bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bone Marrow Neutrophils of Multiple Myeloma Patients Exhibit Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cell Activity
Authors: Petersson Julia , Askman Sandra , Pettersson Åsa , Wichert Stina , Hellmark Thomas , Johansson Åsa C. M. , Hansson Markus
Published: August 2021

Activated normal density granulocytes (NDGs) can suppress T-cell responses in a similar way as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that NDGs from blood and bone marrow of multiple myeloma (MM) patients have the ability to suppress T-cells, as MDSC. MM is an incurable plasma cell malignancy of the bone marrow. Like most malignancies, myeloma cells alter its microenvironment to promote tumor growth, including inhibition of the immune system. We found that MM NDG from the bone marrow suppressed proliferation of T-cells, in contrast to healthy donors. The inhibitory effect could not be explained by changed levels of mature or immature NDG in the bone marrow. Moreover, NDG isolated from the blood of both myeloma patients and healthy individuals could inhibit T-cell proliferation and IFN-γ production. On the contrary to previous studies, blood NDGs did not have to be preactivated to mediate suppressive effects. Instead, they became activated during coculture, indicating that contact with activated T-cells is important for their ability to regulate T-cells. The inhibitory effect was dependent on the production of reactive oxygen species and could be reverted by the addition of its inhibitor, catalase. Our findings suggest that blood NDGs from MM patients are suppressive, but no more than NDGs from healthy donors. However, only bone marrow NDG from MM patients exhibited MDSC function. This MDSC-like suppression mediated by bone marrow NDG could be important for the growth of malignant plasma cells in MM patients.
The Effect of Integrity of Lateral Wall on the Quality of Reduction and Outcomes in Elderly Patients with Intertrochanteric Fracture: A Controlled Study
Authors: Deng Hong-Li , Cong Yu-Xuan , Huang Hai , Zhang Bin-Fei , Fu Ya-Hui , Lei Jin-Lai , Wang Hu , Wang Peng-Fei , Zhuang Yan , Ke Chao
Published: August 2021

Objective. The study is aimed at evaluating the effect of the integrity of lateral wall on the quality of reduction and outcome in intertrochanteric fracture treated with proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA). Methods. Medical record systems for elderly patients with intertrochanteric fracture treated with PFNA were included. The patients were divided into incompetent and intact lateral wall groups. Patients’ baseline characteristics, quality of reduction, and Harris Hip scores (HHS) were collected. Results. The study included 115 patients with intertrochanteric fractures, with 59 in the incompetent lateral wall group and 56 in the intact group. Lateral wall thickness was 16.47 ± 2.46 mm and 23.68 ± 1.59 mm in the incompetent group and intact group (t = −18.766, P < 0.001), respectively. There was no significant difference in the quality of reduction (P = 0.646) between intact and incompetent groups. Mean HHS at final follow‐up were 83.02 ± 13.89 in the incompetent group and 86.04 ± 3.39 in the intact group, with no significant difference (P = 0.123). In addition, there was no significant difference in weight‐bearing or clinical healing between intact and incompetent groups. The partial weight‐bearing with crutches was allowed at 2.71 ± 0.93 and 2.66 ± 1.01 weeks after the operation in the incompetent and intact groups. Time to clinical healing was 5.83 ± 0.99 and 6.00 ± 0.92 months in the incompetent and intact groups, respectively. However, the operative time in the incompetent group (58.54 ± 18.14 mins) were longer than that in the intact group (51.79 ± 17.77 mins). Conclusions. In conclusion, it seems that lateral wall thickness does not affect the quality of reduction and outcome in patients with intertrochanteric fracture receiving PFNA.
RBFNN-Based Nonuniform Trajectory Tracking Adaptive Iterative Learning Control for Uncertain Nonlinear System with Continuous Nonlinearly Input
Authors: Zhang Chunli , Tian Xu , Yan Lei
Published: August 2021

