (6/9) with no other ocular abnormality were included. Headache Impact Test‐6 and visual light sensitivity questionnaires were administered. Visual photosensitivity threshold was measured subjectively using the ocular photosensitivity analyser. Objective photosensitivity luminance was assessed manually by evaluating videos recorded using an infrared camera and noting the intensity of light at the first squeezing reflex.

Results

Seventy five normal subjects (age range, 7–71 years) were included. Median age was 32.7 years (inter‐quartile range, 20.3–47.9 years). Forty (53.3%) were males. Median Headache Impact Test score was 38 (inter‐quartile range, 36–42) and visual light sensitivity questionnaire score was 11 (inter‐quartile range, 8–15). Mean (standard deviation) right eye, left eye and binocular visual photosensitivity threshold was 3.34 (0.78), 3.33 (0.81) and 3.37 (0.78) loglux, respectively. There was a significant negative correlation of visual light sensitivity questionnaire scores with right eye, left eye and binocular visual photosensitivity thresholds, and positive correlation of age with binocular visual photosensitivity thresholds. Mean (standard deviation) right eye, left eye and binocular objective photosensitivity luminance was 3.25 (0.55), 3.35 (0.47) and 3.15 (0.52) loglux, respectively. Age was only positively correlated with binocular objective photosensitivity luminance, and there was no correlation between age and right eye or left eye objective photosensitivity luminance.

Conclusions

The study characterised, for the first time, objective photosensitivity luminance and established normative data for both visual photosensitivity threshold and objective photosensitivity luminance. The data will help in understanding the pathophysiology of diseases causing photophobia, monitoring the disease progression and evaluating treatment modalities.
Impact of biological sex on the outcomes of spinal cord stimulation in patients with chronic pain
Authors: Mekhail Nagy , Costandi Shrif , Saweris Youssef , Armanyous Sherif , Chauhan Gaurav
Published: November 2021

Background

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) continues to gain increasing popularity in the pain management field for the treatment of different painful conditions; however, to‐date, the correlation between the SCS effectiveness and biological sex has not been fully established. We aimed to investigate the correlation between the biological sex and SCS outcomes.

Methods

Following Institutional Review Board approval, a retrospective cohort study was performed by collecting data for patients treated with SCS at a tertiary academic center between the years 2002 and 2019. Data was assessed with multivariable linear regression to investigate the association between biological sex and pain scores at baseline, 6‐, and 12‐ months following SCS implantation. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed based on a set of covariates including age, duration of pain, time since implant, BMI, opioid medications use, smoking, depression and history of alcohol, or substance abuse.

Results

Of the patients treated with SCS implants, 418 patients fit the inclusion and exclusion criteria, out of which the majority were females (272, 65%). The pre‐matching data reported a significant difference in history of diabetes and depression and was also significant for greater opioid use in male patients at baseline, 6‐, and 12‐months post‐SCS implant. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed based on the above mentioned covariant. After matching, no statistical difference was found among the variables, in both groups. Furthermore, after matching no significant differences in the pain scores at baseline, 6‐, and 12‐months post‐SCS implant were observed.

Conclusion

No biological sex‐based differences in the analgesic response to SCS therapy was detected at 6‐ and 12‐months post‐SCS implant between groups with similar demographics, biomedical, and psychological values.
Isolated nocturnal hypertension in pediatric kidney transplant recipients
Authors: Seeman Tomáš , Pfaff Mairead , Sethna Christine B.
Published: November 2021

Background

Isolated nocturnal hypertension (INH) is defined as nighttime hypertension in the setting of normal daytime blood pressure (BP), diagnosed by ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM).

Methods and Results

Hypertension affects 60%–80% of pediatric kidney transplant recipients, and INH is the most common type of ambulatory hypertension. INH is associated with an increased prevalence of hypertension‐mediated target organ damage such as left ventricular hypertrophy in adults and in pediatric kidney transplant recipients.

