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Aims: Hospitalized patients with heart failure (HF) are a heterogeneous population, with multiple phenotypes proposed. Prior studies have not examined the biological phenotypes of critically ill patients with HF admitted to the contemporary cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). We aimed to leverage unsupervised machine learning to identify previously unknown HF phenotypes in a large and diverse cohort of patients with HF admitted to the CICU. Methods: We screened 6008 Mayo Clinic CICU patients with an admission diagnosis of HF from 2007 to 2018 and included those without missing values for common laboratory tests. Consensus k‐means clustering was performed based on 10 common admission laboratory values (potassium, chloride, anion gap, blood urea nitrogen, haemoglobin, red blood cell distribution width, mean corpuscular volume, platelet count, white blood cell count and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio). In‐hospital mortality was evaluated using logistic regression, and 1 year mortality was evaluated using Cox proportional hazard models after multivariable adjustment. Results: Among 4877 CICU patients with HF who had complete admission laboratory data (mean age 69.4 years, 38.4% females), we identified five clusters with divergent demographics, comorbidities, laboratory values, admission diagnoses and use of critical care therapies. We labelled these clusters based on the characteristic laboratory profile of each group: uncomplicated (25.7%), iron‐deficient (14.5%), cardiorenal (18.4%), inflamed (22.3%) and hypoperfused (19.2%). In‐hospital mortality occurred in 10.7% and differed between the phenotypes: uncomplicated, 2.7% (reference); iron‐deficient, 8.1% [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.18 (1.38–3.48), P < 0.001]; cardiorenal, 10.3% [adjusted OR 2.11 (1.37–3.32), P < 0.001]; inflamed, 12.5% [adjusted OR 1.79 (1.18–2.76), P = 0.007]; and hypoperfused, 21.9% [adjusted OR 4.32 (2.89–6.62), P < 0.001]. These differences in mortality between phenotypes were consistent when patients were stratified based on demographics, aetiology, admission diagnoses, mortality risk scores, shock severity and systolic function. One‐year mortality occurred in 31.5% and differed between the phenotypes: uncomplicated, 11.9% (reference); inflamed, 26.8% [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.56 (1.27–1.92), P < 0.001]; iron‐deficient, 33.8% [adjusted HR 2.47 (2.00–3.04), P < 0.001]; cardiorenal, 41.2% [adjusted HR 2.41 (1.97–2.95), P < 0.001]; and hypoperfused, 52.3% [adjusted HR 3.43 (2.82–4.18), P < 0.001]. Similar findings were observed for post‐discharge 1 year mortality. Conclusions: Unsupervised machine learning clustering can identify multiple distinct clinical HF phenotypes within the CICU population that display differing mortality profiles both in‐hospital and at 1 year. Mortality was lowest for the uncomplicated HF phenotype and highest for the hypoperfused phenotype. The inflamed phenotype had comparatively higher in‐hospital mortality yet lower post‐discharge mortality, suggesting divergent short‐term and long‐term prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dignitas Infinita highlights "the indispensable nature of the dignity of the human person in Christian anthropology" and warns of "ambivalent ways in which the concept is understood today." Among those "ambivalent ways" are plural definitions of human dignity in official Catholic teaching. There is ambivalence in definitions of Catholic sexual human dignity and Catholic social human dignity, which lead to inconsistencies in the foundation and justification of moral doctrine. In this article, we first present Catholic definitions of social and sexual human dignity. Second, we explain Pope Francis's anthropological nuances that provide an alternative definition of human dignity, which we label holistic human dignity. Third, we evaluate and describe the harm deriving from statements in the document and by Pope Francis, a harm that results from inconsistent definitions of human dignity in doctrinal teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: Obesity contributes to the onset and progression of osteoarthritis. This study assesses the influence of baseline body mass index (BMI) and baseline knee pain on improvements observed in patients undertaking a community-based weight loss program for knee osteoarthritis. Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of data from 9004 patients who took part in the Osteoarthritis Healthy Weight For Life program between January 2014 and July 2022. Results: The greater the weight loss achieved, the greater the improvement in knee pain and function, with baseline weight having no effect on the magnitude of the outcome. All patients with a starting Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score of <75 experienced significant improvement in their symptoms. Patients with more severe starting pain saw greater improvements. Discussion: Baseline BMI has no effect on the amount of weight loss required to produce a meaningful improvement in osteoarthritis symptoms. Patients with more severe baseline knee pain see more improvement than those with milder symptoms for the same weight loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical trials are increasingly using Bayesian methods for their design and analysis. Inference in Bayesian trials typically uses simulation-based approaches such as Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. Markov Chain Monte Carlo has high computational cost and can be complex to implement. The Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations algorithm provides approximate Bayesian inference without the need for computationally complex simulations, making it more efficient than Markov Chain Monte Carlo. The practical properties of Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations compared to Markov Chain Monte Carlo have not been considered for clinical trials. Using data from a published clinical trial, we aim to investigate whether Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations is a feasible and accurate alternative to Markov Chain Monte Carlo and provide practical guidance for trialists interested in Bayesian trial design. Methods: Data from an international Bayesian multi-platform adaptive trial that compared therapeutic-dose anticoagulation with heparin to usual care in non-critically ill patients hospitalized for COVID-19 were used to fit Bayesian hierarchical generalized mixed models. Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations was compared to two Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithms, implemented in the software JAGS and stan, using packages available in the statistical software R. Seven outcomes were analysed: organ-support free days (an ordinal outcome), five binary outcomes related to survival and length of hospital stay, and a time-to-event outcome. The posterior distributions for the treatment and sex effects and the variances for the hierarchical effects of age, site and time period were obtained. We summarized these posteriors by calculating the mean, standard deviations and the 95% equitailed credible intervals and presenting the results graphically. The computation time for each algorithm was recorded. Results: The average overlap of the 95% credible interval for the treatment and sex effects estimated using Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations was 96% and 97.6% compared with stan, respectively. The graphical posterior densities for these effects overlapped for all three algorithms. The posterior mean for the variance of the hierarchical effects of age, site and time estimated using Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations are within the 95% credible interval estimated using Markov Chain Monte Carlo but the average overlap of the credible interval is lower, 77%, 85.6% and 91.3%, respectively, for Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations compared to stan. Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations and stan were easily implemented in clear, well-established packages in R, while JAGS required the direct specification of the model. Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations was between 85 and 269 times faster than stan and 26 and 1852 times faster than JAGS. Conclusion: Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations could reduce the computational complexity of Bayesian analysis in clinical trials as it is easy to implement in R, substantially faster than Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods implemented in JAGS and stan, and provides near identical approximations to the posterior distributions for the treatment effect. Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations was less accurate when estimating the posterior distribution for the variance of hierarchical effects, particularly for the proportional odds model, and future work should determine if the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations algorithm can be adjusted to improve this estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic highlighted the need to conduct efficient randomized clinical trials with interim monitoring guidelines for efficacy and futility. Several randomized coronavirus disease 2019 trials, including the Multiplatform Randomized Clinical Trial (mpRCT), used Bayesian guidelines with the belief that they would lead to quicker efficacy or futility decisions than traditional "frequentist" guidelines, such as spending functions and conditional power. We explore this belief using an intuitive interpretation of Bayesian methods as translating prior opinion about the treatment effect into imaginary prior data. These imaginary observations are then combined with actual observations from the trial to make conclusions. Using this approach, we show that the Bayesian efficacy boundary used in mpRCT is actually quite similar to the frequentist Pocock boundary. Methods: The mpRCT's efficacy monitoring guideline considered stopping if, given the observed data, there was greater than 99% probability that the treatment was effective (odds ratio greater than 1). The mpRCT's futility monitoring guideline considered stopping if, given the observed data, there was greater than 95% probability that the treatment was less than 20% effective (odds ratio less than 1.2). The mpRCT used a normal prior distribution that can be thought of as supplementing the actual patients' data with imaginary patients' data. We explore the effects of varying probability thresholds and the prior-to-actual patient ratio in the mpRCT and compare the resulting Bayesian efficacy monitoring guidelines to the well-known frequentist Pocock and O'Brien–Fleming efficacy guidelines. We also contrast Bayesian futility guidelines with a more traditional 20% conditional power futility guideline. Results: A Bayesian efficacy and futility monitoring boundary using a neutral, weakly informative prior distribution and a fixed probability threshold at all interim analyses is more aggressive than the commonly used O'Brien–Fleming efficacy boundary coupled with a 20% conditional power threshold for futility. The trade-off is that more aggressive boundaries tend to stop trials earlier, but incur a loss of power. Interestingly, the Bayesian efficacy boundary with 99% probability threshold is very similar to the classic Pocock efficacy boundary. Conclusions: In a pandemic where quickly weeding out ineffective treatments and identifying effective treatments is paramount, aggressive monitoring may be preferred to conservative approaches, such as the O'Brien–Fleming boundary. This can be accomplished with either Bayesian or frequentist methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following a traumatic event such as intimate partner violence (IPV), survivors often experience stress related to the violence. These high levels of stress related to IPV can be associated with the daily activities of survivors and their relationships with their children, such as maternal–child bonding. The purpose of the current study is to explore the relationship between daily activities, daily stress levels, parenting self-efficacy and behaviors, and maternal–child bonding among survivors living in an IPV shelter using an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology. Twenty-five mothers living in an IPV shelter in two states in the Southern United States completed a baseline survey and completed electronic daily diaries for 14 days. Higher daily stress was associated with the number of times the mothers met with the case manager. Higher daily stress was also related to lower parenting self-efficacy. The number of case management appointments and legal appointments were positively correlated with a higher bonding score. More social support was associated with more positive parenting. IPV and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms were not significantly associated with maternal–child bonding, parenting behaviors, or parenting self-efficacy. Findings suggest that screening for maternal support may be particularly important for positive bonding and positive parenting. Findings also lend preliminary insight into practical places where service providers could act to protect the bonding process or mitigate risks to impede it. Future research should include objective data about the mother's emotions and her interactive behavior with her child. There is also a need to consider how federal programs fund and incentivize service providers to focus on mother–child dyads and how they can tailor services that promote bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When applied on combustion chamber walls, thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with low thermal effusivity provide a pathway for reducing heat transfer and improving SI engine efficiency. A 3D CFD-1D FEA co-simulation routine was employed to study the effects of a proprietary TBC on SI engine performance under different permutations of coating the piston, exhaust valves, and intake valves. Marginal reductions (<0.1% points) in total heat transfer and improvements to efficiency were observed when all the three components were coated with the proprietary TBC. Two hypothetical TBC materials with ideally low thermal effusivities were formed by modifying the current material properties and their effect on engine performance was similarly studied at three engine loads at the same engine speed. It was found that coating all the three components with the lowest thermal effusivity TBC offers the largest improvements (∼0.5% points) in net fuel conversion efficiency accompanied by largest reduction (∼1.1% points) in total heat transfer, thus establishing expectations from future TBC materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent article in this journal, Thomas Finegan replies to our earlier article in this journal, which proposes a theological and ethical argument for the Catholic church to recognize same-sex civil unions as a lower-case sacrament. His critique focuses on the theological significance of embodiment as a one flesh union taught by Jesus, defended throughout Catholic tradition, and justified philosophically. We respond that Finegan's critique misrepresents our argument and is mistaken biblically, anthropologically, and sacramentally, and suffers from scotosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early dumping syndrome (DS) and postbariatric hypoglycemia (PBH) are challenging conditions with limited treatment options. A 46-year-old woman with prediabetes, obesity, and sleeve gastrectomy presented with digestive symptoms suggestive of DS and postprandial hypoglycemia consistent with PBH. She started tirzepatide 2.5 mg weekly, which decreased postprandial blood glucose peaks, increased postprandial blood glucose nadirs, and improved overall time in range on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Her postprandial bloating and diarrhea resolved. To our knowledge, there have been no reported cases of