bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Seismic Shifts: The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Gendered Fault Lines and Implications for International Law
Authors: Rana Shruti 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic and related shutdowns created seismic shifts in the boundaries between public and private life, with lasting implications for human rights and international law. Arriving just as the international legal order was wobbling in the wake of a populist backlash and other great challenges, the pandemic intensified fault lines of marginalisation and state action, amplifying the forces that had already left the liberal international order in crisis and retreat. This article examines the pandemic’s impacts on the international legal order through a gendered lens. It argues that in the short-term, the pandemic has reinforced public-private divides in international law, reinvigorating previous debates over the role of the state in protecting its people from harm. It argues that in the long-term, these developments threaten to unravel the most recent gains in international law and global governance that have supported and expanded the recognition of human rights to marginalised groups. Left unaddressed, this unraveling will further entrench such divides and contribute to the further retreat of the liberal international order. Examining these fault lines and their implications can help us re-imagine a post-pandemic international legal order that offers more protection for human rights, even as multilateral institutions and cooperation sputter or fail.
Understanding Future Increases in Precipitation Extremes in Global Land Monsoon Regions
Authors: Chang Meiyu , Liu Bo , Wang Bin , Martinez-Villalobos Cristian , Ren Guoyu , Zhou Tianjun 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis study investigates future changes in daily precipitation extremes and the involved physics over the global land monsoon (GM) region using climate models from phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). The daily precipitation extreme is identified by the cutoff scale, measuring the extreme tail of the precipitation distribution. Compared to the historical period, multimodel results reveal a continuous increase in precipitation extremes under four scenarios, with a progressively higher fraction of precipitation exceeding the historical cutoff scale when moving into the future. The rise of the cutoff scale by the end of the century is reduced by 57.8% in the moderate emission scenario relative to the highest scenario, underscoring the social benefit in reducing emissions. The cutoff scale sensitivity, defined by the increasing rates of the cutoff scale over the GM region to the global mean surface temperature increase, is nearly independent of the projected periods and emission scenarios, roughly 8.0% K−1by averaging all periods and scenarios. To understand the cause of the changes, we applied a physical scaling diagnostic to decompose them into thermodynamic and dynamic contributions. We find that thermodynamics and dynamics have comparable contributions to the intensified precipitation extremes in the GM region. Changes in thermodynamic scaling contribute to a spatially uniform increase pattern, while changes in dynamic scaling dominate the regional differences in the increased precipitation extremes. Furthermore, the large intermodel spread of the projection is primarily attributed to variations of dynamic scaling among models.
Endoscopic Endonasal Treatment of a Sinonasal Vascular Neoplasm in the Postnatal Period: Case Report and Review of Literature
Authors: Morvant Stephen W. , Maroda Andrew J. , Reed Leighton F. , Sheyn Anthony M. , Peterson Jeremy , Elijovich Lucas , Michael L. Madison , DiNitto Julie M. , Rangarajan Sanjeet V. 
Published: December 2021

Objectives: Congenital vascular lesions commonly present in the head and neck, and most are managed conservatively. Location and rapid growth, however, may necessitate surgical intervention. Endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) in the pediatric population has emerged as a viable option in treating sinonasal and skull base lesions. Utilizing these techniques in newborns carries unique challenges. The objective of this report is to describe the successful use of direct intralesional embolization followed by endoscopic endonasal resection of a venous malformation in a postnatal patient. Methods: We reviewed the case reported and reviewed the pertinent literature. Results: A 6-week-old infant was found to have a large right-sided sinonasal lesion confirmed as a venous malformation. Rapid growth, impending orbital compromise, and potential long-term craniofacial abnormalities demanded the need for urgent surgical intervention. Risk of bleeding was mitigated with direct intralesional embolization. Immediately afterward, the patient underwent endoscopic endonasal resection of the lesion. EES in the very young presents multiple challenges both anatomically and behaviorally. A multidisciplinary approach lead to a successful outcome. Conclusion: We report a case of a 6-week-old infant, the youngest reported patient to the authors’ knowledge, who successfully underwent direct intralesional embolization followed by endoscopic endonasal resection of a sinonasal vascular malformation. This report highlights the challenges of this technique in the very young and demonstrates it as a viable treatment strategy for sinonasal vascular anomalies in this population.
Mesoporous Zirconia Coating for Sensing Applications Using Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR FT-IR) Spectroscopy
Authors: Wacht Dominik , David Mauro , Hinkov Borislav , Detz Hermann , Schwaighofer Andreas , Baumgartner Bettina , Lendl Bernhard 
Published: December 2021

