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Recovery of cardiovascular testing in Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the INCAPS COVID 2 study
Get PDFBackgroundUnderstanding pandemic-related reductions and subsequent recovery of cardiovascular testing in Asia is important for guiding regional public health efforts.ObjectivesThis study sought to evaluate the recovery of cardiovascular testing in Asia 1 year into the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsIn this subanalysis of a worldwide survey on the impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular diagnostic care in April 2020 and April 2021, recovery of testing volume in Asia was compared among subregions, World Bank income groups and imaging modalities.ResultsOf 669 sites worldwide, 164 sites were in 33 Asian countries. Cardiovascular testing volumes in Asia decreased by 53% from March 2019 to April 2020, then recovered 96% of this decrease by April 2021, compared with 98% recovery in the rest of the world. Eastern Asia and Western and Central Asia reported recovery rates of 123% and 110%, compared with 50% and 80% recovery in Southern and South-eastern Asia. Testing volumes among high-income and upper-middle-income Asian countries recovered to 117% and 121% but remained depressed at 49% and 14% recovery in lower-middle and low-income countries, respectively. Stress ECG, stress echo and stress positron emission tomography studies experienced median reductions of 48%, 35% and 57% in testing volume between March 2019 and April 2021, while volumes of coronary artery calcium, coronary CT angiography and cardiac MR remained stable during this period.ConclusionsThe recovery of cardiovascular testing in Asia 1 year into the COVID-19 pandemic lagged in the Southern and South-eastern subregions, as well as in lower-income countries. Recovery favoured advanced cardiac imaging modalities over standard stress testing modalities
Contextualizing career development:Cultural affordances as the missing link in social cognitive career theory
Get PDFThis study extends social cognitive career theory (SCCT) by introducing cultural affordances as culturally embedded interpretive frameworks through which individuals make sense of and navigate between distal contextual affordances (e.g., Confucian values) and proximal contextual affordances (e.g., contemporary work values). Based on qualitative interviews with 31 unemployed, university-educated Chinese youths, the study shows how cultural affordances shape individuals’ interpretation of career-related opportunities and tensions arising from the interplay between traditional and contemporary values. This extension enhances SCCT’s cultural relevance, offering insights into career development in contexts where tradition and modernity intersect
Etablierung von Zweinutzungs-Rassehühnern am Beispiel des Sundheimer Huhns
Get PDFPurebred chickens have been displaced in agricultural poultry farming by hybrid laying lines due to their lower laying performance and consequently, lower economic competitiveness. This led to a drastic reduction in population numbers and the associated endangerment of the breeds. The inferior performance, particularly of dual-purpose purebred chickens is also attributed to a lack of focus on production traits due to the absence of breeding programs. The dual-purpose approach has seen little relevance in recent decades but is being re-evaluated due to the ban on chick culling. In this context, the breeding of endangered breeds is vital for the preservation of genetic diversity. For the implementation of dual-purpose purebred chickens in agriculture, extensive and/or organic farms with short food supply chains have been identified. A breeding advancement could be realized through a participatory, community-based breeding program with high adaptation to the local environment. Based on a SWOT analysis, measures were developed that demonstrate that higher profitability and thus competitiveness could be achieved through higher product prices, cost savings in production, and government subsidies for breed preservation<br/
Epistemic objectification in pornography
Get PDFThis paper offers a new interpretation and defence of a familiar feminist criticism of pornography, namely that some pornography objectifies not just the women who feature in it, but women more generally. I give this claim a distinctive twist, arguing that pornography epistemically objectifies women. Drawing parallels to work on testimonial injustice by Miranda Fricker and others, I argue that women are often objectified in pornography by being represented as epistemically fungible: as interchangeable with others belonging to the same group when it comes to what one can learn from them on some topic. Focusing on pornographic films, my proposal is that some films depict the women seen performing in them as fungible with a much wider group in respect of what one can learn about their sexual preferences; this wider group of women are thereby falsely represented as relatively homogenous, rather than as individuals
Comparison of dysautonomia across species: Current knowledge and future research opportunities
Get PDFPrimary dysautonomia is a complex and often fatal autonomic nervous system disease. This literature review consolidates information on dysautonomia across species. Electronic databases (PubMed, Google Scholar and the Equine Grass Sickness Fund website) were systematically searched for veterinary and human medical literature on the topic. Nine hundred and fifty-six articles were identified, of which 158 were included in this review. The review covers the clinical presentation, etiology, diagnostic approaches, treatment strategies, and prognosis across different species. By integrating findings from multiple species, we aim to enhance understanding and inform future research and medical strategies regarding dysautonomia.</p