DS or PBH treated with dual-incretin agonists. While glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists have not been widely attempted in DS and have shown mixed benefit for PBH, combination GLP-1 and gastric inhibitory peptide agonism may represent a novel treatment both for PBH and DS, providing greater improvement in glycemic variation as well as better DS control than GLP-1 agonism alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the relevance of intersubjective recognition and the 'recognition theoretical turn' to our understanding of nonsuicidal self-injury. While previous research has demonstrated that self-injury possesses an important social dimension alongside its intrapsychic characteristics, a major challenge for any social approach to self-injury has been to find a way to describe and analyse this dimension without reductively implying that self-injury is a form of 'attention-seeking', where this describes a pejorative accusation of social manipulation. One possible solution to this challenge lies in the concept of intersubjective recognition and the idea that what some have interpreted as 'attention-seeking' behaviour is perhaps better understood as recognition-seeking. As such, we draw on data from a 2016–2017 English pilot study to examine three basic questions: (1) does self-injury constitute, at least in some cases and amongst its many other observed intrapsychic and social functions, a form of recognition-seeking? (2) if so, how does self-injury work as a claim to recognition? and (3), how do we solve the apparent contradiction of using a stigmatic mark as a means of claiming a normative status? Our study suggests that one of self-injury's intersubjective imperatives is the need to be listened to and taken seriously, to have one's feelings and experiences confirmed by others as being legitimate and valid. As such, intersubjective recognition does appear to form a distinct part of the overdetermined complex of meanings and effects associated with self-injury and may be an important factor in a number of cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this review was to examine the evidence on multidisciplinary inpatient community rehabilitation intervention programmes for frail older people to establish what frailty rehabilitation programmes if any have been described within the literature and to identify gaps in knowledge and outcome measures used. Design: A scoping review was conducted. Methods: Using the Joanna Briggs Institute approach to scoping reviews, a comprehensive literature search was conducted accessing MEDLINE via PubMed, PsychINFO (via Proquest), CINAHL Complete (via EBSCO) and the Cochrane Library and a limited search of the grey literature was undertaken. Results: Four articles met the inclusion criteria. A heterogenous approach to geriatric rehabilitation was evident across the literature. While the reported rehabilitation interventions were aimed at frail older people, the predominant focus of frailty rehabilitation programmes were on the physical functionality of the older person with an absence or limited measurement of any psychosocial, cognitive or spiritual outcomes or aspects of quality of life. Conclusion: This scoping review exposed the paucity of scientific evidence supporting the need for inpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitative programmes for frail older people wishing to remain at home. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Timely access to inpatient integrated frailty rehabilitation programmes can improve the quality of life and reduce the likelihood of hospital admissions for frail older people who wish to remain living in their own homes. With the current dearth of published evidence available, there is a necessity to undertake further research to understand the form, content and best models of delivery for frailty rehabilitative services for clinical, policy and practice purposes. Patient or Public Contribution: There was no patient or public contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Both age‐associated hearing loss (AAHL) and peripheral neuropathy (PN) are common in older patients, and both are associated with impaired balance, falls, and premature mortality. The objectives of this study were to document the prevalence and severity of AAHL in older primary care patients, and to explore associations between AAHL, PN, balance, falls, and mortality. Methods: We analyzed information obtained in 1999 from 793 primary care patients recruited from practices participating in the Oklahoma Longitudinal Assessment of the Health Outcomes of Mature Adults (OKLAHOMA) Studies. Available data included demographic and health information, history of falls and hospitalizations, audiometry, balance testing, examination of the peripheral nerves, 50 foot timed gait, and dates of death up to 22 calendar years and 8106 person‐years of follow‐up. Proportionate hazards (PH) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to examine associations between AAHL, PN, balance, gait time, and mortality. Results: 501 of the 793 participants (63%) had AAHL. Another 156 (20%) had low frequency and 32 (4%) had unilateral deficits. Those with moderate or severe AAHL and the 255 (32%) with PN had impaired balance (p < 0.0001), increased gait time (p = 0.0001), and reduced survival time (p < 0.0001). In the PH model, both AAHL and PN were associated with earlier mortality (H.Rs. [95% C.I.]: 1.36 [1.13–1.64] and 1.32 [1.10–1.59] respectively). The combination of moderate or severe AAHL and PN, present in 24% of participants, predicted earlier mortality than predicted by either deficit alone (O.R. [95% C.I.I] 1.55 [1.25–1.92]). In the SEM models, the impacts of both moderate or severe AAHL and PN on survival were mediated, in part, through loss of balance. Conclusions: Hearing loss and PN, both common in older patients, appear to be independently and additively associated with premature mortality. Those associations may be mediated in part by impaired balance. The Mechanisms are likely multiple and complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opportunities to enhance ecosystem functions exist in human‐dominated working landscapes, but understanding of key drivers is often lacking in these novel environments. In Suisun Marsh, California, USA, impounded managed wetlands designed to promote waterfowl incidentally support higher plankton densities—a key resource for imperilled pelagic fishes—than adjacent tidal habitats. Managed wetland operations could produce plankton at critical periods for fish and the aquatic food‐web more broadly, but drivers of plankton production in managed wetlands are poorly understood.We proposed that decaying vegetation resulting from controlled flooding in managed wetlands is important for stimulating plankton blooms, but that the effect varies by plant species and functional type. We conducted a mesocosm experiment to test the effects of different inundated plants on plankton production, including three forb species, three emergent graminoid species and a control treatment without added plant material.Forbs promoted larger phytoplankton blooms and higher zooplankton production—by an order of magnitude—than both emergent graminoids and the control treatment. Emergent graminoids supported larger phytoplankton blooms, but not higher zooplankton production, than the control treatment. Phytoplankton blooms exhibited pulse dynamics in all treatments, with densities increasing initially and crashing by the end of the experiment. Phytoplankton blooms in forb and emergent treatments lasted similar durations, counter to the expectation that emergent graminoids would support diminished production over a relatively prolonged period. Among zooplankton taxa, Daphnia magna and rotifers were strongly associated with all three forbs species while the nonnative cyclopoid copepod Limnothoina tetraspina were associated with cattails (Typha domingensis) and the control. Forbs temporarily depleted dissolved oxygen concentrations during the first week of the