Qualitative features of periodic solutions of KdV

In this paper we prove new qualitative features of solutions of KdV on the circle. The first result says that the Fourier coefficients of a solution of KdV in Sobolev space $H^N,\, N\geq 0$, admit a WKB type expansion up to first order with strongly oscillating phase factors defined in terms of the KdV frequencies. The second result provides estimates for the approximation of such a solution by trigonometric polynomials of sufficiently large degree

Informing about childbirth without increasing anxiety: a qualitative study of first-time pregnant women and partners' perceptions and needs.

Complications requiring medical interventions during childbirth are far from rare, even after uncomplicated pregnancies. It is often a challenge for maternity healthcare professionals to know how to prepare future parents for these eventualities without causing unnecessary anxiety. Studies on traumatic birth experiences have shown that feelings of loss of control, insufficient information, and lack of participation in medical decisions during childbirth are factors of difficult experiences. However, little is known about the information and communication needs of expectant parents about childbirth during the prenatal period. To gain a deeper understanding of the information and communication needs of first-time pregnant women and partners, we explored their perceptions and expectations for their upcoming childbirth, and the actions they initiated to prepare for it. Semi-structured interviews were conducted individually with first-time pregnant women and partners of pregnant women aged 18 years or older, with an uncomplicated pregnancy. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and sub-themes. Twenty expectant parents (15 pregnant women and five partners of pregnant women) were interviewed. Six themes were identified: Childbirth event; Childbirth experience; Childbirth environment; Organisation of care; Participation in decision making; Roles within the couple and transition to parenthood. This study contributes to a better understanding of the information needs of future parents expecting their first child. Results highlighted that the notion of "childbirth risks" went beyond the prospect of complications during birth, but also encompassed concerns related to a feeling of loss of control over the event. Expectant parents showed an ambivalent attitude towards consulting risk information, believing it important to prepare for the unpredictability of childbirth, while avoiding information they considered too worrying. They expressed a desire to receive concrete, practical information, and needed to familiarise themselves in advance with the birth environment. Establishing a respectful relationship with the healthcare teams was also considered important. The findings suggest that information on childbirth should not be limited to the transmission of knowledge, but should primarily be based on the establishment of a relationship of trust with healthcare professionals, taking into account each person's individual values and expectations

Role of Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae as Causative Agents of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Hospitalised Children and Adolescents

The aim of the study presented here was to determine the prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae versus Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in paediatric patients with community-acquired pneumonia. A total of 50 patients (mean age, 5.5 years; median, 3.9 years) with community-acquired pneumonia were enrolled. Four patients were found to have Chlamydia pneumoniae infection (1 culture positive, 1 PCR positive and 2 serology positive) and 16 patients had Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection (2 PCR positive, 4 PCR and serology positive, 10 serology positive), including three patients with coinfection. The rates of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection were 22%, 35% and 40% in children aged 1-3, >3-7 and >7 years, respectively. Acute Chlamydia pneumoniae infection was substantially less common than Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in our study cohor

Testing the Effect of Relative Pollen Productivity on the REVEALS Model: A Validated Reconstruction of Europe-Wide Holocene Vegetation

The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/land12050986/s1. File S1 Glossary of abbreviations used in the paper.This research was funded by the TERRANOVA Project, H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 813904.Reliable quantitative vegetation reconstructions for Europe during the Holocene are crucial to improving our understanding of landscape dynamics, making it possible to assess the past effects of environmental variables and land-use change on ecosystems and biodiversity, and mitigating their effects in the future. We present here the most spatially extensive and temporally continuous pollen-based reconstructions of plant cover in Europe (at a spatial resolution of 1° × 1°) over the Holocene (last 11.7 ka BP) using the ‘Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites’ (REVEALS) model. This study has three main aims. First, to present the most accurate and reliable generation of REVEALS reconstructions across Europe so far. This has been achieved by including a larger number of pollen records compared to former analyses, in particular from the Mediterranean area. Second, to discuss methodological issues in the quantification of past land cover by using alternative datasets of relative pollen productivities (RPPs), one of the key input parameters of REVEALS, to test model sensitivity. Finally, to validate our reconstructions with the global forest change dataset. The results suggest that the RPPs.st1 (31 taxa) dataset is best suited to producing regional vegetation cover estimates for Europe. These reconstructions offer a long-term perspective providing unique possibilities to explore spatial-temporal changes in past land cover and biodiversity.H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie TERRANOVA Project 813904Swiss National Science FoundationSwiss Academy of SciencesU.S. National Science FoundationChinese Academy of ScienceLinnaeus University’sMERGE PRG323ETF PRG32

Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP)-8 and MMP-9 in Cerebrospinal Fluid during Bacterial Meningitis: Association with Blood-Brain Barrier Damage and Neurological Sequelae

To evaluate the spectrum and regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in bacterial meningitis (BM), concentrations of MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-8, and MMP-9 and endogenous inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2) were measured in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 27 children with BM. MMP-8 and MMP-9 were detected in 91% and 97%, respectively, of CSF speci-mens from patients but were not detected in control patients. CSF levels of MMP-9 were higher (P <.05) in 5 patients who developed hearing impairment or secondary epilepsy than in those who recovered without neurological deficits. Levels of MMP-9 correlated with concentrations of TIMP-1 (P <.001) and tumor necrosis factor-α (P =.03). Repeated lumbar punctures showed that levels of MMP-8 and MMP-9 were regulated independently and did not correlate with the CSF cell count. Therefore, MMPs may derive not only from granulocytes infiltrating the CSF space but also from parenchymal cells of the meninges and brain. High concentrations of MMP-9 are a risk factor for the development of postmeningitidal neurological sequela

