Disturbing Trend Research Articles

Modeling and Prediction of Birth Rate in China

Concerns about a persistent reduction are growing against the backdrop of large changes in Chinas birth rate during the last few decades. This paper explores this tendency via the lens of time series analysis, using birth rate records from 1964 through 2021 (particularly ignoring 1960-1963 due to Great Leap Forward distortions). The ARIMA and ETS models were extensively studied in our hunt for the best accurate forecasting device. The ARIMA (0,0,1) model was considered to be preferred based on comparison measures. The primary goal of this model was to predict the trend of Chinas fertility rates over the following five years. The ARIMA an1``d ETS models were rigorously applied to a selected training set after initial adjustments to ensure data stationarity, followed by an evaluation of their accuracy. Our findings, which are backed by the ARIMA model, imply a disturbing trend: a 0.117 percent annual fall in Chinas birth rate from 2022 to 2026. This suggests that a national fertility crisis is on the horizon. As a first step, we advise looking at the various socioeconomic reasons that may be driving this trend, as well as evaluating policy actions that could serve as potential cures.

NEED ANALYSIS APPROACH TO THE DESIGN OF ENTREPRENEURSHIPORIENTED ECONOMICS CURRICULUM FOR COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

Nigeria graduates can only be self-employed if they acquire relevant skills and knowledge for successful establishment in occupation and gainful employment. It is believed that entrepreneurship is significant force in shaping the changes that take place in the economy. This shaping education system towards this direction will immensely contribute in building entrepreneurship mindset as most of the teacher training programmes in Nigeria have concentrated more on teaching knowledge and skills in principles devoid of practical experience in related field. The study was therefore carried out on the need to design an entrepreneurship-oriented Economics curriculum for the NCE training programme on the basis of the needs of the learners as perceived by lecturer and students of Economics. The study employed a survey research design. Multistage sampling was used to select 200 NCE II and III students from the target population of 1870 students from four sampled Colleges of Education in the North Central Nigeria. 40 Economics educators were purposively use for the study. Two researcher design questionnaire for the lecturers and students. Cronbach Alpha Coefficient value of 0.835 and 0.725 for students and lecturers respectively were used to obtain data from field survey. The data collected were analysed using mean, standard deviation and T-test at 0.05 level of significant. Based on the findings, an entrepreneurship-oriented Economics curriculum been proposed for implementation by NCCE. This would develop the spirit culture of entrepreneurship and arrest the disturbing trend of massive unemployment among NCE graduate. It was recommended that needs analysis should be employed to design an entrepreneurship-oriented curriculum contents for Economics and other core subjects in Nigeria College of Education.

The waning fortunes of traditional leadership in South Africa: From pre-colonial to apartheid periods

There is a disturbing trend in the public arena by traditional leaders and their communities that their role and power in the development of their communities have been downplayed by the colonial, apartheid and democratic governments. This article examines a history of traditional leadership and African communities from pre-colonial times to the apartheid period. The traditional leaders’ status, place and role in the development of the communities are examined. It is argued that traditional leadership as a heritage was jealously guarded, strengthened and maintained by traditional leaders and rural communities in spite of successive governments’ assault on chiefs (iiNkosi) and kings (iiKumkani). In the past, traditional leaders worked collaboratively with their communities in exerting pressure on the previous governments to recognise traditional leadership as an institution worth maintaining and treasuring. They were the law-makers. Succession was a criterion for access to positions of power and had the power and the final say in matters of national importance.Contribution: The purpose of this article is to bring to the surface the fact that traditional leaders collaborated with colonial governing authorities and apartheid government not so much to serve as stooges but for personal interest. Hence, oral sources are also used to delve deep into the dynamics of traditional leadership.

