bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The use of alternate vertebral levels to L3 in computed tomography scans for skeletal muscle mass evaluation and sarcopenia assessment in patients with cancer: a systematic review
Authors: Vangelov Belinda , Bauer Judy , Kotevski Damian , Smee Robert I. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBody composition measurement using diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scans has emerged as a method to assess sarcopenia (low muscle mass) in oncology patients. Assessment of skeletal muscle mass (SMM) using the cross-sectional area of a single vertebral slice (at lumbar L3) in a CT scan is correlated with whole-body skeletal muscle volume. This method is used to assess CT-defined sarcopenia in patients with cancer, with low SMM effecting outcomes. However, as diagnostic scans are based on tumour location, not all include L3. We evaluated the evidence for the use of alternate vertebral CT slices for SMM evaluation when L3 is not available. Five electronic databases were searched from January 1996 to April 2020 for studies using CT scan vertebral slices above L3 for SM measurement in adults with cancer (solid tumours). Validation with whole-body SMM, rationale for the chosen slice and sarcopenia cut-off values were investigated. Thirty-two studies were included, all retrospective and cross-sectional in design. Cervical, thoracic and lumbar slices were used (from C3 to L1), with no validation of whole-body SMM using CT scans. Alternate slices were used in lung, and head and neck cancer patients. Sarcopenia cut-off values were reported in 75 % of studies, with differing methods, with or without sex-specific values, and a lack of consensus. Current evidence is inadequate to provide definitive recommendations for alternate vertebral slice use for SMM evaluation in cancer patients. Variation in sarcopenia cut-offs warrants more robust investigation, in order for risk stratification to be applied to all patients with cancer.
Iron deficiency is associated with poor prognosis in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss
Authors: Kurioka T , Sano H , Furuki S , Yamashita T 
Published: April 2021

AbstractObjectiveThe effects of iron deficiency on the prognosis of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum iron levels and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss prognosis and its usefulness as an independent prognostic marker for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.MethodsThe audiological and haematological data, including hearing recovery and serum iron levels, of 103 patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss evaluated between 2015 and 2018 were retrospectively analysed.ResultsThe overall complete recovery rate was 16.5 per cent. Initial higher hearing threshold was associated with poor idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss prognosis. Serum iron levels were significantly higher in the complete recovery group than in the non-complete recovery group (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe possibility of complete recovery from idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss was significantly lower with lower serum iron levels, suggesting that the serum iron level might be a novel prognostic marker for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
Competition Within the Physicians' Services Industry: Osteopaths and Allopaths
Authors: Blackstone Erwin A. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWithin the physicians' services industry, doctors of osteopathy are the only "full line" competitors of medical doctors. Given the current interest in merger of the two schools of practice, this Article examines the benefits of having an independent osteopathic school. These benefits include: (1) reduction of the monopoly power of medical doctors in malpractice litigation, fee negotiations with third party payors and the formulation of health policy; (2) greater satisfaction of consumer desires; and (3) diversity and innovation in physicians' training and methods of practice. The Article concludes that society has an interest in discouraging merger of the two groups; osteopathy should be maintained as an independent school of practice. To this end, society should carefully consider the impact of legislation and regulatory policies that may have the unintended effect of eliminating osteopathy as an independent competitor.
Reducing Medicaid Expenditures Through Family Responsibility: Critique of a Recent Proposal
Authors: Acford Joanne P. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare recently proposed a “Family Responsibility Plan” which would impose a financial obligation upon adult children in the state for the nursing-home care of their parents who receive Medicaid. By examining the Massachusetts plan, this Note seeks to evaluate the viability of a concept of family responsibility, under which adult children contribute to the state Medicaid expenses of their medically indigent parents in nursing homes, as a means of combating the increase in state Medicaid expenditures. The Note examines the legal and policy issues raised by the Massachusetts welfare department's plan in particular, and by the concept of family responsibility in general. The author concludes that alternative methods of cost containment, such as positive financial incentives, would be more appropriate mechanisms for reducing state Medicaid expenditures than family—that is, adult child—responsibility plans.
Caring for a person with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study with family care-givers
Authors: Cipolletta Sabrina , Morandini Benedetta , Tomaino Silvia Caterina Maria 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe aim of this study was to explore the experience of family care-givers of people with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Veneto region of Italy to understand how and to what extent the emergency has affected care-givers’ lives and care routines. Twenty adult children of an ill person were interviewed via phone and video call, in adherence with the restrictions against COVID-19. Thematic analysis showed five main themes: the care-giver's experience, the care recipient's experience, relationships with care recipients, changes in the care routine and resources. Results pointed out that the time needed in the care routine and everyday activities increased during the pandemic, together with the need to find alternatives to physical activity at home. Depending on one's personal experience of COVID-19 and approach to preventive rules, the availability of resources, and formal and informal support, three main approaches to care were identified: apprehensive, mindful and fatalistic ones. The pandemic amplified the differences among these already-existing approaches to care as well as the typical challenges and difficulties experienced by family care-givers, and it resulted in an increased burden connected to practical difficulties, emotional stress and difficulties in reaching for help. These results underline the importance of strengthening the external support network for older people to help family care-givers, especially during emergencies.
The influence of orthography in second language phonological acquisition
Authors: Hayes-Harb Rachel , Barrios Shannon 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWe provide an exhaustive review of studies in the relatively new domain of research on the influence of orthography on second language (L2) phonological acquisition. While language teachers have long recognized the importance of written input—in addition to spoken input—on learners’ development, until this century there was very little systematic research investigating the relationship between orthography and L2 phonological acquisition. Here, we review studies of the influence of written input on L2 phonological awareness, phoneme perception, the acquisition of phonological processes and syllable structure, and the pronunciation and recognition of words. We elaborate the variables that appear to moderate written input effects: (1) whether or not a novel phonological contrast is systematically represented by the L2 writing system (systematicity); (2) whether some or all of the L2 graphemes are familiar to learners from the L1 (familiarity); (3) for familiar graphemes, whether the native language (L1) and the L2 employ the same grapheme-phoneme correspondences (congruence); and (4) the ability of learners to perceive an auditory contrast that is systematically represented in writing (perceptibility). We conclude by calling for future research on the pedagogical implications of this body of work, which has thus far received very little attention by researchers.
Supplementation of granulosa cells conditioned medium with pyruvate and testosterone could improve early follicular development in cultured 1-day-old mouse ovaries
Authors: Atrabi Mohammad Jafari , Alborzi Parimah , Akbarinejad Vahid , Fathi Rouhollah 
Published: April 2021