This paper proposes an adaptive iterative learning control (AILC) method for uncertain nonlinear system with continuous nonlinearly input to solve different target tracking problem. The method uses the radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) to approximate every uncertain term in systems. A time-varying boundary layer, a typical convergent series are introduced to deal with initial state error and unknown bounds of errors, respectively. The conclusion is that the tracking error can converge to a very small area with the number of iterations increasing. All closed-loop signals are bounded on finite-time interval

0
,
T

. Finally, the simulation result of mass-spring mechanical system shows the correctness of the theory and validity of the method.
Analysis of Assembly Tolerance Based on Assembly Constraint Information Model
Authors: Li Chunxi , Hou Wenjun
Published: August 2021

Mechanical products are composed of two or more parts. The geometric tolerance and dimensional tolerance of each feature in part will affect the assembly performance of the product, which are accumulated and propagated between assembly fit and parts. In this paper, through the secondary development of CAD software, the B-rep model of parts is obtained. The model information is decomposed and simplified based on geometric features to obtain the key information of parts in the assembly process, simplify the operation, and improve the accuracy. Through a directed graph network, the transmission model of assembly error information based on geometrical and dimensional tolerances (GD&T) on the surface of parts is established. Combined with the error transfer characteristics of different geometric surfaces and different error sources, guided by the breadth-first search algorithm and the shortest path theory, the search and establishment of a three-dimensional assembly chain are realized. Finally, the three-dimensional chain is simulated by the Monte Carlo method. The calculation results are compared with the error range obtained by the traditional method to prove the effectiveness of the method.
Static Integration Based on Stochastic P-Time Petri Nets of Maintenance Scheduling for Railway Transport Equipment
Authors: M’halla Anis
Published: August 2021

In transport systems, all equipment requires maintenance, which directly affects the machine’s availability and consequently the planned transport schedule. The purpose of this paper is to carry out a method for integrating recovery jobs in railway systems. The proposed method allows the insertion of preventive and corrective maintenance operations when the transport equipment is available in order to minimize periods of inactivity, avoid catastrophic scenarios, and maintain stability and safety of the studied networks. A computing algorithm, allowing insertion of the planned recovery tasks in periods of metro availability, without changing the initial scheduling solution, is established. Finally, we illustrate the implementation of the proposed approach on Tunisian Sahel railway transport networks.
Yiqi Huoxue Recipe Regulates Autophagy through Degradation of Advanced Glycation End Products via mTOR/S6K1/LC3 Pathway in Diabetic Nephropathy
Authors: Chen Liang , Dai Linghao , Liu Yi , Li Xinyue , Wang Hui
Published: August 2021

Background. Yiqi Huoxue recipe can delay the progression of diabetic nephropathy, but its treatment mechanism is still unclear. We aimed to explore the effects of Yiqi Huoxue recipe on autophagy in diabetic nephropathy and its underlying mechanism. Methods. All rats were randomly divided into seven groups. The body weight, kidney weight, blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, urine protein, urine microprotein, creatinine, urea nitrogen, triglyceride, and lipoprotein were analyzed. HE, Masson, and periodic acid-Schiff staining were used to detect the severity of pathological changes in kidneys. The level of advanced glycation end products was assessed by the ELISA. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to check the expressions of podocin and nephrin. The expression levels of mTOR/S6K1/LC3 pathway-related proteins and mRNA were detected by qRT-PCR and western blotting. Results. Yiqi Huoxue recipe significantly elevated body weight and significantly decreased kidney weight and kidney index. Yiqi Huoxue recipe significantly affected the levels of biochemical indicators in diabetic nephropathy and showed a regulatory effect on kidney damage and lipid metabolism disorders. ELISA showed that Yiqi Huoxue recipe significantly reduced the level of advanced glycation end products. The expressions of nephrin and podocin increased significantly, depending on the dosage of Yiqi Huoxue recipe. Additionally, Yiqi Huoxue recipe regulated the expression levels of p-AKT, mTOR, S6K1, and LC3. Conclusion. Yiqi Huoxue recipe regulates podocyte autophagy to promote the degradation of advanced glycation end products through mTOR/S6K1/LC3 pathway. It has a certain guiding significance for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic nephropathy.
Lowering Nitrogen Oxide Emissions in a Coal‐Powered 1000‐MW Boiler
Authors: Chen Xiaojuan , Zhang Haiyang , Qin Hongwu
Published: August 2021