Tracking the Vegetation Change Trajectory over Large-Surface Coal Mines in the Jungar Coalfield Using Landsat Time-Series Data

Coal mining and ecological restoration activities significantly affect land surfaces, particularly vegetation. Long-term quantitative analyses of vegetation disturbance and restoration are crucial for effective mining management and ecological environmental supervision. In this study, using the Google Earth Engine and all available Landsat images from 1987 to 2020, we employed the Landsat-based Detection of Trends in Disturbance and Recovery (LandTrendr) algorithm and Support Vector Machine (SVM) to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the year, intensity, duration, and pattern of vegetation disturbance and restoration in the Heidaigou and Haerwusu open-pit coal mines (H-HOCMs) in the Jungar Coalfield of China. Our findings indicate that the overall accuracy for extractions of disturbance and restoration events in the H-HOCMs area is 83% and 84.5%, respectively, with kappa coefficients of 0.82 for both. Mining in Heidaigou has continued since its beginning in the 1990s, advancing toward the south and then eastward directions, and mining in the Haerwusu has advanced from west to east since 2010. The disturbance magnitude of the vegetation greenness in the mining area is relatively low, with a duration of about 4–5 years, and the restoration magnitude and duration vary considerably. The trajectory types show that vegetation restoration (R, 44%) occupies the largest area, followed by disturbance (D, 31%), restoration–disturbance (RD, 16%), disturbance–restoration (DR, 8%), restoration–disturbance–restoration (RDR), and no change (NC). The LandTrendr algorithm effectively detected changes in vegetation disturbance and restoration in H-HOCMs. Vegetation disturbance and restoration occurred in the study area, with a cumulative disturbance-to-restoration ratio of 61.79% since 1988. Significant restoration occurred primarily in the external dumps and continued ecological recovery occurred in the surrounding area.

UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR OF STUDENTS ON EXAMS

Introduction: The unethical behavior of students on exams represents a serious challenge for the education system. This disturbing trend requires immediate attention and the implementation of appropriate measures to raise awareness about the importance of academic integrity and promote ethical awareness among students. Objective: Examine the unethical behavior of students on exams. Subjects and methods: The study involved students from the Medical School in Šibenik. Out of the total number of participants, 155 students took part, with 75 (48,4%) specializing in general nursing, and 80 (51,6%) in pharmaceutical studies. The participants completed a questionnaire based on the Šimić Šašić and Klarin model (2009). Results: The results showed a high percentage of cheating during knowledge assessments. A total of 81,9% of respondents admitted to cheating at least once. In the domain of attitudes towards the acceptability of cheating, 52,9% of respondents agreed that cheating is entirely natural and inherent to human nature. Regarding different grades, fourth-grade students significantly held a stronger attitude toward the acceptability of cheating compared to students from other grades. Regarding reasons for cheating, the most common internal reason, stated by 50,4 % of respondents, was insufficient time for studying, while 49.6% cheated to help a friend, and 49% cheated to achieve good grades. External reasons for cheating, such as weak supervision, were mentioned by 52,9% of respondents, unfairness by 52,2%, and difficulty of the exam by 49% of respondents. Female respondents exhibited more pronounced internal and external reasons for cheating compared to male respondents. Conclusion: The research confirmed that academic dishonesty is a routine occurrence among students. The students themselves do not view cheating as ethically wrong and rationalize it in numerous ways. Keywords: unethical behavior, students, exam

Teaching the New Generation: Some Critical Concerns

The present-day academic scenario reveals a disturbing trend. Colleges and similar Higher Education Institutions are haunted by innumerable problems arising chiefly from the changed nature and characteristics of students. More than ever before present-day students pose a heterogeneous mix, chiefly segregated into two categories - Those who come with a sense of purpose and intention to study are the first category. The second set is the not-so-interested or serious in studies. They are driven to the institution either as a fulfillment of custom or a result of persuasion from parents or not having any other engagement, or by the sheer notion that sitting through would fetch a degree and getting a degree is a quick way to a job. Barring premier institutes and similar institutions where admission is very competitive, they outnumber others leaving the genuinely interested and strongly motivated students to an obvious minority. These students although take admission, behave indifferently in class, do not obey instructions, do not follow punctuality in attendance, skip classes and examinations, are involved in violence and clashes, indulge in politics, do not pay fees properly and on time, take to drinks and drugs and are disruptive of the positive campus atmosphere. Reared in indisciplined surroundings, achievement orientation, a sense of purpose, and strong life goals are lacking. The task before the teacher is to handle this negative heterogeneity to bring in positive homogeneity. In the modern day, a teacher is expected to be student-friendly for it costs his survival and growth. An unfriendly teacher has no existence in his profession. Battling these innumerable odds, he finds it threatening to wear this suit of idealistic conception. The present study aims to discuss the survival issues of the teachers and what complicates their tasks. The few crucial concerns discussed here are explanatory and not exhaustive.

