Exploring the Dynamics of Justification in the Wake of a Rumor Outbreak on Social Media

This paper explores the dynamics of justification in the wake of a rumor outbreak on social media. Specifically, it examines the extent to which the five types of justification—descriptive argumentation, presumptive argumentation, evidentialism, truth skepticism, and epistemological skepticism—manifested in different voices including pro-rumor, anti-rumor and doubts before and after fact-checking. Content analysis was employed on 1,911 tweets related to a rumor outbreak. Non-parametric cross-tabulation was used to uncover nuances in information sharing before and after fact-checking. Augmenting the literature which suggests the online community’s susceptibility to hoaxes, the paper offers a silver lining: Users are responsible enough to correct rumors during the later phase of a rumor lifecycle. This sense of public-spiritedness can be harnessed by knowledge management practitioners and public relations professionals for crowdsourced rumor refutation.

Programmed vs. Thirst-Driven Drinking during Prolonged Cycling in a Warm Environment

We compared the effect of programmed (PFI) and thirst-driven (TDFI) fluid intake on prolonged cycling performance and exercise associated muscle cramps (EAMC). Eight male endurance athletes (26 ± 6 years) completed two trials consisting of 5 h of cycling at 61% V˙O2peak followed by a 20 km time-trial (TT) in a randomized crossover sequence at 30 °C, 35% relative humidity. EAMC was assessed after the TT with maximal voluntary isometric contractions of the shortened right plantar flexors. Water intake was either programmed to limit body mass loss to 1% (PFI) or consumed based on perceived thirst (TDFI). Body mass loss reached 1.5 ± 1.0% for PFI and 2.5 ± 0.9% for TDFI (p = 0.10). Power output during the 20 km TT was higher (p < 0.05) for PFI (278 ± 41 W) than TDFI (263 ± 39 W), but the total performance time, including the breaks to urinate, was similar (p = 0.48) between conditions. The prevalence of EAMC of the plantar flexors was similar between the drinking conditions. Cyclists competing in the heat for over 5 h may benefit from PFI aiming to limit body mass loss to <2% when a high intensity effort is required in the later phase of the race and when time lost for urination is not a consideration.

Demographic and Clinical Overview of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients during the First 17 Months of the Pandemic in Poland

Long-term analyses of demographical and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients can provide a better overview of the clinical course of the disease. They can also help understand whether changes in infection symptomatology, disease severity, and outcome occur over time. We aimed to analyze the demographics, early symptoms of infection, laboratory parameters, and clinical manifestation of COVID-19 patients hospitalized during the first 17 months of the pandemic in Poland (March 2020–June 2021). The patients’ demographical and clinical data (n = 5199) were extracted from the national SARSTer database encompassing 30 medical centers in Poland and statistically assessed. Patients aged 50–64 were most commonly hospitalized due to COVID-19 regardless of the pandemic period. There was no shift in the age of admitted patients and patients who died throughout the studied period. Men had higher C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels and required oxygenation and mechanical ventilation more often. No gender difference in fatality rate was seen, although the age of males who died was significantly lower. A share of patients with baseline SpO2 < 91%, presenting respiratory, systemic and gastrointestinal symptoms was higher in the later phase of a pandemic than in the first three months. Cough, dyspnea and fever were more often presented in men, while women had a higher frequency of anosmia, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. This study shows some shifts in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenicity between March 2020 and July 2021 in the Polish cohort of hospitalized patients and documents various gender-differences in this regard. The results represent a reference point for further analyses conducted under the dominance of different SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Positive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic? A longitudinal study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physicians’ work experiences and employability

ObjectiveThe COVID-19 pandemic places an enormous demand on physicians around the world. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physicians’ work experiences and their ability and willingness to continue working in their profession until retirement (ie, their employability).DesignA longitudinal comparative design was used. Survey data were collected on three moments: before (May 2019), in the early phase (May 2020) and in a later phase (November 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic. Time effects were tested using repeated-measures analyses of variance and one-way analyses of variance.SettingThis study took place among physicians of two hospitals in a large city in the Netherlands.Participants165 hospital physicians with surgical, medical and other specialties participated in this study.ResultsPhysicians’ employability significantly increased from the time prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with the period during this pandemic. Employability differs among physicians with surgical, medical and other specialties. Furthermore, physicians experienced a lower emotional, physical and quantitative workload during the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with before the pandemic. Moreover, physicians experienced the most stress from the impact of COVID-19 on their work in general and from combining work and private life.ConclusionsThis study shows that physicians’ employability and work experiences are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Work experiences vary for physicians with different specialties. These varieties stress the importance of attention for physicians’ individual needs and challenges regarding working during the COVID-19 pandemic and the possibility of continuing work in the aftermath of this crisis. Based on this, physicians can be offered tailor-made solutions. This is important to maintain a healthy and employable workforce, which is essential for a sustainable healthcare system.

Cognitive Aid for Anesthetic Preparation in An Emergency Situation: A Simulation-Based Study

When anesthesia checklists and preparations are performed urgently, omissions may occur and be deleterious to the patient. The aim of this study was to evaluate in simulation the interest of a cognitive aid to effectively prepare an anesthetic room for an emergency. In a prospective single-center simulation-based study, 32 anesthesia residents had to prepare an anesthetic room in an emergency scenario, without cognitive aid in the first phase. Three months later (phase 2), they were randomly assigned to receive a cognitive aid (aid group) or no additional aid (control) and were involved in the same scenario. The primary outcome was the validation rate of each essential item in the first 5 min in phase 2. Eight items were significantly more frequently completed in the first 5 min in the aid group in phase 2 (vs. phase 1), compared with two only in the control group. However, there were no significant differences in the overall number of completed items between the two groups, as both groups completed significantly more items in phase 2, either in the first 5 min (19 (14–23) vs. 13 (9–15) in phase 1 for all residents, p < 0.001) or without time limit. Preparation times were reduced in phase 2 in both groups. In conclusion, the use of a cognitive aid allowed anesthesia residents to complete some safety items of a simulated urgent anesthesia preparation more frequently. In addition, despite daily clinical experience, a single simulation session improved anesthesia preparation and reduced the preparation time with or without cognitive aid.

