The fish family Muraenidae: an ideal group for testing at small-scale the coherency of Macaronesia as a biogeographic unit, with the first report on separate fishery statistics

The present study was conceptualized to study the muraenid species (moray eels) occurring around the volcanic archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary and Cabo Verde islands (eastern-central Atlantic). The biogeographic patterns of these species were analysed and compared. We then hypothesized that this fish family is an ideal group for testing at small-scale the coherency of Macaronesia and its direct biogeographic units: i.e. the Azores, Webbnesia and Cabo Verde, as proposed in recent scientific literature. Additionally, this paper provides for the first time separate fishery statistics for this group in the region that were analysed to contrast the biogeographic results.

Donor selection for lung transplant in Turkey: Is it necessary to wait for an ideal donor?

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the donor criteria used in lung transplantation in our clinic. Methods: A total of 55 cadaveric donors who were accepted for lung transplantation in our clinic between December 2016 and January 2019 were retrospectively analyzed according to ideal donor criteria. The donors were divided into two groups as ideal and non-ideal ones according to their age, partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood, history of smoking, and ventilation day. Donor data, recipient characteristics and survival outcomes were evaluated. Results: Of 55 donors accepted for lung transplantation, 24 (43.7%) were ideal and 31 (56.3%) were non-ideal donors. The 90-day mortality and one-year survival rates were not significantly different between the two groups. The 90-day mortality was 25% in the ideal group and 22.6% in the non-ideal group (p=0.834). The one-year survival rates after lung transplantation were 64.5% versus 70.6% in the ideal and non-ideal groups, respectively (p=0.444). Conclusion: The whole clinical picture should be evaluated before accepting or rejecting donors for lung transplantation. The use of lung donors that do not meet the ideal criteria does not impair short- and mid-term results, compared to ideal lung donors. Strict implementation of donor criteria may prevent using suitable donors for lung transplantation. Use of non-ideal donors can reduce waiting list mortality.

THE BENEFITS VS POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS OF POSTCHEMOEMBOLIZATION FOR HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

It is known that, among chronic liver diseases, the most common cause of morbidity and/or mortality is hepatocellular carcinoma. Due to the fact that most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease, surgical resection is no longer possible. These patients constitute the ideal group for transarterial chemoembolization, which consists of the local infusion of a mixture of chemotherapeutic agents, which will cause the suppression of blood supply of the cancerous lesions, the induction of ischemia, followed by the necrosis of the tumor tissue, with a considerable improvement in the survival rate.

ACT NOW in diabetes and foot assessments: an essential service

Due to concerns around foot assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic, the iDEAL group have recommended an acronym – ACT NOW – to help health professionals and people with diabetes to recognise the warning signs that might lead to amputation

Living Through Decline: Resident Perceptions of Change Within Cleveland’s Urban Neighborhoods

Despite the vast amount of research focused on neighborhoods within the environmental gerontology, very little attention has been paid to learning how older residents make sense of and describe the changes that have occurred within their communities over the course of their lives. The purpose of this study was to provide a space for residents to tell their stories of what it was like to live through neighborhood decline within Cleveland. Older adults are an ideal group for examining perceptions of neighborhood decline as they have the perspective to address both the historical changes of their neighborhood and the biographical changes of their lives. This study utilized data from 4 years of ethnographic observations with over 30 older (age 60+), African-American adults who have aged in place within Cleveland since their childhood. Additionally, multiple in-depth life history interviews were conducted with 13 long-term residents. Data was analyzed using grounded theory techniques for emergent themes. While each resident had their own unique perspective of neighborhood change, common themes emerged related to 1) institutional decline, 2) changes in safety and crime and 3) changes to the people living in their communities. The findings suggest that resident perceptions can help us better understand how neighborhood dynamics work their way into the lives of long-term residents. The results are particularly important as they provide the foundation for exploring how residents responded to neighborhood decline and why residents remained within their neighborhoods when so many others left.

Thoracic Reciprocal Change Can Be Predicted Before Surgery in Adult Spinal Deformity

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Objective: Analysis of postoperative sagittal alignment of the unfused spine is lacking in patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD). The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the whole spine full-flexion lateral radiograph to predict the reciprocal change of the unfused spine after correction surgery. We hypothesized that the novel parameter (T1-UIV angle: angle between the upper vertebral endplate of the T1 and the upper vertebral endplate of the upper instrumented vertebra) of the preoperative whole spine full-flexion lateral radiograph is similar to that of the postoperative lateral radiograph if the patient has the ideal sagittal alignment. Methods: Twenty-six ASD patients who underwent correction surgery with a minimum 2-year follow-up were enrolled and separated into the Ideal and Non-Ideal groups according to the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)-Schwab classification of the final follow-up radiograph. Radiographic parameters, including T1-UIV of the preoperative whole spine full-flexion lateral radiograph, were obtained. Results: Thirteen patients were included in the Ideal group and 13 were in Non-Ideal group. Preoperative T1-UIV of the whole spine full-flexion lateral radiograph exhibited significant correlations with the T1-UIV angles of the postoperative and final follow-up radiographs ( r = 0.64, P < .01, y = 0.800 x + 8.012, and r = 0.69, P < .01, y = 0.857 x + 2.960, respectively). Interestingly, this correlation was stronger for the Ideal group ( r = 0.77, P < .01, y = 1.207 x − 1.517, and r = 0.89, P < .01, y = 0.986 x + 0.694, respectively). Conclusion: A novel radiographic strategy (T1-UIV of preoperative the whole spine full-flexion lateral radiograph) could estimate the postoperative alignment of the unfused spine correctly.

