bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Occupational Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Disorders in Musicians: A Systematic Review
Authors: Wu Sarah J
Published: March 2021

Objective: This study aimed to systematically evaluate the available evidence on risk factors for professional instrumentalists' developing musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders. Methods: Relevant studies were identified by a search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, a manual search
of Medical Problems of Performing Artists, and a search of the Performing Arts Medicine Association's online bibliography. Two independent reviewers assessed the methodologic quality of the selected publications using a standardized checklist. The studies' sample characteristics, findings,
and quality scores were presented in an evidence table. Results: Two case-control studies and 6 cross-sectional survey designs were included in this review. The median method-score was 61%. Potential risk factors associated with developing MSK complaints included gender, years of playing
experience, type of instrument played, playing-related physical (long hours, over-practicing) and psychological stressors (self-pressure/academic), lack of preventive wellness behaviours (taking breaks), and previous trauma. The high degree of methodological (including sample profile) heterogeneity
among the studies impeded statistical pooling of relative effect sizes such as odds ratios. Conclusion: The etiology of MSK conditions in instrumental musicians is multifactorial; however, because the majority of research designs were of a cross-sectional survey nature, a temporal relationship
between risk factors and the onset of MSK complaints could not be established. Additional case-control studies should be conducted to reveal the most relevant confounding factors, such as exposure to physical stressors during leisure time, the psychosocial environment, and musical work load.
Longer-term studies should then focus on more accurately quantifying the degree of risk associated with these risk factors.
Incidence of Injuries in Female University-Level Modern Dancers and the Effectiveness of a Screening Program in Altering Injury Patterns
Authors: Weigert Bonnie J , Erickson Mark
Published: March 2021

Little information is available about the frequency and type of injuries that occur in modern dancers at a university level. Modern techniques present varied physical demands to dancers, and injuries within the academic setting can be particularly detrimental, both academically and
artistically. Screening programs are widely promoted throughout the sports and dance medicine literature as a means for preventing these injuries. The goal of this study was to determine the incidence and types of injuries that occur in a university modern dance program. Subsequently, as deficits
in strength, flexibility, and balance may be identified as risk factors for these injuries and addressed in a routine screening process, the second goal was to determine if dancers who participated in the screening process were at lower risk for injury. Injury characteristics in dance majors
(n = 30) were examined over two semesters by looking at onsite clinic data, as well as subjects' self-reports of injuries, the number of days they had to miss or modify class due to injury, and the degree to which pain limited their participation. At the beginning of the second semester,
half of the subjects were randomly selected to participate in a screening program. The injury rate for all subjects was over 30% for each semester by clinic visits and 67% for the first semester and 77% for the second semester by self-report. At the end of the second semester, there was no
difference between the screened and unscreened groups with respect to clinic visits, days of class missed or modified due to injury, or pain scores. This study therefore suggests that modern dancers at a university level do have a high incidence of injury, but this rate was not decreased by
a screening program.
Music Students' Health Problems and Health-promoting Behaviours
Authors: Kreutz Gunter , Ginsborg Jane , Williamon Aaron
Published: March 2021

The reported health problems of music performance students at two conservatoires in the UK were investigated, with specific attention to musculoskeletal and nonmusculoskeletal problems in relation to the students' instrumental specialty and their health-promoting behaviours. Students
from the Royal Northern College of Music (n = 199) and the Royal College of Music (n = 74) were surveyed using server-based inventories over the internet. They provided 246 usable data sets for this study. Results reveal that musculoskeletal pain as well as nonmusculoskeletal problems were
common among students, affecting about half of the sample, with similar patterns between groups of instruments. Regression analysis showed that musculoskeletal and nonmusculoskeletal symptoms reliably predicted perceived practice and performance quality, such that fewer symptoms predicted
better quality; the strongest predictors were pain along the spine and fatigue. These results suggest that significant proportions of health problems among music performance students emerge from general dispositions, such as posture and fatigue, and thus are not specific to the instrument
played. Healthy lifestyles appear not to affect perceived practice and performance quality.
Effectiveness of an Educational Program in Health Promotion and Injury Prevention for Freshman Music Majors
Authors: Barton Rebecca , Feinberg Judy R
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this program evaluation was to examine the effectiveness of an educational course in health promotion and injury prevention designed specifically for college music majors. Course content included the provision of information on medical problems commonly seen in musicians,
effective health promotion and preventive strategies, and application of this knowledge to music playing and other daily occupations. Students were taught how to assess risk for potential injury for themselves and their future students. Course content and self-assessment questionnaires aimed
at assessing the students' use of health and injury prevention measures were administered before the start of the course, immediately after course completion, and 6 weeks later. The outcomes indicated that students improved in their overall knowledge of the content covered in this educational
module and that this increased knowledge was retained 6 weeks later. Interestingly, self-perceived application of health promotion and injury prevention strategies did not improve significantly at the completion of the course but did so 6 weeks later, possibly indicating that behavior change
takes longer to incorporate into one's daily routine. Literature suggests that such education programs have benefited performing artists, and these results indicate the efficacy of this type of educational program within an academic curriculum for student musicians. In addition, this program
illustrates the role of the occupational therapist as a consultant and educator in the practice of performing arts medicine.
Medical Management of the Professional Singer: An Overview
Authors: Jahn Anthony F
Published: March 2021

