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Tfos Lifestyle - Evidence Quality Report: Advancing The Evaluation And Synthesis Of Research Evidence, Laura E. Downie, Alexis Ceecee Britten-Jones, Ruth E. Hogg, Isabelle Jalbert, Tianjing Li, Gareth Lingham, Su-Hsun Liu, Riaz Quereshi, Ian J. Saldanha, Sumeer Singh, Jennifer P. Craig

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Evidence-based practice is a dominant paradigm in healthcare that emphasizes the importance of ensuring the translation of the best available, relevant research evidence into practice. An Evidence Quality Subcommittee was established to provide specialized methodological support and expertise to promote rigorous and evidence-based approaches for the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) Lifestyle Epidemic reports. The present report describes the purpose, scope, and activity of the Evidence Quality Subcommittee in the undertaking of high-quality narrative-style literature reviews, and leading prospectively registered, reliable systematic reviews of high priority research questions, using standardized methods for each topic area report. Identification of …

Tfos Lifestyle: Impact Of The Digital Environment On The Ocular Surface, James S. Wolffsohn, Gareth Lingham, Laura E. Downie, Bykie Huntjens, Takenori Inomata, Saleel Jivraj, Emmanuel Kobia-Acquah, Alex Muntz, Karim Mohamed-Noriega, Sotiris Plainis, Michael Read, Rony R. Sayegh, Sumeer Singh, Tor P. Utheim, Jennifer P. Craig

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Eye strain when performing tasks reliant on a digital environment can cause discomfort, affecting productivity and quality of life. Digital eye strain (the preferred terminology) was defined as “the development or exacerbation of recurrent ocular symptoms and/or signs related specifically to digital device screen viewing”. Digital eye strain prevalence of up to 97% has been reported, due to no previously agreed definition/diagnostic criteria and limitations of current questionnaires which fail to differentiate such symptoms from those arising from nondigital tasks. Objective signs such as blink rate or critical flicker frequency changes are not ‘diagnostic’ of digital eye strain nor validated …

Subfoveal Choroidal Imaging In High Myopic Nepalese Cohort, Parash Gyawali, Ashutosh Jnawali, Anish Kharal, Manish Subedi, Sandeep Kandel, Prajjol Raj Puri, Nabin Paudel

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Current image captioning models produce fluent captions, but they rely on a one-size-fits-all approach that does not take into account the preferences of individual end-users. We present a method to generate descriptions with an adjustable amount of content that can be set at inference-time, thus providing a step toward a more user centered approach to image captioning.

Systematic Review Of Clinical Practice Guidelines For Uveitis, Nima Ghadiri, Ian R. Reekie, Iris Gordon, Sare Safi, Gareth Lingham, Jennifer R. Evans, Stuart Keel

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To facilitate the integration of eye care into universal health coverage, the WHO is developing a Package of Eye Care Interventions (PECI). Development of the PECI involves the identification of evidence-based interventions from relevant clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for uveitis.

A systematic review of CPGs published on uveitis between 2010 and March 2020 was conducted. CPGs passing title and abstract and full-text screening were evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) tool and data on recommended interventions extracted using a standard data extraction sheet.

Effect Of Pre-Analytical Variables On Raman And Ftir Spectral Content Of Lymphocytes, Jade F. Monaghan, Daniel Cullen, Claire Wynne, Fiona Lyng, Aidan Meade

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The use of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy (RS) for the analysis of lymphocytes in clinical applications is increasing in the field of biomedicine. The pre-analytical phase, which is the most vulnerable stage of the testing process, is where most errors and sample variance occur; however, it is unclear how pre-analytical variables affect the FTIR and Raman spectra of lymphocytes. In this study, we evaluated how pre-analytical procedures undertaken before spectroscopic analysis influence the spectral integrity of lymphocytes purified from the peripheral blood of male volunteers (n = 3). Pre-analytical variables investigated were associated with (i) sample preparation, …

Review Of Recent Advances In Photosensitive Polymer Materials And Requirements For Transmission Diffractive Optical Elements For Led Light Sources, Michael Murray, Izabela Naydenova, Suzanne Martin

