bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of fructosamine concentration as an index marker for glycaemic control in diabetic dogs
Authors: Zeugswetter Florian K. , Beer Raphael , Schwendenwein Ilse
Published: April 2021

Background

Although fructosamine is a commonly used surrogate marker to assess glycaemic control in diabetic dogs, its diagnostic accuracy has been questioned. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability of fructosamine measurements to diagnose well and poorly controlled diabetes mellitus (DM), using continuous glucose monitoring as a gold standard.

Methods

Twenty‐four dogs with treated DM and continuous glucose monitoring for mean (±SD) 13.1 (±1.7) days were retrospectively analysed. Two assessment strategies were applied to categorize glycaemic control, and fructosamine concentrations were determined shortly after sensor cessation using a colorimetric assay.

Results

Correlations of individual fructosamine concentrations with mean glucose as well as percentage of measurements > 15 mmol/L were not significant (p = 0.372,p = 0.129). Fructosamine did not differ between dogs with and without hypoglycaemic episodes (p = 0.64). Receiver operating characteristic analysis for fructosamine to diagnose either good or poor glycaemic control revealed AUC values of 0.71 (p = 0.025) indicating moderate accuracy, and 0.7 (p = 0.135) indicating AUC is non‐discriminatory, respectively. The respective positive likelihood ratios for the optimal cutoffs to identify good (<396 μmol/L) and poor control (>449 μmol/L) were three.

Conclusions

Fructosamine measurement is an imperfect surrogate marker for classifying glycaemic control in diabetic dogs and can only complement serial glucose measurements.
Review of investigations of premises housing animals that were linked to human outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis in England and Wales between 2009 and 2019
Authors: Smith Richard P. , Newton Katharine , Rimdap Emily , Wight Alan , Robinson Guy , Chalmers Rachel M.
Published: April 2021

Background: Cryptosporidium can be an important human health risk, predominantly causing gastroenteritis. With increased public attendance at commercial and open farms, there is a need to improve the understanding of Cryptosporidium risk on premises that are visited by the public.

Methods: This study was designed to explore the animal premises‐related and animal sampling‐related data routinely collected, during 2009–2019, from human outbreak sampling investigations where animal contact was suggested as a source of Cryptosporidium.

Results: The results from the 23 eligible investigations indicated a diverse population of animals on the premises and that sheep and cattle, including bottle feeding, were frequently identified as contacts made by the human cases on these premises. Faecal samples from cattle and sheep were found to have a relatively high proportion of positive results and frequently matched the Cryptosporidium species and strain identified in the outbreak cases. Generally, investigations where no positive samples were detected had fewer samples collected.

Conclusion: The findings support the advice to prioritise sampling of groups of animals which have been identified as being contacted by the human cases, and to use statistically valid sample size calculations for the number of samples to collect at each investigation.
Rotavirus group C infections in neonatal and grower pigs in Australia
Authors: Roczo‐Farkas Susie , Dunlop R. Hugo , Donato Celeste M. , Kirkwood Carl D. , McOrist Steven
Published: April 2021

Background:Rotavirus infections of neonatal and older pigs are widely reported. Analysis of rotavirus group C prevalence and diversity has not previously been reported for Australian pig farms.

Methods:Twenty‐seven farms with or without diarrhoea present among neonatal or older pigs were enrolled across eastern Australia. Fresh faecal samples were analysed by ELISA for rotavirus and RNA extractions by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and RT‐PCR for rotavirus. Rotavirus group C samples were genotyped via sequencing.

Results and conclusions:Rotavirus infection was diagnosed in pigs on 10 of 19 farms investigated for neonatal diarrhoea, four with group A and six with group C; also among post‐weaned (5‐ to 11‐week‐old) diarrhoeic pigs on two farms. Neonatal rotavirus group C infections were exclusively noted in piglets less than 1‐week‐old, consisting of farm infections with a single VP7 genotype (G5 or G6). Infections in post‐weaned pigs were associated with multiple VP7 genotypes (G1, G3). This first report of rotavirus group C infections of Australian pigs suggests they may form a limited population of VP7 genotypes.
What influence do vets have on vaccination decision of dog owners? Results of an online survey
Authors: Schwedinger Elke , Kuhne Franziska , Moritz Andreas
Published: April 2021

Background

This study was performed to analyse the influence of veterinary advice as well as other sources of information on vaccination decision of dog owners.

Methods

A total of 1480 dog owners participated in this exclusively online conducted survey. Mean comparisons and correlation analyses were performed to check bivariate relationships between general data from the dogs, the dog owners, the vaccination decision making and risk/benefit analyses.

Results

The results confirm that veterinarians are the most important source of information on vaccination for dog owners. Nevertheless, the World Wide Web including social media has also to be taken into consideration as a strongly influencing factor. Additionally, the availability of serious information about vaccinations on the internet and on social media has to be reconsidered in general by the veterinarian professional sector.