Caring for the professional singer, whether an operatic performer or serious amateur, involves careful consideration of both physical and emotional components, as it does in other performing artists. However, because the head and neck contain representatives of other major organ systems
in close proximity to the phonating larynx, singing is additionally vulnerable to a range of diseases of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and endocrine systems. This review provides an overview of the conditions typically encountered in singers. These include occupational disorders (muscle
tension dysphonia, vocal nodules, vocal hemorrhage and polyps, chronic voice deterioration), general health issues with vocal implications (respiratory diseases, gastric reflux, endocrine problems, medication usage), as well as lifestyle considerations.
How to Destroy Creativity in Music Students: The Need for Emotional and Psychological Support Services in Music Schools
Authors: Nagel Julie Jaffee
Published: March 2021

A decision to pursue a career in the performing arts is a lifelong and complex undertaking. Musicians begin instrument lessons in early childhood, when the ego and talent are developing simultaneously. In these vulnerable years and at any age, music teachers and schools can inhibit
the creativity, musical and personal growth, and careers of their students by various common attitudes: e.g., overemphasis on improving technique and winning competitions; stress on prestigious performance careers; denial of the psychological implications of playing-related injury; or failure
to promote other professional outlets in music as well as other professions. Sometimes, a musician's career plans are altered or aborted altogether. The author advocates the establishment of psychological and physical interdisciplinary programs and courses in the curriculum as important aspects
of healthy music programs as well as career services programs to assist students with both performance and non-performance careers.
The Psychological Profile of a Rock Band: Using Intellectual and Personality Measures with Musicians
Authors: Hernandez Diane , Russo Stephen A , Schneider Barry A
Published: March 2021

Unique personality and intelligence factors are important components of the makeup of any individual. In addition, emotional factors, such as a person's inherent levels of joy, anger, passion, worry, grief, and dedication, influence their creative expression. The picture becomes more
complicated when there are four individual members with different emotional, intelligence, and personality profiles who must collaborate to make one composition of a creative group. The inner workings of a band are intrinsic and may produce inner conflict, affecting not only themselves and
family members but also management and production teams. While there is a growing amount of literature on cohesiveness and attitudinal influences on performance in other areas of psychology, the lack of literature and exploration into the dynamics of cohesiveness and group attitude within
the musical domain is significant. Using the WAIS-III, MMPI-2, Rorschach Inkblot Test, and an interview, the authors took a psychological “snapshot” of a band. Making music is often the first thing a musician states as his life’s work, but as this case study illustrates,
intra-band difficulties including severe depression, anxiety, control issues, and family disruptions are significant issues that arise, affecting the success goals of the group.
Playing-related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Stress-related Health Problems Among Percussionists
Authors: Sandell C , Frykman M , Chesky K , Fjellman-Wiklund A
Published: March 2021

This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence of self-reported playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) and stress-related health problems among percussionists. Data for the present study were extracted from the University of North Texas Musician Health Survey (UNT-MHS)
data set. Subjects (n = 279) were included if they identified auxiliary percussion (i.e., tambourine, triangle, bells, rattle, wood block), drum set, marimba, steel drum, timpani, vibraphone, xylophone, or other percussion as their primary instrument. Prevalence rates for PRMDs and
stress-related health problems were determined for the total percussion group and for separate instrument categories. Of the total group, 77% reported one or more PRMDs. The keyboard percussionists (marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, and steel drum) reported the significantly highest prevalence
(89%), followed by auxiliary and other percussionists (79%) and membranophone percussionists, including drum set and timpani (74%). The highest region-specific prevalence of PRMDs for the whole group was found in the bilateral hand and low back regions. Stress due to work environment was considered
moderate to high by 75% of the respondents. Regarding stress-related health problems, percussionists reported primarily problems with fatigue, depression, and stage fright. The overall findings of this study show that PRMDs and stress-related health problems are a major concern for percussionists
and warrant further research.
Recanalization strategies in childhood stroke: a 3-year surveillance study in Germany
Authors: Olivieri Martin , Sorg Anna-Lisa , Weinberger Raphael , Kurnik Karin , Bidlingmaier Christoph , Juranek Sabrina , Hoffmann Florian , Reiter Karl , Bonfert Michaela , Tacke Moritz , Borggraefe Ingo , Heinen Florian , Gerstl Lucia
Published: March 2021

Objective

Childhood acute ischemic stroke (CAIS) is a rare event. Diverse etiologies, risk factors, symptoms and stroke mimics hamper obtaining a fast diagnosis and implementing immediate recanalization strategies.
Methods