Characterizing the U.S. Melon Market

The domestic market for melons, Cucumis melo L., has not been well characterized. The 2011 cantaloupe-related foodborne illness outbreak reduced melon production by 32%, and per capita consumption of cantaloupe and honeydew melons has not recovered. Our objective was to profile and characterize consumer segments of individuals who purchased melons in the 3 months before the survey. Responses from 1718 participants were analyzed by consumption volume and subjected to cluster analysis based on importance of melon attributes. Heavy and moderate consumers preferred local melons over imported. The top four melon attributes were flavor, freshness, ripeness, and sweetness. As consumption increased, consumers placed more importance for their diets. The heaviest consumption group accounted for 22% of the market, and consumed nearly three times the melon servings per month compared with the moderate consumer, and nearly 10 times the servings of the light consumption group. Cluster analysis produced three distinct clusters. Cluster 1 was the most promelon in attitudes and consumption, as well as general health interest, craving sweet food, food pleasure, and variety seeking in foods. The largest segment was cluster 3 and was the ideal group for future targeting of marketing and advertising campaigns for increasing the melon market share with their intermediate consumption and promelon attitudes. Last, members of cluster 2 consumed the lowest amount of melons, spent the least on melons, and traveled the fewest number of miles to purchase them, relative to the other two segments.

How many ontogenetic points are needed to accurately describe the ontogeny of a cephalopod conch? A case study of the modern nautilid Nautilus pompilius

Recent advancements in tomographic techniques allow for detailed morphological analysis of various organisms, which has proved difficult in the past. However, the time and cost required for the post-processing of highly resolved tomographic data are considerable. Cephalopods are an ideal group to study ontogeny using tomography as the entire life history is preserved within a conch. Although an increasing number of studies apply tomography to cephalopod conchs, the number of conch measurements needed to adequately characterize ontogeny remains unknown. Therefore, the effect of different ontogenetic sampling densities on the accuracy of the resultant growth trajectories needs to be investigated. Here, we reconstruct ontogenetic trajectories of a single conch of Nautilus pompilius using different numbers of ontogenetic points to assess the resulting accuracies. To this end, conch parameters were measured every 10°, 30°, 45°, 90°, and 180°. Results reveal that the overall patterns of reconstructed growth trajectories are nearly identical. Relatively large errors appear to occur where growth changes occur, such as the points of hatching and the onset of morphogenetic countdown before the attainment of maturity. In addition, a previously undocumented growth change before hatching was detected when measurements were taken every 10°, 30°, and 45°, though this growth change was obscured when fewer measurements were used (90° and 180°). The lower number of measurements also masks the subtle fluctuating patterns of conch parameters in middle ontogeny. We conclude that the measurements of a conch every 30° and 45° permit a reasonably precise description of conch ontogeny in nautilids. Since ammonoids were likely more responsive to external stimuli than to nautilids, a much denser sampling may be required for ammonoids.

Sufficiency of industrial enterprises with production and labor resources: consequences of deviation from the “perfect balance”

The article deals with one of the aspects of adaptation of industrial enterprises to demand: sufficiency of existing production capacities and labor for the annual demand. We used a group of manufacturers whose capacity and labor force were in full correspondence with demand as the base for a comparison. This "ideal" group was compared with others who had an excessive or insufficient volume of the first or second resource in various combinations. In total, nine groups of enterprises were examined. As a result of the analysis, the following conclusions were made. For almost 30 years of observations, the share of enterprises whose capacity and labor met the demand has doubled and exceeded 60%. This group had the biggest share of financially successful enterprises. Over time, lack or excess of resources costs more for enterprises, and the surplus of labor resources has been particularly harmful.

Capacity and Labor Resource Endowment of Industrial Enterprises: Consequences of Deviation from the “Perfect Balance”

The article deals with one of the aspects of adapting industrial enterprises to demand: the correspondence of available production capacities and labor force to the annual demand. The base for comparison was a group of manufacturers whose capacity and labor were in full correspondence with demand. This “ideal” group was compared with others which had an excessive or insufficient volume of resource in various combinations. In total, nine groups of enterprises were examined. As a result of the analysis, the following conclusions were made. For almost 30 years of observations, the share of enterprises whose capacity and labor met the demand has doubled and now exceeds 60%. This group had the biggest share of financially sound enterprises. Over time, lack or excess of resources became more expensive for enterprises, and the surplus of labor appeared to be particularly harmful.