Opinion Statements Research Articles

An international expert opinion statement on the utility of PET/MR for imaging of skeletal metastases.

MR is an important imaging modality for evaluating musculoskeletal malignancies owing to its high soft tissue contrast and its ability to acquire multiparametric information. PET provides quantitative molecular and physiologic information and is a critical tool in the diagnosis and staging of several malignancies. PET/MR, which can take advantage of its constituent modalities, is uniquely suited for evaluating skeletal metastases. We reviewed the current evidence of PET/MR in assessing for skeletal metastases and provided recommendations for its use. We searched for the peer reviewed literature related to the usage of PET/MR in the settings of osseous metastases. In addition, expert opinions, practices, and protocols of major research institutions performing research on PET/MR of skeletal metastases were considered. Peer-reviewed published literature was included. Nuclear medicine and radiology experts, including those from 13 major PET/MR centers, shared the gained expertise on PET/MR use for evaluating skeletal metastases and contributed to a consensus expert opinion statement. [18F]-FDG and non [18F]-FDG PET/MR may provide key advantages over PET/CT in the evaluation for osseous metastases in several primary malignancies. PET/MR should be considered for staging of malignancies where there is a high likelihood of osseous metastatic disease based on the characteristics of the primary malignancy, hight clinical suspicious and in case, where the presence of osseous metastases will have an impact on patient management. Appropriate choice of tumor-specific radiopharmaceuticals, as well as stringent adherence to PET and MR protocols, should be employed.

Unchecked vs. Uncheckable: How Opinion-Based Claims Can Impede Corrections of Misinformation

ABSTRACT Although the prominence of fact-checking in political journalism has grown dramatically in recent years, empirical investigations regarding the effectiveness of fact-checking in correcting misperceptions have yielded mixed results. One understudied factor that likely influences the success of fact-checking initiatives is the presence of opinion statements in fact-checked messages. Recent work suggests that people may have difficulty differentiating opinion- from fact-based claims, especially when they are congruent with preexisting beliefs. In three experiments, we investigated the consequences of opinion-based claims to the efficacy of fact-checking in correcting misinformation regarding gun policy. Study 1 (N = 152) demonstrated that fact-checking is less effective when it attempts to correct statements that include both fact- and opinion-based claims. Study 2 (N = 561) replicated and expanded these findings showing that correction is contingent on people’s ability to accurately distinguish facts from opinions. Study 3 (N = 389) illustrated that the observed effects are governed by motivated reasoning rather than actual inability to ascertain fact-based claims. Together these results suggest that distinguishing facts from opinions is a major hurdle to effective fact-checking.

Analyzing ELearning platform reviews using Sentimental Evaluation with SVM Classifier

In today’s scenario, the participation of eLearning courses is rapidly increasing among users, especially during post-pandemic situation. Due to a hike in the need of eLearning, there is a sharp increase in emerging of online courses. Not only the academic people (students and teachers), but others also interested in the online courses, irrespective of their ages. Since numerous eLearning platforms are mushrooming, it is mandatory to follow various standard techniques to evaluate the quality of these courses. It would be more adaptable, if the evaluation techniques are made based on the Course users feedback. These feedback of the users contain more valuable information which helps in constructive decision making. The satisfactions and criticisms of the courses are shared through opinion of the registered user. Due to enormous amount of web reviews available for a course, it is extremely time-consuming and difficult to manually analyze the review and come to a conclusive decision. Reviews contain course feature specific factual information along with the opinion statements which may be positive or negative. The text reviews obtained from most of the webpages of the online courses feedback or comments section, are found to be unstructured and inconclusive. Analyzing and extracting the actual opinion throughout the reviews manually is very difficult. So, an automated technique is needed to evaluate the course based on the features of the courses, which results in attaining a decision. The Aspect based opinion mining is such a methodology which describes the important aspects of each opinion and classify them on their polarity.

Management Guidelines for Infection After ACL Reconstruction: Expert Opinion Statement Based on the Modified Delphi Survey of Indian Arthroscopy Surgeons.

