bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Multispecialty tracheostomy experience
Authors: Lipton G , Stewart M , McDermid R , Docking R , Urquhart C , Morrison M , Montgomery J 
Published: April 2020

Introduction Tracheostomy is a common surgical procedure used to create a secure airway in patients, now performed by a variety of specialties, with a notable rise in critical care environments. It is unclear whether this rise is seen in units with large head and neck surgery departments, and how practice in such units compares with the rest of the UK. Methods A three-year retrospective audit was carried out between anaesthetic, surgical and critical care departments. All tracheostomy procedures were recorded anonymously. Results A total of 523 tracheostomies were performed, 66% of which were in men. The mean patient age was 60 years. The majority (83%) were elective, performed for various indications, while the remaining 17% were emergency tracheostomies performed for pending airway obstruction. A fifth of the tracheostomies were percutaneous procedures. Most emergency tracheostomies (78%) were performed by otolaryngology. Three cricothyroidotomies were performed within critical care and theatres. Complications related to tracheostomy occurred in 47 cases (9%), most commonly lower respiratory tract infection. The mean time to decannulation was 12.8 days. Conclusions This paper discusses the findings of a comprehensive, multispecialty audit of tracheostomy experience in a large health board, with over 150 tracheostomies performed annually. Elective cases form the majority although there is a significant case series of emergency tracheostomies performed for a range of pathologies. Around a quarter of those requiring tracheostomy ultimately died, mostly as a result of advanced cancer.
Severe hypercalcaemia of primary hyperparathyroidism: Could giant adenoma be the real culprit rather than carcinoma?
Authors: Gücek Haciyanli S , Acar N , Gür EÖ , Çelik SC , Karaıslı S , Dilek ON , Haciyanli M 
Published: April 2020

Introduction Hypercalcaemic crisis is a rare manifestation of hyperparathyroidism and occurs in 1.6–6% of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). Although such high serum calcium levels (>14mg/dl) are attributed to malignancy, it is also associated with benign disease of the parathyroid glands. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical features and treatment modalities of patients with severe hypercalcaemia who underwent surgery for pHPT. Methods The medical records of 537 patients who underwent parathyroidectomy in our department for pHPT between 2005 and 2019 were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty-four (4.4%) of the patients were described as having severe hypercalcaemia. Results Among 24 patients, 71% were female and the mean age was 55.7 years (range: 40–71 years). The mean serum calcium level at time of diagnosis was 15.9mg/dl (range: 14–22.7mg/dl). According to postoperative pathology reports, solitary adenoma, parathyroid cancer and parathyromatosis were diagnosed with the rates of 87.5%, 8.3% and 4.1% respectively. The mean weight of the solitary parathyroid lesions was 14.9g (standard deviation: 8.9g, range: 4–38g). The mean longest diameter was 2.87cm (standard deviation: 1.4cm, range: 1–5.5cm). Serum calcium levels were within the normal range on the first postoperative day in 75% of the cases. Conclusions Severe hypercalcaemia is a rare but urgent condition of pHPT and requires prompt management. Accelerated surgery after adequate medical treatment should be performed. It is important to emphasise that giant adenoma, which is a benign disease, may be a more common cause of severe hypercalcaemia than carcinoma, unlike previously thought.
Free abdominal gas on computed tomography in the emergency department: aetiologies and association between amount of free gas and mortality
Authors: Tau N , Cohen I , Barash Y , Klang E 
Published: April 2020

