Relative Coverage Research Articles

Experiencia de caries en jóvenes estudiantes: análisis epidemiológico como aporte para las políticas universitarias en promoción y prevención de la salud

Introduction: Universities should generate actions related to health promotion and health education. Caries is a disease where diverse factors and their interactions must be consideredObjective: To assess the epidemiological profile of oral health-disease in relation to caries in a community of university students in the city of Córdoba, Argentina.Material and Methods: Exploratory and retrospective study. It was carried out on the medical records of university students registered at the Health Department (Pro-Secretaria de Asistencia) of the Faculty of Dentistry, during the years 2017 and 2018 (n=397 records). An analysis of classic epidemiological measures of caries indices was carried out. For data analysis, generalized linear regression models were used to determine the magnitude of the effects of the factors considered (sex; age; health insurance coverage and origin) in relation to the DMFT and its components. The analysis was deepened for the factors whose effects were significant in the regressions, setting p<0.05Results: the average age was 21.4 ± 2.2 years and with an approximate ratio of 2 women for every man. The DMFT mean for the evaluated sample was 7.45 ± 4.7 and within a range of 0 to 20. Factor C (decayed) was the component that most influenced the DMFT, almost 80% of the patients. Students presented at least one dental element with caries. Conclusion: age is a factor that significantly affects the DMFT index. Factors such as sex, origin and health coverage did not show significant effects on the DMFT index.

Evidence-based hand hygiene: Liquid or gel handrub, does it matter?

BackgroundRecent studies put under scrutiny the prevailing hand hygiene guidelines, which incorporate quantitative parameters regarding handrub volume and hand size. Understanding the criticality of complete (i.e., efficient) hand hygiene in healthcare, objectivization of hand hygiene related parameters are paramount, including the formulation of the ABHR. Complete coverage can be achieved with optimal Alcohol-Based Hand Rub (ABHR) provided. The literature is limited regarding ABHR formulation variances to antimicrobial efficiency and healthcare workers’ preference, while public data on clinically relevant typical application differences is not available. This study was designed and performed to compare gel and liquid format ABHRs (the two most popular types in Europe) by measuring several parameters, including application time, spillage and coverage.MethodologySenior medical students were invited, and randomly assigned to receive pre-determined ABHR volumes (1.5 or 3 ml). All the 340 participants were given equal amounts of gel and liquid on two separate hand hygiene occasions, which occurred two weeks apart. During the hand hygiene events, by employing a digital, fully automated system paired with fluorescent-traced ABHRs, disinfectant hand coverage was objectively investigated. Furthermore, hand coverage in relation to the participants’ hand sizes was also calculated. Additional data collection was performed regarding volume differences and their effect on application time, participants’ volume awareness (consciousness) and disinfectant spillage during the hand hygiene events.ResultsThe 1.5 ml ABHR volume (commonly applied in healthcare settings) is insufficient in either formulation, as the non-covered areas exceeded significant (5%+) of the total hand surface area. 3 ml, on the contrary, resulted in almost complete coverage (uncovered areas remained below 1.5%). Participants typically underestimated the volume which they needed to apply. While the liquid ABHR spreads better in the lower, 1.5 ml volume compared to the gel, the latter was easier handled at larger volume. Drying times were 30/32 s (gel and liquid formats, respectively) when 1.5 ml handrub was applied, and 40/42 s when 3 ml was used. As the evaporation rates of the ABHR used in the study are similar to those available on the market, one can presume that the results presented in the study apply for most WHO conform ABHRs.ConclusionThe results show that applying 1.5 ml volume was insufficient, as large part of the hand surface remained uncovered (7.0 ± 0.7% and 5.8 ± 1.0% of the hand surface in the case of gel and liquid, respectively) When 3 ml handrub was applied drying times were 40 and 42 s (gel and liquid, respectively), which is a very long time in daily clinical practice. It looks like we cannot find a volume that fits for everyone. Personalized, hand size based ABHR volumes may be the solution to find an optimal balance between maximize coverage and minimise spillage and drying time. 3 ml can be a good volume for those who have medium size hands. Large handed people should use more handrub to reach appropriate coverage, while small-handed ones may apply less to avoid massive spillage and not to take unrealistically long to dry.