Over a period of 3 years (2015–2017), the data of 164 pediatric patients (> 28 days of life-18 years) with a first episode of AIS were submitted to a hospital-based nationwide surveillance system for rare disorders (ESPED). We report a subgroup analysis of patients who have undergone recanalization therapy and compare these data with those of the whole group.
Results

Twenty-eight patients (17%) with a median age of 12.2 years (range: 3.3–16.9) received recanalization therapy. Hemiparesis, facial weakness and speech disturbance were the main presenting symptoms. The time from onset of symptoms to confirmation of diagnosis was significantly shorter in the intervention group (4.1h vs. 20.4 h, p = < 0.0001). Only in one patient occurred a minor bleed. Cardiac disease as predisposing risk factor was more common in the recanalization group.
Conclusion

Recanalization therapies are feasible and increasingly applied in children with AIS. High awareness, timely diagnosis and a large amount of expertise may improve time to treatment and make hyperacute therapy an option for more patients improving their outcomes.
Could pollution levels, characteristics, sources of PAHs in atmospheric particulate matter break the Hu line?
Authors: Wu Yongfu , Shi Yan , Zhang Ning , Wang Yingqiang , Ren Yibin
Published: March 2021

Were the pollution levels, characteristics and sources of PAHs related to the population and GDP on both sides of the Hu line? What was the relationship between them? The study summarizes and discusses available data for PAHs in atmospheric particulate matter (PM) from 93 above prefecture-level cities in China in 2000-2019. The results suggested that the concentration of PAHs in PM varied with 7 regions of China in descending order: Northeast (NE) > North China (NC) > Northwest (NW) > South China (SC) > Southwest (SE) > Central China (CC) > South China Sea (SCS). Meanwhile, the mean value of carcinogenic PAHs, non-carcinogenic PAHs, PAHs derived from the burning of organic matter, low molecular weight PAHs, medium molecular weight PAHs, and high molecular weight PAHs in 16 priority PAHs was 53.5%, 46.5%, 80.0%, 16.9%, 45.2%, 37.9%, respectively. Moreover, from NW to NC, the content and pollution of PAHs increased with the increase of population and gross domestic product (GDP). From CC to SW and NC, the content and pollution of PAHs increased with the increase of population and the decrease of GDP. From SW to NW and CC to SC, the content and pollution of PAHs increased with the decrease in population and GDP. In part, PAHs pollution, characteristics and sources of atmospheric PM in Chinese cities broke the Hu line of population and GDP. Therefore, these require the promotion of comprehensive measures that will reduce pollution and sources of PAHs in heavily polluted areas.
Acceptability and Feasibility of Delivering Real-time Video-based Coaching to Enhance Provider Communication Skills  
Authors: Freytag Jennifer , Chu Jinna , Hysong Sylvia J. , Street Richard L. , Markham Christine M. , Giordano Thomas P. , Westbrook Robert A. , Njue-Marendes Sarah , Johnson Syundai , Dang Bich N.
Published: March 2021

BackgroundDespite a growing call to train providers in interpersonal communication skills, communication training is either not offered or is minimally effective, if at all. A critical need exists to develop new ways of teaching communication skills that are effective and mindful of provider time pressures. We propose a program that includes real-time observation and video-based coaching to teach provider communication skills. In this study, we assess acceptability and feasibility of the program using provider interviews and surveys. MethodsThe coaching intervention involved training providers to use five patient-centered communication behaviors. Two coaches were trained to observe and record live video feeds of provider visits. As coaches observed provider visits, they prepared feedback, which they delivered to the provider. During coaching sessions, coaches gave feedback while showing clips from the visit in which patient-centered communication behaviors could be included. Coaches practiced communication skills with providers using role-plays during coaching sessions. Providers included residents (n=15), fellows (n=3), attending physicians (n=3), and a nurse practitioner (n=1) from a VA clinic and county clinic specializing in care for patients with HIV. We report descriptive results from a survey taken by providers participating in the program. The survey was adapted from validated items used in I/O psychology to assess the feedback environment, including questions about the intervention’s feasibility and acceptability. A qualitative analysis was also conducted on transcripts of provider interviews following the intervention. We used rapid analysis to identify themes within the interviews.ResultsSurvey measures on showed high feasibility and acceptability ratings from providers, with mean item scores ranging from 6.2 to 6.8 on a 7-point scale. Qualitative analysis revealed that providers found that 1) coaches were credible and supportive, 2) feedback was useful, 3) video-clips allowed for self-reflection, 4) getting feedback on the same day was useful, and 5) use of real patients preferred over standardized patients. ConclusionsVideo-based coaching can help providers learn new communication skills in a way that is provider-centered, brief and timely. Our study demonstrates that real-time coaching using live feed and video technology is an acceptable and feasible way of teaching communication skills.
The Impact of COVID-19 Infection on Maternal and Reproductive Care Services in Governmental Health Institutions of Dessie town, North-East Ethiopia, 2020 G.C.
Authors: Assefa Kibir Temesgen , Gashu Amare Workie , Mullualem Tenagnework Dilnessa , Ayele Ermias Getaneh
Published: March 2021