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Scattered light from outdoor LED sources is a major contributor to blue-spectrum light pollution which negatively impacts ecology and public health. Volume holographic diffractive optical elements (DOEs), made with low-cost photosensitive polymers, are proposed as a technological solution that can minimise this scattering. This review examines requirements needed for efficient operation of transmission-format DOEs with LEDs and implications for material choices. For such DOEs to have a single diffraction order and high efficiency there is a corresponding range of acceptable Δn. A survey of materials also found that many current materials satisfy the Δn requirements for single-element DOEs. It is …

The Association Of Adolescents' Smoking With The Physical Activity Levels Of Their Friends, R.A. Smit, M.A.G. Kuipers, B. Federico, Luke Clancy, J. Perlman, A.D. Rozema, A.E. Kunst

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Background: Smoking is inversely related to people's Physical Activity Level (PAL). As the behavior of friends may affect the choices and behavior of adolescents, having friends with a high PAL may potentially protect against adolescent smoking. This study aims to assess whether adolescents' smoking is associated with the PAL of their friends. Methods: SILNE-R survey data of 11.918 adolescents from 55 different schools in 7 European cities was used to determine weekly smoking, individual PAL, PAL of friends, school PAL, and smoking of friends. Multilevel, multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to assess the association between the PAL of friends …

The Effectiveness Of Allen Carr's Method For Smoking Cessation: A Systematic Review, Irene Possenti, Marco Scala, Alessandra Lugo, Luke Clancy, Sheila Keogan, Silvano Gallus

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Introduction: Allen Carr's (AC) method is a pharmacotherapy-free approach to quit smoking that is delivered through seminars, online courses, or in the form of a book. It has gained popularity, but its effectiveness remains controversial due to a lack of scientific evidence. This systematic review aims to provide an updated overview of the current evidence on the effectiveness of the AC method.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review of all epidemiological studies evaluating the effectiveness of the AC method for smoking cessation, published in PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase up to March 2023.

Results: Among 34 original studies identified through the …

Global Short-Term Mortality Risk And Burden Associated With Tropical Cyclones From 1980 To 2019: A Multi-Country Time-Series Study, Wenzhong Huang, Shansan Li, Thomas Vogt, Rongbin Xu, Shilu Tong, Tomas Molina, Pierre Masselot, Antonio Gasparrini, Ben Armstrong, Mathilde Pascal, Dominic Roye, Chris Fook Sheng Ng, Ana Maria Vicedo-Cabrera, Joel Schwartz, Eric Lavigne, Haidong Kan, Patrick J. Goodman, Ariana Zeka, Masahiro Hashizume, Magali Hurtado Dias, Cesar De La Cruz Valencia, Xerxes Seposo, Baltazar Nunes, Joana Madureira, Ho Kim, Whanhee Lee, Aurelio Tobias, Carmen Iniguez, Yue Leon Guo, Shih-Chun Pan, Antonella Zanobetti, Tran Ngoc Dang, Do Van Dung, Tobias Geiger, Christian Otto, Amanda Johnson, Simon Hales, Pei Yu, Zhengyu Yang, Elizabeth A. Ritchie, Yuming Guo

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The global spatiotemporal pattern of mortality risk and burden attributable to tropical cyclones is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the global short-term mortality risk and burden associated with tropical cyclones from 1980 to 2019.

Remote Justice & Domestic Violence: Process Pluralism Lessons From The Pandemic, Andrea K. Schneider, Heather Hlavka, Sameena Mulla, Erin Schubert, Aleksandra J. Snowden, Jennica Webster

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Domestic violence procedures, like so many court processes around the world, were forced to go online and remote during the pandemic. The impact was dramatic-there were fewer restraining order petitions filed in the first place and an even lower amount granted. In short, domestic violence survivors, among the most vulnerable in our court system, were even more challenged in the last two years. Like many court systems, Milwaukee will never go back to being fully in-person for all procedures in conjunction with domestic violence. The evolving hybrid choices could provide additional access to justice, or these processes could create additional …

Polyphenol Characterization And Antioxidant Capacity Of Multi-Species Swards Grown In Ireland—Environmental Sustainability And Nutraceutical Potential, Samuel Rapisarda, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

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Ruminant production systems are major contributors to greenhouse gases emissions, with animal feeding practices being the main cause for methane and nitrous oxide’s release. Although feeding animals forages has been proven to be more sustainable, traditional ryegrass monocultures still require a lot of input (e.g., fertilisers and pesticides). Multi-species swards, consisting of different swards, such as grasses, forage legumes and herbs, need less management and fertiliser, produce more dry matter, and also add a variety of phytochemicals into the animal diet. In particular, polyphenols have been associated with a positive impact on animal health and productivity. However, data on the …