The rapid shift of intertidal macroalgal assemblage from vertical shoreline profiles in Barton Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica during summer

Temporal variability and the vertical shoreline profile of an intertidal macroalgal assemblage were examined on the coast of Barton Peninsula, Maxwell Bay, King George Island, Antarctica. Sampling was performed during the three austral summer seasons from November 2016 to January 2019. The sampling interval for the summer shift was 1–2 months. Eighteen algal species were identified, with 75% relative coverage of the predominant red alga Iridaea cordata and endemic brown alga Phaeurus antarcticus. Temporal variation in the macroalgal assemblage showed 78.35% similarity between one month and 64.61% similarity between two months. Contour plots for visualizing macroalgal distribution were first attempted in this study, and compared to general distribution of tables and diagrams that were discontinuously expressed. The coastscape was expressed more quantitatively and continuously, and was also useful for explaining temporal changes such as summer abundance can be described as a shift from I. cordata to P. antarcticus. In addition, in terms of species composition, this study area corresponds to the middle to lower intertidal zone and shows the highest species diversity in King George Island, so it is expected to provide important information for the researches in Antarctic intertidal zones.

Asymmetric impact of investor sentiment and media coverage news on bitcoin returns

PurposeThis paper investigates the impact of global sentiment and various coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related media coverage news (Media-Hype index; Panic Index; Media Coverage Index, infodemic index and coronavirus statistics) on the dynamics of bitcoin returns during the COVID-19 pandemic using an asymmetric framework.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use an asymmetric framework based on quantile regression (QR) and quantile-on-quantile regression.FindingsQR results show that COVID-19 panic news negatively affects bitcoin market returns at times of extreme bearish. However, COVID-19 bullish sentiment negatively impacts bitcoin market returns during bullish market conditions. Quantile-on-quantile approach's (QQA) empirical results show that the effects of COVID-19-related news on bitcoin returns were heterogeneous, mainly negative and varied across quantiles.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors find some significant differences regarding the impact of news on bitcoin return dynamics compared to stock markets, suggesting the safe-haven role of bitcoin against stock during the ongoing epidemic.Practical implicationsThe authors find some significant differences regarding the impact of news on bitcoin return dynamics compared to stock markets, suggesting the safe-haven role of bitcoin against stock during the ongoing epidemic.Originality/valueThis study contributes to understanding the dynamics of bitcoin returns using various COVID-19 media news.

News Framing on the America-Iran Feud in the Coverage from Two American Online Newspapers

News media framing has been explicated as a way to construct social realities by persuading readers with the schematics of differently construed proceedings and events. Hence, this study engages in a critical discourse analysis examining the social representation of America and Iran in the coverage from two American online newspapers, namely The New York Times (NYT) and The New York Post (NYP). Since the United States has incited decades of simmering conflict with Iran that involves a global concern, this study also illustrates the polarisation of ideologisation in the coverage in relation to the two newspapers’ political leanings. The findings disclose a disparity of representation of social agents and ideological bias between the two news outlets, with the NYT presenting a balance of positive and negative ‘Us’, while the NYP exhibiting a prejudiced and one-sided ideology towards Iran. Consequently, this study sheds light on the critical role of news framing and highlights academically a systematic analysis of online news coverage considering their political dependency.

Biophysical studies of peptoid interactions with phospholipids.

Using second harmonic generation and fluorescence anisotropy methods, we monitored adsorption of water-soluble peptoids to phospholipid bilayers at varying pH conditions and temperatures. We compared equilibrium binding constants and relative surface coverages of different peptoids sequences as we varied the cholesterol content, head group charge and physical phase of the lipids. We also collected pressure-area isotherms of lipid monolayers in the presence and absence of peptoids to gain insight into the physical principles that govern how peptoid sequence and membrane composition alter peptoid-lipid interactions.