Background: The COVID 19 pandemic is causing huge stress on the health care system of all countries in the world. The impact of the pandemic is both social and economic. Pregnancy is an exciting and sometimes stressful experience. Being pregnant during a disease outbreak may add extra anxiety and concern for pregnant women and for those who provide care for them [1, 2]. During the initial stages of the pandemic, it appeared Africa would be spared the burden of COVID-19. However, by April 7th, a total of 45 countries within the WHO African region had reported over 7000 cases (although some place it at over 10 000), with at least 292 deaths and 612 people recovered. Ethiopia, being one of the developing countries trying to address the diverse needs of its people, is currently at the verge of the epidemic [5, 7]. Objectives: The general objective of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 infection on maternal and reproductive health care services among mothers getting service in governmental health institutions of Dessie town, 2020 G.C. Methods: Institution based cross sectional study design using mixed (quantitative supplemented with qualitative) method was employed to identify the impact of COVID-19 infection on maternal and reproductive health care services among women who get service in governmental health institutions of Dessie town. The study was conducted from July 1-15 / 2020. Result: According to this study, Six percent (6%) of antenatal care attendees, 18% of delivery care attendees and nearly half (46.7%) of postnatal care attendees reported inappropriate service delivery due to fear of health care providers, shortage medical supplies and staff work load. The study also showed that utilization of these services was decreased due to fear of clients to go to health institutions. Conclusion and recommendation : This study concluded that COVID-19 significantly affects the quality and utilization of maternal and reproductive health care services. The study also showed that utilization of these services was decreased due to fear of clients to go to health institutions. Ministry of health should continue maternity and reproductive health care services such as family planning to be prioritized as an essential core health service.
Contribution of Community Health Workers to the treatment of common illnesses among under 5-year-olds in rural Uganda.
Authors: Bagenda Fred , Wesuta Andrew Christopher , Stone Geren , Ntaro Moses , Patel Palka , Kenney Jessica , Baguma Stephen , Ayebare David Santson , Bwambale Shem , Matte Michael , Kawungezi Peter Chris , Mulogo Edgar Mugema
Published: March 2021

Introduction The control of malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea is important for the reduction in morbidity and mortality among children under five years. Uganda has adopted the Integrated Community Case Management strategy using Community Health Workers to address this challenge. The extent and trend of these three conditions managed by the Community Health Workers are not well documented. This study was done to document Community Health Workers’ contribution towards treatment and the trends of the three common illnesses in Bugoye Sub-County in rural Uganda.
Comparison of Attention-based Deep LearningModels for EEG Classification
Authors: Cisotto Giulia , Zanga Alessio , Chlebus Joanna , Zoppis Italo , Manzoni Sara , Markowska-Kaczmar Urszula
Published: March 2021

Deep Learning (DL) has recently shown promising classification performance in Electroencephalography (EEG) in many different scenarios. However, the complex reasoning of such models often prevent the user to explain their classification abilities. Attention, one of the most

recent and influential ideas in DL, allows the models to learn which portions of the data are relevant to the final classification output. In this

work, we compared three attention-enhanced DL models, the brand-new InstaGATs , an LSTM with attention and a CNN with attention. We used these models to classify normal and abnormal, including artifactual and pathological, EEG patterns in three different datasets. We achieved the state of the art in all classification problems, regardless the large variability of the datasets and the simple architecture of the attention-enhanced models. Additionally, we proved that, depending on how the attention mechanism is applied and where the attention layer is located in the model, we can alternatively leverage the information contained in the time, frequency or space domain of the EEG dataset. Therefore, attention represents a promising strategy to evaluate the quality of the EEG information, and its relevance for classification, in different real-world scenarios.
WITHDRAWN: Irish Medical Laboratory Professionals and COVID-19: Response, Effect and Reflection on Future Practice
Authors: O'Connor James A. , Lucey Brigid
Published: March 2021