Burning of coal in power plants produces excessive nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, which endanger people’s health. Proven and effective methods are highly needed to reduce NOx emissions. This paper constructs an echo state network (ESN) model of the interaction between NOx emissions and the operational parameters in terms of real historical data. The grey wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm is employed to improve the ESN model accuracy. The operational parameters are subsequently optimized via the GWO algorithm to finally cut down the NOx emissions. The experimental results show that the ESN model of the NOx emissions is more accurate than both of the LSTM and ELM models. The simulation results show NOx emission reduction in three selected cases by 16.5%, 15.6%, and 10.2%, respectively.
Anti-LDL Receptor-Related Protein 2 Nephropathy with Synchronous Primary Kidney Extranodal Marginal Zone Lymphoma
Authors: Ng Lauren , Ruiz-Cordero Roberto , Caza Tiffany , Walavalkar Vighnesh
Published: August 2021

Introduction: Anti-LDL receptor-related protein 2 (anti-LRP2) nephropathy is a rare but progressive form of autoimmune-mediated tubulointerstitial nephritis and glomerular disease, characterized by a classic pattern of immune complex deposition in the kidney. A theoretic link between autoimmune disease and lymphoproliferative diseases exists, and therefore, in some cases autoimmune-mediated inflammation and lymphoproliferative neoplasm can co-exist in the same site. Case Presentation: An elderly man presented with 6 months of weight loss and fatigue. Subsequent workup showed an elevated serum creatinine and subnephrotic range proteinuria. Kidney biopsy was performed which revealed anti-LRP2 nephropathy with concurrent primary kidney extranodal marginal zone lymphoma. He was subsequently treated with rituximab but remains dialysis-dependent (12 months after his initial diagnosis, at time of publication of this report). Conclusion: We discuss the bidirectional relationship between autoimmune disease and lymphoma in the kidney, along with a brief review of the literature pertaining to these rare lesions. Our case report highlights the diagnostic difficulties faced by pathologists when encountering this entity. We also attempt to spread awareness about the co-existence of tubulointerstitial inflammation and lymphoproliferative disorder, which may be under-recognized.
SPRINT—A Kidney-Centric Narrative Review: Recent Advances in Hypertension
Authors: Hu Austin H. , Chang Tara I.
Published: August 2021

Hypertension is a potent cardiovascular risk factor with deleterious end-organ effects and is especially prevalent among patients with chronic kidney disease. The SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) enrolled patients at an elevated cardiac risk including patients with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease and found that an intensive systolic blood pressure goal of <120 mm Hg significantly reduced the rates of adverse cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality and nonsignificantly reduced the rates of probable dementia; these results were consistent whether one had chronic kidney disease or not. However, results of intensive blood pressure therapy on chronic kidney disease progression were inconclusive, and there was an increased risk of incident chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury, but the declines in kidney function appear to be hemodynamically driven and reversible. Overall, an intensive blood pressure target is effective in reducing cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality and may reduce the risk of probable dementia in patients with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease. More studies are needed to determine its long-term effects on kidney function.
Operation “Denver”
Authors: Selvage Douglas
Published: August 2021