Underwater light attenuation inhibits native submerged plants and facilitates the invasive co‐occurring plant Cabomba caroliniana

AbstractAimDecreasing in the diversity and distribution of native submerged plants have been widely observed in recent decades. Global underwater darkening, which is mainly caused by radiation dimming and a decrease in transparency due to, e.g. eutrophication, has emerged as a general trend that strongly hampers the growth of submerged plants in lakes by decreasing the light available for photosynthesis. However, few studies have attempted to compare the responses of native and invasive submerged plants to underwater darkening. In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of light attenuation on the growth and photosynthesis traits of native and invasive submerged plants.LocationEast China.MethodThrough field investigations and a mesocosm experiment, the responses of functional traits of two representative native [water thyme (Hydrilla verticillata), Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)] and one invasive [Carolina fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana)] plant species to various environmental factors, notably to underwater light attenuation, were studied.ResultsUnderwater photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) exerted a substantial effect on the relative coverage and abundance of the three studied submerged plants in their natural freshwater habitats. Invasive C. caroliniana showed relatively superior growth (total biomass and relative growth rate) and photosynthesis traits (maximum quantum yield of photosystem II Fv/Fm, chlorophyll a content, chlorophyll b content and the ratio of Chl a and b contents) compared to the two native plants under low underwater PAR conditions. In contrast, under high underwater PAR conditions, C. caroliniana showed the opposite response.Main ConclusionsLight attenuation inhibits the growth of native submerged plants but facilitates the growth of invasive plant species. Restoration of freshwater lakes by reducing deterioration from underwater darkening (for instance, by reducing of external nutrients loading) may therefore constrain the growth and spread of the invasive C. caroliniana.

Development of a Benchmark Eddy Flux Evapotranspiration Dataset for Evaluation of Satellite-Driven Evapotranspiration Models Over the CONUS

A large sample of ground-based evapotranspiration (ET) measurements made in the United States, primarily from eddy covariance systems, were post-processed to produce a benchmark ET dataset. The dataset was produced primarily to support the intercomparison and evaluation of the OpenET satellite-based remote sensing ET (RSET) models and could also be used to evaluate ET data from other models and approaches. OpenET is a web-based service that makes field-delineated and pixel-level ET estimates from well-established RSET models readily available to water managers, agricultural producers, and the public. The benchmark dataset is composed of flux and meteorological data from a variety of providers covering native vegetation and agricultural settings. Flux footprint predictions were developed for each station and included static flux footprints developed based on average wind direction and speed, as well as dynamic hourly footprints that were generated with a physically based model of upwind source area. The two footprint prediction methods were rigorously compared to evaluate their relative spatial coverage. Data from all sources were post-processed in a consistent and reproducible manner including data handling, gap-filling, temporal aggregation, and energy balance closure correction. The resulting dataset included 243,048 daily and 5,284 monthly ET values from 194 stations, with all data falling between 1995 and 2021. We assessed average daily energy imbalance using 172 flux sites with a total of 193,021 days of data, finding that overall turbulent fluxes were understated by about 12% on average relative to available energy. Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that daily average latent energy flux may be typically understated slightly more than sensible heat flux. This dataset was developed to provide a consistent reference to support evaluation of RSET data being developed for a wide range of applications related to water accounting and water resources management at field to watershed scales.

Adaptation analysis of insect-resistant transgenic line after introducing mcry1F gene in maize

The ability to adapt, survive, and compete with weeds of transgenic plants is the necessary evaluation content to release transgenic lines in target regions. We compared weediness and agronomic traits of transgenic maize lines G1F-8 and G1F-19 carrying the mcry1F gene with their near-isogenic maize inbred line Zheng 58 in the wasteland and cultivated field under natural conditions for two consecutive years. The results showed that there was no significant difference identified in the species, quantity, and relative coverage ratio (RCR) of weeds between fields with G1F-8, G1F-19, and Zheng 58, regardless of the sowing pattern in the wasteland. Compared with the vigour of weeds, none of G1F-8, G1F-19, and Zheng 58 showed survival advantages, and all showed weak growth potential with no final grain yield. Meanwhile, no volunteer seedlings were found upon investigation in the following year. The simulated seed overwintering experiment in the wasteland further showed that the three kinds of maize could not germinate in the second year. In cultivated land, G1F-8 and G1F-19 had the same growth stages, plant height, and RCR as Zheng 58 throughout two years. In conclusion, the transgenic lines G1F-8 and G1F-19 exhibited no adaptability risk in Gongzhuling, Jilin, China.