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented effect on healthcare staff across the globe. Medical laboratory professionals are central in the diagnosis and monitoring of treatment of most diseases, including COVID-19. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics have been examined for other healthcare professions, but there has been no study examining the effects of a pandemic, or any other healthcare emergency on medical laboratory professionals. Method: A voluntary, online survey of 37 closed and open questions for medical and healthcare scientists working in Ireland was conducted in May 2020. The survey examined the responses and effects of COVID-19 on medical laboratory professionals along with any lessons learned. Statistical significance was determined by two-tailed t-test (unequal variance). Results: There were 272 respondents, representing over 10% of the total workforce of Medical Scientists in Ireland. The respondents reflected all ages, grades, and disciplines in laboratories across Ireland and 87% of respondents reported a change to core working hours. Increasing workload complexity was reported by 70% of respondents. More than half of respondents reported increased work stress during the pandemic. The pandemic has also resulted in improved work-based solidarity. Approximately 90% of respondents were proud of their laboratory’s response to COVID-19, although degree of pride was significantly higher among managerial staff as were feelings of being appreciated, suggesting opportunity for further communication of praise. The study reports lessons learned thus far in the pandemic, including realisation of their service’s flexibility and adaptability, the necessity of collaboration and preparedness and the importance of their work.Conclusions: The respondents have identified challenges, including lack of career progression opportunities and under-utilisation of their professional skills, paucity of public knowledge of the roles undertaken in the laboratory and remuneration disparities, combined with concerns regarding retention of newly-qualified and other staff owing to alternative career opportunities.
The network interplay of type 1 interferon and toll-like receptor signaling cascades hallmarks the immune response against Candida spp. infections
Authors: Salgado Ranieri , Fonseca Dennyson , Marques Alexandre , Napoleao Sarah , França Tábata , Akashi Karen , Prado Caroline , Baiocchi Gabriela , Plaça Desirée , Filgueiras Igor , de Vito Roberta , Freire Paula , Camara Niels , Calich Vera , Ochs Hans , Schimke Lena , Jurisica Igor , Condino-Neto Antonio , Cabral-Marques Otavio
Published: March 2021

Here we employed a stepwise, integrative, and systems immunology approach to unravel the human immune responses to C. albicans and C. auris by analyzing publicly available human transcriptome data. Modular gene co-expression analysis revealed an interplay between Toll-like Receptors (TLR) and Interferon (IFN) networks. Enrichment analyses and hierarchical clustering revealed that this relationship is consistently triggered in peripheral white blood cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and dendritic cell transcriptomes, involving IFN-γ, IFN-α/β- (e.g., ISGs, IRFs, SOCS, and GBPs) and TLR-associated molecules (TLR3,4,7/8,9, and TRAF-mediated NF-κB). These TLR- and IFN-associated genes cluster and increase their correlation levels after Candida stimulation, forming a highly interconnected interferome network, which contains an immune overlap with the anti-viral responses. Notably, our analysis shed new lights on the molecular basis of several genes associated with inborn errors of immunity that cause host susceptibility to fungal infections such as Candida spp., which reinforce our transcriptomic findings.
Nature and Significance of Stromal Differentiation, PD-L1, and VISTA in GIST: Shifting Current Paradigms
Authors: Hacking Sean , Wu Dongling , Lee Lili , Vitkovski Taisia , Chavarria Hector , Nasim Mansoor
Published: March 2021

The nature and significance of stromal differentiation (SD), program death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and v-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA) in gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is largely unknown. Looking forward, the assessment of SD and immune check point inhibition will become more ubiquitous in surgical pathology. Immature, myxoid stroma has been found to be a poor prognostic signature in many cancer subtypes (colon, breast, cervix, esophagus, stomach); although little is known regarding its significance in GIST. For immune check-point inhibition, studies have demonstrated high PD-L1 and expression to be associated with patient outcomes in numerous cancer subtypes. The present body of work aims to discover the role of SD, PD-L1 and VISTA: both in terms of its nature, and its significance in a clinical setting. Here we found PD-L1 expression in immune cells (IC) and immature SD to be associated with worse cancer free survival, while positive VISTA expression was found to be associated with improved outcomes. High-grade immature SD had the highest propensity for death/recurrence and was the only variable found to have prognostic significance on multivariate analysis. Our findings support the evaluation of SD, PD-L1 and VISTA in GIST, with clinical practice implications for pathologists. Ultimately, we hope our findings lead to improved prognostication, further optimization of therapeutics, and improved outcomes in a true clinical environment. For GIST, tumoral differentiation (TD) may be performed in isolation by pathologists, but cautiously; PD-L1 and VISTA could be on the cutting edge of an immunotherapeutic revolution, and SD may be the answer to clinical heterogeneity in GIST. We hope that this work can serve as a lexicon and a guide for discovering the essence of stroma in GIST, while also being a catalyst for pathologists to shoulder the adoption of SD in cancer.
Development of industrial parks and a new livelihood strategy for the people in Vietnam
Authors: Thuy Cu Thanh , Anh Nguyen Tuan
Published: March 2021

This study is designed to analyze the influence of industrial park (IP) development on the lives of people living around the IPs in Vietnam and on new livelihood strategies for people after the industrial park was built and developed. Data were collected from a survey of 409 people living around industrial parks in three regions of Vietnam (Northern, Central, and South Vietnam). The findings show that the livelihood resources, such as financial resources, physical resources, social resources, and natural resources, have a positive relationship with people’s livelihoods after industrial park construction and development; though, the degree of influence of these resources is different. Whereas human resources have a positive effect (through the item – additional jobs created by the industrial park) and a negative effect on income (through the object – the unemployed labor by the industrial park built and developed). The findings also show that most households surveyed responded that their lives had changed for the better (about 41.36% compared to nearly 28.91% of households surveyed who said their income had decreased).
On using escort distributions in digital image analysis
Authors: Ampilova Natalia , Soloviev Igor , Sergeev Vladislav
Published: March 2021