Conclusion

Ambulatory BP monitoring should be performed annually in all pediatric kidney transplant recipients to diagnose hypertension phenotypes that are not detectable by office BP such as masked hypertension, white‐coat hypertension, or INH. Isolated nocturnal hypertension in pediatric transplant patients requires study as a treatment target.
Representation and rationality
Authors: Buchanan Ray , Dogramaci Sinan
Published: November 2021

David Lewis (1974, 1994/1999) proposed to reduce the facts about mental representation to facts about sensory evidence, dispositions to act, and rationality. Recently, Robert Williams (2020) and Adam Pautz (2021) have taken up and developed Lewis's project in sophisticated and novel ways. In this paper, we aim to present, clarify, and ultimately object to the core thesis that they all build their own views around. The different sophisticated developments and defenses notwithstanding, we think the core thesis is vulnerable. We pose a dilemma by considering the two sides of a current epistemological controversy over the relation between evidence and rational belief: permissivism vs. uniqueness. As we argue, the prospects for the Lewisian project look dim when either supposition is clearly made.
Sooner or Later? The Role of Adoption Timing in New Technology Introduction
Authors: Tang Wenjie , Wang Tong , Xu Wenxin
Published: November 2021

Motivated by several industry examples, we study the interaction between a technology provider introducing a new technology and downstream manufacturers adopting the new technology into their products. The manufacturers, once decided on their adoption timing, both cooperate in making demand‐boosting investments to promote the technology and compete in price in the product market. Our main objective is to explore the important question of how the technology provider manipulates manufacturers’ adoption timing. We develop a stylized continuous‐time multi‐stage game‐theoretic model with one technology provider and two downstream manufacturers, and derive pure‐strategy equilibria for the manufacturers and the technology provider. We find that in the absence of the technology provider's intervention, in equilibrium there is simultaneous adoption when the market competition is relatively mild, and sequential adoption otherwise. In particular, under the sequential‐adoption equilibrium, the second manufacturer strategically postpones adoption in order to freeride on the first manufacturer's demand‐boosting investment. We show that manufacturers’ equilibrium adoption timing is not always in line with the technology provider's interest. To align these different preferences, we suggest that when the competition is in a relatively mild region, the technology provider can make an initial investment to incentivize both manufacturers to adopt the technology early, whereas when the competition is relatively intense, an exclusive period should instead be offered to one manufacturer to keep the other from adopting the technology early. Interestingly, these self‐interested interventions often improve the efficiency of the system. Finally, we show that our main findings remain robust when we assume that the effect of manufacturers’ demand‐boosting investments decreases over time, or when we allow the technology provider to optimize over the technology's licensing fee.
UNDERSTANDING CONSTRUCTION SITE SAFETY HAZARDS THROUGH OPEN DATA: TEXT MINING APPROACH
Authors: Rupasinghe Neththi Kumara Appuhamilage Heshani , Panuwatwanich Kriengsak
Published: November 2021

Construction is an industry well known for its very high rate of injuries and accidents around the world. Even though many researchers are engaged in analysing the risks of this industry using various techniques, construction accidents still require much attention in safety science. According to existing literature, it has been found that hazards related to workers, technology, natural factors, surrounding activities and organisational factors are primary causes of accidents. Yet, there has been limited research aimed to ascertain the extent of these hazards based on the actual reported accidents. Therefore, the study presented in this paper was conducted with the purpose of devising an approach to extract sources of hazards from publicly available injury reports by using Text Mining (TM) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques. This paper presents a methodology to develop a rule-based extraction tool by providing full details of lexicon building, devising extraction rules and the iterative process of testing and validation. In addition, the developed rule-based classifier was compared with, and found to outperform, the existing statistical classifiers such as Support Vector Machine (SVM), Kernel SVM, K-nearest neighbours, Naïve Bayesian classifier and Random Forest classifier. The finding using the developed tool identified the worker factor as the highest contributor to construction site accidents followed by technological factor, surrounding activities, organisational factor, and natural factor (1%). The developed tool could be used to quickly extract the sources of hazards by converting largely available unstructured digital accident data to structured attributes allowing better data-driven safety management.
TECHNO-ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF NITROCELLULOSE PRODUCTION FROM PALM OIL EMPTY FRUIT BUNCHES
Authors: Hamonangan Panjaitan Jabosar Ronggur , Gozan Misri
Published: November 2021