Introduction Free abdominal gas is an important finding with major clinical implications. However, data on the aetiologies and prognosis of patients with free gas are scarce. Our primary aim was to describe the sources of free abdominal gas on emergency department (ED) computed tomography (CT). The secondary aim was to evaluate the association between the amount of free gas and all-cause mortality. Methods All patients who underwent CT in the ED between February 2012 and February 2019 with free abdominal gas were included in the study. A scoring system was used to assess the amount of free gas: small – gas bubbles; medium – any gas pocket ≤2cm in diameter; large – any gas pocket >2cm. Data were collected from laboratory and clinical assessment regarding the source of free gas and all-cause mortality. Results A total of 372 patients had free abdominal gas. Colonic diverticulitis was the most common aetiology among those with a small or medium amount of free gas (81/250 [32.4%] and 12/71 [16.9%] respectively). For patients with a large amount of gas, peptic disease was the most common aetiology (11/51 [21.6%]). Three-quarters of the patients (280/372, 75.2%) had the source of free gas identified during ED admission. Ninety-day mortality rates were 7.2%, 9.9% and 21.6% for patients with small, medium and large amounts of gas respectively (p=0.007). Conclusions Colonic diverticulitis was the most common source of free abdominal gas and peptic disease was the most common cause of a large amount of free gas. Mortality rates correlated with the amount of gas and were significantly higher in patients with a large amount.
Frailty as Tested by Gait Speed Is a Risk Factor for Liver Transplant Respiratory Complications
Authors: Salim Tariq I. , Nestlerode Leah C. , Lucatorto Erin L. , Wasserman Tamara L. , Din Hassieb A. , Landsittel Douglas P. , Tevar Amit D. , Johnson Jonas T. , Duarte-Rojo Andres , Dunn Michael A. 
Published: April 2020

OBJECTIVES:
Frailty and sarcopenia are known risk factors for adverse liver transplant outcomes and mortality. We hypothesized that frailty or sarcopenia could identify the risk for common serious transplant-related adverse respiratory events.

METHODS:
For 107 patients (74 men, 33 women) transplanted over 1 year, we measured frailty with gait speed, chair stands, and Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) and sarcopenia with Skeletal Muscle Index on computed tomography at L3. We recorded the stress-tested cardiac double product as an index of cardiac work capacity. Outcomes included days of intubation, aspiration, clinical pneumonia, reintubation/tracheostomy, days to discharge, and survival. We modeled the outcomes using unadjusted regression and multivariable analyses controlled for (i) age, sex, and either Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-Na (MELDNa) or Child–Turcotte–Pugh scores, (ii) hepatocellular carcinoma status, and (iii) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and smoking history. Subgroup analysis was performed for living donor liver transplant and deceased donor liver transplant recipients.

RESULTS:
Gait speed was negatively associated with aspiration and pulmonary infection, both in unadjusted and MELDNa-adjusted models (adjusted odds ratio for aspiration 0.10 [95% confidence interval [CI] 0.02–0.67] and adjusted odds ratio for pulmonary infection 0.12 [95% CI 0.02–0.75]). Unadjusted and MELDNa-adjusted models for gait speed (coefficient −1.47, 95% CI −2.39 to −0.56) and KPS (coefficient −3.17, 95% CI −5.02 to −1.32) were significantly associated with shorter intubation times. No test was associated with length of stay or need for either reintubation or tracheostomy.

DISCUSSION:
Slow gait speed, an index of general frailty, indicates significant risk for post-transplant respiratory complications. Intervention to arrest or reverse frailty merits exploration as a potentially modifiable risk factor for improving transplant respiratory outcomes.
The serendipity of connections and their consequences
Authors: Mehan Hugh 
Published: April 2020