experiment, suggesting a tradeoff by which decaying forbs boost plankton production at risk of initial hypoxia.Our results suggest that seasonal drying and flooding operations in managed wetlands are likely to enhance plankton production because dry periods promote forb growth and subsequent flooding introduces labile forb material to the aquatic food web. Results also suggest that seasonal managed‐wetlands act as novel floodplain‐analogues, by which flood pulses drive productivity. Further research is needed to quantify production benefits and tradeoffs to the aquatic ecosystem at the landscape scale and to identify optimal management regimes that will help conserve imperilled species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Medication safety is an important health priority that focuses on preventing harm from medication-related events. Unsafe medication administration practices can lead to errors, which can cause avoidable injury (or harm) to patients. Objectives: This paper reports on an evidence implementation project conducted in a large tertiary hospital in Australia to improve nursing compliance with best practice recommendations for medication administration. Methods: The project was guided by JBI's seven-phase approach to evidence implementation, using audit and feedback and a structured framework to identify barriers, enablers, and implementation strategies. Results: The project resulted in improved compliance with best practice recommendations. This was achieved through multimodal strategies, including education, improved access to resources, and targeted feedback and discussion sessions to encourage culture and behavior change. Conclusions: The project improved nurses' medication administration practices, specifically in performing independent second checks. Collaborative efforts of the project leads facilitated the review of medication administration policy and the development of staff education resources. Patient engagement remains an area for improvement, along with the potential need for further ongoing medication education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing frequency and size of wildfires across the US necessitates accurate quantitative assessment of evolving wildfire behavior to predict risk from future extreme wildfires. We build a joint model of wildfire counts and burned areas, regressing key model parameters on climate and demographic covariates. We use extended generalized Pareto distributions to model the full distribution of burned areas, capturing both moderate and extreme sizes, while leveraging extreme value theory to focus particularly on the right tail. We model wildfire counts with a zero‐inflated negative binomial model, and join the wildfire counts and burned areas sub‐models using a temporally‐varying shared random effect. Our model successfully captures the trends of wildfire counts and burned areas. By investigating the predictive power of different sets of covariates, we find that fire indices are better predictors of wildfire burned area behavior than individual climate covariates, whereas climate covariates are influential drivers of wildfire occurrence behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct injection fuel systems provide precise control over the amount of fuel injected and can enable higher compression ratio operation and earlier combustion phasing under knock-limited operation, particularly for fuels with a high cooling potential like hydrous ethanol, a blend of 92% ethanol and 8% water. Moving a portion of the total fuel mass from an intake stroke injection to a compression stroke injection can provide a knock suppression benefit, which can enable more efficient operation. In this work, the influence of injection pressure on this split injection spark ignition strategy is examined. The effect of injection pressure on two intake stroke injections were characterized, with an injection pressure of 200 bar improving combustion efficiency by ∼3 percentage points and advancing knock-limited CA50 by 1 crank angle degree over an injection pressure of 30 bar. Then, a compression stroke injection was introduced and swept into the compression stroke while maintaining the two intake stroke injections. Direct injections at an injection pressure of 30 bar enabled a small knock intensity reduction of ∼20%, whereas an injection pressure of 200 bar enabled a larger reduction of ∼90% in knock intensity. The spark timing advance permitted by the reduction in knock intensity with a compression stroke injection timing of −80 degrees after top dead center was 0.3 and 2.0 degrees at an injection pressure of 30 and 200 bar, respectively. Then, the second intake stroke injection was varied at 200 bar to evaluate how the stratification profile prior to the compression stroke injection impacted its ability to reduce knock intensity. It was found that compression stroke injections with an early second intake stroke injection was effective at reducing knock intensity throughout the compression stroke. As the second intake stroke injection was retarded, the early compression stroke injections became less effective at suppressing knock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a report challenging the traditional understanding of respiratory droplets and aerosols in the transmission of respiratory pathogens. The report acknowledges that particle size is not the only factor in transmission and that infectious respiratory particles can be generated through activities like breathing, speaking, and singing. However, the report primarily focuses on proposing new terminology and does not provide specific guidance on infection control measures. The authors argue for the use of the term "aerosol" as it is already widely recognized and encompasses the complexity of particle size, composition, and transport properties. They also emphasize the need for further research to inform effective infection control strategies. [Extracted from the article]

Although internationally adopted children experience elevated sleep problems and psychosocial difficulties, little research has evaluated predictors and correlates of sleep issues in this population. The current study aims to address gaps in current research by examining associations between pre-adoptive risk, sleep disturbance, emotion lability/negativity, and internalizing and externalizing behavior in a sample of internationally adopted children. Parents completed questionnaires about the children's (N = 109; M age = 7.9, SD = 1.5; 39.6% male, 60.4% female) history, behavior, and functioning. Results reveal that sleep difficulties and emotion lability/negativity later in childhood mediated the relation between pre-adoptive conditions and internalizing and externalizing behavior in a sample of internationally adopted children. Future studies of internationally adopted children are needed to continue exploring trajectories of sleep problems and other self-regulatory difficulties in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the findings of a study on the use of mini-dose glucagon for the treatment of post-bariatric hypoglycemia (PBH). The study found that self-administration of ready-to-use glucagon effectively restored normal blood glucose levels in most cases, without the need for glucose tablets. Rebound hypoglycemia was observed in a small percentage of cases, but this was more common when participants consumed glucose tablets. The study suggests that mini-dose glucagon could be a promising treatment option for PBH, although additional treatment options are still needed for chronic cases. [Extracted from the article]

