Youth pre-pandemic executive function relates to year one COVID-19 difficulties

IntroductionThe first year of the COVID-19 pandemic presented a series of stressors that could relate to psychological difficulties in children and adolescents. Executive functioning (EF) supports goal achievement and is associated with life success, and better outcomes following early life adversity. EF is also strongly related to processing speed, another predictor of life outcomes.MethodsThis longitudinal study examined 149 youths’ pre-pandemic EF and processing speed abilities as predictors of self-reported emotional, cognitive, and social experiences during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. EF and processing speed were measured with a total of 11 behavioral tasks. The COVID-era data was collected during two timepoints, during early (May-July 2020) and mid- (January-March of 2021) pandemic.ResultsBetter pre-pandemic EF skills and processing speed abilities predicted more mid-COVID-19 pandemic emotional and cognitive difficulties. On the other hand, better switching (a subcomponent of EF) and processing speed abilities predicted more mid-pandemic social interactions. EF and processing speed abilities did not relate to the well-being reports from the initial months of the pandemic. Our EF - but not processing speed - results were largely maintained when controlling for pre-pandemic mental health burden, socioeconomic status (SES), and gender.DiscussionBetter cognitive abilities may have contributed to worse mid-pandemic functioning by supporting the meta-cognition needed for attending to the chaotic and ever-changing pandemic news and advice, leading to higher stress-induced worry and rumination. Our study highlights a potential downside of higher EF – often largely viewed as a protective factor - in youth

Laparoscopic right hemicolectomy: a SICE (Società Italiana di Chirurgia Endoscopica e Nuove tecnologie) network prospective study on the approach to right colon lymphadenectomy in Italy: is there a standard?—CoDIG 2 (ColonDx Italian Group)

Background: Colon cancer is a disease with a worldwide spread. Surgery is the best option for the treatment of advanced colon cancer, but some aspects are still debated, such as the extent of lymphadenectomy. In Japanese guidelines, the gold standard was D3 dissection to remove the central lymph nodes (203, 213, and 223), but in 2009, Hoenberger et al. introduced the concept of complete mesocolic excision, in which surgical dissection follows the embryological planes to remove the mesentery entirely to prevent leakage of cancer cells and collect more lymph nodes. Our study describes how lymphadenectomy is currently performed in major Italian centers with an unclear indication on the type of lymphadenectomy that should be performed during right hemicolectomy (RH). Methods: CoDIG 2 is an observational multicenter national study that involves 76 Italian general surgery wards highly specialized in colorectal surgery. Each center was asked not to modify their usual surgical and clinical practices. The aim of the study was to assess the preference of Italian surgeons on the type of lymphadenectomy to perform during RH and the rise of any new trends or modifications in habits compared to the findings of the CoDIG 1 study conducted 4 years ago. Results: A total of 788 patients were enrolled. The most commonly used surgical technique was laparoscopic (82.1%) with intracorporeal (73.4%), side-to-side (98.7%), or isoperistaltic (96.0%) anastomosis. The lymph nodes at the origin of the vessels were harvested in an inferior number of cases (203, 213, and 223: 42.4%, 31.1%, and 20.3%, respectively). A comparison between CoDIG 1 and CoDIG 2 showed a stable trend in surgical techniques and complications, with an increase in the robotic approach (7.7% vs. 12.3%). Conclusions: This analysis shows how lymphadenectomy is performed in Italy to achieve oncological outcomes in RH, although the technique to achieve a higher lymph node count has not yet been standardized. Trial registration (ClinicalTrials.gov) ID: NCT05943951

Global overview of the management of acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic (CHOLECOVID study)

Background: This study provides a global overview of the management of patients with acute cholecystitis during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: CHOLECOVID is an international, multicentre, observational comparative study of patients admitted to hospital with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on management were collected for a 2-month study interval coincident with the WHO declaration of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and compared with an equivalent pre-pandemic time interval. Mediation analysis examined the influence of SARS-COV-2 infection on 30-day mortality. Results: This study collected data on 9783 patients with acute cholecystitis admitted to 247 hospitals across the world. The pandemic was associated with reduced availability of surgical workforce and operating facilities globally, a significant shift to worse severity of disease, and increased use of conservative management. There was a reduction (both absolute and proportionate) in the number of patients undergoing cholecystectomy from 3095 patients (56.2 per cent) pre-pandemic to 1998 patients (46.2 per cent) during the pandemic but there was no difference in 30-day all-cause mortality after cholecystectomy comparing the pre-pandemic interval with the pandemic (13 patients (0.4 per cent) pre-pandemic to 13 patients (0.6 per cent) pandemic; P = 0.355). In mediation analysis, an admission with acute cholecystitis during the pandemic was associated with a non-significant increased risk of death (OR 1.29, 95 per cent c.i. 0.93 to 1.79, P = 0.121). Conclusion: CHOLECOVID provides a unique overview of the treatment of patients with cholecystitis across the globe during the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The study highlights the need for system resilience in retention of elective surgical activity. Cholecystectomy was associated with a low risk of mortality and deferral of treatment results in an increase in avoidable morbidity that represents the non-COVID cost of this pandemic