Nitrocellulose is a cellulose derivative that has many potential applications. Nitrocellulose can bemade through nitration reactions by reacting cellulose and nitric acid at low temperatures. Cellulose can be obtained from lignocellulose biomass such as palm oil empty fruit bunches (POEFBs). In this study, techno-economic evaluation of nitrocellulose production from POEFBs was investigated with various types of alkaline and acid pretreatments. Pretreatment of POEFBs with alkaline and acid was used to purify cellulose fraction as raw material for nitrocellulose. The combination process of POEFBs pretreatment with alkaline and acid can be classified into 4 process routes such as ammonium hydroxide and sulfuric acid pretreatment (Route-1), ammonium hydroxide and acetic acid pretreatment (Route-2), sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid pretreatment (Route-3), and sodium hydroxide and acetic acid pretreatment (Route-4). The results showed that ammonium hydroxide and sulfuric acid pretreatment (Route-1) was the most profitable route to produce nitrocellulose. Economic parameter values such as return of investment (ROI), payback period (PBP), net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) from ammonium hydroxide and sulfuric acid pretreatment (Route-1) were 11.49%, 5.85 years, US$ 442,427 and 13.35%.
Integrating Evaluation as a Componential Element in the Development of the Course: The Case of Two Courses in the Faculty of Education (AUTH) during the Pandemic
Authors: Korres Maria Pavlis
Published: November 2021

Evaluation, as a process, can positively contribute to the formation of better educational experiences for both instructors and students, as well as lay the foundations for the development of an evaluation culture in student participants. This article sets out to present the evaluation process carried out in two online courses at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) during the pandemic period, how it has constituted an integral component of each course and in what ways it has contributed to the students’ active participation in the development of the courses. To evaluate the courses, communication and collaborative online tools were used, through which students’ views were systematically recorded throughout the semester within the framework of the formative evaluation. The data analysis has been conducted mainly in the light of thematic analysis and according to the findings, students have stated their satisfaction about their active involvement in setting up the course as well as the fact that their voice has been heard and taken into account by the instructor, both in terms of content modulation and the educational process itself.
Diseases in the Tabloids: Mapping Newspaper Narratives on Lassa Fever Epidemic in Nigeria
Authors: Erubami Joshua Aghogho , Oziwele Patience Elohor , Ohaja Edith Ugochi , Ezugwu Martins Ndubisi , Anorue Uchenna Chijindu
Published: November 2021

Lassa fever is a recurrent endemic disease in Nigeria with increasing seroprevalence in many parts of the country. In the absence of effective preventive vaccines, the mass media are being deployed as independent and complementary interventions to sensitise the public on appropriate measures for mitigating the spread of the disease. This study evaluates the different coverage patterns and frames that dominate newspaper narratives on Lassa fever epidemic in Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 420 editions of six leading Nigerian newspapers published between January 2015 and December 2019. Findings showed that although the epidemic was frequently mentioned in newspaper articles, its coverage was mainly episodic with little media prominence, and its framing was too inadequate to compel the desired public health response. Hence, the study recommends that journalists and newspaper editors must dutifully engage in the publication of Lassa fever outbreak preparedness articles to significantly curb the spread of the disease in Nigeria.
Simulation of the objective occlusion effect induced by bone-conducted stimulation using a three-dimensional finite-element model of a human head
Authors: Xu Huiyang , Sgard Franck , Carillo Kévin , Wagnac Éric , de Guise Jacques
Published: November 2021

The occlusion effect (OE) refers to the phenomenon that more bone-conducted physiological sounds are transmitted into the earcanal when it is blocked and may cause discomfort on users of hearing protection devices. Models have been proposed to study the OE as they can help understand the physical mechanisms and can be used to evaluate the individual contribution on the OE of the factors that may affect it (i.e., occlusion device, ear anatomy, and stimulation). The existing finite element models developed to study the OE are limited by their truncated ear geometries. In order to progress in the understanding of the OE, the goal of this paper is to develop a finite element model of an entire head to predict the sound pressure field in its earcanals, open or occluded by earplugs. The model is evaluated by comparing the computed input mechanical impedances and OEs in various configurations with literature data. It is able to reproduce common behavior of the OE reported in the literature. In addition, the model is used to assess the effects on the simulated OEs of several parameters, including the modeling of the external air, the boundary condition at the head base and the material properties.
Multiomic characterization of oncogenic signaling mediated by wild-type and mutant RIT1
Authors: Lo April , Holmes Kristin , Kamlapurkar Shriya , Mundt Filip , Moorthi Sitapriya , Fung Iris , Fereshetian Shaunt , Watson Jacqueline , Carr Steven A. , Mertins Philipp , Berger Alice H.
Published: November 2021