Fault diagnosis is required to ensure the safe operation of various equipment and enables real-time monitoring of associated components. As a result, the demand for new cognitive fault diagnosis algorithms is the need of the hour. Existing deep learning algorithms can detect faults but do not incorporate the system's underlying physics into the prediction and model training processes. Therefore, the results generated by this class of fault-detecting algorithms sometimes do not make sense and fail to deliver when put to the test in actual operating conditions. We propose an end-to-end, autonomous hybrid physics-infused deep learning framework that consists of a low-fidelity physics model combined with a 1 Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (1D CNN) to address the aforementioned issues. The application system under consideration is a 6-cylinder, 4-stroke, 7.6 L Navistar diesel engine. The physics model in the hybrid framework ensures that the predictions made by the framework are in coherence with the actual dynamics of the engine. In contrast, the deep learning component of the hybrid framework makes up for the simplifications involved during the development of the physics model of the engine, where the 1D CNN module enables robust Spatiotemporal feature extraction. Using empirical results, we demonstrate that our proposed hybrid fault diagnostics framework is autonomous and efficient for fault detection and isolation. The robustness of this framework is put to the test against the data obtained by the engine when subjected to different operating conditions, such as varying speed, changing injection pressure, and injection duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigated associations between diabetes and mortality among participants with incident colorectal cancer (CRC) from the Southern Community Cohort Study. Methods: Participants (73% non-Hispanic Black; 60% income < $15,000) were recruited between 2002–2009. Diabetes was self-reported at enrollment and follow-up surveys at approximately 5-year intervals. Incident CRC and mortality were identified via state registries and the National Death Index. Proportional hazards models calculated associations between diabetes with overall, CRC-specific mortality among 1059 participants with incident CRC. Results: Diabetes prior to diagnosis is associated with elevated overall (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: (1.46[1.22–1.75]), and CRC-specific mortality (1.36[1.06–1.74])) after adjustment for tumor stage. For non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White participants, consistent associations were observed for overall (1.35[1.10–1.66] vs. 1.89[1.31–2.72], respectively, p-interaction = 0.11) and CRC-specific mortality (1.30[0.99–1.71] vs. 1.77[1.06–2.95], respectively, p-interaction = 0.28). For individuals with incomes <$15,000/year, associations with overall (1.44[1.15–1.79]) and CRC-specific mortality (1.28[0.94–1.73]) were similar to the full sample. Associations with overall (1.71[1.37–2.13]) and CRC-specific mortality (1.65[1.22–2.22]) were highest for diabetes ≥ 10 years at diagnosis. Conclusions: Pre-diagnosis diabetes is associated with higher mortality among participants with incident CRC from a predominantly non-Hispanic Black cohort with lower socioeconomic status. The higher prevalence of diabetes in this population may contribute to racial disparities in CRC mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Recognising that there is increasing urgency to equip graduates to become future leaders in delivering the sustainable development goals (SDGs), this study presents a critical analysis of a whole-institution approach to embedding education for sustainable development (ESD) in curricula. This study aims to explore the wider reach of adopting a similar approach within varied professional practices and institutional settings. Design/methodology/approach: The approach is mixed-methods action research framed within a revised institutional strategy. The authors place this in the wider context of ESD in higher education. Findings: Embedding ESD in curricula and recognition of its relevance across all disciplines were important to stakeholders. These outcomes translated into strategic commitments. Within the first year of the strategy, Carbon Literacy was embedded in almost 20% of courses and in progress in a further 25%; ESD was embedded in 42% of courses and in progress in a further 7%; and over 80% of students agreed with the statement "My course provides me with the opportunities to gain knowledge and skills relating to sustainable development". Originality/value: This work demonstrates effective measures that can be amplified across the sector, framed by two overarching principles that are effective regardless of context: demonstration that sustainability adds value to academic activities and consultation and co-creation to build a shared vision and support for change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the deadliest brain cancers with a median survival of only 15 months. This poor prognosis has prompted exploration of novel therapeutic targets for GBM patients. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been implicated in GBM; however, its impact remains poorly defined, and there is conflicting data over the presence of HCMV in tumors. Nonetheless, clinical trials targeting HCMV have shown promising initial data, and evidence suggests that HCMV may negatively impact GBM patient survival by multiple mechanisms including changes in GBM cell behavior and the tumor microenvironment (TME) that potentiate tumor progression as well as therapy-induced virus reactivation. Moreover, HCMV has many effects on host immunity that could impact tumor behavior by altering the TME, which are largely unexplored. The goal of this review is to describe these potential interactions between HCMV and GBM. Better understanding of these processes may allow the development of new therapeutic modalities to improve GBM patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This narrative review discusses the important characteristics of electronic health (eHealth) interventions and critiques the cultural quality of eHealth research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.Thirty‐nine publications reporting on a variety of eHealth modalities to address health challenges with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were identified.Content analysis signified authentic co‐design, governance and strong partnerships as foundational qualities of eHealth interventions that are culturally safe and sustainable.The pragmatics of eHealth setting, content and engagement must be underscored by trust, responsiveness and cultural values.The application of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool (QAT) revealed higher scores for studies with two or more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors.This narrative review is fundamental to the development of a best practice framework for eHealth interventions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that are culturally safe, sustainable and effective.With a foundation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance with strong partnerships for authentic co‐design, eHealth interventions are more likely to meet the priorities and values of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities for which they are intended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite inflammation being implicated in cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH), considerable heterogeneity within populations of PWH exists. Stratifying CVD risk based on inflammatory phenotype could play an important role. Using principal component analyses and unsupervised hierarchical clustering, we examined 38 biomarkers to identify inflammatory phenotypes in 2 independent cohorts of PWH. We identified 3 distinct inflammatory clusters present in both cohorts that were associated with altered risk of both subclinical CVD (cohort 1) and prevalent clinical CVD (cohort 2) after adjusting for CVD risk factors. These data support precision medicine approaches to enhance CVD risk assessment in PWH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to address and improve the low physical activity levels among people with mild dementia by implementing a novel shared decision-making and motivational support program, named "Changing the Focus". It will utilise a pre-post mixed methods approach, aiming to