This second part of a two-part article moves ahead in showing how the East German Ministry for State Security (Stasi) came to play a key role in the disinformation campaign launched by the Soviet State Security Committee (KGB) in 1983 regarding the origins of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The KGB launched the campaign itself, but in the mid-1980s it sought to widen the effort by enlisting the cooperation of intelligence services in other Warsaw Pact countries, especially the Stasi. From the autumn of 1986 until November 1989, the Stasi played a central role in the disinformation campaign. Despite pressure from the U.S. government and a general inclination of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to curtail the campaign by the end of 1987, both the KGB and the USSR's official Novosti press agency continued until 1989 to spread false allegations that HIV was a U.S. biological weapon. Even after the KGB curtailed its disinformation in 1989, the Stasi continued to disseminate falsehoods, not least because it had successfully maintained plausible deniability regarding its role in the campaign. The Stasi worked behind the scenes to support the work of Soviet–East German scientists Jakob Segal and Lilli Segal and to facilitate dissemination of the Segals’ views in West Germany and Great Britain, especially through the leftwing media, and to purvey broader disinformation about HIV/AIDS by attacking U.S. biological and chemical weapons in general.
Barkeria uruapani (Laeliinae, Epidendroideae, Orchidaceae), a new species from western Mexico
Authors: LEÓN-PERALTA CEKOUAT E. , VALDEZ-PARTIDA JULIO , PÉREZ-GARCÍA EDUARDO A.
Published: August 2021

Barkeria uruapani, a new orchid species endemic to Michoacán, Mexico, is described and illustrated. Information on its distribution, habitat and conservation status is provided. The new species is also compared with B. barkeriola and B. uniflora, and an updated key to all Barkeria species is included. Diagnostic features of B. uruapani include the branching inflorescences with simultaneous anthesis, the elliptical-obovate lip with a large magenta spot, the revolute wings of the column and the lateral sepals forming an obtuse angle.
Machine learning approaches for improving near-real-time IMERG rainfall estimates by integrating Cloud Properties from NOAA CDR PATMOSX
Authors: Zhang Zhi , Wang Dagang , Qiu Jianxiu , Zhu Jinxin , Wang Tingli
Published: August 2021

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission provides satellite precipitation products with an unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution and spatial coverage. However, its near-real-time (NRT) product still suffers from low accuracy. This study aims to improve the early run of the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) by using four machine learning approaches, i.e., support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), artificial neural network (ANN), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB). The cloud properties are selected as the predictors in addition to the original IMERG in these approaches. All the four approaches show similar improvement, with 53%-60% reduction of root-mean-square error (RMSE) compared with the original IMERG in a humid area, i.e., the Dongjiang River Basin (DJR) in southeastern China. The improvements are even greater in a semi-arid area, i.e., the Fenhe River Basin (FHR) in central China, the RMSE reduction ranges from 63%-66%. The products generated by the machine learning methods performs similarly to or even outperform than the final run of IMERG. Feature importance analysis, a technique to evaluate input features based on how useful they are in predicting a target variable, indicates that the cloud height and the brightness temperature are the most useful information in improving satellite precipitation products, followed by the atmospheric reflectivity and the surface temperature. This study shows that a more accurate NRT precipitation product can be produced by combining machine learning approaches and cloud information, which is of importance for hydrological applications that requires NRT precipitation information including flood monitoring.
Serving the affected: Role of social workers during the pandemic
Authors: Baid Meeta , Matharu Sukhjeet Kaur
Published: August 2021

The new era marked its beginning with the first global pandemic universally known as COVID-19. Marked by stringent lockdowns, social distancing, and quarantine measures, social work initiatives aimed at resolving mental health problems and increased gender violence, facilitating the patients requiring health care, and providing social work services.
Malawi’s Third Republic: Towards a Democratic Developmental State?
Authors: Chavula Hopestone Kayiska
Published: August 2021

The paper critically examines the extent to which Malawi’s economic and political developments, leading to the country’s Third Republic, have contributed to the country’s quest towards achieving the basic attributes of a democratic developmental state. An analytical framework is developed to examine this covering the post-independence political and economic regimes. The analysis reveals that despite experiencing some episodes of high growth rates, the country has been marred by autocratic tendencies, rampant corruption and nepotism. Oftentimes the political and economic system remained fragile as the performance of the different governments pre-2020 had been hardly inspiring in relation to peoples’ expectations.
The Social Autopsy
Authors: Timmermans Stefan , Prickett Pamela J.
Published: August 2021