Mid-infrared attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool for in situ monitoring of various processes. Mesoporous silica, an extensively studied material, has already been applied in sensing schemes due to its high surface area and tunable surface chemistry. However, its poor chemical stability in aqueous solutions at pH values higher than 8 and strong absorption below 1250 cm−1 limits its range of applications. To circumvent these problems, a mesoporous zirconia coating on ATR crystals was developed. Herein, the synthesis, surface modification, and characterization of ordered mesoporous zirconia films on Si wafers and Si-ATR crystals are presented. The modified coating was applied in sensing schemes using aromatic and aliphatic nitriles in aqueous solution as organic pollutants. The mesoporous zirconia coating shows strong chemical resistance when kept in alkaline solution for 72 h. The success of surface modification is confirmed using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. Benzonitrile and valeronitrile in water are used as model analytes to evaluate the enrichment performance of the film. The experimental results are fitted using Freundlich isotherms, and enrichment factors of 162 and 26 are calculated for 10 mg L−1 benzonitrile and 25 mg L−1 valeronitrile in water, respectively. Limits of detection of 1 mg L−1 for benzonitrile and 11 mg L−1 for valeronitrile are obtained. The high chemical stability of this coating allows application in diverse fields such as catalysis with the possibility of in situ monitoring using FT-IR spectroscopy.
A County-Level Program for the Evaluation of the Potential for Take-Home Lead Exposures Among Children in Michigan
Authors: Oliveri Anthony N. , Fagerstrom Lindsey A. , Wang Ling , Rosenman Kenneth D. 
Published: December 2021

Objective: Take-home lead exposure involves lead dust inadvertently carried from the worksite by employees that becomes deposited in their homes and vehicles. We piloted a program in 2 counties in Michigan to investigate the countywide potential for take-home lead exposures across industries. Methods: During 2018-2020, we identified establishments through internet searches and industry-specific registries. We visited establishments with a physical storefront in-person; we attempted to contact the remaining establishments via telephone. We administered questionnaires at the establishment level to assess the presence of lead and the current use of practices meant to mitigate the potential for take-home lead exposures. We recruited workers for wipe sampling of lead dust from their vehicle floors to test for lead levels. Results: We identified 320 establishments with potential lead use or exposures. Questionnaire responses revealed widespread worker exposures to lead and a lack of education and implementation of best practices to prevent lead from leaving the worksite. Dust samples (n = 60) collected from employee vehicles showed a ubiquitous tracking of lead out of the workplace, with a range of 5.7 to 84 000 µg/ft2 and a geometric mean of 234 µg/ft2. Of the sample results, 95.0% were above the lead dust clearance levels for homes established by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Conclusions: This work suggests that take-home lead exposures are widespread and may be important sources of lead exposure among children. It also demonstrates the feasibility of a program for the identification of establishments whose employees may be susceptible to taking lead dust home with them and whose children may subsequently be targeted for blood lead monitoring.
3-Month Symptom-Based Ambidirectional Follow-up Study Among Recovered COVID-19 Patients from a Tertiary Care Hospital Using Telehealth in Chennai, India
Authors: Nesan G Shiny Chrism Queen , Keerthana D , Yamini Raja , Jain Timsi , Kumar Dinesh , Eashwer Ananth , Maiya G Rakesh 
Published: December 2021