recruit 60 community living older people with mild dementia and their care-partners. The shared decision-making process will involve the person living with dementia, their care-partner, and a research therapist, using a purpose-designed discussion tool including factors such as preferred physical activities, health status, local opportunities and program accessibility. This process aims to identify personalised local physical activity opportunities. Participants will be supported with the help of a research therapist to engage in targeted community-based physical activities for 12-months, to progress towards the recommended physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes per week. The intervention provided by the research therapist will include three home visits (baseline, 6- and 12-months) and seven motivational support phone calls (within the first six months). Research therapists may provide additional home visits and support calls as needed. Primary outcomes include program participation (participants living with dementia continuing with the program after 12-months), total physical activity time per week (measured using the Active Australia Survey at baseline, 6- and 12- months) and program acceptability (assessed through semi-structured interviews with participants, care-partners, referrers, and physical activity providers). Secondary outcomes include physical performance, mental health, wellbeing measures, and impact on care-partners (evaluated through physical tests or validated scales at baseline, 6- and 12-months). Other implementation aspects include reach, maintenance, safety (falls, other adverse events) and an economic evaluation. Results will inform feasibility, potential benefits, and challenges associated with this innovative shared decision-making and supported physical activity program for people living with mild dementia. Findings will guide future large-scale studies and contribute to enhancing physical activity opportunities for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An updated version of the Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectrometry (PALMS) instrument, termed PALMS-NG (-Next Generation), has been designed to characterize particles in the troposphere and stratosphere. Two PALMS-NG instruments have been built: a Purdue University version, which has flown on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ER-2 and DC-8, and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) version, which has flown on the NASA WB-57F. The general design and construction are nearly identical. New features and construction techniques are described here. These include a new inlet, optics for an extended size range of particle measurement, and a unique bipolar s-shaped mass spectrometer with higher resolution. These make the -NG instrument a significant improvement over the original flight PALMS which was first flown 25 years ago. Copyright © 2024 American Association for Aerosol Research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is it for philosophy to make progress? While various putative forms of philosophical progress have been explored in some depth, this overarching question is rarely addressed explicitly, perhaps because it has been assumed to be intractable or unlikely to have a single, unified answer. In this paper, we aim to show that the question is tractable, that it does admit of a single, unified answer, and that one such answer is plausible. This answer is, roughly, that philosophical progress consists in putting people in a position to increase their understanding, where 'increased understanding' is a matter of better representing the network of dependence relations between phenomena. After identifying four desiderata for an account of philosophical progress, we argue that our account meets the desiderata in a particularly satisfying way. Among other things, the account explains how various other achievements, such as philosophical arguments, counterexamples, and distinctions, may contribute to progress. Finally, we consider the implications of our account for the pressing and contentious question of how much progress has been made in philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study describes a feasibility assessment of a novel isolation care tent used in health facilities in Uganda during the 2022 Sudan ebolavirus outbreak. The Isolation System for Treatment and Agile Response to High-Risk Infections Model 1B (ISTARI 1B) is a single-occupancy, portable, negative-pressure isolation tent designed for the safe delivery of standard care to patients with a communicable disease, including Ebola disease (Sudan). At the request of the Uganda Ministry of Health, the Makerere University Infectious Diseases Institute and University of Nebraska Medical Center partnered to evaluate 7 health facilities across 4 districts in Uganda for infrastructure, case management, and infection prevention and control (IPC) capacity relevant to isolation care and ISTARI 1B use. A 3-day workshop was held with IPC leaders to provide familiarization and hands-on experience with the ISTARI 1B, delineate appropriate use scenarios in Ugandan healthcare settings, contextualize ISTARI 1B use in case management and IPC workflows, develop a framework for site assessment and implementation readiness, and consider ongoing monitoring, assessment, and intervention tools. Workshop participants performed a comprehensive site assessment and mock deployment of the ISTARI 1B. In this case study, we describe lessons learned from health facility assessments and workshop outcomes and offer recommendations to support successful ISTARI 1B implementation. Use scenarios and implementation strategies were identified across facility levels, including tools for site assessment, training, risk communication, and ongoing quality and safety monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Globally, gastroenteritis (GE) significantly impacts children's health and contributes to societal, economic, and health burdens. Previous studies reporting risk factors of GE in children in high-income settings mainly rely on outbreak investigations, which inherently capture only a fractional representation of the overall spectrum of GE occurrences. In addition, there is paucity of comprehensive information pertaining to modifiable risk factors of GE. This scoping review aims to synthesize existing evidence concerning modifiable and behavioural risk factors associated with GE among children in high-income countries. Methods: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus were the databases from which articles were retrieved. A descriptive synthesis of the evidence was performed, following the Arksey and O'Malley scoping studies framework and enhanced by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis extension for Scoping Reviews checklist (PRISMA-ScR). Results: The systematic search identified 13,395 journal articles, which were subsequently screened, and duplicates removed, resulting in 19 articles for inclusion in the review. The majority of these studies (63.2%) employed a case-control design and were predominantly conducted in community settings (68.4%). Factors such as parental literacy, contact with individuals exhibiting gastrointestinal symptoms, and nappy-wearing were identified as significantly associated with childhood GE within domestic environments. Childcare-related variables, including enrolment size, mixing of personnel between child groups, the presence of central cleaning stations, and the implementation of hygiene and disease prevention policies, showed significant association with GE. In addition, the presence of sand pits, paddling pools, and animals in childcare centers correlated with increased incidences of GE among attending children. Conclusions: The scoping review reveals a complex and varied research landscape on factors influencing gastroenteritis (GE) for children in high-income countries. The findings suggest that while some variables are closely linked to specific pathogens, others may not be, highlighting