The social autopsy takes the death of a set of individuals as its starting point and then critically and systematically examines social and political conditions to explain these deaths and generate awareness and policy change. After distinguishing the social autopsy from other means to explain excess and premature deaths, we delineate three core methodological principles of the social autopsy: social relevance as a guiding criterion to sample the deaths to be autopsied, embedding the patterning of deaths in social worlds, and a focus on contextual causality and social mechanisms. We provide three contemporary examples of excess deaths calling out for social autopsies: school shootings, Black deaths at the hands of police, and migrant border deaths.
An unusual case of gastrointestinal perforation caused by trans-abdominal penetration of sewing needles
Authors: Rampersaud Mahindra , Algu Tameshwar K
Published: August 2021

Trans-abdominal penetration by foreign bodies causing bowel injury is uncommon. We present a case of injury to the caecum caused by deliberate trans-abdominal placement of hand sewing needles. The patient was managed successfully by urgent laparotomy with right hemicolectomy and primary anastomosis.
‘BOMBILE’ – Newest enemy to our sight? – A case series
Authors: Sharda Pranidhi , Panwar Praveen
Published: August 2021

As possession of a mobile phone becomes ubiquitous in the general population, its hazards, especially for vision, should be better known and understood. Although blast injuries are common in war, gas cooking and with firecrackers, mobile phone blasts, popularly known as BOMBILE (Blast of Mobile Battery in the Living Eye), are becoming more and more frequent. We present three cases phone battery explosion diagnosed with ocular surface burn. Although none had severe injuries and vision was salvageable and no visual or cosmetic impairment resulted, this may not always be so. Public education, producer liability, and better technological solutions are urgently required to lessen the risks.
The role of fortitude, loneliness, and depression in the association between risk perception of contracting COVID-19 and life satisfaction: serial mediation analysis
Authors: Padmanabhanunni Anita , Pretorius Tyrone
Published: August 2021

Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has been found to have a negative impact on both physical wellbeing and mental health. Increased risk perception of contracting the virus has been associated with adverse psychological outcomes and reduced life satisfaction. However, susceptibility to psychological distress is influenced by personality-related characteristics. This study focuses on fortitude as a potential protective factor. The aim of this study is to investigate the parallel and serial mediating roles of fortitude, loneliness, and depression in the relationship between risk perception and life satisfaction. The participants were young adults ( N = 337) who have completed five self-report questionnaires: University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Fortitude Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and COVID-19 Risk Perception Scale. Descriptive statistics were generated, and structural equation modelling was used to examine the parallel and serial mediating roles of loneliness, depression, and fortitude. Positive associations were found between risk perception and loneliness and depression, and fortitude was found to mediate the relationship between risk perception and life satisfaction, between loneliness and life satisfaction, and between depression and life satisfaction. The overall serial mediation was also found to be significant, thereby supporting the hypothesis that those who perceive themselves to be at a risk of contracting COVID-19 have higher loneliness scores, which in turn is associated with higher depression scores. These findings confirm that fortitude is a salient protective factor and suggest that improving the perception of the ability to manage the risk of infection can enhance psychological wellbeing.
Embryonic cervical rhabdomyosarcoma complicated with uterine inversion with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis as the first symptom: a case report and literature review
Authors: Meng Li , Zhang Qianqian , Han Qingqing , Sun Xianghang , Liu Yin , Huang Xianghua
Published: August 2021