Improving Quality Inspection of Textiles by an Augmented RGB-IR-HS-AI Approach

The aim of this research topic and paper is to investigate the application possibilities of vision technology in the textile industry. These include RGB, active thermography and hyperspectral imaging techniques. In the future, this approach will be supplemented by a machine learning algorithm (e.g., in Matlab or Python) to enable the detection of defects in textiles and to correctly categorize these defects. In the first place, the various options for building such a convolutional neural network are discussed. The focus was on the models used in the literature. Based on the effectiveness of these ML models and the feasibility to build them, choices can be made to determine the most suitable models. Sufficient samples are an important link to properly train a model. Because there is a shortage of open data, it is also discussed how samples obtained from the textile industry, were measured in the lab. At first, we will limit ourselves to the five most common defects. In a later phase of research, the results with this dataset and the open datasets are benchmarked against the results from the literature.

The WIRE study a phase II, multi-arm, multi-centre, non-randomised window-of-opportunity clinical trial platform using a Bayesian adaptive design for proof-of-mechanism of novel treatment strategies in operable renal cell cancer – a study protocol

Background Window-of-opportunity trials, evaluating the engagement of drugs with their biological target in the time period between diagnosis and standard-of-care treatment, can help prioritise promising new systemic treatments for later-phase clinical trials. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the 7th commonest solid cancer in the UK, exhibits targets for multiple new systemic anti-cancer agents including DNA damage response inhibitors, agents targeting vascular pathways and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Here we present the trial protocol for the WIndow-of-opportunity clinical trial platform for evaluation of novel treatment strategies in REnal cell cancer (WIRE). Methods WIRE is a Phase II, multi-arm, multi-centre, non-randomised, proof-of-mechanism (single and combination investigational medicinal product [IMP]), platform trial using a Bayesian adaptive design. The Bayesian adaptive design leverages outcome information from initial participants during pre-specified interim analyses to determine and minimise the number of participants required to demonstrate efficacy or futility. Patients with biopsy-proven, surgically resectable, cT1b+, cN0–1, cM0–1 clear cell RCC and no contraindications to the IMPs are eligible to participate. Participants undergo diagnostic staging CT and renal mass biopsy followed by treatment in one of the treatment arms for at least 14 days. Initially, the trial includes five treatment arms with cediranib, cediranib + olaparib, olaparib, durvalumab and durvalumab + olaparib. Participants undergo a multiparametric MRI before and after treatment. Vascularised and de-vascularised tissue is collected at surgery. A ≥ 30% increase in CD8+ T-cells on immunohistochemistry between the screening and nephrectomy is the primary endpoint for durvalumab-containing arms. Meanwhile, a reduction in tumour vascular permeability measured by Ktrans on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI by ≥30% is the primary endpoint for other arms. Secondary outcomes include adverse events and tumour size change. Exploratory outcomes include biomarkers of drug mechanism and treatment effects in blood, urine, tissue and imaging. Discussion WIRE is the first trial using a window-of-opportunity design to demonstrate pharmacological activity of novel single and combination treatments in RCC in the pre-surgical space. It will provide rationale for prioritising promising treatments for later phase trials and support the development of new biomarkers of treatment effect with its extensive translational agenda. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03741426 / EudraCT: 2018–003056-21.

A Summary Report of Excavation on Land West of Horndean Road, Emsworth, 2017

Excavation revealed four distinct phases of Roman enclosure ditches, of which the earliest were of mid-late 1st-century date. These were subsequently recut and augmented during the later 1st and 2nd centuries, to create a series of contiguous rectilinear enclosures, not all of which may have been in contemporary use. A notable density of finds within the north-central part of the excavated area, together with evidence of a small post-ring structure, suggested a focus of domestic activity. A later phase of post-medieval activity was represented by a probable field boundary ditch and a post-built structure of irregular rectilinear plan.

The Sungai Batu Archaeological Complex: Re-assessing the Emergence of Ancient Kedah

This article proposes new historical perspectives arising from the findings in the Sungai Batu Archaeological Complex, Kedah, by the Centre for Global Archaeological Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia in 2009. Excavations in the complex unearthed the remains of iron smelting sites, wharves and other brick structures, dating back to the 2nd/3rd century AD. The discoveries of furnaces, tuyeres and iron slag attest to Sungai Batu’s role as the centre for primary iron production, employing the bloomery method. The study suggests that Ancient Kedah appeared as one of the hubs for the trans-Asiatic trade network with the rise of the iron industry, while its economic complexity grew steadily in successive centuries. The early emergence of Ancient Kedah was a development synchronous with the later phase of the Indian-Southeast Asian exchange network between the 2nd to the 4th century AD when inter and intra-regional trade intensified. Due to its favourable geological features, strategic location with a suitable ecozone, as well as being a thriving centre for primary iron production, Ancient Kedah emerged as an important harbour. It was this trading and industrial past, the article will argue, that contributed to the rise of other economic hubs within Ancient Kedah, such as Pengkalan Bujang and Kampung Sungai Mas, which eventually developed into entrepôts after the 5th century AD.