Conclusions

Veterinarians should be aware of their significant influence on the owner's decision about vaccination and use this knowledge in a targeted way to achieve a high vaccination rate in order to ensure effective herd immunity. Communication strategies for veterinarians to improve information transfer to dog owners are required.
The social class barriers to engagement in leadership experiences
Authors: Soria Krista M.
Published: April 2021

This chapter examines the barriers that prohibit poor and working‐class students from accessing and engaging in leadership development experiences. Suggestions to inventory these costs and reshape leadership education to be more inclusive to students from poor or working‐class backgrounds are included.
On the evaluation of two-loop electroweak box diagrams for e+e− → HZ production
Authors: Song Qian , Freitas Ayres
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Precision studies of the Higgs boson at future e+e− colliders can help to shed light on fundamental questions related to electroweak symmetry breaking, baryogenesis, the hierarchy problem, and dark matter. The main production process, e+e−→ HZ, will need to be controlled with sub-percent precision, which requires the inclusion of next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) electroweak corrections. The most challenging class of diagrams are planar and non-planar double-box topologies with multiple massive propagators in the loops. This article proposes a technique for computing these diagrams numerically, by transforming one of the sub-loops through the use of Feynman parameters and a dispersion relation, while standard one-loop formulae can be used for the other sub-loop. This approach can be extended to deal with tensor integrals. The resulting numerical integrals can be evaluated in minutes on a single CPU core, to achieve about 0.1% relative precision.
“Magic through many minor measures”: How introducing a flowline production mode in six steps enables journalist team autonomy in local news organizations
Authors: Hagen Aina Landsverk , Tolstad Ingrid M. , Bygdås Arne Lindseth
Published: April 2021

While facing cuts, downsizing and revenue losses, media organizations experience paradoxical demands in being organized for print or linear production with daily deadlines and simultaneously striving to be ‘digital first’ and produce and publish stories online on a continuous basis throughout the day. In this paper, we describe efforts applied when introducing the metaphor flowline in a medium-sized newspaper organization in Norway with the aim of aligning their production and publishing processes to readers’ consumption of online news. Both the production volume of journalistic content, reader consumption and the newsroom workers’ experience of mastering their everyday work life increased dramatically in a very short time. The involvement of a temporary autonomous team in the planning and designing of a test pilot aiming to make flowline “as practice”, was integral to the digital transformation success, allowing for participative action across newsroom boundaries. Based on the empirical findings from the local newspaper organization and drawing on theories on liminality (Turner 1982, 1986) and metaphorical work (Schön 1993), this article presents a set of six interrelated steps incorporating a structure for autonomous teams and their role in enabling lasting change in organizations facing digital transformation.
Investigating Factors at Play in Hepatopancreatobiliary Fellowship Selection: Beliefs versus Reality
Authors: Jackson Terence , Lim Joseph S. , Nagatomo Kei , Darwish Muhammad , Cho Edward E. , Osman Houssam , Jeyarajah Dhiresh Rohan
Published: April 2021

Background

Selection biases affecting candidate matches to fellowship programs directly influence diversity within the surgical community. The review of selection bias has never been distinctively investigated in the Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery community. This study seeks to (i) evaluate factors affecting selection of candidates to HPB fellowships, (ii) examine explicit biases among program directors and faculty of HPB programs in North America, and (iii) compare the demography of the HPB faculty and recently graduated fellows to general surgery residents.

Study Design

An anonymous, self‐reported survey consisting of 10 sets of fictional applications was distributed to 52 faculty members, including program directors, of AHPBA‐affiliated HPB fellowships in North America. The respondents had to pick a preferred candidate between two abridged, fictional HPB fellow applications and give an open‐ended response as to why they picked that candidate. The applications were nearly identical with one notable characteristic of interest. Demographic information of both faculty and their recent fellows was also collected. This survey was administered and collected between February and April, 2020.

Results

A total of 29 fully completed responses were received, comprising a 55.7% response rate. Respondents were 72.4% male, 69.0% Caucasian, and 79.3% held US medical degrees (MD). 50.0% of respondents preferred an MD candidate to a DO candidate, and 37% preferred US graduates to foreign‐trained candidates. The respondents were unanimous in stating that gender, race, and family status were not a factor in their selection process. 5.0% said they would support an LGBTQ candidate when faced with otherwise similar applicants. Seventy‐six HPB fellows from the past 5 years were 76.3% male, 56.6% Caucasian, and 51.3% US graduated Doctor of Medicine (US MD).