Infection after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, though rare, is a potentially devastating complication and the evidence-based recommendation on the various topics in its management is limited. The purpose of this study was to develop recommendations for the prevention and management of infections in ACL reconstruction surgery by performing a structured expert consensus survey using Delphi methodology. 22 topics of relevance in the prevention and management of infection following ACL reconstruction were chosen from an extensive literature review. 30 panelists were requested to respond to a three-round survey, with feedback, to develop a consensus statement on the topics. Consensus statements could be prepared in eleven out of twenty-two topics including: the graft is retained at the first arthroscopic debridement, the graft is removed when repeated debridement are needed, and revision ACL reconstruction is needed only if the patient develops instability. Concurrence could be obtained in the topics including: longer duration of antibiotics is needed in immunocompromised patients, soaking graft in antibiotic solution reduces infection risk, and knee swelling without warmth does not suggest infection. A proper skin preparation, a longer course of antibiotics in immunocompromised patients, and soaking the graft in antibiotics reduces the risk of infection. In case of infection, a healthy-looking graft must be retained at the first debridement and if the graft must be removed, revision ACL reconstruction is advised only if the patient develops instability. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43465-021-00363-z.

Viewpoints on Undergraduate Research Among Nursing Students Conducting Q-Methodology Studies.

This article describes using Q-methodology to evaluate changes in attitudes about research among baccalaureate nursing students conducting Q-methodology studies as part of an undergraduate honors research program. Five senior students, who had designed Q-methodology studies, sorted 36 opinion statements about undergraduate research based on two conditions of instruction: (a) according to their current attitudes, and (b) according to their beliefs before they began the honors program. A two-factor final solution explained 70% of the variance. The Getting Ahead section of the study, associated with six sorting grids, also known as sorts, reflected positive beliefs about the professional benefits of engaging in undergraduate research. The Too Much Effort theme reflected beliefs held by three participants prior to engaging in the program. After engaging in an undergraduate research honors program where participants designed a Q-methodology study, this group of students reported gaining intellectual and practical skills and no longer found research to be as intimidating. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(2):96-98.].

Auditors’ Liability for Failure to Detect Fraud: Lessons Learned from Recent American Case Law

Auditors are occasionally sued for their failure to detect fraud in the client firm during an audit. These lawsuits are typically grounded in professional negligence, negligent misrepresentation, fraud, aiding and abetting fraud, or federal securities fraud. The PCAOB recently promulgated AS 2401, “Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit,” which contains fraud-related Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) applicable to audits of publicly-traded entities. An auditor’s failure to comply with GAAS may be evidence of professional negligence. U.S. states are divided as to whether an auditor’s averment of compliance with GAAS in an audit report is a statement of opinion or a statement of fact. An auditor’s failure to investigate evidence indicating potential fraud is one factor used to determine an auditor’s legal liability. An auditor may be able to use the doctrine of in pari delicto as a defense if the plaintiff is also a wrongdoer.

Effects of opinion statements on laypeople's acceptance of a climate engineering technology. Comparing the source credibility of researchers, politicians and a citizens' jury

To examine the influence of different actors' fictitious statements about research and deployment of stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), we conducted an online survey in Germany. Participants assess researchers and a citizens' jury to be more credible than politicians. Credibility has a strong positive effect on SAI acceptance in both pro-SAI and contra-SAI conditions. Reading the statement against SAI-deployment led to significantly lower acceptance scores compared to reading the pro-statement. However, the difference between messages was unexpectedly small, indicating that the message content was not fully adopted while underlying traits and attitudes mainly shaped acceptance even despite, or because of, low levels of knowledge.

Opinion Statement ECJ-TF 3/2020 on the General Court Decisions of 15 July 2020 in Ireland v. Commission and Apple v. Commission (Joined Cases T-778/16 and T-892/16) on State Aid Granted under Tax Rulings Fixing the Attribution of Profits to Permanent Establishments in Ireland

This CFE Opinion Statement, submitted to the EU Institutions on 2 December 2020, addresses the General Court decisions in Ireland v. Commission and Apple v. Commission (Joined Cases T-778/16 and T-892/16) on 15 July 2020.