Elevation-based probabilistic mapping of irregularly flooded wetlands along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast

Irregularly flooded wetlands are found above the mean high water tidal datum and are exposed to tides and saltwater less frequently than daily. These wetlands provide important ecosystem services, such as providing habitat for fish and wildlife, enhancing water quality, ameliorating flooding impacts, supporting coastal food webs, and protecting upslope areas from erosion. Mapping irregularly flooded wetlands is challenging given their expansive coverage and dynamic nature. Furthermore, coastal wetlands are expected to change over the coming century due to sea-level rise and changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme storms. Consequently, coastal managers need baseline information on the spatial distribution of wetlands along with efficient and repeatable methods for observing changes. In this study, we used coastal wetlands from existing land use land cover data, best available lidar-derived digital elevation models, and Monte Carlo simulations to incorporate elevation uncertainty to create a probabilistic map of irregularly flooded wetlands along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast (USA). Our approach integrated findings from a review of coastal wetland elevation error in lidar datasets and an analysis of spatial autocorrelations of wetland elevation. We found a positive correlation (r = 0.563, p < 0.0001) when comparing the probability estimated from a digital elevation model and in situ elevation observations. The differences in probability had a mean bias error of −0.04 (i.e., digital elevation model-based probability tends to be slightly lower), a mean absolute error of 0.20, and a root mean square error of 0.26. Beyond this overall validation, we explored error metrics for land cover classes and lidar collection details. To quantify areal coverage of the probabilistic output, we classified the probability values into equal bins using an interval of 0.33. The areal coverage of the lowest probability bin (“unlikely”; probability ≤0.33) was separated into the upper and lower portions of the irregularly flooded wetland zone. Of the coastal wetlands along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast about 38% were classified as unlikely and low with the greatest coverage in south Louisiana and the Everglades and around 33% were classified as unlikely and high with the greatest coverage in the Everglades and Texas. The relative coverage within the highest probability bin (“likely”; probability >0.66) covered around 13%, with the greatest coverage in south Florida, south Louisiana, and Texas. The framework developed in this study can be transferred to other coastal wetland areas and updated to observe changes with sea-level rise.

Enhancing circular microstrip patch antenna performance using machine learning models

Machine learning (ML) will be heavily used in the future generation of wireless communication networks. The development of diverse communication-based applications is expected to boost coverage and spectrum efficiency in relation to conventional systems. ML may be employed to develop solutions in a wide range of domains, such as antennas. This article describes the design and optimization of a circular patch antenna. The optimization is done through ML algorithms. Six ML models, Decision Tree, Random Forest, XG-Boost Regression, K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN), Gradient Boosting Regression (GBR), and Light Gradient Boosting Regression (LGBR), were employed in this work to predict the antenna's return loss (S11). The findings show that all of these models work well, with KNN having the highest accuracy in predicting return loss of 98.5%. The antenna design &amp; optimization process can be accelerated with the support of ML. These developments allow designers to push beyond the limits of antenna technology, optimize performance, and offer novel solutions for emerging applications such as 5G, 6G, IoT, and flexible wireless communication systems).

ЛЕКСИКО-СЕМАНТИЧНІ ТА СТИЛІСТИЧНІ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ВИСВІТЛЕННЯ КИТАЙСЬКО-ТАЙВАНСЬКИХ ВІДНОСИН В АМЕРИКАНСЬКІЙ ПУБЛІЦИСТИЦІ (З 2021 ПО 2023 Р.)