Conclusion

This is the first study explicitly exploring the impact of demographic factors in the HPB fellowship selection process. The respondents unanimously and explicitly stated that race and gender do not play any role in their selection process. Yet, there is stark discordance between general surgery resident demographics and HPB fellow demographics. A greater effort to promote a more diverse HPB surgery community may be needed.
Playing Atari with few neurons
Authors: Cuccu Giuseppe , Togelius Julian , Cudré-Mauroux Philippe
Published: April 2021

We propose a new method for learning compact state representations and policies separately but simultaneously for policy approximation in vision-based applications such as Atari games. Approaches based on deep reinforcement learning typically map pixels directly to actions to enable end-to-end training. Internally, however, the deep neural network bears the responsibility of both extracting useful information and making decisions based on it, two objectives which can be addressed independently. Separating the image processing from the action selection allows for a better understanding of either task individually, as well as potentially finding smaller policy representations which is inherently interesting. Our approach learns state representations using a compact encoder based on two novel algorithms: (i) Increasing Dictionary Vector Quantization builds a dictionary of state representations which grows in size over time, allowing our method to address new observations as they appear in an open-ended online-learning context; and (ii) Direct Residuals Sparse Coding encodes observations in function of the dictionary, aiming for highest information inclusion by disregarding reconstruction error and maximizing code sparsity. As the dictionary size increases, however, the encoder produces increasingly larger inputs for the neural network; this issue is addressed with a new variant of the Exponential Natural Evolution Strategies algorithm which adapts the dimensionality of its probability distribution along the run. We test our system on a selection of Atari games using tiny neural networks of only 6 to 18 neurons (depending on each game’s controls). These are still capable of achieving results that are not much worse, and occasionally superior, to the state-of-the-art in direct policy search which uses two orders of magnitude more neurons.
The Effect of Intensive Implementation Support on Fidelity for Four Evidence-Based Psychosis Treatments: A Cluster Randomized Trial
Authors: Ruud Torleif , Drake Robert E. , Šaltytė Benth Jūratė , Drivenes Karin , Hartveit Miriam , Heiervang Kristin , Høifødt Tordis S. , Haaland Vegard Ø. , Joa Inge , Johannessen Jan Olav , Johansen Karl Johan , Stensrud Bjørn , Woldsengen Haugom Espen , Clausen Hanne , Biringer Eva , Bond Gary R.
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Service providers need effective strategies to implement evidence-based practices (EBPs) with high fidelity. This study aimed to evaluate an intensive implementation support strategy to increase fidelity to EBP standards in treatment of patients with psychosis.

Methods

The study used a cluster randomized design with pairwise assignment of practices within each of 39 Norwegian mental health clinics. Each site chose two of four practices for implementation: physical health care, antipsychotic medication management, family psychoeducation, illness management and recovery. One practice was assigned to the experimental condition (toolkits, clinical training, implementation facilitation, data-based feedback) and the other to the control condition (manual only). The outcome measure was fidelity to the EBP, measured at baseline and after 6, 12, and 18 months, analyzed using linear mixed models and effect sizes.

Results

The increase in fidelity scores (within a range 1–5) from baseline to 18 months was significantly greater for experimental sites than for control sites for the combined four practices, with mean difference in change of 0.86 with 95% CI (0.21; 1.50), p = 0.009). Effect sizes for increase in group difference of mean fidelity scores were 2.24 for illness management and recovery, 0.68 for physical health care, 0.71 for antipsychotic medication management, and 0.27 for family psychoeducation. Most improvements occurred during the first 12 months.

Conclusions

Intensive implementation strategies (toolkits, clinical training, implementation facilitation, data-based feedback) over 12 months can facilitate the implementation of EBPs for psychosis treatment. The approach may be more effective for some practices than for others.
Ethnomethodological Misreading of Aron Gurwitsch on the Phenomenal Field
Authors: Garfinkel Harold
Published: April 2021

Editors’ Abstract

During the 1992–1993 academic year, Harold Garfinkel (1917–2011) offered a graduate seminar on Ethnomethodology in the Sociology Department at the University of California, Los Angeles. One topic that was given extensive coverage in the seminar has not been discussed at much length in Garfinkel’s published works to date: Aron Gurwitsch’s treatment of Gestalt theory, and particularly the themes of “phenomenal field” and “praxeological description”. The edited transcript of Garfinkel’s seminar shows why he recommended that “for the serious initiatives of ethnomethodological investigations […] Gurwitsch is a theorist we can’t do without”. Garfinkel’s ethnomethodological “misreading” is not a mistaken reading, but is more a matter of taking Gurwitsch’s phenomenological demonstrations of Gestalt contextures in phenomenal fields and transposing them for making detailed, concrete observations and descriptions of organizationally achieved social phenomena. Where Gurwitsch addresses the organization of perception as an autochthonous achievement, inherent to the stream and field of individual consciousness, Garfinkel extends and elaborates this field into the social world of enacted practices. The April 1993 seminar also is rich with brief asides and digressions in which Garfinkel comments about his use of Alfred Schutz, his attitude toward publishing, his relationship with Erving Goffman, and many other matters.
SDP-Based Robust Formation-Containment Coordination of Swarm Robotic Systems with Input Saturation
Authors: Wu Kefan , Hu Junyan , Lennox Barry , Arvin Farshad
Published: April 2021