Both normal and mutant forms of the GTPase RIT1 elicit oncogenic changes similar to mutant RAS in lung epithelial cells.
Bistable Expression of a Toxin-Antitoxin System Located in a Cryptic Prophage of Escherichia coli O157:H7
Authors: Jurėnas Dukas , Fraikin Nathan , Goormaghtigh Frédéric , De Bruyn Pieter , Vandervelde Alexandra , Zedek Safia , Jové Thomas , Charlier Daniel , Loris Remy , Van Melderen Laurence
Published: November 2021

Transcriptional regulation of bacterial toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems allows compensation of toxin and antitoxin proteins to maintain a neutral state and avoid cell intoxication unless TA genes are lost. Such models have been primarily studied in plasmids, but TAs are equally present in other mobile genetic elements, such as transposons and prophages.
Successful Profiling of Plasmodium falciparum
var
Gene Expression in Clinical Samples via a Custom Capture Array
Authors: Stucke Emily M. , Dara Antoine , Dwivedi Ankit , Hodges Theresa K. , Ott Sandra , Coulibaly Drissa , Koné Abdoulaye K. , Traoré Karim , Guindo Bouréima , Tangara Bourama M. , Niangaly Amadou , Daou Modibo , Diarra Issa , Tolo Youssouf , Sissoko Mody , Tallon Luke J. , Sadzewicz Lisa , Zhou Albert E. , Laurens Matthew B. , Ouattara Amed , Kouriba Bourema , Doumbo Ogobara K. , Takala-Harrison Shannon , Serre David , Plowe Christopher V. , Thera Mahamadou A. , Travassos Mark A. , Silva Joana C.
Published: November 2021

Malaria parasites display antigens on the surface of infected red blood cells in the human host that facilitate attachment to blood vessels, contributing to the severity of infection. These antigens are highly variable, allowing the parasite to evade the immune system.
Baikal–Vilyui Paleoproterozoic Belt of The Siberian Platform: Regional Gold-Controlling Structure
Authors: Stogny V. V. , Stogny G. A.
Published: November 2021

The article demonstrates that the placer gold content of the Vilyui Syneclise is governed by the regional structure of the crystalline basement of the Siberian Platform—the Baikal–Vilyui Paleoproterozoic belt, the boundaries and tectonics of which are substantiated by analysis of the gravitational field structure. The belt includes a system of basement blocks with a common northeastern strike, which form horsts (of the Suntar type) and grabens (of the Kempendyai type). The gold-bearing placers of the Vilyui Syneclise are mainly confined to the Suntar, Tyukyan, and Chybyda blocks of the belt, the metamorphic and igneous rocks of which were the primary gold sources in the sedimentary cover. The suture zone of the Baikal–Vilyui belt was very permeable to deep fluids responsible for gold migration. The types of possible primary gold sources (gold–platinoid, low-sulfidation gold-quartz, and gold–silver) reflect the peculiarities in the evolution of Early Precambrian gold during sedimentation in the Vilyui Syneclise. The areas controlled by the Suntar, Kempendyai, Tyukyan, Chybyda, and Khapchagai blocks of Early Precambrian rocks, which may contain gold objects, should be considered promising for buried gold placers in the Vilyui Syneclise.
Co-infection of intestinal tuberculosis and mucormycosis in a patient with Down syndrome: a unique case report with literature review
Authors: Pal Bishal , Thirupathaiah Ketavath , Badhe Bhawana Ashok , Nelamangala Ramakrishnaiah Vishnu Prasad , Dutta Souradeep , Reddy Abhinaya , Jain Ankit
Published: November 2021

Mucormycosis represents several unusual opportunistic infection caused by saprophytic aseptate fungi. There is a recent rise in cases of mucormycosis due to an increase in diabetic and immunodeficient patients like patients on long-term steroids, immunomodulators due to organ transplantation, malignancies, mainly haematological malignancies, and autoimmunity. Anatomically, mucormycosis can be localised most commonly as rhino-orbito-cerebral followed by pulmonary, disseminated, cutaneous and gastrointestinal, rarest being small intestinal. Patients with Down syndrome are immunodeficient due to their impaired immune response. Disseminated tuberculosis is also common in immunodeficient patients. We report a rare case of small intestinal mucormycosis in a patient with Down syndrome with coexisting intestinal tuberculosis. Due to the invasiveness of mucormycosis, the patient succumbed to death despite providing aggressive surgical debridement and medical management.
Management of tension gastrothorax: experience from sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Echieh Chidiebere Peter , Nwagboso Chimaobi I , Ogbudu Stephen Omirigbe , Njem Josiah M
Published: November 2021