The scientific work aims to characterise the lexical-semantic and stylistic features of coverage of the current state of Sino-Taiwanese relations in the American press. The research material consists of articles taken from such newspapers as The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, Newsweek magazine and publications of the CNN news agency. Methods of the research: contextual analysis (for the most objective characterization of linguistic features of publicistics in the United States); lexical-semantic analysis (an overview of the general position of the authors of newspaper articles regarding the “Taiwanese problem”, to identify and analyze comparisons and antitheses as common stylistic devices in the press); interpretive method (to form the authors’ assessment of the factors that determined the use of certain lexical constructions according to certain aspects of recent Sino-Taiwanese relations). Scientific novelty: for the first time, the authors have carried out a lexico-semantic analysis of Sino-Taiwanese relations based on English-language British and American publicistics regarding the current geopolitical challenges. Conclusions. Idioms in coverage of the “Taiwanese problem” are primarily used to indicate the role of the USA and China in East Asia, as well as to compare the situation around Taiwan with Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The basic idea is Washington’s consideration of the “Taiwanese problem” as a potential bridgehead for a possible confrontation between the two “superpowers”. As for stylistic features, the analysis enabled the researchers to separate numerous epithets, comparisons, antitheses, metaphors and establish their prevalence in the coverage of Sino-Taiwanese relations, as well as personifications, tautologies, and irony, used by the authors of publications less often.

Is self-perception of oral health associated with expectations of employability?

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire that allows a systematic evaluation of the impact of self-perceived oral health on expectations of getting a job on adult population seeking dental care, and to describe its associations with demographic characteristics, job related, and health coverage variables. We designed a descriptive cross-sectional study including men and women aged 18 to 65 years from a population seeking dental services in a walk-in clinic. In a first stage we design and validated an instrument on a sample of 100 subjects. The questionnaire was registered in a Likert scale, with higher scores represented higher impact of the oral status self-perception on employability. We calculated internal consistency, construct validity, and domains validation. The final instrument consisted in an 18-item questionnaire (Cronbach α = 0.814), grouped into two domains based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The total variance explained with values >1 was 66 percent, grouping questions into six components. One domain refers to oral health status and importance of dental aesthetics, while the other refers to specific job-seeking elements. In a second stage we applied the questionnaire on 800 participants from the same population of reference. Women, people who intended to change jobs, those younger than 40 years old, having health insurance, and higher educational level showed statistically significant higher scores than their counterparts (p<0.001). We developed a tool that enables evaluating the impact of self-perceived oral health on expectations of getting a job for adults seeking emergency care in a dental clinic.

In vitro analysis and in vivo assessment of fracture complications associated with use of locking plate constructs for stabilization of caprine tibial segmental defects

PurposeLocking plate fixation of caprine tibial segmental defects is widely utilized for translational modeling of human osteopathology, and it is a useful research model in tissue engineering and orthopedic biomaterials research due to its inherent stability while maintaining unobstructed visualization of the gap defect and associated healing. However, research regarding surgical technique and long-term complications associated with this fixation method are lacking. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of surgeon-selected factors including locking plate length, plate positioning, and relative extent of tibial coverage on fixation failure, in the form of postoperative fracture.MethodsIn vitro, the effect of plate length was evaluated using single cycle compressive load to failure mechanical testing of locking plate fixations of caprine tibial gap defects. In vivo, effects of plate length, positioning, and relative tibial coverage were evaluated using data from a population of goats enrolled in ongoing orthopedic research which utilized locking plate fixation of 2 cm tibial diaphyseal segmental defects to evaluate bone healing over 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.ResultsIn vitro, no significant differences in maximum compressive load or total strain were noted between fixations using 14 cm locking plates and 18 cm locking plates. In vivo, both plate length and tibial coverage ratio were significantly associated with postoperative fixation failure. The incidence of any cortical fracture in goats stabilized with a 14 cm plate was 57%, as compared with 3% in goats stabilized with an 18 cm plate. Craniocaudal and mediolateral angular positioning variables were not significantly associated with fixation failure. Decreasing distance between the gap defect and the proximal screw of the distal bone segment was associated with increased incidence of fracture, suggesting an effect on proximodistal positioning on overall fixation stability.ConclusionsThis study emphasizes the differences between in vitro modeling and in vivo application of surgical fixation methods, and, based on the in vivo results, maximization of plate-to-tibia coverage is recommended when using locking plate fixation of the goat tibial segmental defect as a model in orthopedic research.