An ASIC for multichannel data acquisition systems [and application to ESCA]

In this paper we describe the realization of an ASIC which significantly simplifies the instrumental apparatus for measurements in UHV (ultrahigh vacuum, p⩽10-9 mbar) while permitting very fast acquisitions. The chip will first be used in ESCA experiments; however its parallel architecture and the fast serial protocol for data transmission may increase the efficiency of the measurement process in any experiment where multichannel acquisition is a key issu

A design of an ergonomic stretching exercise bed for the physical therapy department of SJDEFI hospital

San Juan de Dios Educational Foundation, Inc. (Hospital) is a non-profit organization offering various outpatient and inpatient services. The area of concern for this study is the Physical Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine Section of the hospital. Stretching exercise is provided to patients 100% of the time and 87% of which are performed using the bed. Stretching exercise involves two sub-processes: stretching of the hamstrings and stretching of the shoulders. Currently, the plinth and the low mat are used by the physical therapists in administering stretching exercise. The current bed design should be modified based from customer needs due to their high gap percentage values. These needs are the following: (a) Bed can be easily moved (38.33%) and (b) Easy & safe patient handling (134.48%). To address these needs, technical requirements and corresponding part characteristics were generated using the House of Quality 1 and 2. Based on the derived parts characteristics, various alternatives on the design of the mattress and the bed frame were generated. These alternatives were assessed by using the technical requirements identified. The stretching excise bed designed with height adjustability and angle-adjustable split-type foot inclination features was found to reduce it not eliminate the gap on the needs of the physical therapists regarding the stretching exercise bed

An ASIC for multichannel data acquisition systems

In this paper, we describe the realization of an ASIC which may signi"cantly simplify the instrumental apparatus for measures in UHV (ultra-high vacuum, p410~9 mbar) while permitting very fast acquisitions. The chip will "rst be used in ESCA experiments; however, its parallel architecture and the fast serial protocol for data transmission may increase the e$ciency of the measure process in any experiment where multichannel acquisition is a key issue

Coordinated speed and voltage regulation of a DC POWER generation system based on a woundfield split-phase generator supplying multiple rectifiers

DC distribution is an attractive solution for onboard integrated power systems of new-generation all-electric ships, especially thanks to the benefits it offers in terms of reducing generation system size, weight and power consumption. Technologies have already been implemented in full-scale prototypes based on synchronous generators feeding the DC grid through rectifiers. In these proven solutions, the voltage control is allocated either to the generator excitation system or to the rectifier control. This paper investigates a design variant where both voltage control loops exist and act simultaneously. The basic design of the system is presented along with its modeling in the Matlab/Simulink environment. Simulation results obtained from the Simulink models are finally reported illustrating the system behavior during various electrical and electromechanical transients

MAEWEST Expression in Flower Development of Two Petunia Species

Changes in flower morphology may influence the frequency and specificity of animal visitors. In Petunia (Solanaceae), adaptation to different pollinators is one of the factors leading to species diversification within the genus. This study provides evidence that differential expression patterns of MAWEWEST (MAW) homologs in different Petunia species may be associated with adaptive changes in floral morphology. The Petunia × hybrida MAW gene belongs to the WOX (WUSCHEL-related homeobox) transcription factor family and has been identified as a controller of petal fusion during corolla formation. We analyzed the expression patterns of P. inflata and P. axillaris MAW orthologs (PiMAW and PaMAW, respectively) by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), reverse transcription–quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and in situ hybridization in different tissues and different developmental stages of flowers in both species. The spatial expression patterns of PiMAW and PaMAW were similar in P. inflata and P. axillaris. Nevertheless, PaMAW expression level in P. axillaris was higher during the late bud development stage as compared to PiMAW in P. inflata. This work represents an expansion of petunia developmental research to wild accessions