This essay is an account of how, throughout my 40-year career as an educational researcher and professor of Sociology and Education, mostly at the University of California, San Diego, I have tried to live my commitments to excellence and equity in practice to create a more just educational system. These values permeate my story, which is presented here in two parts. In the first part, broadly spanning 20 years, I focused on uncovering the roots of the seemingly inexorable social fact of educational inequality in US K-12 education, mainly through studying some of the policies and practices that produce those inequalities. My findings showed consistently that students of color from low-income backgrounds did not fare as well as their middle-income “majority” contemporaries. In the last 20 years, I have attempted to build educational environments that might produce more equitable possibilities for underprivileged young people based on the research that uncovered the stratifying practices that produced educational inequalities.Many of the directions that my professional career took were not thoughtfully and carefully planned. My participation in various projects was not entirely free, totally independent, or completely rational. They were often not entirely of my own making. Instead, I often responded to opportunities presented to me. In fact, I think that the concept of serendipity accounts well for the relationships that shaped my career trajectory.
Properties of different types of dry electrodes for wearable smart monitoring devices
Authors: Popović-Maneski Lana , Ivanović Marija D. , Atanasoski Vladimir , Miletić Marjan , Zdolšek Sanja , Bojović Boško , Hadžievski Ljupčo 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Wearable smart monitors (WSMs) applied for the estimation of electrophysiological signals are of utmost interest for a non-stressed life. WSM which records heart muscle activities could signalize timely a life-threatening event. The heart muscle activities are typically recorded across the heart at the surface of the body; hence, a WSM monitor requires high-quality surface electrodes. The electrodes used in the clinical settings [i.e. silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) with the gel] are not practical for the daily out of clinic usage. A practical WSM requires the application of a dry electrode with stable and reproducible electrical characteristics. We compared the characteristics of six types of dry electrodes and one gelled electrode during short-term recordings sessions (≈30 s) in real-life conditions: Orbital, monolithic polymer plated with Ag/AgCl, and five rectangular shaped 10 × 6 × 2 mm electrodes (Orbital, Ag electrode, Ag/AgCl electrode, gold electrode and stainless-steel AISI304). The results of a well-controlled analysis which considered motion artifacts, line noise and junction potentials suggest that among the dry electrodes Ag/AgCl performs the best. The Ag/AgCl electrode is in average three times better compared with the stainless-steel electrode often used in WSMs.
Validation according to European and American regulatory agencies guidelines of an LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of free and total ropivacaine in human plasma
Authors: Lamy Elodie , Fall Fanta , Boigne Lisa , Gromov Kirill , Fabresse Nicolas , Grassin-Delyle Stanislas 
Published: April 2020

Abstract

Background
Ropivacaine is a widely used local anaesthetic drug, highly bound to plasma proteins with a free plasma fraction of about 5%. Therefore, the monitoring of free drug concentration is most relevant to perform pharmacokinetic studies and to understand the drug pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationship.

Methods
A high-sensitivity liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method using reverse-phase LC and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) is described for the quantitation of both free and total ropivacaine in human plasma. Ropivacaine-d7 was used as an internal standard (IS).

Results
The method was validated in the range 0.5–3000 ng/mL, with five levels of QC samples and according to the European Medicine Agency and Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The performance of the method was excellent with a precision in the range 6.2%–14.7%, an accuracy between 93.6% and 113.7% and a coefficient of variation (CV) of the IS-normalised matrix factor below 15%. This suitability of the method for the quantification of free and total ropivacaine in clinical samples was demonstrated with the analysis of samples from patients undergoing knee arthroplasty and receiving a local ropivacaine infiltration.

Conclusions
A method was developed and validated for the quantification of free and total ropivacaine in human plasma and was shown suitable for the analysis of clinical samples.
Breaking the Boundary of Semiotics
Authors: Yao Tingting , Zhang Chenjia 
Published: April 2020