There are many potential applications of swarm robotic systems in real-world scenarios. In this paper, formation-containment controller design for single-integrator and double-integrator swarm robotic systems with input saturation is investigated. The swarm system contains two types of robots—leaders and followers. A novel control protocol and an implementation algorithm are proposed that enable the leaders to achieve the desired formation via semidefinite programming (SDP) techniques. The followers then converge into the convex hull formed by the leaders simultaneously. In contrast to conventional consensus-based formation control methods, the relative formation reference signal is not required in the real-time data transmission, which provides greater feasibility for implementation on hardware platforms. The effectiveness of the proposed formation-containment control algorithm is demonstrated with both numerical simulations and experiments using real robots that utilize the miniature mobile robot, Mona.
Reducing environmental impacts from garments through best practice garment use and care, using the example of a Merino wool sweater
Authors: Wiedemann Stephen G. , Biggs Leo , Nguyen Quan V. , Clarke Simon J. , Laitala Kirsi , Klepp Ingun G.
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Garment production and use generate substantial environmental impacts, and the care and use are key determinants of cradle-to-grave impacts. The present study investigated the potential to reduce environmental impacts by applying best practices for garment care combined with increased garment use. A wool sweater is used as an example because wool garments have particular attributes that favour reduced environmental impacts in the use phase.

Methods

A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to compare six plausible best and worst-case practice scenarios for use and care of a wool sweater, relative to current practices. These focussed on options available to consumers to reduce impacts, including reduced washing frequency, use of more efficient washing machines, reduced use of machine clothing dryers, garment reuse by multiple users, and increasing number of garment wears before disposal. A sixth scenario combined all options. Worst practices took the worst plausible alternative for each option investigated. Impacts were reported per wear in Western Europe for climate change, fossil energy demand, water stress and freshwater consumption.

Results and discussion

Washing less frequently reduced impacts by between 4 and 20%, while using more efficient washing machines at capacity reduced impacts by 1 to 6%, depending on the impact category. Reduced use of machine dryer reduced impacts by < 5% across all indicators. Reusing garments by multiple users increased life span and reduced impacts by 25–28% across all indicators. Increasing wears from 109 to 400 per garment lifespan had the largest effect, decreasing impacts by 60% to 68% depending on the impact category. Best practice care, where garment use was maximised and care practices focussed on the minimum practical requirements, resulted in a ~ 75% reduction in impacts across all indicators. Unsurprisingly, worst-case scenarios increased impacts dramatically: using the garment once before disposal increased GHG impacts over 100 times.

Conclusions

Wool sweaters have potential for long life and low environmental impact in use, but there are substantial differences between the best, current and worst-case scenarios. Detailed information about garment care and lifespans is needed to understand and reduce environmental impacts. Opportunities exist for consumers to rapidly and dramatically reduce these impacts. The fashion industry can facilitate this through garment design and marketing that promotes and enables long wear life and minimal care.
Watershed science: Linking hydrological science with sustainable management of river basins
Authors: He Chansheng , James L. Allan
Published: April 2021

Over the past decades, a number of water sciences and management programs have been developed to better understand and manage the water cycles at multiple temporal and spatial scales for various purposes, such as ecohydrology, global hydrology, sociohydrology, supply management, demand management, and integrated water resources management (IWRM). At the same time, rapid advancements have also been taking place in tracing, mapping, remote sensing, machine learning, and modelling technologies in hydrological research. Despite those programs and advancements, a water crisis is intensifying globally. The missing link is effective interactions between the hydrological research and water resource management to support implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at multiple spatial scales. Since the watershed is the natural unit for water resources management, watershed science offers the potential to bridge this missing link. This study first reviews the advances in hydrological research and water resources management, and then discusses issues and challenges facing the global water community. Subsequently, it describes the core components of watershed science: (1) hydrological analysis; (2) water-operation policies; (3) governance; (4) management and feedback. The framework takes into account water availability, water uses, and water quality; explicitly focuses on the storage, fluxes, and quality of the hydrological cycle; defines appropriate local water resource thresholds through incorporating the planetary boundary framework; and identifies specific actionable measures for water resources management. It provides a complementary approach to the existing water management programs in addressing the current global water crisis and achieving the UN SDGs.
Die differentielle Veränderung des berufsbezogenen Selbstkonzepts von Lehramtsstudierenden in unterschiedlichen Praxisphasen
Authors: Straub Sophie , Kreische Tina , Rothland Martin
Published: April 2021

Das berufsbezogene Selbstkonzept wird als Teilaspekt professioneller Handlungskompetenz von Lehrkräften angesehen. Angenommen wird u. a., dass schulpraktische Lerngelegenheiten in der ersten Phase der Lehrerbildung einen Einfluss auf die Veränderung des berufsbezogenen Selbstkonzepts haben. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung wird die Veränderung des berufsbezogenen Selbstkonzepts vergleichend im Kontext von zwei unterschiedlich langen Praxisphasen in den Blick genommen: im Rahmen des Orientierungspraktikums (n = 450) und des Praxissemesters (n = 572). Unter Nutzung der Skalen des ERBSE‑L kann gezeigt werden, dass sich das berufsbezogene Selbstkonzept von Lehramtsstudierenden im Verlauf beider Praxisphasen insgesamt erhöht. Zudem wird mithilfe eines Latent Change Modells ermittelt, dass schulpraktische Lerngelegenheiten keinen Einfluss auf die Veränderung des berufsbezogenen Selbstkonzepts haben. Des Weiteren zeigt sich, dass ein hohes Ausgangsniveau eine geringere intraindividuelle Veränderung während der jeweiligen Praxisphase bedingt.
Aerosol Deposition of Ti3SiC2-MAX-Phase Coatings
Authors: Elsenberg Andreas , Gärtner Frank , Klassen Thomas
Published: April 2021