SummaryIn vitro activation of primordial follicles could serve as a safe method to preserve fertility in patients with cancer subjected to ovarian tissue cryopreservation during oncotherapy, however the culture medium for this purpose requires to be optimized. Granulosa cell conditioned medium (GCCM) has been recognized to enhance primordial follicle activation and the present study was conducted to understand whether addition of pyruvate, a combination of insulin, transferrin and selenium (ITS) or testosterone to GCCM could improve its efficiency in this regard. To this end, 1-day-old mouse ovaries were cultured in four different media including CON (control; containing GGCM only), PYR (containing GCCM plus pyruvate), ITS (containing GCCM plus ITS) or TES (containing GCCM plus testosterone) for 11 days. Furthermore, follicular dynamics and gene expression of factors involved in follicular development were assessed using histological examination and RT-PCR, respectively, on days 5 and 11 of culture. Pyruvate decreased follicular activation, but it enhanced the progression of follicles to the primary stage. Moreover, it upregulated Bmp15 and Cx37 (P < 0.05). In the ITS group, activation of follicles was not affected and total number of follicles was reduced by day 11 of culture. Additionally, ITS downregulated Pi3k, Gdf9, Bmp15 and Cx37 (P < 0.05). Although testosterone did not affect primordial follicle activation, it enhanced the development of follicles up to the preantral stage (P < 0.05). Furthermore, testosterone inhibited the expression of Pten but stimulated the expression of Gdf9 and Cx37 (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the present study revealed that inclusion of pyruvate and testosterone into GCCM could enhance the early development of follicles in cultured 1-day-old mouse ovaries.
Antioxidant activities and lipid peroxidation status in human follicular fluid: age-dependent change
Authors: Debbarh H. , Louanjli N. , Aboulmaouahib S. , Jamil M. , Ahbbas L. , Kaarouch I. , Sefrioui O. , Cadi R. 
Published: April 2021