Objectives Post-COVID-19 symptoms and its features in many recovered patients are almost similar to post-severe acute respiratory syndrome. The study aims to assess the outcome and manifestations during post-COVID follow-up period in recovered patients. Methods Ambidirectional longitudinal study was conducted among recovered COVID-19 patients from a tertiary care hospital near Chennai through telephonic interview after discharge. Total admitted patients from June to November 2020 were 3496 and among those 183 died and 12 transferred to other hospitals. Totally 1354 consented for study and the rest were wrong numbers or not willing to participate. Chi-square test and multinominal logistic regression analysis were done. Results Majority of, that is, 27.6% and 18.7% were in 21–30 years and >60 years, respectively. Majority were admitted with fever (38.3%), cough (15.3), and body pain (10%). Post-COVID symptoms reported were fatigue (39.7%), stress and anxiety (27.6%), and mood changes (5.8%). Some patients were newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (10), hypertension (5), and TB (1) after discharge. Having diabetes mellitus is an independent risk to have neurological and cardio-respiratory symptoms and patients who were discharged with minimal support were to have an independent risk factor of renal symptoms on follow-up than other subjects. Conclusion The follow-up symptoms were associated with the patients’ comorbidities, age, severity of illness, and environmental factors.
Cardboard Bed Without Mattress Is Ineffective in Improving the body Contact Pressure-a Preliminary Study Using a Dummy Model
Authors: Hamanishi Seiji 
Published: December 2021

Objective This study aimed to describe and evaluate the dispersion of body-mattress contact pressure on a cardboard bed and investigate whether the cardboard bed has a positive effect on evacuees’ musculoskeletal burden. Materials and Methods A high-performance nursing simulator was used to measure the contact pressure and the body surface contour area of the bed, and these values were collected with the patient in the supine position using the Body Pressure Measurement System. Data of each test were acquired 10 times and were compared among 4 conditions (plastic sheet, cardboard bed, cardboard bed with a blanket, and cardboard bed with a mattress-topper). The data analysis for body-mattress contacts pressure and the surface contour area of the whole body, head, chest, and buttocks were conducted by one-way repeated analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc test. Results The average body-contact pressure on the cardboard bed did not decrease compared with that on the floor with plastic sheets. In contrast, the body surface contour area was significantly different among any other conditions, but the gap was only approximately 16%. However, the body-contact pressure and the body surface contour area were improved when a mattress-topper was added on the cardboard bed. When a blanket was laid on the cardboard bed, the contact area was increased. Conclusion Our results indicate that the pressure dispersion ability of the cardboard bed was not sufficient; however, adding the mattress-topper or the blanket could contribute to an improvement in the evacuees’ musculoskeletal burden. Many evacuees lay a mattress topper or futon on a cardboard bed after installing cardboard beds. Our findings may also support the scientific validity of the evacuees’ actual sleeping style in Japan. This preliminary study provides the basis for future research on exploring an appropriate sleeping bed condition in evacuee shelters.
People Must Change
Authors: Smith Donald K. 
Published: December 2021

This is the first of four articles under the general title “Literacy–And Then?” which deal with the problems and possibilities of the use of mass media in bringing about needed change in African countries. These articles will be published in successive issues of PA. Though the approach is not anthropological in the strict academic sense, it is a valid and scholarly one grounded in serious theory and empirical research, and it emphatically deals with cross-cultural communications, which is the reason for PA's existence. We feel therefore that these articles enter into our purpose and will be of interest to our readers. In this first article, the author underlines the fact that needed changes to develop in African countries the capacity to create wealth must come from the people themselves, who will need to change their attitudes. The mass media ought to help bring this about, but there are problems; the reading habit is practically non-existent in Africa because of illiteracy, high costs of publications, poor teaching, bad material conditions for learning and reading, inadequate format, and irrelevant content. In subsequent articles approaches to a solution will be outlined.
Saccharin test: Methodological validation and systematic review of the literature
Authors: Caponnetto Pasquale , Emma Rosalia , Benfatto Francesca , Ferlito Salvatore , Gulino Alessandro , Maniaci Antonino , Lechien Jerome R , Ingrassia Angelo , Cocuzza Salvatore , Polosa Riccardo 
Published: December 2021