For the present study on Aerosol Deposition of MAX-phase materials, Ti3SiC2was chosen as model system due to the availability of property data and commercial powder. The as-received powder was milled to different nominal sizes. For revealing details on coating formation and possible bonding mechanisms, Aerosol Deposition experiments were performed for different particle size batches and process gas pressures. Microstructural analyses reveal that coating formation preferably occurs for particle sizes smaller two microns. Using such small particle sizes, crack-free, dense layers can be obtained. The individual deposition efficiencies for the different particle sizes, particularly the critical size below which deposition gets prominent, vary with process gas flows and associated pressures. Detailed microstructural analyses of coatings by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy reveal plastic deformation and fracture, both attributing to shape adaption to previous spray layers and probably bonding. In correlation to coating thickness or deposition efficiencies, respective results give indications for possible bonding mechanisms and a tentative window of Aerosol Deposition for Ti3SiC2MAX-phases as spray material.
Rarely mentioned species in Hungary: Can we step into the same lake?
Authors: T-Krasznai Enikő , B-Béres Viktória
Published: April 2021

International and national protection strategies and directives focus mainly on macroscopic organism and attempt to maintain their endangered habitats. However, microscopic communities are also threatened by decreasing biodiversity and many species including freshwater algae can disappear without even knowing they were present in the habitat. Defining rarity of microscopic taxa is not easy. The species’ rarity is based on detailed knowledge of distribution and abundance of species. But only limited information is available about rare algal species especially in a given ecoregion. Reducing the data gaps, here, we present altogether 20 phytoplankton taxa rare in Hungary: three species of Chlorophyceae, eight species of Trebouxiophyceae, two taxa of Euglenophyceae, one-one species of Cyanobacteria, Bacillariophyceae and Mediophyceae and three species of Xanthophyceae. One of them, the Cylindrotheca gracilis is on the Hungarian Red List. Physical and ecological characteristics of standing waters where these species were found as well as their former occurrence all over the world are also reviewed.
Developmental Neurotoxicity of Fipronil and Rotenone on a Human Neuronal In Vitro Test System
Authors: Schmitz Anne , Dempewolf Silke , Tan Saime , Bicker Gerd , Stern Michael
Published: April 2021

Pesticide exposure during in utero and early postnatal development can cause a wide range of neurological defects. However, relatively few insecticides have been recognized as developmental neurotoxicants, so far. Recently, discovery of the insecticide, fipronil, in chicken eggs has raised public concern. The status of fipronil as a potential developmental neurotoxicant is still under debate. Whereas several in vivo and in vitro studies suggest specific toxicity, other in vitro studies could not confirm this concern. Here, we tested fipronil and its main metabolic product, fipronil sulfone both at concentrations between 1.98 and 62.5 µM, alongside with the established developmental neurotoxicant, rotenone (0.004–10 µM) in vitro on the human neuronal precursor cell line NT2. We found that rotenone impaired all three tested DNT endpoints, neurite outgrowth, neuronal differentiation, and precursor cell migration in a dose-dependent manner and clearly separable from general cytotoxicity in the nanomolar range. Fipronil and fipronil sulfone specifically inhibited cell migration and neuronal differentiation, but not neurite outgrowth in the micromolar range. The rho-kinase inhibitor Y-27632 counteracted inhibition of migration for all three compounds (EC50 between 12 and 50 µM). The antioxidant, n-acetyl cysteine, could ameliorate the inhibitory effects of fipronil on all three tested endpoints (EC 50 between 84 and 164 µM), indicating the involvement of oxidative stress. Fipronil sulfone had a stronger effect than fipronil, confirming the importance to test metabolic products alongside original pesticides. We conclude that in vitro fipronil and fipronil sulfone display specific developmental neurotoxicity on developing human model neurons.
Practical handling of allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines
Authors: Klimek Ludger , Bergmann Karl-Christian , Brehler Randolf , Pfützner Wolfgang , Zuberbier Torsten , Hartmann Karin , Jakob Thilo , Novak Natalija , Ring Johannes , Merk Hans , Hamelmann Eckard , Ankermann Tobias , Schmidt Sebastian , Untersmayr Eva , Hötzenecker Wolfram , Jensen-Jarolim Erika , Brockow Knut , Mahler Vera , Worm Margitta
Published: April 2021

Background

For the preventive treatment of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) an unprecedented global research effort studied the safety and efficacy of new vaccine platforms that have not been previously used in humans. Less than one year after the discovery of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral sequence, these vaccines were approved for use in the European Union (EU) as well as in numerous other countries and mass vaccination efforts began. The so far in the EU approved mRNA vaccines BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 are based on similar lipid-based nanoparticle carrier technologies; however, the lipid components differ. Severe allergic reactions and anaphylaxis after COVID-19 vaccination are very rare adverse events but have drawn attention due to potentially lethal outcomes and have triggered a high degree of uncertainty.