Towards tree-based systems disturbance monitoring of tropical mosaic landscape using a time series ensemble learning approach

Tree clearing and degradation inside and outside forest ecosystems in Africa are important contributors to global carbon budget and emissions. Part of the uncertainties in emission estimates, among other things, is related to the non-inclusion of disturbances across all tree-based systems and limitations in the capacity of existing methodologies to detect subtle changes or degradation. Here, we present a tree-based system (TBS) disturbance monitoring approach in a mosaic landscape in East Africa. For this purpose, high- and low-intensity disturbance detection time series algorithms, namely Breaks for Additive Season and Trend monitor (BFASTmonitor), Continuous Degradation Detection (CODED), and Landsat-based detection of Trends in Disturbance and Recovery (LandTrendr), were used. These algorithms were tested in three approaches based on reference canopy cover change data from repeated airborne laser scanning. Data processing was performed using Collection 2 Landsat (5, 7, and 8) time series in Google Earth Engine. The approaches were based on testing the accuracy of 1) the algorithms' magnitude of change outputs using multispectral information (i.e., several vegetation indices and bands); 2) multispectral ensemble learning approach applied at each of the three algorithms; and 3) combining the multiple algorithms in an ensemble learning approach. Our results showed an improvement in the accuracy of detecting a TBS disturbance from approach 1 to 3. The best result (44% omission error and 31% commission error against reference airborne laser scanning data) was obtained when BFASTmonitor and CODED were combined in an ensemble learning approach. The shortwave infrared bands were more important for detecting TBS disturbance than green, red, and near-infrared bands. The application of the best model in TBS disturbance monitoring in the region revealed that disturbances were more dominant outside forest ecosystems than inside. Improved disturbance monitoring in TBS can contribute to more accurate emission estimates in Africa and elsewhere in the tropics.

Research

The October 2023 Research Roundup360 looks at: Gut microbiota in high-risk individuals for rheumatoid arthritis associated with disturbed metabolome and initiates arthritis by triggering mucosal immunity imbalance; International Consensus on Anaemia Management in Surgical Patients (ICCAMS); Sleep disturbance trends in the short-term postoperative period for patients undergoing total joint replacement; Achilles tendon tissue turnover before and immediately after an acute rupture; Quadriceps or hip exercises for patellofemoral pain? A randomized controlled equivalence trial; Total-body MRI for screening in patients with multiple osteochondromas.

Rising Hate Crime in India: A Gender and Religion Perspective

Hate crime refers to criminal acts that are motivated by prejudice or bias towards a particular group based on factors such as race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. In recent years, India has witnessed a disturbing trend of increasing hate crime incidents targeting individuals or groups based on their gender or religion. These incidents have serious implications for the affected communities, social cohesion, and the overall well-being of the society. This research paper aims to examine the issue of rising hate crime in India, with a specific focus on the gender and religion perspectives. Hate crimes in India refer to violent or abusive acts committed against individuals or groups based on their identity, such as religion, caste, or gender. These types of crimes are often motivated by a deep-seated prejudice or bias, and can have serious physical, emotional, and social consequences for the victims and their families. Keywords Crime, Gender, Caste, Religion, Politics, State Objectives

16Theory on Theory

Abstract Taking up what was foreshadowed in last year’s instalment of ‘Theory on Theory’, this chapter takes as its theme the evident and disturbing trend within our field to forget, if not actively attempt to erase, Marxist and dialectical thought. The first section notices this tendency in the course of its wider review of a major new reference work, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Literary Theory. The second section notices another manifestation of the tendency in the course of reviewing a significant new work of metatheoretical reflection and critique, Elizabeth Anker’s On Paradox. In the third and final section, a cluster of works are reviewed that show the range and ongoing vitality of dialectical thought.