Radiofrequency Ablation of Benign Thyroid Nodules: Recommendations from the Asian Conference on Tumor Ablation Task Force - Secondary Publication.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a thermal ablation technique widely used for the management of benign thyroid nodules. To date, five academic societies in various countries have reported clinical practice guidelines, opinion statements, or recommendations regarding the use of thyroid RFA. However, despite some similarities, there are also differences among the guidelines, and a consensus is required regarding safe and effective treatment in Asian countries. Therefore, a task force was organized by the guideline committee of the Asian Conference on Tumor Ablation with the goal of devising recommendations for the clinical use of thyroid RFA. The recommendations in this article are based on a comprehensive analysis of the current literature and the consensus opinion of the task force members.

Speech Acts Analysis of the Utterances in the Game of Thrones

Understanding how speech acts works in conversation is significant. A positiveexpression may be deemed an insult depending on the shared background knowledgeof the interlocutors. Thus, this study aimed to identify the speech acts embedded in theutterances of the characters of the Game of Thrones. A descriptive qualitative research wasused employing speech acts theory as a guide for analysis. The locutionary acts found in theutterances dominantly indicated a fall intonation contour despite the change of intentionof the speaker which indicates that the characters are conscious of the utterance, arearistocrats and are educated who know how to hold their temper in worst circumstances.The illocutionary acts in the utterances are dominantly assertive, followed by commissive,directive, expressive, and declarative. This implies that the characters of the Game of Thronesoften express a statement of either fact or opinion and less of a declaration. The actualperceived perlocutionary acts are dependent on the interpretation of the interlocutors inthe utterances of the characters. These findings revealed that the discourse elements of theGame of Thrones resemble daily communicative acts of actual interactions.

End of Life Care in End-Stage Kidney Disease.

There is a rise in burden of end-stage renal disease globally and in India. The symptom burden, prognosis, and mortality in chronic kidney disease closely mimics that of cancer. However, the palliative and end of life care needs of these patients are seldom addressed. A consensus opinion statement was developed outlining the provision of end of life care in end-stage kidney disease. Recognition of medical futility, consensus on medical futility, and cessation of potentially inappropriate therapies and medications are the initial steps in providing end of life care. Conducting a family meeting, communicating prognosis, discussing various treatment modalities, negotiating goals of care, shared decision-making, and discussion and documentation of life sustaining treatment are essential aspects of end of life care provision. The provision of end of life care entails assessment and the management of end-stage kidney disease symptoms and the care extends beyond the death of the patient to their families in the bereavement period.

Opinion Statement ECJ-TF 3/2021 on the CJEU Decision of 18 March 2021 in Case C-388/19, MK v Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira, on the Taxpayers’ Option to Avoid Discriminatory Taxation of Capital Gains

Opinion Statement ECJ-TF 3/2021 on the CJEU Decision of 18 March 2021 in Case C-388/19, MK v Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira, on the Taxpayers’ Option to Avoid Discriminatory Taxation of Capital Gains

Immunization training for pharmacy students: a student-centered evaluation.