Methods of digital image analysis find wide application both in scientific research and in many branches of industry. During the last decades, interest has grown in images with multifractal structure which are obtained in biology, medicine, chemistry and studying the soil. The mathematics of fractals and fractal geometry are well known and studied. However, despite this, a common approach to designing the methods of practical investigation of such images has not been developed until now. The main purpose of this work is to propose the using of multifractal formalism as the mathematical tool for the statistical description of multifractal sets. Such a description adequately depicts the chaotic behavior of the majority of real systems. The method for calculation of Rényi and singularity spectra based on using parametrized spectra, which are obtained from escort (zooming) distributions of an initial measure, is considered. The method for comparing images based on using vectors of divergences calculated for the sequence of escort distributions is proposed. The role of parametrized spectra as the tool for the approximation of any part of the singularity spectrum is substantiated. An estimation of the rate of growth of the divergence vector is obtained. Main theoretical results are confirmed by numerical experiments with images of biomedical preparations. These show the ability of the implemented methods to find subtle distinctions in image structure for a simple choice of an initial measure.
Effect of mistuning parameters on dynamic characteristics of mistuned bladed disk
Authors: Zhang Hongyuan , Dong Haocun , Zhao Tianyu , Zhang Xin , Yuan Huiqun
Published: March 2021

The aim of this paper is to study the nonlinear dynamics of the tenon and mortise of aero-engine compressor blades, based on lumped parameter model of tenon and mortise of blade disk system, considering the influence of gap and friction, The nonlinear vibration characteristics of mistuned bladed disk with different mistuning parameters are studied. The effects of tenon and mortise gap, dry friction, blade damping mistuning and tenon damping mistuning on the vibration characteristics of the mistuned bladed disk under strong coupling and weak coupling are obtained respectively. The results show that the gap and friction has little effect on the vibration response of the weakly coupled bladed disk, but the gap and friction has a great influence on the strongly coupled bladed disk, the larger the gap, the more complex the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of tenon. Under the same gap and coupling strength, the mistuning parameters have a certain influence on the vibration amplitude of the bladed disk.
The cultural economy of human waste reuse: perspectives from peri-urban Karnataka, India
Authors: Burt Zachary , Sharada Prasad C. S. , Drechsel Pay , Ray Isha
Published: March 2021

Safely managed waste reuse may be a sustainable way to protect human health and livelihoods in agrarian-based countries without adequate sewerage. The safe recovery and reuse of fecal sludge-derived fertilizer (FSF) has become an important policy discussion in low-income economies as a way to manage urban sanitation to benefit peri-urban agriculture. But what drives the user acceptance of composted fecal sludge? We develop a preference-ranking model to understand the attributes of FSF that contribute to its acceptance in Karnataka, India. We use this traditionally economic modeling method to uncover cultural practices and power disparities underlying the waste economy. We model farmowners and farmworkers separately, as the choice to use FSF as an employer versus as an employee is fundamentally different. We find that farmers who are willing to use FSF prefer to conceal its origins from their workers and from their own caste group. This is particularly the case for caste-adhering, vegetarian farmowners. We find that workers are open to using FSF if its attributes resemble cow manure, which they are comfortable handling. The waste economy in rural India remains shaped by caste hierarchies and practices, but these remain unacknowledged in policies promoting sustainable ‘business’ models for safe reuse. Current efforts under consideration toward formalizing the reuse sector should explicitly acknowledge caste practices in the waste economy, or they may perpetuate the size and scope of the caste-based informal sector.
Removal of antibiotic resistance genes from secondary effluent by processes combining nano-iron, ultrasound-activated persulfate, and ultrafiltration
Authors: Sun Lihua , Tong Hao , Gao Cheng , Liu Yehui , Feng Cuimin
Published: March 2021

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), as a new type of environmental pollutant that threaten human health, have been detected in the effluent of sewage treatment systems. In this study, the removal from water of ARGs, 16S rRNA, class 1 integron (intI1), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were investigated using processes combining nano-iron (nFe), ultrasound (US), activated persulfate (PS) and ultrafiltration (UF). The oxidation mechanism was also studied. The results showed that both nFe and US activation could improve the oxidative effect of PS, and the effect of nFe was better than that of US. Compared with PS-UF, nFe/PS-UF and US/PS-UF significantly enhanced the removal of various ARGs and DOC. nFe/PS-UF was the most effective treatment, reducing cell-associated and cell-free ARGs by 1.74–3.14-log and 1.00–2.61-log, respectively, while removing 30% of DOC. Pre-oxidation methods using PS, nFe/PS, and US/PS significantly enhanced the efficacy of UF for removing DOC with molecular weights above 50 kDa and below 10 kDa, but the removal of DOC between 10 and 50 kDa decreased. The free radicals SO4·− and ·OH were shown to participate in the process of ARGs oxidation.
Remote Monitoring Systems for Patients With Chronic Diseases in Primary Health Care: Systematic Review (Preprint)
Authors: Peyroteo Mariana , Ferreira Inês Augusto , Elvas Luís Brito , Ferreira João Carlos , Lapão Luís Velez
Published: March 2021