AbstractApart from perspectives from literature, culture, and linguistics, the field of translation studies is eager to call for new theories that are sufficiently rational to help researchers break traditional research boundaries. An increasing number of semioticians approve of translation activities as an important approach to interpreting symbolic behavior and describe translation as the meaning generation process in which a system of symbolic codes can be translated into another system of codes. This study attempts to apply the achievements in semiotics of the Tartu Semiotic School to the discussions of the relationship between the source text and the target text in the process of translation, in the light of cultural semiotics and biosemiotics. In addition, this paper reexamines the awareness of translation, the relationship between translation and Umwelt, and the extent of communication among all participants during the process of translation.
Ethical Values of a Sociosemiotic Approach to Translation
Authors: Tang Jinxia 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
This article interprets the sociosemiotic approach to translation from an ethical perspective. First, it briefly illustrates the necessity and feasibility of studying the sociosemiotic approach to translation from an ethical perspective, then shifts to the genres of ethics to be used in the interpretation. After that, it proposes an empirical study of the ethical values underlying the sociosemiotic approach to translation. The articles makes it clear that, in translating the referential meaning of a sign, translators who follow the sociosemiotic approach to translation tend to honor ethics of representation if this sign has an equivalent sign in the target language and would like to adhere to norm-based ethics if this sign has no equivalent in the target language. The article demonstrates that, in translating the linguistic meaning, translators who follow the sociosemiotic approach to translation often stick to ethics of commitment, which confers upon them the role of an expert as well as an arbitrator and makes it possible for them to mediate the conflicts between the various parties related to a translating mission. The article also exemplifies that, in translating the pragmatic meaning, translators who follow the sociosemiotic approach to translation, in most cases, prefer ethics of commitment, which allows them to represent the pragmatic meaning incubated in the source text either with the method employed in the source text or with a different method when the method applied in the source text is not appreciated in the target context.
Celebrating the International Year of Periodic Table with chemistry educational games and puzzles
Authors: Stojanovska Marina 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
The purpose of game-based learning is to design learning activities that introduce or explain concepts in more attractive way than in the traditional classroom. Using educational games in the classroom enables innovative and interactive lesson in which the material is seen from a different perspective or point of view. Play is connected to creativity, higher-order thinking, inquiring and problem-solving skills, decision making, collaboration, communication and the development of positive attitudes toward chemistry. The aim of this paper is to emphasize the importance of game-based learning approach in the classroom. Several good practice examples of games and puzzles for chemistry teaching are given to illustrate their applicability in the classroom and to serve as an idea for teachers, thus motivating them to be more creative in finding ways to implement this method and create their own puzzles according to their needs and classroom settings. Motivated by the International Year of the Periodic Table, puzzles are related to the Periodic Table concepts. The presented games can be used to create an escape room classroom, but they can be used independently. We believe that the use of games for educational purposes will be of great benefit to students.
Geistige Gesundheit und kulturelle Pathologie bei Nietzsche
Authors: Neuhouser Frederick 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
This paper reconstructs Nietzsche’s conception of spiritual illness, especially as exhibited in various forms of the bad conscience, and asks what positive, ennobling potential Nietzsche finds in it. The relevant concept of spirit is arrived at by reconstructing Nietzsche’s conception of life and then considering what reflexive life – life turned back against itself – would look like. It distinguishes four independent features of spiritual illness: the measureless drive to make oneself suffer, self-opacity (or mendaciousness), life-denial, and a self-undermining dynamic in which life exhausts the sources of its own vitality. The paper ends by considering various suggestions as to how these features of spiritual illness might also be preconditions of great spiritual health, including the preconditions for erecting new “ideals.”
Vernünfteln
Authors: Noller Jörg 
Published: April 2020

AbstractKant attempted to answer the question of whether immoral actions result from a mere lack or failing of reason, or whether they consist in a certain form of rationality, i. e. in immoral reasons. The paper addresses this question by concentrating on Kant’s conception of “rationalising” (“Vernünfteln”). This concept is the key for understanding how immoral actions can be based on reasons and are thus imputable. According to Kant, by rationalising, the moral agent constructs a formal coherence of his maxims that pretends to conform with the moral law but actually follows motives such as self-love or self-conceit. This activity of constructing a rational illusion, which derives from a dialectic of reason, can be imputed to the moral agent. Finally, the paper addresses strategies that Kant develops in order to circumvent the rationalising trap.
Verfassung vergeht, Verwaltung besteht?
Authors: Günther Frieder 
Published: April 2020