Background:Persistent and emerging public health challenges mean Pharmacy students require training in immunization services. Curtin University, Australia, integrated blended-delivery immunization training into the final-year Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) and graduate-entry Master of Pharmacy curricula in 2019 and 2020, utilizing materials licenced from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.Objective:This study evaluated changes in students’ attitude, confidence, self-perceived knowledge and self-perceived skills pre- and post-training delivered in 2020.Methods:Pre- and post-training questionnaires featured 42 opinion statements grouped under headings ‘Attitudes’, ‘Confidence’, ‘Self-Perceived Knowledge’ and ‘Self-Perceived Skills’, and answered using five-point Likert scales (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Completed pre- and post-training questionnaires were matched using respondent-generated codes. Data were subjected to descriptive and multivariate regression analysis to test pre-post changes and associations and changes in mean scores.Results:128 (95.5%) and 132 (98.5%) students completed the pre- and post-training questionnaires, respectively. Immunization training resulted in significant (p<0.05) improvement in students’ mean Confidence score (3.33 vs 3.96), Self-Perceived Knowledge score (3.08 vs 4.47) and Self-Perceived Skills score (2.81 vs 4.55). Improvement in students’ mean Attitude score was also statistically significant (4.45 vs 4.61), yet more positively skewed pre-training. No significant pre-post differences were found between the Bachelor and Master students. Post-training, all respondents agreed that the training program increased their attitude, confidence, perceived knowledge and perceived skills, rating the training experience as either Excellent (91.6%) or Good (8.4%).Conclusions:Immunization training integrated into final-year BPharm (Hons) and MPharm curricula improved Attitudes, Confidence, Self-Perceived Knowledge and Self-Perceived Skills, all key to further role development in public health. This method is recommended to other Pharmacy schools to determine the impact and acceptability of immunization training programs amongst students.

A Variationist Study of Subject Pronoun Expression in Medellín, Colombia

This variationist study of subject pronoun expression (SPE) in Medellín, Colombia uses multivariate regressions to probe the effects of ten predictors on 4623 tokens from the Proyecto para el Estudio Sociolingüístico del Español de España y de América (PRESEEA) corpus. We implement analytical innovations by exploring transitivity and the lexical effect of the verb, which we analyze by testing infinitives and subject pronoun + verb collocations, respectively, as standalone, random-effect factors. Our results reveal the highest pronominal rate (28%) found in a mainland Spanish-speaking community. Additionally, we uncover that pronominal rates increase with age, a finding which appears to have cognitive implications. The internal conditioning contributes to pronombrista studies by showing the effects of discourse type and transitivity. Narratives and opinion statements favor overt subjects, but statements indicating routine activities favor null subjects. Whereas unergative verbs promote overt subjects, reflexive verbs favor null subjects. The lexical effect of the verb reveals opposing tendencies between verbs in the same category as well as within different collocations of the same verb, providing more definitive answers than the semantically guided approaches used for the last four decades and showing that verb groupings do not constitute functional categories with regard to SPE. Overall, this study contributes to expand our baseline knowledge of SPE in mainland Latin American communities and opens interesting research avenues.

Letters of reference for PGY1 pharmacy residency candidates: A survey of residency program directors and opinion statement

AbstractIntroductionAlthough letters of reference (LORs) are required for postgraduate year one (PGY1) residency applications and used to distinguish between candidates, an evaluation of residency program director (RPD) perceptions and values surrounding LORs has not been described.ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to describe PGY1 RPDs' processes, values, and perceptions surrounding LORs.MethodsThis was a cross‐sectional descriptive survey. After assessing content validity, the Education and Training Practice and Research Network (PRN) taskforce sent a 25‐item electronic survey to 1266 PGY1 RPDs. Survey questions captured program demographics, LOR requirements, processes for LOR review, and perceptions about the value of LORs. Two open‐ended questions solicited suggestions for LORs and the existing standardized form; responses were evaluated via thematic analysis.ResultsA total of 291 (24%) programs completed the survey. LORs were rated as extremely or quite valuable by 82% of respondents and moderately valuable by 16% of respondents. Scoring rubrics for LOR evaluation were used by 79% of programs, and performance ratings were reported to impact interview consideration by a majority of programs. Accuracy, detailed comments, and inclusion of specific candidate strengths and areas for improvement were rated as extremely or quite important characteristics by 90% or more of respondents. Specific strengths were reported to be present in LORs more than half of the time by 81% of programs; however, accuracy, detailed comments, and inclusion of specific areas for improvement were only reported to be present about half the time or less by 41%, 63%, and 63% of respondents. Among 207 suggestions submitted to improve LOR utility, common themes included a desire for LOR authors to have candid discussions with candidates prior to letter writing, to contextualize their relationship with the candidate, and provide honest and specific assessments.ConclusionLORs remain highly valued by PGY1 RPDs during application review. Several notable findings were observed, resulting in recommendations for LOR authors, residency applicants, and the standardized LOR form.