Do The Culturable Microbial Groups Present In Cutaway Bogs Change According To Temporal Variation? Pilot Study Based On The Midlands In The Republic Of Ireland, Gouri Atapattu, Tara Battersby, Michelle Giltrap, Furong Tian Nanolab Research Centre, Focas Research Institute, Technological University Dublin

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Cutaway peatlands in the midlands of the Republic of Ireland are rarely the focus of scientific studies. The soil quality and related microenvironment have been severely impacted by peat extraction. Returning them to a ‘near-natural state’ would require greater insights into this ecological niche. The current research took the initiative to study the microbiology of vast cutaway sites in the midlands of Ireland. Peat was collected over two seasons in January, February and April. Homogenised peat was aseptically cultured on a range of specific and non-specific culture media. Microbial enumeration, Gram staining and other microscopic observations of morphologically distinct microorganisms …

A Review On Nanomaterials And Nanohybrids Based Bio-Nanocomposites For Food Packaging, Kalpani Y. Perera, Amit K. Jaiswal, Swarna Jaiswal

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With an increasing demand for a novel, eco-friendly, high-performance packaging material “bio-nanocomposites” has attracted great attention in recent years. The review article aims at to evaluating recent innovation in bio-nanocomposites for food packaging applications. The current trends and research over the last three years of the various bio-nanocomposites including inorganic, organic nanomaterials, and nanohybrids, which are suitable as food packaging materials due to their advanced properties such as high mechanical, thermal, barrier, antimicrobial, and antioxidant are described in detail. In addition, the legislation, migration studies, and SWOT analysis on bio-nanocomposite film have been discussed. It has been observed that the …

The Quest For Influence: Examining Russia's Public Diplomacy Mechanisms In Africa, Isaac Antwiboasiako

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This article examines Russian public diplomacy mechanisms in Africa. These include the intentional use of historical ties, various aid programmes in education and health, the targeted use of international broadcasting and digital media, and the exploitation of anti-Western sentiments on the continent. Russia employs these to win the hearts and minds of African publics for its national interest. The article first explores Moscow’s public diplomacy in general and analyses the challenges Russia faces in Africa, which has become a ‘dumping ground’ for public diplomacy campaigns by the US, the EU and its members, the UK, and China. The article argues …

Nanoclays And Curcumin Based Food Packaging Material For Intelligent Food Packaging Applications, Kalpani Y. Perera, Swarna Jaiswal, Amit K. Jaiswal, Shubham Sharma

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Bionanocomposite packaging eco-friendly alternatives with enhanced characteristics. This study aimed to develop a bionanocomposite intelligent packaging. Sodium alginate, gelatin, Curcumin (Cur), glycerol, and Nanoclay (NC) films were prepared. The influences of nanoclay and curcumin on the surface, optical, mechanical, chemical, barrier, and pH-indicating properties were studied. The results showed that the lightness of films was reduced by 1.28 folds compared to NC (control) film, while the yellowness of films increased by 5.82 folds. Film transparency was reduced by 9.3 folds and a 3.46 folds increase in UV barrier properties was observed compared to NC (control) film. The highest tensile strength …

Clove Essential Oil And Nanoclays-Based Active Food Packaging, Kalpani Y. Perera, Shubham Sharma, Amit K. Jaiswal, Swarna Jaiswal

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Active food packaging materials enhance the shelf-life of food products while reducing food waste. The current study aims to develop a biodegradable active food packaging material. The food packaging material was developed with the incorporation of clove essential oil, sodium alginate, gelatin, and nanoclay films were prepared. The influences of nanoclay and clove on the surface, optical, mechanical, chemical, barrier, and pH-indicating properties were studied. The lightness and yellowness increased by 1.06 folds and 3.34 folds when compared to clove (control), respectively. The UV barrier property 0.08±0.01nm in all films, while 8.37 folds reduction in transparency has been observed as …

Cold Plasma Technology In Food Packaging, Kalpani Y. Perera, Jack Prendeville, Amit K. Jaiswal, Swarna Jaiswal