Methods

Current knowledge on anaphylactic reactions to vaccines and specifically the new mRNA COVID-19 vaccines was compiled using a literature search in Medline, PubMed, as well as the national and international study and guideline registries, the Cochrane Library, and the Internet, with special reference to official websites of the World Health Organization (WHO), US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Robert Koch Institute (RKI), and Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI).

Results

Based on the international literature and previous experience, recommendations for prophylaxis, diagnosis and therapy of these allergic reactions are given by a panel of experts.

Conclusion

Allergy testing is not necessary for the vast majority of allergic patients prior to COVID-19 vaccination with currently licensed vaccines. In case of allergic/anaphylactic reactions after vaccination, allergy workup is recommended, as it is for a small potential risk population prior to the first vaccination. Evaluation and approval of diagnostic tests should be done for this purpose.
Nuklearmedizinische Diagnostik und Therapie des Prostatakarzinoms
Authors: Grunert Michael , Eberhardt Nina , Prasad Vikas , Beer Ambros J.
Published: April 2021

Die PSMA-PET/CT hat durch die präzise Darstellung der Tumorausdehnung einen festen Stellenwert in der Diagnostik, insbesondere in der Rezidivsituation, eingenommen und ist bereits in mehreren nationalen und internationalen Leitlinien fest verankert. Sie ermöglicht, in einem Untersuchungsgang Informationen über die Tumorsituation in der Prostataloge und von potenziellen lymphonodalen, viszeralen und ossären Metastasen zu erlangen, die für die zunehmend personalisierten Behandlungsstrategien notwendig sind. Die PSMA-Therapie stellt bereits jetzt – trotz bisher fehlender Zulassung – eine ergänzende nebenwirkungsarme Therapie beim metastasierten kastrationsresistenten Prostatakarzinom dar, die die Lebensqualität der Patienten deutlich verbessern und die Überlebenszeit steigern kann ohne relevante Toxizität, und deren Potenzial für die Zukunft auch durch Kombination mit anderen Therapieverfahren noch lange nicht absehbar ist. Der Beitrag thematisiert die Einsatzgebiete der PSMA-PET-Bildgebung als Grundlage für die erfolgreiche Therapie sowie den aktuellen Stand zur Indikation, Durchführung und Entwicklung der PSMA-Therapie.
Big data and machine learning for materials science
Authors: Rodrigues Jose F. , Florea Larisa , de Oliveira Maria C. F. , Diamond Dermot , Oliveira Osvaldo N.
Published: April 2021

Herein, we review aspects of leading-edge research and innovation in materials science that exploit big data and machine learning (ML), two computer science concepts that combine to yield computational intelligence. ML can accelerate the solution of intricate chemical problems and even solve problems that otherwise would not be tractable. However, the potential benefits of ML come at the cost of big data production; that is, the algorithms demand large volumes of data of various natures and from different sources, from material properties to sensor data. In the survey, we propose a roadmap for future developments with emphasis on computer-aided discovery of new materials and analysis of chemical sensing compounds, both prominent research fields for ML in the context of materials science. In addition to providing an overview of recent advances, we elaborate upon the conceptual and practical limitations of big data and ML applied to materials science, outlining processes, discussing pitfalls, and reviewing cases of success and failure.
Female Sexual Function During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States
Authors: Bhambhvani Hriday P. , Chen Tony , Kasman Alex M. , Wilson-King Genester , Enemchukwu Ekene , Eisenberg Michael L.
Published: April 2021

Introduction

International studies have demonstrated increasing rates of sexual dysfunction amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, the impact of the pandemic on female sexual function in the United States is unknown.

Aim

To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on female sexual function and frequency in the United States.

Methods

A pre-pandemic survey containing the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and demographic questions was completed by adult women in the United States from October 20, 2019 and March 1, 2020. The same women were sent a follow-up survey also containing the FSFI, as well as the Patient Health Questionnaire for Depression and Anxiety with 4 items (PHQ-4), and questions pertaining to mask wearing habits, job loss, and relationship changes. Risk for female sexual dysfunction (RFSD) was defined as FSFI < 26.55.

Main Outcome Measure

Differences in pre-pandemic and intra-pandemic female sexual function, measured by the FSFI, and sexual frequency.

Results

Ninety-one women were included in this study. Overall FSFI significantly decreased during the pandemic (27.2 vs 28.8, P = .002), with domain-specific decreases in arousal (4.41 vs 4.86, P = .0002), lubrication (4.90 vs 5.22, P = .004), and satisfaction (4.40 vs 4.70, P = .04). There was no change in sexual frequency. Contingency table analysis of RFSD prior to and during the pandemic revealed significantly increased RFSD during the pandemic (P = .002). Women who developed RFSD during the pandemic had higher PHQ-4 anxiety subscale scores (3.74 vs 2.53, P = .01) and depression subscale scores (2.74 vs 1.43, P = .001) than those who did not. Development of FSD was not associated with age, home region, relationship status, mask wearing habits, knowing someone who tested positive for COVID-19, relationship change, or job loss and/or reduction during the pandemic.