Vorspann
Welche Kontinuitäten bestanden zwischen der staatlichen Verwaltung der Weimarer Republik, des NS-Staats, der Bundesrepublik und der DDR ‒ und wie unterschieden sie sich? Der Aufsatz versucht, differenzierte Antworten auf diese Fragen zu geben; er stellt die zentralstaatlichen Innenministerien zwischen 1919 und 1970 in den Mittelpunkt und untersucht ihr Personal, ihre Verwaltungsreformpolitik und ihre Verwaltungskultur genauer. Während sich etwa bei der Personalpolitik und beim Selbstverständnis der Mitarbeiter das Innenministerium der DDR deutlich von den übrigen drei unterscheidet, treten bei der Verwaltungskultur teilweise Übereinstimmungen mit dem Reichsinnenministerium der NS-Zeit hervor. Insgesamt wird deutlich, dass es bei Systemwechseln eines politischen Gestaltungswillens bedarf, um die Beharrungskraft moderner Bürokratien zu überwinden.
Neuromuscular Adaptations in Elite Swimmers During Concurrent Strength and Endurance Training at Low and Moderate Altitudes
Authors: Tomazin Katja , Strojnik Vojko , Feriche Belen , Garcia Ramos Amador , Štrumbelj Boro , Stirn Igor 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Tomazin, K, Strojnik, V, Feriche, B, Garcia Ramos, A, Štrumbelj, B, and Stirn, I. Neuromuscular adaptations in elite swimmers during concurrent strength and endurance training at low and moderate altitudes. J Strength Cond Res 36(4): 1111–1119, 2022—This study evaluated neuromuscular adaptations in elite swimmers during concurrent strength and endurance training (SET) at low (295 m) and moderate (2,320 m) altitudes. Sixteen elite swimmers took part in a 3-week SET during a general preparation phase. All neuromuscular tests were performed a week before and after a SET. In posttraining, maximal knee isometric torque (TMVC) and soleus H-reflex remained statistically unchanged for sea-level (SL) and for altitude (AL) training. Rate of torque development (RTD) decreased post-SL (−14.5%; p < 0.01) but not post-AL (−4.7%; p > 0.05) training. Vastus lateralis electromyographic (EMG) activity during RTD decreased post-SL (−17.0%; P = 0.05) but not post-AL (4.8%; p > 0.05) training. Quadriceps twitch torque (TTW) significantly increased post-AL (12.1%; p < 0.01) but not post-SL (−1.0%; p > 0.05; training × altitude: F
1,15 = 12.4; p < 0.01) training. Quadriceps twitch contraction time and M-wave amplitude remained statistically unchanged post-SL and post-AL training. After SL training, increment in TMVC was accompanied with increment in vastus lateralis EMG (R = 0.76; p < 0.01) and TTW (R = 0.48; p < 0.06). Posttraining in AL, increment in TMVC was accompanied with increment in TTW (R = 0.54; p < 0.05). Strength and endurance training at altitude seems to prompt adaptations in twitch contractile properties. In contrast, SET performed at SL may hamper the magnitude of neural adaptations to strength training, particularly during rapid voluntary contractions. In conclusion, SET at AL might benefit muscular adaptations in swimmers compared with training at SL.
Attentional Focus and the Effect on Change-of-Direction and Acceleration Performance
Authors: McNicholas Keith , Comyns Thomas M. 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
McNicholas, K and Comyns, TM. Attentional focus and the effect on change-of-direction and acceleration performance. J Strength Cond Res 34(7): 1860–1866, 2020—The purpose of this study was to investigate whether changing the focus of attention of field sport athletes would affect their performance for a change-of-direction (COD) and acceleration task incorporating diagonal cutting movements of less than or equal to 90°, specific to the demands of field-based sports. Seventeen male college students were recruited to perform 9 trials each of a change-of-direction and acceleration test using verbal instructions designed to induce a neutral (NEU), internal (INT), and external (EXT) focus of attention. Qualitative data were collected and assessed by use of questionnaires to determine whether subjects performed the trials using the prescribed focus of attention. Repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed that the EXT experimental condition was significantly faster (p ≤ 0.001) than both the NEU and INT experimental conditions. In addition, the NEU and INT experimental conditions were not significantly different (p ≤ 0.001). Questionnaire responses provided qualitative data that showed subjects performing in the INT and EXT conditions invoked the desired focus of attention 47 and 82% of the time, respectively. Furthermore, the qualitative data also showed that subjects performing in the NEU condition did not use an explicit INT or EXT focus of attention 82% of the time. The results indicated that athletes can enhance their performance by invoking an EXT focus of attention while performing complex motor skills such as COD and acceleration. Practitioners and coaches could direct their verbal instructions toward the movement effects of their athlete's actions to achieve this.