Tension gastrothorax is a form of obstructive shock resulting from increased intrathoracic pressure due to a distended herniated stomach. The clinical features of tension gastrothorax are similar to the clinical features of the more common tension pneumothorax. Clinical recognition of this trauma has remained difficult especially in the tropics where most responders are not specialists. We managed a 31-year-old male who, in addition to typical features of obstructive shock secondary to increased intrathoracic pressures, had a recent meal prior to the trauma and a scaphoid abdomen at presentation. We argue that a history of a recent meal before trauma and an unusually scaphoid abdomen could be suggestive of tension gastrothorax and may help to differentiate it from tension pneumothorax. We recommend improved emergency preparedness to help recognise and treat this pathology.
Inadvertent left ventricular pacing due to lead malpositioning, incidentally discovered seventeen years later
Authors: Bobat Shahid , How Wei Jun
Published: November 2021

Inadvertent lead malpositioning into the left ventricle (LV) is an uncommon complication of pacemaker lead implantation. It can have implications on clinical outcome due to ventricular dyssynchrony, and result in further complications such as thrombus formation with subsequent embolisation. This case study reports the clinical, electrocardiographic, plain film and echocardiographic findings of an 82-year-old male in whom the intravenous lead of a dual chamber pacemaker was unintentionally passed into the LV via an atrial septal defect. Inadvertent placement was discovered incidentally following the onset of atrial fibrillation (AF) 17 years later.
Inferior gluteal pain with sitting, unrelated to ischial bursitis
Authors: Mears Chad , Rudra Renuka , John Alex , Shi Weibin
Published: November 2021

A 64-year-old woman presented to an academic medical centre with postoperative left ischial pain following a left total hip replacement. Her pain was exacerbated by sitting down and with forward flexion of the spine, and the pain radiated from the left ischial tuberosity to the left perineum, groin and medial thigh. An ischial bursa injection was performed, but only resulted in 1 day of excellent pain relief. A diagnosis of inferior cluneal neuralgia was then made. Subsequent inferior cluneal nerve radiofrequency ablation was performed, and provided sustained 50% relief in pain. The patient had a concomitant sensation of ‘ball like’ pressure at her rectum which was determined to be due to levator ani syndrome. She was prescribed pelvic floor physical therapy and botulinum toxin injection, which resulted in further notable improvement of her symptoms.
Miller-Fisher Syndrome and Guillain-Barre Syndrome overlap syndrome in a patient post Oxford-AstraZeneca SARS-CoV-2 vaccination
Authors: Dang Yew Li , Bryson Alexander
Published: November 2021

We describe a patient who developed bilateral oculomotor nerve palsy, ataxia, facial diplegia and lower limb weakness 2 weeks post-Oxford-AstraZeneca SARS-CoV2 vaccination, consistent with Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS) and Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) overlap syndrome. Although some features of the patient’s presentation were typical of recently reported cases of a rare GBS variant post-Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccination, including severe facial weakness and a lack of respiratory involvement, to our knowledge this is the first reported case of MFS associated with SARS-CoV2 vaccination. While postvaccination GBS remains rare, it appears to have a favourable prognosis, and recognising this entity is therefore important for patient counselling and monitoring for potential complications.
Case of an atypical pituitary abscess
Authors: Bloomer Zachary W , Knee Treyce S , Rubin Zachary S , Hoang Thanh Duc
Published: November 2021

A pituitary abscess is a rare intrasellar infection. Correct identification can be challenging preoperatively given its non-specific symptoms and imaging findings. We report a case of a young woman presenting with secondary amenorrhea, visual field deficits and a 2.6 cm pituitary lesion diagnosed to be a craniopharyngioma. A concomitant unexpected pituitary abscess was diagnosed intraoperatively without associated meningeal symptoms.
The impact of childhood malnutrition on mortality from pneumonia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Kirolos Amir , Blacow Rachel M , Parajuli Arun , Welton Nicky J , Khanna Alisha , Allen Stephen J , McAllister David A , Campbell Harry , Nair Harish
Published: November 2021

Introduction

Childhood malnutrition is widespread in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and increases the frequency and severity of infections such as pneumonia. We aimed to identify studies investigating pneumonia deaths in malnourished children and estimate mortality risk by malnutrition severity.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of MEDLINE, EMBASE and Global Health databases to identify relevant studies. We used a network meta-analysis to derive ORs of death from pneumonia for moderately and severely underweight children using low weight-for-age, the most reported measure of malnutrition. We compared meta-estimates of studies conducted before and after 2000 to assess changes in mortality risk over time. We estimated the prevalence of underweight hospitalised children from hospital-based cohort studies and calculated the population attributable fraction of in-hospital pneumonia deaths from being underweight using our results.