Conclusion

In this population of female cannabis users, risk for sexual dysfunction increased amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and is associated with depression and anxiety symptoms. Bhambhvani HP, Chen T, Wilson-King AM, et al. Female Sexual Function During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States. Sex Med 2021;9:100355.
Vicarious Actions and Social Teleology
Authors: Lusson Philippe A.
Published: April 2021

Actions receive teleological descriptions and reason explanations. In some circumstances, these descriptions and explanations might appeal not just to the agent’s own purposes and reasons, but also to the purposes and reasons of others in her social surroundings. Some actions have a social teleology. I illustrate this phenomenon and I propose a concept of vicarious action to account for it. An agent acts vicariously when she acts in response to the demand of another agent who knew that her demand was likely to succeed. I argue that vicariousness grounds the social teleology of the resulting actions.
Bed Surge Capacity in Saudi Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Alqahtani Fahad , Khan Anas , Alowais Jalal , Alaama Tareef , Jokhdar Hani
Published: April 2021

Objectives:

To assess the hospital beds and intensive care unit (ICU) beds with a ventilator surge capacity of the health system in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods:

This study used relevant data from the National Health Emergency Operation Center to estimate general hospital and ICU bed surge capacity and tipping points under 3 distinct transmission scenarios.

Results:

The study results reveal that hospitals in the KSA need to be supplied with additional 4372 hospital beds to care for COVID-19 positive cases if the pandemic continues over a 6 months’ period. At the same time, it requires additional 2192 or 1461 hospital beds if the pandemic persists over a 12- or 18-month period, respectively, to manage hospitalized COVID-19 overloads. The health system surge capacity would suffer from a shortage of 1600, 797, and 540 ICU beds under the 3 transmission scenarios to absorb critical and intensive care COVID-19 cases.

Conclusion:

Our findings highlight the urgent need for additional hospital and ICU beds in the face of critical COVID-19 cases in KSA. The study recommends further assessment measures to the health system surge capacity to keep the Saudi health system prepared during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 Resurgence: Lessons Learned to Inform the South African Response
Authors: Dzobo Mathias , Hlongwa Mbuzeleni , Denhere Knowledge , Kampira Vincent , Mugoni Mathias , Musuka Godfrey , Dzinamarira Tafadzwa
Published: April 2021

The risk of recurring coronavirus disease (COVID-19) resurgences that threaten Africa’s health care systems, newly opened communities, schools, and businesses looms as communities abandon precautionary measures, such as mask-wearing, physical distancing, and regular handwashing. In this piece, we unpack the handling of both the first wave and subsequent resurgence in the context of 3 countries that are experiencing such a resurgence at the time of writing (December 2020): Israel, France, and the United Kingdom. While it is difficult to extrapolate on what to expect in South Africa, based on experience in these 3 countries, South Africa’s preparedness for a COVID-19 resurgence should place emphasis on the role of expanded testing and isolation capacity, strengthening enforcement of adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions, and protection of high-risk populations.
Objectivity as Independence
Authors: Reutlinger Alexander
Published: April 2021

Building on Nozick's invariantism about objectivity, I propose to define scientific objectivity in terms of counterfactual independence. I will argue that such a counterfactual independence account is (a) able to overcome the decisive shortcomings of Nozick's original invariantism and (b) applicable to three paradigmatic kinds of scientific objectivity (that is, objectivity as replication, objectivity as robustness, and objectivity as Mertonian universalism).
Regulating Resort Revelry: Alcohol, Music, and the Entertainment Market in Miami Beach, 1935–1955
Authors: REVELL KEITH D.
Published: April 2021

Miami Beach was the nation’s premier winter resort between the 1930s and the 1950s. The city attracted a diverse crowd of visitors, some interested in a peaceful respite from the frigid north, others drawn by the drinking, dancing, and musical entertainment offered by its many bars and nightclubs. As part of an elaborate effort to sustain the city’s lively symbiotic urban leisure-services economy, the Miami Beach City Council addressed three types of market failures: chaotic competition, interproducer conflicts, and monopolistic business practices. This article demonstrates how these practices expressed a coherent vernacular philosophy of regulated capitalism arising from the city’s identity as a collective economic enterprise.
Modeling Gender as a Multidimensional Sorites Paradox
Authors: Collins Rory W.
Published: April 2021

Gender is both indeterminate and multifaceted: many individuals do not fit neatly into accepted gender categories, and a vast number of characteristics are relevant to determining a person's gender. This article demonstrates how these two features, taken together, enable gender to be modeled as a multidimensional sorites paradox. After discussing the diverse terminology used to describe gender, I extend Helen Daly's research into sex classifications in the Olympics and show how varying testosterone levels can be represented using a sorites argument. The most appropriate way of addressing the paradox that results, I propose, is to employ fuzzy logic. I then move beyond physiological characteristics and consider how gender portrayals in reality television shows align with Judith Butler's notion of performativity, thereby revealing gender to be composed of numerous criteria. Following this, I explore how various elements of gender can each be modeled as individual sorites paradoxes such that the overall concept forms a multidimensional paradox. Resolving this dilemma through fuzzy logic provides a novel framework for interpreting gender membership.
Four Paradigm Cases of Dependency in Care Relations
Authors: van der Weele Simon
Published: April 2021