Exploring the interplay of credit and liquidity risks: Impacts on banks’ profitability

This research delves into the intricate relationship between credit and liquidity risks and their far-reaching consequences on the overall profitability of banks. Leveraging a comprehensive dataset comprising 132 observations across twelve distinct financial institutions, spanning the period from 2009 to 2019, the analysis employs a sophisticated empirical framework grounded in simultaneous equations. By incorporating three meticulously chosen control variables, this approach adeptly disentangles the distinct effects of credit and liquidity risks on banks’ financial performance. The methodological trajectory unfolds in a sequential manner, commencing with isolated scrutiny of the individual impacts of credit and liquidity risks on banks’ profitability. This evaluation is gauged through robust metrics such as Returns on Assets and Economics. Subsequently, a nuanced exploration ensues, probing the intricate interplay between these two risks and their combined effect on banks’ profitability. Eminent findings emerge from this investigation, underscoring the adverse consequences of escalated credit risk on bank liquidity, accompanied by a simultaneous elevation in overall risk exposure. This disturbing trend notably casts a substantial shadow over banks’ profitability. Conclusively, this study consistently establishes the detrimental impact of the confluence of credit and liquidity risks on the financial well-being of banks. Evidently, this interaction exerts a negative influence on banks’ profitability, a perspective persistently reinforced by the authors’ analyses. The insights garnered from this study hold notable implications for the banking community and financial practitioners. By enhancing comprehension of the distinct attributes of credit and liquidity risks, this research contributes to a refined understanding of risk management dynamics. Moreover, it accentuates the urgency of fortifying the holistic management of liquidity-credit risks, a call to action that resonates deeply with both bankers and financiers seeking to navigate the intricate terrain of contemporary financial landscapes.

Sleep Disturbance Trends in the Short-Term Postoperative Period for Patients Undergoing Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty (TJA) often experience preoperative/postoperative sleep disturbances. Although sleep quality generally improves > 6 months after surgery, patterns of sleep in the short-term postoperative period are poorly understood. This study sought to (1) characterize sleep disturbance patterns over the 3-month postoperative period and (2) investigate clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with 3-month changes in sleep. This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data included 104 primary elective TJA patients. Patients were administered the PROMIS Sleep Disturbance questionnaire preoperatively and at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months postoperatively. Median sleep scores were compared between time points using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, stratified by preoperative sleep impairment. A multivariable logistic regression model identified factors associated with 3-month clinically improved sleep. The percentage of patients reporting sleep within normal limits increased over time: 54.8% preoperatively and 58.0%, 62.5%, and 71.8% at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months post-TJA, respectively. Patients with normal preoperative sleep experienced a transient 4.7-point worsening of sleep at 2 weeks ( P = 0.003). For patients with moderate/severe preoperative sleep impairment, sleep significantly improved by 5.4 points at 2 weeks ( P = 0.002), with improvement sustained at 3 months. In multivariable analysis, patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (versus knee; OR: 3.47, 95% CI: 1.06 to 11.32, P = 0.039) and those with worse preoperative sleep scores (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.23, P = 0.003) were more likely to achieve clinically improved sleep from preoperatively to 3 months postoperatively. Patients experience differing patterns in postoperative sleep changes based on preoperative sleep disturbance. Hip arthroplasty patients are also more likely to experience clinically improved sleep by 3 months compared with knee arthroplasty patients. These results may be used to counsel patients on postoperative expectations and identify patients at greater risk of impaired postoperative sleep. Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data.