Assessing the aftermath:The effects of a global takedown against DDoS-for-hire services
Get PDFLaw enforcement and private-sector partners have in recent years conducted various interventions to disrupt the DDoS- for-hire market. Drawing on multiple quantitative datasets, in- cluding web traffic and ground-truth visits to seized websites, millions of DDoS attack records from academic, industry, and self-reported statistics, along with chats on underground forums and Telegram channels, we assess the effects of an ongoing global intervention against DDoS-for-hire services since December 2022. This is the most extensive booter take- down to date conducted, combining targeting infrastructure with digital influence tactics in a concerted effort by law en- forcement across several countries with two waves of website takedowns and the use of deceptive domains. We found over half of the seized sites in the first wave returned within a me- dian of one day, while all booters seized in the second wave returned within a median of two days. Re-emerged booter domains, despite closely resembling old ones, struggled to attract visitors (80–90% traffic reduction). While the first wave cut the global DDoS attack volume by 20–40% with a statistically significant effect specifically on UDP-based DDoS attacks (commonly attributed to booters), the impact of the second wave appeared minimal. Underground discussions indicated a cumulative impact, leading to changes in user perceptions of safety and causing some operators to leave the market. Despite the extensive intervention efforts, all DDoS datasets consistently suggest that the illicit market is fairly resilient, with an overall short-lived effect on the global DDoS attack volume lasting for at most only around six weeks
Automated neuroradiological support systems for multiple cerebrovascular disease markers — A systematic review and meta-analysis
Get PDFSurface darkening by abundant and diverse algae on an Antarctic ice cap
Get PDFAlgal blooms play important roles in physical and biological processes on glacial surfaces. Despite this, their occurrence and impacts within an Antarctic context remain understudied. Here, we present evidence of the large-scale presence, diversity and bioalbedo effects of algal blooms on Antarctic ice cap systems based on fieldwork conducted on Robert Island (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica). Algal blooms are observed covering up to 2.7 km2 (~20%) of the measured area of the Robert Island ice cap, with cell densities of up to 1.4 × 106 cells ml−1. Spectral characterisation reveal that these blooms increase melting of the ice cap surface, contributing up to 2.4% of total melt under the observed conditions. Blooms are composed of typical cryoflora taxa, dominated by co-occurring Chlorophyceae, Trebouxiophyceae, and Ancylonema. However, morphological variation and genetic diversity in Ancylonema highlight the influence of regional endemism and point to a large and under-characterised diversity in Antarctic cryoflora
Feasibility study of the application of Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) to diagnose adenomyosis
Get PDFObjective: Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), a novel imaging technique that allows in vivo measurement of tissue mechanical properties, was used to test the prediction that the stiffness of the uterus may be increased due to fibrotic changes in patients with adenomyosis. Design: A feasibility study in which a 3-dimensional (3D) MRE imaging protocol was developed to measure the stiffness of the tissues of the uterus. Subjects: Four patients with suspected adenomyosis and heavy menstrual bleeding diagnosed via transvaginal ultrasound and clinical history and 1 healthy control were recruited. Two patients underwent hysterectomy, and histologic analysis of the tissue samples was performed. Main Outcome Measures: The stiffness of the whole uterus was obtained by region of interest analysis of the 3D MRE images for the 4 patients and 1 healthy control. In addition, for the 2 patients who underwent hysterectomy, the uterine tissue samples were assessed to determine histologic presence of adenomyosis via hematoxylin and eosin staining, cellular/molecular measures of tissue stiffness (collagen [picrosirius red], α-smooth muscle actin, and e-cadherin), and whether a relationship existed between in vivo assessment of the uterus via 3D MRE and in vitro uterine tissue histology. Results: 3D MRE was successfully used to acquire elastograms for 4 patients with adenomyosis (diffuse, n = 3; focal, n = 1) and 1 healthy control. Calculated global uterine stiffness was higher in women with adenomyosis (2.93 kPa; range, 2.34–3.39 kPa) than in the healthy control (2.04 kPa). Regions of high stiffness on the 3D elastograms reflected adenomyotic changes visualized via conventional magnetic resonance imaging and were correlated with histologic and immunohistochemical markers of tissue stiffness. Conclusion: 3D MRE has the potential to provide non-invasive characterization of changes in the mechanical properties of uterine tissue that is not possible using conventional magnetic resonance imaging or transvaginal ultrasound. Further studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of the 3D MRE protocol for diagnosing adenomyosis.</p
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