variability across GE aetiology. The significant association between various household level and childcare-related factors and childhood GE points to a valuable direction for future research and public health intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the literature on carer-supported home-based exercise programs for people after stroke, as a form of physical activity. The review focus was to examine the training carers receive, the content of programs, and investigate the physical activity levels and functional mobility of people after stroke. Materials and Methods: A scoping review was undertaken, guided by Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. The concept of home-based carer-supported exercise, in people after stroke, was searched across five databases. Outcomes of interest were physical activity levels and functional mobility. Results: We screened 2285 references and included 10 studies: one systematic review, five randomised controlled trials, one trial with non-equivalent control, and four uncontrolled studies. Carer training ranged from one to twelve sessions. Exercise interventions commonly including walking, other whole body functional exercises and balance activities. In eight studies interventions were in addition to standard care. Five studies reported significant between-group differences for functional mobility, favouring the intervention. One study reported physical activity levels. Conclusion: There was large variation in the volume and content of training provided to carers. Physical activity levels were infrequently objectively reported. Future studies should include greater details on their protocols to allow for replication and implementation into clinical practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Carer-supported home-based exercises may improve functional mobility once home after a stroke. The optimal length, content, and model of delivery of carer training, so carers can provide better targeted home-based exercise support to people after stroke, is not known. Better monitoring of participation in home-based exercise and reporting of short and long-term physical activity is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anterior approach surgeons who utilize intraoperative fluoroscopy often try to match a preoperative radiograph as a reference for intraoperative cup position. Every degree of inaccuracy in tilt leads to a roughly 0.7° change in anteversion. This study aimed to determine how closely pelvic tilt (PT) is approximated intraoperatively when compared to preoperative anteroposterior (AP) radiographs. This was a retrospective review of 193 primary THA's done by 2 surgeons at an academic tertiary referral center between September 2021–January 2023. There were 24 patients excluded for distorted anatomy, post-traumatic arthritis, insufficient x-rays, or a sacroiliac joint that could not be visualized on film. Data collected included age and BMI. PT was calculated using the formula, Tilt = -(ln((B/A) x (1/0.483)))/0.051. Value A is the distance from the base of the SI joint to the superior margin of the obturator foramen; value B is the height of the obturator foramen. Mean preoperative PT was 0.2° versus intraoperative PT was 3.4° (p < 0.001). Mean absolute difference was 6.5°. 48% of patients (n = 81) had an absolute difference less than 5°, 31% (n = 52) between 5° and 10°, 14% (n = 24) between 10° and 15°, and 7% (n = 12) greater than 15°. There was no correlation between BMI or age and PT discrepancy. Of the patients, 21% had a discrepancy of 10° or greater between their preoperative radiographs and intraoperative fluoroscopic images. Surgeons should be aware of potential errors in cup positioning and be particularly diligent in high-risk cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To map and summarise the sports coaches' and support staff's perspectives on athlete monitoring to explore the breadth of literature, identify knowledge gaps and inform future research. Design: Scoping review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. Methods: SPORTDiscus, MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo, and Embase databases were searched in English until 6 September 2022. The inclusion criteria were (1) coach(es) and/or support staff were explicitly questioned about their knowledge, perceptions, understanding, opinions, and/or applied practice of athlete monitoring; (2) results could be directly attributed to coach(es) and/or support staff; (3) primary research projects that are available as full-text. Exclusion criteria were applied for grey literature. The data were extracted into a custom-made data charting spreadsheet. Results: From the 4381 identified records, 42 met the eligibility criteria. Almost all the studies were conducted within the Anglosphere and at the national or international level. The main reasons for coaches and support staff to implement athlete monitoring were to reduce injury and illness, inform the training program, and improve or maintain performance. While training load monitoring is generally seen as valuable the coaches and support staff acknowledged that there was no perfect scientific approach to monitoring athletes and believed it should be part of the bigger picture, emphasising communication. Conclusions: There has been a recent surge in research demonstrating that athlete monitoring extends beyond quantitative information and encompasses non-quantified subjective information. This further substantiates that coaches and support staff will remain central to athlete monitoring, even amidst the anticipated technological progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel biochar (BC) from Acaciatortilis trees pruning waste was synthesized and tested for the removal of phosphate from aqueous solutions. The BC was prepared by calcination at 600 °C and doped with Fe3O4 and MgO by hydrothermal process. The presence of iron and magnesium ions in the modified BC was confirmed by EDS analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. Both unmodified and doped BCs were tested for phosphate removal from synthetic 1–500 ppm aqueous solutions. While the unmodified BC did not show any significant removal of phosphate from aqueous solutions, the modified BC almost completely removed phosphate from water. The enhancement in removal efficiency is due to an increase in the overall surface charge and surface area of BC as a result of doping with Fe3O4 and MgO salts. The average porosity and BET surface area corresponding to the plain BC increased by more than 20% from 322 to 394 m2/g after modification by impregnation with iron oxide and magnesium oxide. The modificaiton of BC with Fe3O4 and MgO nanoparticles was observed to increase the point of zero electric charge (PZC) from pH 3.4 (corresponding to plain BC) to pH 5.3 (corresponding to modified BC). The adsorption process was very fast and a phosphate removal value of 82.5% was reached only after 30 min of adsorption, while the removal efficiency after 4 h of adsorption was 97.5%. The rapid removal efficiency in short contact time is attributed to the high surface area of BC and strong bonding between the modified BC surface and PO43− ions. The highest adsorption capacity was observed to correspond to 98.5 mg/g which was achieved at PO43− concentration of 500 ppm and pH 8.5. Moreover, after fitting the adsorption data onto four of the most widely used adsorption isotherm models, the adsorption of PO43− onto BC can be better described by the Langmuir isotherm model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each year, commercial ships emit over 1.67 Tg of particulate matter (PM) pollution into the atmosphere. These ships rely on the combustion of heavy fuel oil, which contains high levels of sulfur, large aromatic organic compounds, and metals. Vanadium is one of the metals most commonly associated with heavy fuel oil and is often used as a tracer for PM from ship exhaust. Previous studies have suggested that vanadium-containing PM has impacts on human health and climate