Bayesian Image Reconstruction Using Weighted Laplace Prior for Lung Respiratory Monitoring With Electrical Impedance Tomography

The poor spatial resolution of electrical impedance tomography (EIT) limits its use in medical devices because of its highly nonlinear and ill-posed nature. A novel hierarchical block sparse Bayesian learning (BSBL) method is designed for lung respiratory monitoring with EIT. It is its excellent modeling capability and noise robustness that allows BSBL to adaptively explore and exploit the internal conductivity distribution, e.g., block sparsity and intra-block correlation. First, the <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula> -nearest neighbor (KNN) strategy is employed to automatically group each block based on the clustering property and incorporated to constrain the intra-block correlation matrix based on the spatial distance. Second, a three-layer hierarchical BSBL model using weighted Laplace (WL) prior is considered to enhance the recovery performance. Finally, an efficient bound optimization (BO) method is performed for Bayesian inference, avoiding the tedious parameter adjustment. This leads to improvements in recovery performance, algorithm robustness, and computational efficiency. Moreover, root mean square error (RMSE), image correlation coefficient (ICC), and relative size coverage ratio (RCR) are applied for quantitative comparisons of image quality. Numerical simulations and in vivo lung respiratory experiments showed that the proposed KNN-BSBL-WL method outperforms existing referenced methods in terms of reconstruction accuracy and computational time. On average, KNN-BSBL-WL obtains the RMSE <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$= 0.07\,\,\pm \,\,0.02$ </tex-math></inline-formula> , ICC <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$= 0.96\,\,\pm \,\,0.01$ </tex-math></inline-formula> , and RCR <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$= 0.98\,\,\pm \,\,0.05$ </tex-math></inline-formula> , which are closest to the true values of the recorded snapshots obtained in the experiments. Meanwhile, the average time of KNN-BSBL-WL is 0.16 s, achieving an acceleration ratio close to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim 3$ </tex-math></inline-formula> compared with the referenced KNN-BSBL method. Therefore, the proposed method is an efficient and robust means of imaging reconstruction, which further improves the feasibility of EIT in respiratory clinical applications.

The Dutch SCAN Geothermal Exploration Programme — The first three years of 2D seismic acquisition and (re)processing

To achieve the Dutch policy objective to significantly reduce carbon emissions, a shift from fossil fuels towards renewable energy resources is required. In the Netherlands, geothermal energy is a proven renewable energy resource, but currently only with a limited number of operating installations. A limiting factor to the broader development of geothermal projects is the fact that the subsurface data in the Netherlands is not well distributed; seismic and well data coverage is poor in roughly half of the country, including major residential and industrial areas with high heat demand. Improving the data coverage in these areas would increase the benefit-risk ratio of geothermal projects. The key objective of the Dutch SCAN Geothermal Exploration Programme is to collect subsurface data in areas of relative low data coverage to improve the understanding of the subsurface and to reduce geological uncertainties for the development of geothermal projects. This article discusses the seismic phase of the SCAN programme, which started with the acquisition of a 2D seismic test line to define the optimum acquisition parameters for a regional 2D seismic survey, the acquisition and processing of 1761 km of newly acquired data and a large reprocessing effort comprising close to 7500 km of vintage 2D seismic data.