SummaryMaternal age is a significant factor influencing in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. Oxidative stress (OS) is one of the major causes of age-related cellular and molecular damage. The purpose of this work was to investigate the correlation between maternal age with intrafollicular antioxidants and OS markers in follicular fluid (FF), and also to determine the OS status in patients of advanced age. This study was a prospective study including 201 women undergoing IVF whose age was between 24 and 45 years old. FF samples were obtained from mature follicles at the time of oocyte retrieval. After treatment of FF, lipid peroxidation levels (MDA) and enzyme activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione (GSH) level were evaluated using spectrophotometry. The results indicated that the age cutoff point for increasing the MDA level was fixed at 37 years, allowing the study to be differentiated into two age groups. Group I included patients whose age was less than 37 years, and group II included patients whose age was greater than or equal 37 years. Statistical analysis revealed that MDA and GSH levels and GR activity were significantly higher in group II compared with group I. The SOD and CAT activities were significantly less in group II compared with group I. We concluded that from 37 years old a reproductive ageing was accompanied by a change in the antioxidant pattern in FF that impaired reactive oxygen species scavenging efficiency.
EFFICIENT COMPUTATION OF COORDINATE-FREE MODELS OF FLAME FRONTS
Authors: AKERS B. F. , AMBROSE D. M. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWe present an efficient, accurate computational method for a coordinate-free model of flame front propagation of Frankel and Sivashinsky. This model allows for overturned flames fronts, in contrast to weakly nonlinear models such as the Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation. The numerical procedure adapts the method of Hou, Lowengrub and Shelley, derived for vortex sheets, to this model. The result is a nonstiff, highly accurate solver which can handle fully nonlinear, overturned interfaces, with similar computational expense to methods for weakly nonlinear models. We apply this solver both to simulate overturned flame fronts and to compare the accuracy of Kuramoto–Sivashinsky and coordinate-free models in the appropriate limit.
EVERYDAY RACISM IN SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH
Authors: Bourabain Dounia , Verhaeghe Pieter-Paul 
Published: April 2021

AbstractSince the 1980s, everyday racism has gained ground within the social sciences. However, the theory of everyday racism has not been properly adopted and, consequently, varies across different research fields. The main goal of this study is to improve the scientific rigor within research on everyday racism in the human and social sciences. Following a review of the ground-breaking work of Philomena Essed, three main components in everyday racism literature are theoretically distilled and conceptualized: (1) repetitiveness and familiarity, (2) racism and (3) the interdependent link between micro-interactions and macro-structures. This is followed by a critical assessment ofwhateveryday racism means andhowit is assessed in research today, by performing a systematic electronic review of qualitative-methods papers. We make three suggestions towards a more complete and sophisticated understanding of everyday racism. Firstly, the concepts of everyday racism and microaggressions need to be disconnected from each other. Secondly, research should focus more on the symbiotic relation between micro-interactions and macro-structures and should also identify relevant situational features at the spatial meso-level. Lastly, it is important to be cautious of the pitfall of cultural determinism that is still a popular perspective in today’s field of (everyday) racism.
Enhancing the capabilities of forcibly displaced people: a human development approach to conflict- and displacement-related stressors
Authors: White Ross G. , Van der Boor Catharina 
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Aims
The mental health of individuals who have been forcibly displaced can be impacted both by war-related traumatic events and displacement-related stressors, which arise as a consequence of their migratory journey and subsequent experiences. In addition to focusing on mental disorders, there is a need to explore broader psychosocial outcomes that are important for forcibly displaced people. Our aim is to present a coherent explanatory framework to understand how both past traumatic events and ongoing stressors operating throughout forcibly displaced people's social environment can impact mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.

Methods
We describe the capability approach (CA), a human development framework that foregrounds individuals’ freedom to engage in forms of being and doing that are valuable to them. We consider the opportunities that the CA provides for understanding how a myriad of factors can impact forcibly displaced people, and how different forms of support can be configured to meet the needs of particular people and communities.

Results
The CA recognises that various factors can share a common putative causal mechanism in their impact on forcibly displaced people, i.e. these factors limit a person's ability to develop capabilities and their freedom to engage in valued forms of being and doing. The rights based ethos of the CA enables multisectoral and coordinated activity, which can be directed towards addressing factors across the social environment. Importantly, the CA helps to explain why particular forms of support may be more beneficial for individuals or communities at certain times compared to others.