The probability of rhabdomyosarcoma occurring in the cervix is less than 0.5% and may be associated with a pathogenic dicer 1, ribonuclease III ( DICER1) gene variation. Tumour-induced hypercoagulability and high levels of cancer antigen (CA) 125 are risk factors for cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). In addition, although nonpuerperal uterine inversion is very rare and is usually caused by leiomyomas from the uterus, large cervical masses can also be the cause. This case report describes a 24-year-old woman with uterine inversion caused by an embryonic cervical rhabdomyosarcoma that presented with CVST as her first symptom. The patient underwent laparoscopic total uterus and bilateral salpingectomy, during which the uterus was found to be completely inverted. Postoperative pathology confirmed embryonic cervical rhabdomyosarcoma. The patient quickly developed lung and para-aortic lymph node metastases. Two months later, the patient died of complications. When coagulation indices in patients with tumours are abnormal, especially when the levels of D-dimer and CA125 increase, it is recommended that anticoagulant therapy is administered in a timely manner to prevent the occurrence of CVST. Furthermore, for large cervical tumours, physicians should also be alert to the occurrence of uterine inversion.
‘It’s up to the market to decide’: Revealing and concealing power in the sustainable tea supply chain
Authors: Archer Matthew , Elliott Hannah
Published: August 2021

In 2007, Unilever, the world’s largest tea company, announced plans to source its entire tea supply sustainably, beginning with the certification of its tea producers in East Africa to Rainforest Alliance standards. As a major buyer of Kenyan tea, Unilever’s decision pushed tea producers across Kenya to subscribe to Rainforest Alliance’s sustainable agriculture standard in order to maintain access to the global tea market; according to a 2018 report, over 85% of Kenya’s tea producers were Rainforest Alliance certified. Drawing on ethnographic material among supply chain actors across different sites along the sustainable tea value chain (from those designing and disseminating standards to tea traders to smallholder tea farmers), this article examines how these actors frequently attributed the power to determine the outcomes of certification to a faceless ‘market’. Deferring to ‘the market’, we observe, served primarily to mask the outsized power of lead firms (in particular Unilever) to determine conditions of tea production and trade. At the same time, ‘the market’ was also in some cases qualified by our interlocutors, allowing them implicitly (and at times explicitly) to reveal power and give it a face. Concealing and revealing power in this way, we suggest, can be seen as a mode of engagement among supply chain actors operating in ‘sustainable’ supply chains, like the Rainforest Alliance-certified Kenyan tea supply chain, in which the power of lead firms tends to be consolidated through market-driven sustainability initiatives. Such a mode of engagement mitigates exclusion from sustainable supply chains while maintaining space for critique.
Development of Roughness Prediction Models for Life Cycle Assessment Studies of Recycled Pavement Projects
Authors: Amarh Eugene A. , Flintsch Gerardo W. , Santos Joao , Diefenderfer Brian K.
Published: August 2021

The few existing life cycle assessment studies considering pavement recycling techniques usually omit the stages of maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) and use. The reason for this omission is the lack of information about how the pavement’s performance evolves over time and absence of methods to determine the M&R frequency and service life for completed projects. As a result, the deterioration of pavement recycling projects in the long term is not clearly understood. Few projects have available data, the majority of which are on low volume primary and secondary roads. This paper describes an approach to develop a family of roughness models for recycling projects in Colorado using functional data analysis, and individual models for selected projects in Virginia to support ongoing life cycle assessment (LCA) studies. In the case of Colorado, full depth reclamation (FDR) projects will most likely deteriorate following an average group rate of 1.4 in./mi/year, with an initial international roughness index (IRI) between 52 and 70 in./mi. For the individual roughness models developed for Virginia projects, the initial IRI values and the rate of change for the treatments analyzed were found to range between 49 and 107 in./mi and between 0.7 and 5.2 in./mi/year, respectively, depending on the recycling method and type of stabilization treatment. The results of an LCA case study show that, in addition to recycling, Virginia Department of Transportation can achieve statewide emission reduction goals if focus is placed on achieving smoother roads while measures are taken to keep the annual rates of deterioration low.
Quantitative Evaluation of Advanced Traffic Management Systems using Analytic Hierarchy Process
Authors: Shaon Mohammad Razaur Rahman , Li Xiaofeng , Wu Yao-Jan , Ramos Simon
Published: August 2021