Results

Our network meta-analysis included 33 544 underweight children from 23 studies. The estimated OR of death from pneumonia was 2.0 (95% CI 1.6 to 2.6) and 4.6 (95% CI 3.7 to 5.9) for children moderately and severely underweight, respectively. The OR of death from pneumonia for those severely underweight was 5.3 (95% CI 3.9 to 7.4) pre-2000 and remained high post-2000 at 4.1 (95% CI 3.0 to 6.0). Prevalence of underweight children hospitalised with pneumonia varied (median 40.2%, range 19.6–66.3) but was high across many LMIC settings. We estimated a median 18.3% (range 10.8–34.6) and 40.9% (range 14.7–69.9) of in-hospital pneumonia deaths were attributable to being moderately and severely underweight, respectively.

Conclusions

The risk of death from childhood pneumonia dramatically increases with malnutrition severity. This risk has remained high in recent years with an estimated over half of in-hospital pneumonia deaths attributable to child malnutrition. Prevention and treatment of all child malnutrition must be prioritised to maintain progress on reducing pneumonia deaths.
COVID-19 raises a health and human rights imperative to advance a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons
Authors: Meier Benjamin Mason , Matus Victoria , Seunik Maximillian
Published: November 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the inequitable health harms and human rights violations faced by older persons, raising a need to support healthy ageing policy as a human rights imperative. However, international human rights law has long neglected the health-related human rights of older persons. Drawing from evolving advocacy efforts to advance the rights of older persons through the United Nations (UN), tentative initial steps have been taken at the regional level, with states in the Americas codifying intersectional rights obligations underlying health through the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons. These international and regional efforts provide a foundation to advance the right to health for older persons. Amid an ongoing demographic transition and an inequitable pandemic response, the prospective UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons provides a crucial opportunity to elaborate and uphold the international legal obligations necessary to facilitate healthy ageing.
Interventions to reduce stigma towards mental disorders in young people: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Núñez Daniel , Martínez Pablo , Borghero Francesca , Campos Susana , Martínez Vania
Published: November 2021

Introduction

The stigma towards mental disorders can limit the use and effectiveness of available mental health interventions for young people. We aim to systematically review effectiveness of interventions to reduce stigma towards mental disorders in young people, as evidence has not been recently and systematically synthesised on this topic.

Methods and analysis

We will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised or controlled clinical trials of interventions to reduce stigma towards mental disorders in people aged 10–24 years. Studies involving a comparison group, post intervention and/or follow-up assessments of knowledge, attitudes and/or behaviours towards mental disorders (including help-seeking behaviours), will be included. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, PubMed and PsycINFO databases will be searched, without time limits, for eligible studies in English or Spanish, and with results available. Databases will be searched from July 2020 to April 2021. The study selection process, the data extraction and the critical evaluation—with the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool—of included studies will be performed independently and in duplicate by teams of reviewers, with the assistance of a third party, until reaching a high degree of agreement. In the presence of substantial heterogeneity (I2>75%), a narrative synthesis of the study results will be used. If feasible, we will also conduct a quality effects model for the statistical synthesis of results. If sufficient data are available, subgroup analyses will be performed to assess potential sources of heterogeneity. Doi plots and the Luis Furuya-Kanamori index will be used to assess publication bias. The Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach will be used to assess the confidence in the evidence reviewed.

Ethics and dissemination

Results are expected to be published in a peer-reviewed journal in the field of adolescent and/or youth mental health.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020210901.
Training frequency for educating schoolchildren in basic life support: very brief 4-month rolling-refreshers versus annual retraining—a 2-year prospective longitudinal trial
Authors: Abelairas-Gómez Cristian , Martinez-Isasi Santiago , Barcala-Furelos Roberto , Varela-Casal Cristina , Carballo-Fazanes Aida , Pichel-López María , Fernández Méndez Felipe , Otero-Agra Martín , Sanchez Santos Luis , Rodriguez-Nuñez Antonio
Published: November 2021

Objective

To compare the effectiveness of 4-month rolling-refreshers and annual retraining in basic life support (BLS) on a sample of schoolchildren.