BACKGROUND

The digital age, with digital sensors, the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data tools, has opened new opportunities for improving the delivery of health care services, with remote monitoring systems playing a crucial role and improving access to patients. The versatility of these systems has been demonstrated during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Health remote monitoring systems (HRMS) present various advantages such as the reduction in patient load at hospitals and health centers. Patients that would most benefit from HRMS are those with chronic diseases, older adults, and patients that experience less severe symptoms recovering from SARS-CoV-2 viral infection.

OBJECTIVE

This paper aimed to perform a systematic review of the literature of HRMS in primary health care (PHC) settings, identifying the current status of the digitalization of health processes, remote data acquisition, and interactions between health care personnel and patients.

METHODS

A systematic literature review was conducted using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines to identify articles that explored interventions with HRMS in patients with chronic diseases in the PHC setting.

RESULTS

The literature review yielded 123 publications, 18 of which met the predefined inclusion criteria. The selected articles highlighted that sensors and wearables are already being used in multiple scenarios related to chronic disease management at the PHC level. The studies focused mostly on patients with diabetes (9/26, 35%) and cardiovascular diseases (7/26, 27%). During the evaluation of the implementation of these interventions, the major difficulty that stood out was the integration of information into already existing systems in the PHC infrastructure and in changing working processes of PHC professionals (83%).

CONCLUSIONS

The PHC context integrates multidisciplinary teams and patients with often complex, chronic pathologies. Despite the theoretical framework, objective identification of problems, and involvement of stakeholders in the design and implementation processes, these interventions mostly fail to scale up. Despite the inherent limitations of conducting a systematic literature review, the small number of studies in the PHC context is a relevant limitation. This study aimed to demonstrate the importance of matching technological development to the working PHC processes in interventions regarding the use of sensors and wearables for remote monitoring as a source of information for chronic disease management, so that information with clinical value is not lost along the way.
Evaluating the Quality and Readability of Online Resources for Covid-19 in Pregnancy: An Assessment of Web Based Information (Preprint)
Authors: Owens Thomas , Ford Catherine , Pandya Lopa
Published: March 2021

BACKGROUND

The internet is a source for inquiries and a way to distribute information. Pregnant women may look to the internet for information about COVID-19’s impact on pregnancy. As providers, it’s vital to provide patients with information that is both reliable and comprehendible. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the readability and quality of web-based information regarding Covid-19 in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the quality, readability, and accuracy of web-based information regarding Covid-19 in pregnancy.

METHODS

The JAMA benchmark tool was used to evaluate the websites. Readability was assessed using Flesch-Kincaid reading ease and Flesch-Kincaid grade level. An interrater reliability analysis using the Kappa statistic was performed to determine consistency among raters.

RESULTS

The mean score using the JAMA tool was 3.53 (SD, 0.74). The majority of the websites came from news sites (37.8%). The median reading grade level was 11.9. The interrater reliability for the raters was found to be Kappa=0.363 (P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicated that reliable information regarding Covid-19 in pregnancy was available online. An assessment of website content indicated that both grade levels and reading ease was higher than recommended. By guiding patients to reliable and accurate sources we can educate our patients while also guiding shared decision making.
Una niñez feliz.Fragmento de la vida del poeta colombiano Raúl Gómez Jattin
Authors: Hoyos Londoño María Carmenza
Published: March 2021

Este texto hace parte de la biografía completa del poeta Raúl Gómez Jattin escrita en el marco de una investigación doctoral, orientada conceptual y metodológicamente por el método biográfico. La poesía fue fuente primaria, en tanto que el cruce de las fábulas biográficas en una lógica inductiva permitió la construcción de los acontecimientos de vida del poeta en vínculo con el contexto. Este fragmento es precedido por el origen de la familia Gómez Jattin en la costa Caribe colombiana y abre paso a relatos posteriores sobre su adolescencia, juventud y adultez —donde desarrolló su obra poética— hasta su muerte a la edad de cincuenta y dos años. Con la escritura biográfica se buscó conocer al poeta al mismo tiempo que exaltar su gran obra, en aras de difundirla más allá de los relatos clichés sobre su locura y consumo de drogas. La niñez fue un período trascendental en tanto marcó su indiscutible propensión a la poesía.
MULTILETRAMENTOS E MULTIMODALIDADE: O DESIGN DE SIGNIFICADOS EM UM LIVRO DIDÁTICO DE LÍNGUA PORTUGUESA
Authors: Boaventura Luis Henrique , Mecca Édina Menegat , Freitas Ernani Cesar de
Published: March 2021