Conclusion
The application of the CA can help to guard against the risk that the aspirations of assessment instruments and interventions aimed at supporting forcibly displaced people are narrowly focused on addressing distress and disorders, to instead adopt a more expansive focus on forcibly displaced people's potential and the possibilities that they wish to realise.
The Influence of Channel Deepening on Tides, River Discharge Effects, and Storm Surge
Authors: Talke S. A. , Familkhalili R. , Jay D. A. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWe combine archival research, semi‐analytical models, and numerical simulations to address the following question: how do changes to channel geometry alter tidal properties and flood dynamics in a hyposynchronous, strongly frictional estuary with a landward decay in tidal amplitudes? Records in the Saint Johns River Estuary since the 1890s show that tidal range has doubled in Jacksonville, Florida. Near the estuary inlet, tidal discharge approximately doubled but tidal amplitudes increased only ∼6%. Modeling shows that increased shipping channel depths from ∼5 to ∼13m drove the observed changes, with other factors like channel shortening and width reduction producing comparatively minor effects. Tidal amplitude increases are spatially variable, with a maximum change 20–25 km from the estuary inlet; tidal theory suggests that increases in amplitude approximately follow , where x is the distance from the ocean and μ is a damping coefficient. Tidal changes are a predictor of altered surge dynamics: Numerical modeling of hurricane Irma under 1898 and 2017 bathymetric conditions confirms that both tidal and storm surge amplitudes are larger today, with a similar spatial pattern. Nonetheless, peak water levels are simulated to be larger under 1898 bathymetry. The cause is likely the record river discharge observed during the storm; as suggested by a subtidal water‐level model, channel deepening since 1898 appears to have reduced the average surface slope required to drain both mean river flow and storm flows toward the ocean. Nonetheless, results suggest an increased vulnerability to storms with less river flow, but larger storm surge.
Water and Light‐Use Efficiency Are Enhanced Under Summer Coastal Fog in a California Agricultural System
Authors: Baguskas Sara A. , Oliphant Andrew J. , Clemesha Rachel E. S. , Loik Michael E. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIn coastal California, the peak growing season of economically important crops is concurrent with fog events, which buffer drought stress during the dry season. Coastal fog patterns are changing, so we quantified its effects on the energy, water, and carbon fluxes of a strawberry farm located in the fog‐belt of the Salinas Valley, California. We used Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) total albedo to detect and quantify large scale patterns of coastal fog. We used eddy covariance (EC) to quantify actual evapotranspiration and gross primary productivity (GPP) at the field scale (approximately 0.5–3 hectares) from June to September 2016. We measured canopy‐scale (approximately 0.6 m2) strawberry physiology on foggy and non‐foggy days within the measurement footprint of the EC tower. Downwelling longwave radiation (L↓), observed by a surface‐mounted pyrgeometer, was consistently higher on foggy compared to clear‐sky days (regardless of fog‐drip), indicating that emission of longwave radiation was derived almost entirely from the cloud base. L↓ and total GOES albedo were positively and strongly correlated (R2 = 0.68, P < 0.01). For both field‐ and canopy‐scales, water‐use and light‐use efficiency increased by as much as 50% and 70%, respectively, during foggy compared to non‐foggy conditions. The initial slope of the curvilinear relationship fit between GPP and photosynthetically active radiation was twice as steep during foggy (α = 0.0395) than non‐foggy (α = 0.0210) conditions, suggesting that the scattering of light during fog events enhances photosynthetic output of whole‐plants. Our results suggest that irrigation for these fields could be rescheduled during foggy periods without sacrificing plant productivity.
Analytical One‐Dimensional Conceptual Model of Channel Evolution After Dam Removal Based on Diffusion Framework
Authors: Chu Chia‐Chu , You Gene Jiing‐Yun 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIn assessing the removal of dams, it is important to consider the degree to which these efforts could affect channel evolution. A number of previous studies have analyzed the problem of channel evolution using frameworks based on the diffusion equation. In this study, we adopted a similar analytical framework to examine one‐dimensional channel evolution within an infinite channel following dam removal. The Fourier transform is used to obtain an analytical solution which is further used to determine the volume of sediment and position of knickpoints. Analytical results obtained using the proposed models were compared with experiment results reported by Cantelli et al. (2004), https://doi.org/10.1029/2003wr002940 and in‐situ data related to the Balin dam break in Taiwan. We determined that the rate of sediment volume change is proportional to in the early period and in the intermediate period, before eventually decreasing to nearly zero. The proposed solution also makes it possible to derive qualitative and quantitative predictions pertaining to bed elevation, sediment volume, and knickpoint positions.
Using Production Well Behavior to Evaluate Risk in the Depleted Cambrian‐Ordovician Sandstone Aquifer System, Midwestern USA
Authors: Hadley Daniel R. , Abrams Daniel B. , Mannix Devin H. , Cullen Cecilia 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAs shallow aquifers become depleted or contaminated worldwide, use of deep aquifers will likely increase to meet growing water demands despite expensive drilling costs and well maintenance, and limited recharge to many of these deep systems. We discuss depletion of the Cambrian‐Ordovician sandstone aquifer, a deep bedrock aquifer that has been a major source of water in the Midwestern US for over 150 years. Using a participatory groundwater modeling approach with active stakeholder engagement, we developed a conceptual framework to assess risk to different sandstone units of the aquifer based on simulated heads and production well behavior (pumping levels and specific capacities). Over 320 m of static head decline has occurred since predevelopment in the deepest sandstone unit. Shallower units are actively being dewatered. Drawdown and head separation between sandstone units is even greater under pumping conditions and is most acute near a regional fault zone. Current depletion is prompting massive infrastructure changes to mitigate anticipated water supply shortages. Our results show that even with a substantial reduction in water use by 35% in 2030, many areas of the aquifer remain at High or Severe risk out to 2070. Head decline, as opposed to storage loss, is a critical metric for understanding depletion of deep bedrock aquifers. The participatory modeling process made clear that pumping levels at production wells should not be ignored in evaluations of aquifer sustainability and risk. Our conceptual risk framework could be applied to other deep bedrock aquifers undergoing depletion.