Front Matter

Statements of fact and opinion in the articles in the Journal of Applied Materials and Technology are those of the respective authors and contributors and not of Journal of Applied Materials and Technology or the institution of Applied Materials and Technology Society and Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Riau. Neither Applied Materials and Technology Society and Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Riau nor Journal of Applied Materials and Technology make any representation, express or implied, in respect of the accuracy of the material in this journal and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made by the reader should make her or his own evaluation as to the appropriateness or otherwise of any experimental technique described.

Initial Assessment and Monitoring of Patients with Chronic Hypoparathyroidism: A Systematic Current Practice Survey.

Chronic hypoparathyroidism (HypoPT) is associated with significant morbidity and impaired quality of life (QoL). The goals of management for chronic HypoPT include improvement in QoL and the prevention of both hypo- and hypercalcemia symptoms and long-term complications. Several groups have provided consensus statements and guidelines on the management of HypoPT; however, due to limited evidence, these recommendations have largely been based on literature reviews, expert opinion, and consensus statements. The objective of this study was to use a systematic approach to describe current practice for the initial assessment and follow-up of patients with chronic HypoPT. We developed a survey asking experts in the field to select the responses that best reflect their current practice. The survey found no differences in responses between nonsurgical and postsurgical patient assessment. For new patients, respondents usually performed an assessment of serum lab profile (calcium [either albumin-adjusted or ionized], magnesium, creatinine, phosphate, 25-hydroxyvitamin D), 24-hour urine (creatinine,calcium), and a renal ultrasound to evaluate for the presence of nephrocalcinosis or nephrolithiasis. For follow-up patients, most respondents perform blood tests and urine tests every 6 months or less frequently. The reported clinical practice patterns for monitoring for complications of chronic HypoPT vary considerably among respondents. Based on the responses in this systematic expert practice survey, we provide practice suggestions for initial assessment and follow-up of patients with chronic HypoPT. In addition, we highlight areas with significant variation in practice and identify important areas for future research. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

Opinion Statement ECJ-TF 2/2020 on the ECJ Decision of 3 March 2020 in Vodafone Magyarország Mobil Távközlési Zrt. (Case C-75/18) on Progressive Turnover Taxes

This CFE Opinion Statement discusses the decision of the Grand Chamber of the ECJ in Vodafone. The Court held that the imposition of the Hungarian progressive turnover-based tax on the telecommunications sector did not infringe the EU fundamental freedoms or article 401 of the VAT Directive (2006/112), and that the question regarding the prohibition of State aid was inadmissible. Vodafone is especially important in respect of the current debate regarding turnover-based digital services taxes.

Pretransplant solid organ malignancy and organ transplant candidacy: A consensus expert opinion statement.

Patients undergoing evaluation for solid organ transplantation (SOT) often have a history of malignancy. Although the cancer has been treated in these patients, the benefits of transplantation need to be balanced against the risk of tumor recurrence, especially in the setting of immunosuppression. Prior guidelines of when to transplant patients with a prior treated malignancy do not take in to account current staging, disease biology, or advances in cancer treatments. To develop contemporary recommendations, the American Society of Transplantation held a consensus workshop to perform a comprehensive review of current literature regarding cancer therapies, cancer stage-specific prognosis, the kinetics of cancer recurrence, and the limited data on the effects of immunosuppression on cancer-specific outcomes. This document contains prognosis based on contemporary treatment and transplant recommendations for breast, colorectal, anal, urological, gynecological, and nonsmall cell lung cancers. This conference and consensus documents aim to provide recommendations to assist in the evaluation of patients for SOT given a history of a pretransplant malignancy.

Opinion Statement FC 1/2020 on the Harmonization of VAT Penalties in the European Union

This Opinion Statement, submitted on 6 March 2020, discusses issues surrounding the justification for harmonization of VAT penalties in the European Union.