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Cold plasma (CP) is an effective strategy to alter the limitations of biopolymer materials for food packaging applications. Biopolymers such as polysaccharides and proteins are known to be sustainable materials with excellent film-forming properties. Bio-based films can be used as an alternative to traditional plastic packaging. There are limitations to biopolymer packaging materials such as hydrophobicity, poor barrier, and thermos-mechanical properties. For this reason, biopolymers must be modified to create a packaging material with the desired applicability. CP is an effective method to enhance the functionality and interfacial features of biopolymers. It etches the film surface allowing for better adhesion …

Bidirectional Recanalization Of A Complete Postradiation Stricture Of The Hypopharynx And Esophagus, Fateh Bazerbachi Md, Georgios Mavrogenis Md, Konstantinos Markoglou, Sandro Porceddu

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A 65-year-old patient was referred for endoscopic management of a complete radiation-induced stricture, 5 cm in length, of the hypopharynx and esophagus (Fig. 1, Video 1). He had a history of curative chemoradiation therapy for T2N1 squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. His nutrition was exclusively maintained through a percutaneous gastrostomy. Recanalization of the esophagus was considered after a multidisciplinary discussion.

Strategies For Reducing Vascular And Bleeding Risk For Percutaneous Left Ventricular Assist Device-Supported High-Risk Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, George W. Vetrovec, Amir Kaki, Jason Wollmuth, Thom G. Dahle Md

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In patients at high risk for haemodynamic instability during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), practitioners are increasingly opting for prophylactic mechanical circulatory support, such as the Impella® heart pump (Abiomed, Danvers, MA, USA). Though Impella-supported high-risk PCI (HRPCI) ensures haemodynamic stability during the PCI procedure, access-related complication rates have varied significantly in published studies. Reported variability in complication rates relates to many factors, including anticoagulation practices, access and closure strategy, post-procedure care and variations in event definitions. This article aims to outline optimal strategies to minimize vascular and bleeding complications during Impella-supported HRPCI based on previously identified clinical, procedural and postprocedural …

The Eudemonic And Hedonic Impacts Of Attending Live And Virtual Music And Art Events, Philippa Kirwan, Samantha Morris

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This paper examines the under-investigated well-being impacts of arts and music events attendance, in both a live and virtual capacity. Using eudaimonia and hedonia as a measure for well-being, three objectives were investigated; 1) Do live arts and music events meet attendees eudemonic and hedonic needs? 2) Do virtual arts and music events meet attendees eudemonic and hedonic needs? 3) How do live and virtual music and art events compare in meeting attendees eudemonic and hedonic needs? The study focused on attendee’s experiences having attended both live and virtual events. Using nine semi-structured interviews this research found that live music …

Changes In Depressive Symptoms, Perceived Stres, And Food Security Among Study Participants With Metabolic Syndrome During A Covid-19-Mandated Research Pause, Barbara A. Lohse, Anahi Ramirez, Jenna Hickey, Lisa Bailey-Davis, Betty Drees, Kevin S. Masters, Elizabeth H. Ruder, Nicole Trabold

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Introduction: This study explored how food security, perceived stress and mental health of persons with metabolic syndrome (MetS) changed in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: An online survey was administered to persons enrolled in a 2-year lifestyle intervention trial to reverse metabolic syndrome at baseline; the survey was repeated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcomes were a change in depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and food security as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-8, Cohen Stress Scale, and USDA 10-item Food Security Screener. Changes in outcomes were analyzed with measures of association, paired t-test, repeated measures and independent t-test.

Results: Participants (n = …

Analytics Monthly, Lehigh Valley Health Network

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No abstract provided.

Employer Collaboration In Developing Graduate Employability: A Pilot Study In Ireland, Miriam O'Regan, Aiden Carthy, Colm Mcguiness, Philip Owende

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact on student work readiness outcomes of collaboration with employers in developing and delivering tailored graduate employability workshops in socioemotional skills for work (SES4Work).