Variable response in alpine tree-ring stable isotopes following volcanic eruptions in the tropics and iceland

The importance of the stable isotopes in tree rings for the study of the climate variations caused by volcanic eruptions is still unclear. We studied &delta;18O, &delta;D, &delta;13C stable isotopes of larch and cembran pine cellulose around four major eruptions with annual resolution, along with a superposed epoch analysis of 34 eruptions with 5-year resolution. Initial analysis of the tropical Tambora (1815 CE) and Samalas (1257 CE) eruptions showed a post-eruption decrease in &delta;18O values attributed to post-volcanic cooling and increased summer precipitation in Southern Europe, as documented by observations and climate simulations. The post-volcanic cooling was captured by the &delta;D of speleothem fluid inclusion. The &delta;18O decrease was also observed in the analysis of 34 major tropical eruptions over the last 2000 years. In contrast, the eruptions of c. 750, 756, and 764 CE attributed to Icelandic volcanoes left no significant responses in the cellulose isotopes. Further analysis of all major Icelandic eruptions in the last 2000 years showed no consistent isotopic fingerprints, with the exception of lower post-volcanic &delta;13C values in larch. In summary, the &delta;18O values of cellulose can provide relevant information on climatic and hydroclimatic variations following major tropical volcanic eruptions, even when using the 5-year resolution wood samples of the Alpine Tree-Ring Isotope Record database

Influence of climate change and human activities on the organic and inorganic composition of peat during the ‘Little Ice Age’ (El Payo mire, W Spain)

Acknowledgements We are grateful to Ana Moreno, Mariano Barriendos and Gerardo Benito who kindly provided us data included in Figure 5a. We also want to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. Funding This work was funded by the projects HAR2013-43701-P (Spanish Economy and Competitiveness Ministry) and CGL2010-20672 (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation). This research was also partially developed with Xunta de Galicia funding (grants R2014/001 and GPC2014/009). N Silva-Sánchez is currently supported by an FPU pre-doctoral grant (AP2010-3264) funded by the Spanish Government.Peer reviewedPostprin

The cognitive-spiritual dimension - an important addition to the assessment of quality of life: Validation of a questionnaire (SELT-M) in patients with advanced cancer

Questions of meaning and challenge by illness, i.e., the spiritual dimension of quality of life (QL) traditionally played an important role in anthroposophically oriented medicine and have gained importance in palliative medicine and supportive care. In the context of a research project on QL in patients with advanced cancer, we therefore investigated the psychometric properties of a questionnaire covering spiritual QL issues, with the aim of providing a module for the assessment of cognitive-spiritual QL. Patients and methods: We investigated 89 patients with advanced breast and gastro-intestinal cancer. Construct validity of a modified version of the SELT (Skalen zur Erfassung von Lebensqualitat bei Tumorkranken), the SELT-M was tested by multitrait scaling analysis. Discriminant and convergent validity were also tested. The EORTC QLQ-C30 was used as a standard for validation. Results showed the SELT-M as feasible in administration. Four of the five SELT-M subscales were internally consistent (Cronbach's Alpha = ≥0.7). The subscale on spiritual QL showed higher within than outside subscale correlations for six of its eight items. Association of the SELT-M with the EORTC QLQ-C30 was good for the items and subscales covering the same aspects of QL in both questionnaires: emotional (Spearman r = 0.61), physical functioning (r= −0.54) and fatigue (r= −0.75). In accordance with expectations, there was no association between spiritual QL with any EORTC QLQ-C30 subscales. Self-assessed spiritual QL in the SELT-M corresponded well with interviewer assessments (test for trend accross ordered groups, P = 0.0023). Conclusions. Overall there is confirming evidence for the hypothesised structure of the SELT-M, especially for the newly developed module on spiritual QL. This module may be used as a module together with other cancer specific QL questionnaire

Perspectives of Frequent Users of Emergency Departments on a Case Management Intervention: A Qualitative Study.

Effective management of frequent users of emergency departments (FUED) remains challenging. Case management (CM) has shown to improve patient quality of life while reducing ED visits and associated costs. However, little data is available on FUED's perception of CM outside of North America to further improve CM implementation. Explore the FUED's perspectives about CM in Switzerland. Semi-structured qualitative interviews eliciting FUED's experiences of CM were conducted among 20 participants (75% female; mean age = 40.6, SD = 12.8) across 6 hospital ED. Inductive content analysis. Most participants were satisfied with the CM program. In particular, FUEDs identified the working relationship with the case manager (cm) as key for positive outcomes, and also valued the holistic evaluation of their needs and resources. Overall, patients reported increased motivation and health literacy, as well as facilitated interactions within the healthcare system. Conversely, a small number of participants reported negative views on CM (ie, stigmatization, lack of concrete outcomes). Barriers identified were cm's lack of time, COVID-19's negative impact on CM organization, as well as lack of clarity on the objectives of CM. FUED perceived CM as useful, in particular establishing a working relationship with the cm. Our results suggest that CM can be further improved by (1) professionals remaining non-judgmental toward FUED, (2) making sure the aims and objectives of the CM are understood by the participants, and (3) allowing more time for the cm to carry out their work