Objectives Saccharin test (ST) is a convenient method to assess the efficiency of mucociliary clearance, the primary defense mechanism of the upper airways’ tract. The study objectives are to: (1) substantiate its short- (3 days) and long-term (30 days) repeatability; (2) assess its tolerability; (3) conduct a systematic literature review and to compare our results with the existing evidence. Methods Twenty-nine healthy subjects were enrolled in an observational prospective study to perform an ST on three separate visits (at baseline; at follow-up visits at day 3 and at day 30). Transit times were recorded and self-reported nasal and general symptoms noted. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to compare our results with the existing literature. Results The mean values (±SD) of ST transit time (STTT) were 7.085 (±2.19), 7.788 (±2.11), and 7.790 (±2.06) minutes at baseline, day 3, and day 30, respectively. Significant linear regression analysis was observed between day 3 and baseline ( r = .193; P = .019) and day 30 and baseline ( r = .182 P = .024). Significant agreement for the intrasession repeatability was observed with an ICC = .354 ( P = .001). Outcomes’ comparisons between baseline vs day 3 ( P = .197) and baseline vs day 30 ( P = .173) were not statistically significant. ST was well tolerated. Concordance with existing literature’s data and high level of STTT repeatability were confirmed by the qualitative analysis. Conclusion STTT reproducibility was good both in the short- and long-term. ST tolerability was very good. Our study data are consistent with the existing literature, indicating ST as a sound methodology for detection of early respiratory health changes and for specific regulatory application in respiratory research.
CT radiomics models are unable to predict new liver metastasis after successful thermal ablation of colorectal liver metastases
Authors: Taghavi Marjaneh , Staal Femke CR , Simões Rita , Hong Eun K , Lambregts Doenja MJ , van der Heide Uulke A , Beets-Tan Regina GH , Maas Monique 
Published: December 2021

BackgroundPatients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) who undergo thermal ablation are at risk of developing new CRLM after ablation. Identification of these patients might enable individualized treatment.PurposeTo investigate whether an existing machine-learning model with radiomics features based on pre-ablation computed tomography (CT) images of patients with colorectal cancer can predict development of new CRLM.Material and MethodsIn total, 94 patients with CRLM who were treated with thermal ablation were analyzed. Radiomics features were extracted from the healthy liver parenchyma of CT images in the portal venous phase, before thermal ablation. First, a previously developed radiomics model (Original model) was applied to the entire cohort to predict new CRLM after 6 and 24 months of follow-up. Next, new machine-learning models were developed (Radiomics, Clinical, and Combined), based on radiomics features, clinical features, or a combination of both.ResultsThe external validation of the Original model reached an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.57 (95% confidence interval [CI]=0.56–0.58) and 0.52 (95% CI=0.51–0.53) for 6 and 24 months of follow-up. The new predictive radiomics models yielded a higher performance at 6 months compared to 24 months. For the prediction of CRLM at 6 months, the Combined model had slightly better performance (AUC=0.60; 95% CI=0.59–0.61) compared to the Radiomics and Clinical models (AUC=0.55–0.57), while all three models had a low performance for the prediction at 24 months (AUC=0.52–0.53).ConclusionBoth the Original and newly developed radiomics models were unable to predict new CLRM based on healthy liver parenchyma in patients who will undergo ablation for CRLM.
MRI-based radiomics analysis to evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics of cervical carcinoma: a multicenter study
Authors: Liu Yi , Song Ting , Dong Tian-Fa , Zhang Wei , Wen Ge 
Published: December 2021