due to its toxicological and cloud-formation properties, respectively; however, its distribution in the atmosphere is not fully understood, which limits our ability to quantify the environmental implications of PM emitted by ships. Here, we present data obtained from a Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectrometry (PALMS) instrument on the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the 2016–2018 Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom) and show that ∼ 1 % of the accumulation mode particles measured in the marine boundary layer of the central Pacific and Atlantic oceans contain vanadium. These measurements, which were made without targeting ship plumes, suggest that PM emitted by ships is widespread in the atmosphere. Furthermore, we observed vanadium-containing ship exhaust particles at altitudes up to 13 km, which demonstrates that not all ship exhaust particles are immediately removed via wet deposition processes. In addition, using laboratory calibrations, we determined that most vanadium-containing ship exhaust particles can contain up to a few weight percent of vanadium. This study furthers our understanding of both the chemical composition and distribution of PM emitted by ships, which will allow us to better constrain the climate, health, and air quality implications of these particle types in the future. We note that these data were collected prior to the 2020 International Maritime Organization (IMO) sulfur regulation and stand as a reference for understanding how ship emissions have evolved in light of these regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fixation index, FIS, has been a staple measure to detect selection, or departures from random mating in populations. However, current Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) cannot easily estimate FIS, in multi‐locus gene families that contain multiple loci having similar or identical arrays of variant sequences of ≥1 kilobase (kb), which differ at multiple positions. In these families, high‐quality short‐read NGS data typically identify variants, but not the genomic location, which is required to calculate FIS (based on locus‐specific observed and expected heterozygosity). Thus, to assess assortative mating, or selection on heterozygotes, from NGS of multi‐locus gene families, we need a method that does not require knowledge of which variants are alleles at which locus in the genome. We developed such a method. Like FIS, our novel measure, 1HIS, is based on the principle that positive assortative mating, or selection against heterozygotes, and some other processes reduce within‐individual variability relative to the population. We demonstrate high accuracy of 1HIS on a wide range of simulated scenarios and two datasets from natural populations of penguins and dolphins. 1HIS is important because multi‐locus gene families are often involved in assortative mating or selection on heterozygotes. 1HIS is particularly useful for multi‐locus gene families, such as toll‐like receptors, the major histocompatibility complex in animals, homeobox genes in fungi and self‐incompatibility genes in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unraveling the intricate ties between top management, human resource management, and firm innovation is crucial in today's dynamic business landscape. The role of firm ownership is particularly vital in understanding these processes, especially within the context of increasingly diverse ownership structures. This study leverages the signaling theory and the upper echelon theory to investigate the direct and indirect impacts of top management (TM)'s strategic human resource focus (SHF) on firm innovation and improvement (FII). We investigate the moderating effect of firm ownership structures (state-owned enterprises and privately-owned enterprises) and the mediating effect of a high-performance work system (HPWS) in these processes. Findings reveal that TM's SHF has both a positive direct effect and a positive indirect effect on FII through the implementation of HPWS. The study affirms the moderating influence of firm ownership on the relationship between TM's SHF and HPWS, as well as on the mediating effect of HPWS in the relationship between TM's SHF and FII. Our analysis also uncovers distinct patterns in how firm ownership moderates the direct and indirect effects of TM's SHF on FII. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing evidence for the benefits of eHealth interventions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Yet, there is a lack of guidance for culturally safe, relevant, and sustainable initiatives with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations. To this end a research program was established to develop a roadmap for eHealth with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The current phase of the research program is a review of the literature aimed at identifying the important characteristics of eHealth interventions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Thirty-nine publications reporting on a variety of eHealth modalities with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were identified. To assess the cultural quality of the final papers, the authorship applied the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool (QAT). Results from the appraisal demonstrated significantly higher QAT scores between studies, including more Indigenous authors. This further substantiates the importance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, doing, and being incorporating Indigenous worldviews and leadership have on the cultural quality of eHealth research studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In this brief report, we highlight the challenges that we experienced while attempting to conduct primary data collection with intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors living in an IPV emergency shelter throughout the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and our strategies to overcome them. Method: In the summer of 2021, we began collecting data on a study investigating maternal-child bonding while living in IPV emergency shelters. We proposed a 14-day electronic daily diary methodology with follow-up semi-structured interview. The purpose of the study was to understand what factors affect maternal-child bonding to support survivors' relationships with their children while living in an emergency shelter. Results: We encountered two global obstacles to study implementation: the Institutional Review Board (IRB) pausing in-person data collection and low IPV shelter utilization. In what we term methodological resilience, we engaged in innovative and flexible team work to overcome these barriers. Specific strategies centered on creating an entirely remote data collection process and expanding our geographic area and participant eligibility criteria. Conclusions: Implications for researchers include greater communication with IRB offices, planning for multi-state recruitment, triangulated recruitment methods, reminder texts for participants and incremental incentives to ensure continued engagement with the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Preservation of Collections in Theological Libraries" provides guidance on preserving various record formats found in theological libraries, with contributions from authors in the United States, Australia, Romania, and France. The book offers practical advice on preservation actions, case studies, and additional resources for theological librarians, emphasizing collaboration, climate control, and regional partnerships. While the volume serves its purpose, some weaknesses include an overrepresentation of authors from well-resourced institutions and a need for clearer communication on the distinction between artifactual and intellectual value in digitization efforts. Overall, the book is recommended for those in theological libraries and other librarians and archivists seeking a concise guide to preservation practices. [Extracted from the article]