Dependencyfunctions as a keyword in care theory. However, care theorists have spelled out the ontological and moral ramifications of dependency in different and often conflicting ways. In this article, I argue that conceptual disputes about dependency betray a fundamental discordance among authors, rooted in the empirical premises of their arguments. Hence, although authors appear to share a vocabulary of dependency, they are not writing about quite the same phenomenon. I seek to elucidate these differences by teasing out and comparing different conceptions of dependency found in the literature. Borrowing a phrase from Eva Kittay, I trace four “paradigm cases” of dependency: the infant, the physically disabled person, the profoundly intellectually disabled person, and the refugee. These paradigm cases serve as the empirical touchstone from which theorists extract their conceptions of dependency. Each paradigm case, moreover, permits (or even implores) a particular ethical sensibility toward care. How we understand and value dependency thus seems to determine how we understand and value care, and vice versa. In this way, I contend, our normative orientation toward care might influence what sorts of dependency we see—and, by extension, which forms of dependency we fail to notice.
Telenor Magyarország Zrt. v. Nemzeti Média- És Hírközlési Hatóság Elnöke (C.J.E.U.)
Authors: Biros Jason A.
Published: April 2021

An important ruling, with international implications regarding the increasingly fraught and unsettled realm of state regulation in the digital sphere, came from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on September 15, 2020. In its ruling in the case of Telenor Magyarország Zrt. v Nemzeti Média- és Hírközlési Hatóság Elnöke, the CJEU stepped in to make a strong defense of legislation intended to secure so-called “net neutrality”—the principle of internet regulation meant to ensure that internet service providers cannot unduly restrict end-user access to certain internet applications or services based solely on commercial considerations. The ruling continues the CJEU's strict legal interpretations in furtherance of EU regulation and protection of consumer and individual rights in the digital sphere, with a clear eye toward cementing Europe's position in the vanguard of digital regulation and in the hope that such principles will be replicated and upheld elsewhere.
Drawing on emotions: the evolving role of art therapy
Authors: Cheng Chelsea , Elamin Mohamed Elhassan , May Helen , Kennedy Miriam
Published: April 2021

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media to improve well-being. This article explores the history and development of art therapy, from the first description of art therapy in the 1940s, to the two main approaches still in use today. The benefits of art therapy with regard to its delivery, patient population, and cost are then broadly discussed. The use of art therapy in psychiatric conditions, specifically in schizophrenia and schizophrenia-like conditions, is highlighted, as well as its role in chronic and physical conditions like asthma and cancer. Furthermore, the potential for art therapy to be more broadly implemented using technological novelties, such as virtual reality, is considered, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ASKING QUESTIONS TO DETERMINE THE PRODUCT OF CIRCULARLY ARRANGED NUMBERS
Authors: SANE SHARAD S.
Published: April 2021

Fix positive integers k and n with

$k \leq n$
. Numbers

$x_0, x_1, x_2, \ldots , x_{n - 1}$
, each equal to

$\pm {1}$
, are cyclically arranged (so that

$x_0$
follows

$x_{n - 1}$
) in that order. The problem is to find the product

$P = x_0x_1 \cdots x_{n - 1}$
of all n numbers by asking the smallest number of questions of the type

$Q_i$
: what is

$x_ix_{i + 1}x_{i + 2} \cdots x_{i+ k -1}$
? (where all the subscripts are read modulo n). This paper studies the problem and some of its generalisations.
Connectors of smart design and smart systems
Authors: Horváth Imre
Published: April 2021

Though they can be traced back to different roots, both smart design and smart systems have to do with the recent developments of artificial intelligence. There are two major questions related to them: (i) What way are smart design and smart systems enabled by artificial narrow, general, or super intelligence? and (ii) How can smart design be used in the realization of smart systems? and How can smart systems contribute to smart designing? A difficulty is that there are no exact definitions for these novel concepts in the literature. The endeavor to analyze the current situation and to answer the above questions stimulated an exploratory research whose first findings are summarized in this paper. Its first part elaborates on a plausible interpretation of the concept of smartness and provides an overview of the characteristics of smart design as a creative problem solving methodology supported by artificial intelligence. The second part exposes the paradigmatic features and system engineering issues of smart systems, which are equipped with application-specific synthetic system knowledge and reasoning mechanisms. The third part presents and elaborates on a conceptual model of AI-based couplings of smart design and smart systems. The couplings may manifest in various concrete forms in real life that are referred to as “connectors” in this paper. The principal types of connectors are exemplified and discussed. It has been found that smart design tends to manifest as a methodology of blue-printing smart systems and that smart systems will be intellectualized the enablers of implementation of smart design. Understanding the affordances of and creating proper connectors between smart design and smart systems need further explorative research.