Dosimetric Analysis of Intra-Fraction Motion Detected by Surface-Guided Radiation Therapy During Linac Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) immobilization with an open face mask is more comfortable and less invasive than frame based, but concerns about intrafraction motion must be addressed. Surface-guided radiation therapy (SGRT) is an attractive option for intrafraction patient monitoring because it is continuous, has submillimeter accuracy, and uses no ionizing radiation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dosimetric consequences of uncorrected intrafraction patient motion detected during frameless linac-based SRS. Fifty-five SRS patients were monitored during treatment using SGRT between January 1, 2017, and September 30, 2020. If SGRT detected motion >1 mm, imaging was repeated and the necessary shifts were made before continuing treatment. For the 25 patients with intrafraction 3-dimensional vector shifts of ≥1 mm, we moved the isocenter in the planning system using the translational shifts from the repeat imaging and recalculated the plans to determine the dosimetric effect of the shifts. Planning target volume (PTV) coverage, minimum gross tumor volume (GTV) dose (relative and absolute), and normal brain V12 were evaluated. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to compare planned and simulated dosimetric parameters and median 2 sample tests were used to investigate these differences between cone and multileaf collimator (MLC) plans. For simulated plans, V12 increased by a median of 0.01 cc (P=.006) and relative GTV minimum dose and PTV coverage decreased by a median of 15.8% (P < .001) and 10.2 % (P < .001), respectively. Absolute minimum GTV dose was found to be significantly lower in the simulated plans (P < .001). PTV coverage decreased more for simulated cone plans than for simulated MLC plans (11.6% vs 4.7%, P=.011) but median V12 differences were found to be significantly larger for MLC plans (-0.34 cc vs -0.01 cc, P=.011). Differences in GTV minimum dose between cone and MLC plans were not statistically significant. SGRT detected clinically meaningful intrafraction motion during frameless SRS, which could lead to large underdoses and increased normal brain dose if uncorrected.

“Voodoo” Science in Neuroimaging: How a Controversy Transformed into a Crisis

Since the 1990s, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques have continued to advance, which has led researchers and non specialists alike to regard this technique as infallible. However, at the end of 2008, a scientific controversy and the related media coverage called functional neuroimaging practices into question and cast doubt on the capacity of fMRI studies to produce reliable results. The purpose of this article is to retrace the history of this contemporary controversy and its treatment in the media. Then, the study stands at the intersection of the history of science, the epistemology of statistics, and the epistemology of science. Arguments involving actors (researchers, the media) and the chronology of events are presented. Finally, the article reveals that three groups fought through different arguments (false positives, statistical power, sample size, etc.), reaffirming the current scientific norms that separate the true from the false. Replication, forming this boundary, takes the place of the most persuasive argument. This is how the voodoo controversy joined the replication crisis.

Short selling and the independence of business‐related analysts: Evidence from an emerging market

AbstractThis paper investigates whether short‐sale deregulation improves analysts' independence in an emerging market where conventional mechanisms mitigating conflicts of interest are either ineffective or absent. Short selling reduces the effectiveness of analysts' favourable opinions in creating or sustaining overvalued stock prices, thus decreasing the incentives of institutional clients of brokerages to exert pressure on related analysts to initiate coverage and issue biased opinions. Using a difference‐in‐difference approach, we find strong evidence that stocks that are eligible for short sales experience a greater reduction in coverage by related analysts than stocks that are ineligible for short sales. When covered firms become eligible for short sales, the quality of forecasts and recommendations issued by related analysts improves considerably. Further analyses show that shortable firms with a significant reduction in related analysts' coverage are more likely to underperform and to experience stock price crashes in the future. Altogether, our results are consistent with short selling effectively restoring related analysts' independence in emerging markets.

Marine macroinvertebrates fouled in marine anthropogenic litter in the Moroccan Mediterranean.

The existence of floating marine litter in marine environments enhances the potential for the transport of fouling organisms using these substrates as vectors. In this study, we examined the fouling organisms on different types of litter stranded on two beaches of the Moroccan Mediterranean. The study revealed 13 fouling species belonging to 8 phyla (Arthropoda, Bryozoa, Annelida, Mollusca, Cnidaria, Echinodermata, Chlorophyta, and Ochrophyta) on marine litter. Rafting vectors were almost exclusively made up of plastics and could mainly be attributed to land-based sources. The most common fouling species were the crustacean Lepas pectinata, Lepas anatifera, Perforatus perforatus, and bryozoan species. More taxa were found on large litter than on small litter. Relative substratum coverage was highest for bryozoan sp. (31.0%), green algae (29.0%), Lepas anatifera (21.42%), Lepas pectinata (17.8%), and Perforatus perforatus (17.46%). Our results suggest that the growing generation of plastic litter may enhance the probability of the introduction of non-native species into the Moroccan Mediterranean. Therefore, monitoring efforts are needed to identify vectors and the arrival of novel invasive species in this area.