Design

Prospective longitudinal trial.

Setting and participants

Four hundred and seventy-two schoolchildren (8–12 years old).

Interventions

Schoolchildren were instructed in BLS and then split into the following three groups: control group (CG), standard group (SG) and rolling-refresher group (RRG). Their BLS skills were assessed within 1 week (T1) and 2 years later (T2). Moreover, CG did not receive any additional training; SG received one 50 min retraining session 1 year later; RRG participated in very brief (5 min) rolling-refreshers that were carried out every 4 months.

Primary and secondary outcomes

Hands-on skills of BLS sequence and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Results

BLS sequence performance was similar in all groups at T1, but SG and RRG followed the steps of the protocol in more proportion than CG at T2. When compared at T2, RRG showed higher proficiency than SG in checking safety, checking response, opening the airway and alerting emergency medical services. In addition, although the mean resuscitation quality was low in all groups, RRG participants reached a higher percentage of global quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CG: 16.4±24.1; SG: 25.3±28.8; RRG: 29.9%±29.4%), with a higher percentage of correct chest compressions by depth (CG: 3.9±11.8; SG: 10.8±22.7; RRG: 15.5±26.1 mm).

Conclusions

In 8-to-12-year-old schoolchildren, although annual 50 min retraining sessions help to maintain BLS performance, 4-month very brief rolling-refreshers were shown to be even more effective. Thus, we recommend implementing baseline BLS training at schools, with subsequently brief rolling-refreshers.
Hospital care for the dying patient with cancer: does an advance care planning invitation influence bereaved relatives’ experiences? A two country survey
Authors: Hjorth Nina Elisabeth , Hufthammer Karl Ove , Sigurdardottir Katrin , Tripodoro Vilma Adriana , Goldraij Gabriel , Kvikstad Anne , Haugen Dagny Faksvåg
Published: November 2021

Objectives

Advance care planning (ACP) is not systematically performed in Argentina or Norway. We used the post-bereavement survey of the ERANet-LAC International Care Of the Dying Evaluation (CODE) project (2017–2020) to examine the proportion of relatives who were offered an ACP conversation, the proportion of those not offered it who would have wanted it and whether the outcomes differed between those offered a conversation and those not.

Methods

Relatives after cancer deaths in hospitals answered the CODE questionnaire 6–8 weeks post bereavement, by post (Norway) or interview (Argentina). Two additional questions asked if the relative and patient had been invited to a conversation about wishes for the patient’s remaining lifetime, and, if not invited, whether they would have wanted such a conversation. The data were analysed using mixed-effects ordinal regression models.

Results

276 participants (Argentina 98 and Norway 178) responded (56% spouses, 31% children, 68% women, age 18–80+). Fifty-six per cent had been invited, and they had significantly more positive perceptions about care and support than those not invited. Sixty-eight per cent of the participants not invited would have wanted an invitation, and they had less favourable perceptions about the care, especially concerning emotional and spiritual support.

Conclusions

Relatives who had been invited to a conversation about wishes for the patient’s remaining lifetime had more positive perceptions about patient care and support for the relatives in the patient’s final days of life. A majority of the relatives who had not been invited to an ACP conversation would have wanted it.
Double parton distributions out of bounds in colour space
Authors: Diehl M. , Gaunt J. R. , Pichini P. , Plößl P.
Published: November 2021

We investigate the positivity of double parton distributions with a non-trivial dependence on the parton colour. It turns out that positivity is not preserved by leading-order evolution from lower to higher scales, in contrast to the case in which parton colour is summed over. We also study the positivity properties of the distributions at small distance between the two partons, where they can be computed in terms of perturbative splitting kernels and ordinary parton densities.
Testing a new method for scattering in finite volume in the $$\phi ^4$$ theory
Authors: Garofalo Marco , Romero-López Fernando , Rusetsky Akaki , Urbach Carsten
Published: November 2021

We test an alternative proposal by Bruno and Hansen (J High Energy Phys 2021(6), 10.1007/JHEP06(2021)043, 2021) to extract the scattering length from lattice simulations in a finite volume. For this, we use a scalar $$\phi ^4$$