Aggressive Behaviour in Nigerian University: Examining the Role of Sleep Quality and Examination Anxiety

Recently, aggressive behaviour has taken another dimension from being perpetrated only in secondary schools but tertiary institutions. This disturbing trend has generated immense research concern among concerned stakeholders in an emerging country like Nigeria. This is because this menace can affect students' psychics and, simultaneously, the smooth running of tertiary institutions. The study investigated the roles of insomnia and examination anxiety on aggressive behaviour among undergraduates. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design with four hundred eighty-five (485) undergraduates purposively selected as participants. The Aggressive Behaviour Scale (ABS), Sleep Quality Scale (SQS), and Test Anxiety Scale (TAS) were used to gather data for the study. The results revealed that 35% of the respondents significantly reported low-level aggression, while 65% reported high aggression. There was a significant positive relationship between insomnia (r=.242, p<0.01) and aggressive behaviour. Also, examination anxiety (r=.26, p<0.01) had a significant positive association with aggressive behaviour. There was a significant joint influence of insomnia and examination anxiety on aggressive behaviour[F(2,483) = 42.96, R2 = .151; p <.01]. Further results show that insomnia (β=.29; t=6.88, p<.05) and examination anxiety (β=.31; t= 7.26, p<.01) were significant predictors of aggressive behaviour among undergraduate sampled. While demographic variables- age, sex, and ethnicity have no significant individual and joint prediction of aggressive behaviour. Therefore, the study recommended educating students on the impact of insomnia and examination anxiety on themselves and others while taking steps to mitigate its effect is essential to prevent aggressive behaviour in the university.

Original

The past decade has seen a disturbing trend of hyper-nationalism and a tectonic shift in globalhierarchies from a unipolar to a multipolar world, with China challenging the USA's pole posi-tion. Despite the troubled history of the twentieth century and the past two and a half decades inparticular, increased interdependence and the spread of technology are the powerful forces thatwill shape the future global scenario. This review article explores the emerging technologiesthat will shape the future battlefield. It examines the future battlefield environments and capa-bility enhancement with global and regional imperatives. It also identifies India's interests, threats,and military imperatives with 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' in defence. The chosen theme holds signifi-cant relevance for global stability in general and India's interests in particular.

Effects of pipeline and well‐pad reclamation on topsoil properties: A meta‐analysis

AbstractThe development of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracking has led to an increase in oil and natural gas extraction. Development of infrastructure to extract and transport these resources is expected to increase over the next few decades, resulting in extensive land disturbance. Although reclamation aims to sufficiently return disturbed lands to their pre‐disturbance use in an ecological sense, reclaimed rights‐of‐ways (ROW) commonly produce reduced crop yields. The objective of this study was to use meta‐analysis to determine soil disturbance trends across studies found in the peer‐reviewed literature. Papers that reported soil property data on disturbed ROWs and adjacent undisturbed sites were retrieved by searching the Web of Science database. Papers were separated by climate regions, resulting in analyses being conducted for studies in semiarid and humid climate regions. Results indicate that soil bulk density, soil organic matter, and pH are significantly increased on reclaimed ROWs. Soil metrics not incorporated in meta‐analysis due to insufficient observations or the possible presence of publication biases like a desire to publish significant results and poor study design (cation exchange capacity, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, total nitrogen, electrical conductivity, sodium, sodium adsorption ratio, and texture) are assessed and discussed. Best management practices gleaned from studies incorporated into meta‐analysis are discussed to provide strategies to limit soil property disturbances.

Seasonal fluctuations of marsh wetlands in the headwaters of the Brahmaputra, Ganges, and Indus Rivers, Tibetan Plateau based on the adapted LandTrendr model