Design/methodology/approach – Framed by the CareerEDGE model of graduate employability, the authors piloted a five-session module for near graduates in five disciplines. The research included an online employer survey (n 5 128), employer interviews (n 5 21) and tailored workshops for near graduates, culminating in a mock competency-based interview. Using a pre/post-test design, participants (n 5 24) also completed the CareerEDGE Employability Development Profile (EDP) …

Determinants Of Innovation Outcomes: The Role Of Institutional Quality, Abhijit Sharma, Cristina Sousa, Richard Woodward

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This paper uses unconditional quantile regression analysis to interrogate the effects of institutional quality on innovation outcomes. We assess important determinants of innovation such as property rights (including enforcement of intellectual property rights), human resources within R&D and high-technology exports. Regarding intellectual property rights, while most previous research focuses on patent strength (de jure or book law), we focus on de facto patent enforcement. Using data from the World Bank, the Heritage Foundation and a new patent enforcement index, we construct a panel of fifty countries covering 1998–2017. Our analysis reveals important new insights including the strongly negative impact …

The Unfulfilled Promise Of Environmental Constitutionalism, Amber Polk

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The political push for the adoption of state-level "green amendments" in the United States has gained significant traction in just the last couple of years. Green amendments add an environmental right to a state's constitution. Five such amendments were made in the 1970s in Pennsylvania, Montana, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Illinois. This Article looks in depth at the case law that has developed the contours of these constitutional environmental rights in the wake of the political revival of environmental constitutionalism in the United States. I distill two lessons from this jurisprudence. First, constitutional environmental rights are interpreted by the courts as …

Correction Of Velopharyngeal Insufficiency Secondary To Palatal Gunshot Wound: Case Presentation And Review Of The Literature, Rogelio Martinez-Wagner, Cristopher Cardenas-Cruz, Ivan Ortiz-Monasterio, Edgar Vargas, Maria M. Cabrera, Pablo A. Ysunza, M. Del Carmen Pamplona, Diane E. Campos-Lopez

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Reconstruction of midfacial traumatic defects secondary to a gunshot wound (GSW) is one of the most challenging head surgeries. The high impact on the functional and aesthetic quality of life, and the small margin of error to achieve a successful outcome are significant hurdles in the surgical treatment of these cases. Here we report a 33-years old patient who suffered a GSW with an entrance wound penetrating between the soft and hard palate and an exit wound on the right malar region. A description of the case and a systematic review of the literature were conducted. The treatment depends on …

Delegation At The Founding: A Response To Critics, Julian Davis Mortenson, Nicholas Bagley

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This essay responds to the wide range of commentary on Delegation at the Founding, published previously in the Columbia Law Review. The critics’ arguments deserve thoughtful consideration and a careful response. We’re happy to supply both. As a matter of eighteenth-century legal and political theory, “rulemaking” could not be neatly described as either legislative or executive based on analysis of its scope, subject, or substantive effect. To the contrary: Depending on the relationships you chose to emphasize, a given act could properly be classified as both legislative (from the perspective of the immediate actor) and also executive (from the perspective …

Using Electronic Medical Record Data To Establish And Monitor The Distribution Of Refractive Errors, Sean Longwill, Michael Moore, Daniel Ian Flitcroft, James Loughman

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Objective

To establish the baseline distribution of refractive errors and associated factors amongst a population that attended primary care optometry clinics.

Design

Retrospective cross sectional cohort study of electronic medical records (EMR).

Methods

Electronic medical record data was extracted from forty optometry clinics, representing a mix of urban and rural areas in Ireland. The analysis was confined to demographic and clinical data gathered over a sixty-month period between 2015 and 2019. Distribution rates were calculated using the absolute and relative frequencies of refractive error in the dataset, stratified for age and gender using the following definitions: high myopia ≤ -6.00 …

Moving From Access To Inclusion By Making Communication A Priority, Sara Schley, Marchetti E. Carol

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What does it mean to be a full participant in a faculty-student partnership? We tackled this question by considering disability identity and communication access as pivotal mindsets in facilitating not only pedagogical change in the college classroom, but also student transformation into change agents. Via a series of semester-long FLCs, we used a partnership model to develop strategies aimed at increasing interaction and inclusion in postsecondary courses (Schley et al., 2021). The student partners were all deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), with a diverse set of communication preferences. Faculty partners were also diverse: some were DHH though most were …

Wto Security Exceptions: A Sliding Scale Approach To Protect The Rules-Based System For Global Free Trade, Ts Somashekar, Kanchan Yadav

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Since the enforcement of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947 and subsequently with the establishment of the World Trade Organization, the global community has been moving towards a more secure and rule-based international trade law regime. The cornerstones of the system are predictability and transparency, which ensure that a state, no matter how powerful, cannot undertake a discriminatory trade measure against another going above and beyond the rules. However, the recent instances of unilateral invocation of the security exceptions found in the various trade agreements endanger the very basis of the WTO system. The very first …