ϕ
4

theory with two mass nondegenerate particles and explore various strategies to implement this new method. We find that the results are comparable to those obtained from the Lüscher method, with somewhat smaller statistical uncertainties at larger volumes.
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION IMPROVES THE FIRM PERFORMANCE IN THE PAPER INDUSTRY IN CHINA
Authors: YANG YONGLIANG , DING LILI , LI YI
Published: November 2021

This research develops a difference-in-differences (DID) model to explore the relationship between environmental policy (The Measures for the Administration of Permits for the Discharge of Key Water Pollutants in the Huaihe and Taihu River Basins, MAPD) and the performance of firms involved in the paper and paper products industry (MPP) in China. Cost and innovation are introduced as mediators to explore the mediating effects. A firm-level dataset from 1998 to 2007 is adopted for empirical study. The findings support the positive role of the MAPD, and the average treatment effect is 0.016.The heterogeneity analysis shows that the MAPD exerts a positive impact on non-state-owned and small-scale enterprises, with coefficients of 0.018 and 0.021, respectively. Moreover, MAPD increases enterprise costs harming firm performance. On the other hand, it can promote firm performance by improving innovation ability.
Numerical and analytical investigation for solutions of fractional Oskolkov–Benjamin–Bona–Mahony–Burgers equation describing propagation of long surface waves
Authors: Sagar B , Saha Ray S.
Published: November 2021

In this paper, a novel meshless numerical scheme to solve the time-fractional Oskolkov–Benjamin–Bona–Mahony–Burgers-type equation has been proposed. The proposed numerical scheme is based on finite difference and Kansa-radial basis function collocation approach. First, the finite difference scheme has been employed to discretize the time-fractional derivative and subsequently, the Kansa method is utilized to discretize the spatial derivatives. The stability and convergence analysis of the time-discretized numerical scheme are also elucidated in this paper. Moreover, the Kudryashov method has been utilized to acquire the soliton solutions for comparison with the numerical results. Finally, numerical simulations are performed to confirm the applicability and accuracy of the proposed scheme.
Combination of ELM and BEMD for Target Recognition of SAR Images
Authors: Liu Zhichao , Qu Baida
Published: November 2021

For the problem of target recognition of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, a method based on the combination of bidimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) and extreme learning machine (ELM) is proposed. BEMD performs feature extraction for SAR images, producing multi-layer bidimensional intrinsic mode functions (BIMF). These BIMFs covey the discrimination of the original target while effectively eliminating the noises. ELM conducts the classification of each BIMF with high efficiency and robustness. Finally, the decisions from different BIMFs are fused using a linear weighting strategy to reach a reliable decision on the target label. The proposed method compensates the relatively low adaptivity of ELM to noise corruption by BEMD feature extraction. Moreover, the multi-layer BIMFs provide more discriminative information for correct decision. Hence, the overall recognition performance can be improved. As an efficient recognition algorithm, the proposed method can be used in an embedded system for wide applications. Experiments are designed and implemented on the moving and stationary target acquisition and recognition (MSTAR) dataset. The proposed method is tested under both the standard operating condition (SOC) and extended operating conditions (EOCs). The results reflect its effectiveness and robustness via quantitative comparisons.
A Novel Incremental Iterative Force Recovery Method for Second-Order Beam-Column Elements in Plastic Hinge Analysis of Steel Frames
Authors: Tang Yi-Qun , Zhu He , Du Er-Feng
Published: November 2021

This paper is concerned with an incremental iterative force recovery method in the second-order plastic hinge analysis of steel frames mainly modelled by a single element per member. Second-order beam-column elements are preferred in the direct analysis of steel frames due to their high accuracy and efficiency. However, formulations of these elements are complicated, and therefore they may have a problem of getting element force recovery in inelastic analysis. To overcome this difficulty, a novel incremental iterative force recovery method for second-order beam-column elements is proposed to perform plastic hinge analysis. The proposed method is derived more strictly and has good performance. Also, the section assemblage approach and the refined plastic hinge method are adopted in this study to consider the gradual degradation of section stiffness in the plastic hinge analysis. To verify the accuracy, efficiency and robustness of the proposed method, several benchmark examples are analyzed by the proposed method and compared with solutions reported by early researchers.