Marsh wetlands present a rich variety of ecosystem goods and services, including important carbon sinks, of great significance to changes in the global environment. However, seasonal responses of marsh wetlands remain understudied and poorly understood. Therefore, this study adapted the Landsat-based Detection of Trends in Disturbance and Recovery (LandTrendr) model using field and Landsat data during 1990–2017 to identify the seasonal and spatial variations in marsh wetlands in the headwaters of the Brahmaputra, Ganges, and Indus Rivers (HBGIR) and analyze the drivers of their spatiotemporal changes. The spatiotemporal change in the marsh wetlands was divided into the three stages of expansion (1990–1998), retreat (1998–2004), and stability (2004–2017). The marsh wetland area showed an increasing trend before 1998 and a stable and slightly increasing trend after 2004. The expansion area of the marsh wetlands was located in the reserves of Shiquanhe and Manasarovar and their surrounding areas. The marsh wetlands were subjected to the largest expansion in summer (114.45 km2), followed by spring (80.45 km2). The expansion of the marsh wetlands in summer was mainly driven by snow depth and temperature, with the strongest interaction factor of 0.6 between them. However, the retreat of the marsh wetlands was driven by the expansion of construction and cultivated lands in the HBGIR. Finally, the LandTrendr model modified in this study was useful for improving the change-detection accuracy of the marsh wetlands. This study provides an important theoretical basis for wetland protection and management for the Tibetan Plateau.

Automatically identifying the vegetation destruction and restoration of various open-pit mines utilizing remotely sensed images: Auto-VDR

The spatio-temporal pattern of vegetation disturbance by open-pit mining activities such as the disturbance area and magnitude are important for coordinated development of surface mining and environmental protection. This paper proposes an automatic method (Auto-VDR) for identifying vegetation destruction and restoration of various open-pit mines. The proposed method consists of three steps: construction of the sample dataset, identification of disturbance types, and extraction of disturbance time and magnitude. First, a sample dataset with three types was constructed according to the interannual trends of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in mining areas: “Restoration after destruction (RAD)”, “Destruction without restoration (DWR)” and “No destruction (ND)”. Second, in order to accommodate to various open-pit mines with different background conditions (original vegetation cover prior to mining, loss rate and magnitude of vegetation due to mining, etc.), the “Shape-based distance” was used to match the NDVI curves of each pixel to the three disturbance types. Third, the disturbance time and magnitude in the destroyed regions were extracted based on the vegetated/bare ground threshold (α). The Shendong coal base in China was selected as the study area consisting of 133 open-pit coal mines. Annual NDVI was generated using Landsat time-series data. The maps of vegetation destruction and restoration caused by surface mining during 1990–2021 were drawn with accuracies of 0.82 and 0.87, respectively. The identification accuracy of the Auto-VDR is higher than Landsat-based detection of Trends in Disturbance and Recovery (LandTrendr) and Continuous Change Detection and Classification (CCDC). The results show that from 1990 to 2021, a total of 400.08 km2 of vegetation has been destroyed, accounting for 35.93% of the study area. Furthermore, restoration activities mainly began in 2010, lagging mining activities by approximately three years. The accumulated area of restoration was 177.91 km2 and accounts for 15.98% of the study area. The vegetation destruction at the Shendong coal base has gone through four stages, with 2008, 2015 and 2018 as splits, corresponding to the developing stage of the China coal industry. In particular, the area of vegetation destruction per year reached the maximum of 61.16 km2 in 2008, which was 1.38 times the total area mined over the past 17 years. There were 14% of the 133 open-pit mines in Shendong coal base with a restoration rate of 0.8 and 59% of the mines with a restoration rate of 0.5. This method has been demonstrated to be able to extract vegetation destruction and restoration processes accurately and rapidly for various open-pit mines at a scale of coal base, which provides an important reference for supervising the impact of mining on the environment and assessing the effectiveness of ecological restoration.

Response to Hemostatic Complications During Neonatal Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: Roller Pump and Centrifugal Pump Driven Circuits.