Background Preoperative prediction of clinical pathological indicators of cervical cancer (CC) is of great significance to the formulation of personalized treatment plans for CC. Purpose To investigate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics analysis for the evaluation of pathological types, tumor grade, FIGO stage, and lymph node metastasis (LNM) of CC. Material and Methods A total of 235 patients with CC from three institutes were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent T2/SPAIR and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (CE-T1WI) imaging scans before radical hysterectomy by pelvic lymph node dissection surgery. Radiomics features extracted from T2/SPAIR and CE-T1WI imaging were selected by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) methods for further radiomics signature calculation. These radiomic features were used to construct regression and decision tree models to evaluate the performance of radiomic features in distinguishing clinicopathological indicators. Results The area under the curve (AUC) of T2/SPAIR and CE-T1WI imaging were 0.777 and 0.750, respectively, for differentiating between adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. From the two sequences, the AUC of the verification group that distinguished low FIGO stage from high FIGO stage was 0.716 and 0.676, respectively. The AUC for moderately well and poorly differentiated tumors were 0.729 on T2/SPAIR and 0.749 on CE-T1WI imaging. The AUC of the verification groups for LNM was 0.730 and 0.618 on T2/SPAIR and CE-T1WI imaging, respectively. Conclusion MRI radiomics features can be used as a non-invasive method to evaluate the clinicopathological indexes of CC and provide an important auxiliary examination method for patients to determine individualized treatment plans before operation.
Analysis of safety and efficacy of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy in the treatment of left pancreatic malignant tumors
Authors: Hao Tang , Shiming Jiang , Yong Chen 
Published: December 2021

Objective Distal pancreatectomy is the most extensive operation to treat malignant tumors of the left pancreas; however, malignant pancreatic tumors are prone to early invasion and metastasis. Methods The clinical data of 80 patients undergoing surgical treatment for malignant tumors of the pancreatic body or tail from January 2013 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The main clinical variables were compared between patients undergoing laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) vs. open distal pancreatectomy (ODP). Results There were no significant differences in general patient characteristics, complications, and postoperative survival (χ2 = 0.09) between the groups. The operation time in the LDP group was significantly longer than that in the ODP group; however, the LDP group was superior to the ODP group regarding the length of postoperative hospital stay, diet recovery, and rectal exhaust and ambulation times. Conclusion LDP is a safe and feasible treatment for left pancreatic malignancies, with the same surgical efficacy as ODP. LDP also has the advantages of minimally invasive surgery, such as minimal trauma and enhanced recovery after surgery.
Retrospective study of active drainage in the management of anastomotic leakage after anterior resection for rectal cancer
Authors: Tan Xiaojie , Zhang Mei , Li Lai , Wang He , Liu Xiaodong , Jiang Haitao 
Published: December 2021

Objective Anastomotic leakage (AL) is the most serious postoperative complication following anterior resection for rectal cancer. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of active drainage for the management of AL. Methods This was a retrospective study using information from a database of patients who underwent colorectal resection without a defunctioning ileostomy at our center between September 2013 and January 2021. We identified 122 cases with definitive AL who did not require revision emergent laparotomy. Among these patients, we evaluated those who received active drainage to replace the original passive drainage. Results There were 62 cases in the active drainage group and 60 cases in the passive drainage group. The active drainage group had a shorter mean AL spontaneous resolution time (26.9 ± 3.3 vs. 32.2 ± 4.8 days) and lower average hospitalization costs (82,680.6 vs. 92,299.3 renminbi (RMB)) compared with the passive drainage group, respectively. Moreover, seven patients in the passive drainage group subsequently underwent diverting stoma to resolve the Al, while all ALs resolved spontaneously after replacing the passive drainage with active drainage. Conclusions Our study suggests that active drainage may accelerate the spontaneous resolution of AL.