Esta pesquisa tem com tema os multiletramentos e, como delimitação a construção do sentido em textos de gêneros multimodais por meio de atividades propostas por um material didático de língua portuguesa. O objetivo é analisar as atividades de leitura propostas nos textos multimodais em um livro didático de língua portuguesa a fim de verificar sua contribuição para a promoção dos multiletramentos. Diante disso, são mobilizados como marcos teóricos os estudos de Chartier (1994), Petit (2008) e Kleiman (2004, 2005) no que tange às práticas de  leitura; Kress (2000, 2010, 2014) e Kress e van Leeuwen (2006) acerca da multimodalidade; The New London Group (2000) e Rojo (2012) em relação aos multiletramentos. O corpus desta pesquisa é composto por atividades de estudo de um texto do livro didático “Português – Linguagens”, de Cereja e Magalhães (2015), desenvolvido para o sexto ano do ensino fundamental. Observamos que os materiais didáticos analisados promovem os multiletramentos ao considerar o processo de design do significado intrínseco à comunicação multimodal. Verificamos, ainda, que aspectos relevantes dos sentidos produzidos pelos modos de design visual são ignorados nas atividades.
Recent updates in the development of mettallocenes with antimalarial activity
Authors: Aksic Jelena , Gencic Marija , Radulovic Niko
Published: March 2021

Great progress in the fight against malaria has been made in the last decade.
Nevertheless, the development of resistance to almost all commonly used
antimalarial drugs poses a major threat to the sustainability of this
progress and highlights the need for the discovery of novel potent and
inexpensive antimalarials to stay one step ahead. After the finding of
ferrocene-containing analog of chloroquine - ferroquine, that can overcome
Plasmodium resistance, a ?big-bang? in the metallocene antimalarials
research has occurred. This review describes in detail the most recent
advances in this important field of medicinal chemistry. Even though it is
quite hard to beat ferroquine, it seems that this could be succeeded by
suitable modifications in the structure of ferroquine, by the introduction
of ? second metal center or through joining metallocenes with two or more
proven antimalarial motifs into a single molecule.
Degree of cotton fabric whiteness obtained by the fluorescent bleaching agent UVITEX BHT and H2O2
Authors: Miljkovic Milena , Miljkovic Vojkan , Trajkovic Dusan , Konstantinovic Sandra
Published: March 2021

In this paper, the influence of the fluorescent bleaching agent, UVITEX BHT
optical bleach, on the degree of whiteness of cotton fabric was examined. In
the first phase of the test, the bleaching of cotton with hydrogen peroxide,
as the bleaching agent, was done. In the second phase, the effect of
fluorescent bleaching agent on the whiteness of cotton wool bleached in the
first phase was tested. Moreover, the color strength (K/S) and CIE L*a*b*
were determined using Coloreye - 3000 spectrophotometer. The whiteness
degree achieved with bleaching agent UVITEX BHT was almost twice larger than
the one achieved with chemical bleaching compounds. The highest whiteness
index (WI) of cotton fabrics was achieved when fluorescent UVITEX BHT bleach
was used in the concentration of 0.1%.
Single-electron capture in ion-ion collisions
Authors: Delibasic Danilo , Milojevic Nenad , Mancev Ivan
Published: March 2021

The prior versions of the three-body boundary-corrected first Born
approximation (CB1-3B) and the three-body boundary-corrected continuum
intermediate states method (BCIS-3B) are applied to calculate the
state-selective and state-summed total cross sections for single-electron
capture from hydrogen-like ion targets (He+, Li2+) by fast completely
stripped projectiles (H+, He2+, Li3+). All calculations are carried out for
single-electron capture into arbitrary n l m final states of the
projectiles, up to n = 4. The contributions from higher n shells are
included using the Oppenheimer n?3 scaling law. The present results are
found to be in satisfactory agreement with the available experimental data.
Sympathetic Blocks
Authors: Gilligan Christopher J. , Boyaji Shafik
Published: March 2021

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of the nervous system that regulates involuntary functions. It is composed of the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems (SNS and PNS, respectively). The sympathetic nervous system, in addition to its vital role as part of the autonomic nervous system and the emergency response, is thought to be involved in numerous pathologic, painful conditions. These conditions are referred to as Sympathetically Mediated Pain (SMP). SMP is often considered a result of a vicious circle of events, which include changes in peripheral and central somatosensory processes. This assumption is based upon the observations that the pain is spatially correlated with signs of autonomic dysfunction, blocking the efferent sympathetic supply to the affected area would relieve the pain. Sympathetic blocks emerged as a way to help diagnose and treat several painful conditions, including complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), phantom pain, neuralgias, herpes zoster, and even fibromyalgia. Additionally, sympathetic blockades have been used to improve perfusion, treat angina and malignant arrhythmias, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
This review contains 1 table and 68 references.
Key words: Sympathetic nervous system, sympathetically mediated pain, sympathetic blocks, neuropathic pain, chronic pain, stellate ganglion block, celiac plexus block, lumbar sympathetic block, superior hypogastric plexus block