To the Editor: Vermeer et al.1 recently published a case series and in vitro analysis of acute oxygenator failure manifested as a rise in preoxygenator pressure without evidence of gas transfer failure. As practitioners in the field who have fielded similar questions from colleagues describing similar issues, we applaud them for describing this problem that has been informally discussed in meetings and discussion boards for several years. The debate in neonatal extracorporeal life support (ECLS) between roller and centrifugal pumps has a long history.2 While the focus has primarily been on sources of increased hemolysis, the acute failure of the ECLS circuit by oxygenator clogging has received less attention. Vermeer et al.1 began using the RotaFlow in neonatal ECLS because of supply shortages and the availability and experience with adult ECLS. After a disturbing trend of complications, they embarked on a formal assessment of three systems (roller pump, RotaFlow, and PedIVAS) and associated failure rates in the neonatal population. The authors described anticoagulation, heat generation, and overall blood velocity as plausible mechanisms generating the cellular debris that led to the clogging phenomenon. In discussing the velocity, they came very close to what we would consider to be the fundamental problem inherent in the design of any centrifugal pump, which is their best efficiency point (BEP). The BEP is the point at which energy imparted to spinning the impeller generates the most forward bulk flow from the pump. The RotaFlow and PedivAS were designed to operate at 5 and 1.5 L/min, respectively. Schöps et al.3 used computational fluid dynamics to describe zones of recirculation, which do not contribute to the bulk flow of the blood, within adult devices operated at 1 L/min or less. Consequently, blood remains in the pump shear field for an extended time, significantly increasing the risk for hemolysis, which was demonstrated in vitro. Vermeer et al.1 have now provided in vivo evidence for the in silico and in vitro data provided by Schöps et al.3 However, we believe there is still more to the story. Several other factors are likely at play in neonatal ECLS, including cellular fragility4 and hemoglobin greater than 12–13 g/dl, which has been shown to be an independent factor leading to blood damage for neonatal ECLS regardless of pump type.5 A shrinking pool of devices and trained healthcare providers has led to the utilization of devices for the greatest number of patients (adults) in the most vulnerable population (neonates), and these are conditions for which these devices were never designed. Even the PediVAS, which is a pediatric device, is designed to operate at flow nearly three times that required for neonatal ECLS. We believe the study described by Vermeer et al.,1 Schöps et al.,3 Jenks et al.,5 and others in this space are important starting points for the ultimate discussion that a true neonatal ECLS centrifugal blood pump needs to be developed. We hope that such study continues and drives manufacturers to consider the needs of this population, ultimately allowing clinicians to more safely provide the life-saving support that this population needs.

Improving LandTrendr Forest Disturbance Mapping in China Using Multi-Season Observations and Multispectral Indices

Forest disturbance detection is of great significance for understanding forest dynamics. The Landsat-based detection of the Trends in Disturbance and Recovery (LandTrendr) algorithm is widely used for forest disturbance mapping. However, there are still two limitations in LandTrendr: first, it only used for summer-composited observations, which may delay the detection of forest disturbances that occurred in autumn and winter by one year, and second, it detected all disturbance types simultaneously using a single spectral index, which may reduce the mapping accuracy for certain forest disturbance types. Here, we modified LandTrendr (mLandTrendr) for forest disturbance mapping in China by using multi-season observations and multispectral indices. Validations using the randomly selected 1957 reference forest disturbance samples across China showed that the overall accuracy (F1 score) of forest disturbance detection in China was improved by 21% with these two modifications. The mLandTrendr can quickly and accurately detect forest disturbance and can be extended to national and global forest disturbance mapping for various forest types.

Caring Knowledge as a Strategy to Mitigate Violence against Nurses: A Discussion Paper

Violence against nurses is a disturbing trend in healthcare that has reached epidemic proportions globally. These violent incidents can result in physical and psychological injury, exacerbating already elevated levels of stress and burnout among nurses, further contributing to absenteeism, turnover, and intent to leave the profession. To ensure the physical and mental well-being of nurses and patients, attention to the development of strategies to reduce violence against nurses must be a priority. Caring knowledge—rooted in the philosophy of care—is a potential strategy for mitigating violence against nurses in healthcare settings. We present what caring knowledge is, analyze its barriers to implementation at the health system and education levels and explore potential solutions to navigate those barriers. We conclude how the application of models of caring knowledge to the nurse-patient relationship has the potential to generate improved patient safety and increased satisfaction for both nurses and patients.