With technological advancements in recent years, a series of intelligent transportation system (ITS) products have now become available to the transportation agencies to collect data and manage traffic conditions on the roadway network. Among ITS products, the advanced traffic management system (ATMS) has been effectively serving as the central nervous system of a traffic management center. ATMS serves as an integrated application for a wide variety of purposes ranging from data collection to implementing traffic management strategies. Owing to commercial popularity, a series of ATMS products are now available to transportation agencies and there is no consensus on selecting the best-suited product based on tailored requirements. Making a decision for a decision-critical item such as ATMS products on qualitative evidence can add risk to the decision-makers to justify their decision of choice. In this study, a multi-criteria decision analysis framework was proposed for quantitative evaluation of ATMS alternatives that can consider multiple and conflicting decision-making criteria using a real-world example. Moreover, the proposed framework was evaluated for different scenarios related to different applications of ATMS products to provide flexibility to the user in evaluating the ATMS alternatives. Results indicated that the proposed method can be considered as a viable alternative in contrast to a qualitative evidence-based decision-making strategy to minimize the risk associated with the decision-makers. Using the proposed quantitative framework, decision-makers can examine the weights of different criteria under consideration and evaluate multiple ATMS alternatives based on their jurisdiction-specific requirements. The proposed framework can be easily applied to other ITS technology selection processes.
YouTube as a platform for knowledge and awareness of peritoneal dialysis: A content analysis
Authors: Yeter Hasan Haci , Akcay Omer Faruk
Published: August 2021

Background:

One of the main barriers to choosing peritoneal dialysis (PD) is the lack of awareness and PD knowledge. There is an increasing trend in the use of the internet as a search tool for health-related information. This study aims to determine how useful YouTube videos are to get information about PD.

Methods:

YouTube videos were evaluated independently by two nephrologists. The videos’ quality was assessed with DISCERN scoring system, global quality score (GQS) and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) scoring system. We determined the quartile (Q) of the videos as follows: most reliable top 25% videos Q1 and others Q2–4.

Results:

A total of 295 videos were evaluated. University or society-sourced videos made up 15% ( n = 43) of all videos, and healthcare providers were the primary target audience compared to patients ( p < 0.001). JAMA, GQS and DISCERN scores were significantly higher for the videos that were targeted healthcare providers compared to the patients ( p < 0.001, for all). A total of 34% of the videos in Q1 were obtained from the university or society. Nevertheless, only 17% of the videos prepared for the patients were among the Q1. A small number of videos mentioned that PD maintains the residual kidney function (RKF) longer compared to haemodialysis.

Conclusions:

Universities and societies should upload videos to provide easy-to-understand information on PD. Also, the important benefits of PD, like the preservation of RKF, should be further highlighted in these videos. It may increase the PD penetrance by increasing patients’ awareness.
The Psychological Burden of the COVID-19 Pandemic Is Associated With Antisystemic Attitudes and Political Violence
Authors: Bartusevičius Henrikas , Bor Alexander , Jørgensen Frederik , Petersen Michael Bang
Published: August 2021

What are the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for people’s political attitudes and behavior? We tested, specifically, whether the psychological burden of the COVID-19 pandemic relates to antisystemic attitudes (dissatisfaction with the fundamental social and political order), peaceful political activism, and political violence. Nationally representative two-wave panel data were collected via online surveys of adults in the United States, Denmark, Italy, and Hungary ( ns = 6,131 and 4,568 in Waves 1 and 2, respectively). Overall, levels of antisystemic attitudes were low, and only a small share of interviewees reported behavioral intentions to participate in and actual participation in political violence. However, preregistered analyses indicated that perceived COVID-19 burden was associated with antisystemic attitudes and intentions to engage in political violence. In the United States, the burden of COVID-19 was also associated with self-reported engagement in violence surrounding the Black Lives Matter protests and counterprotests. We found less robust evidence that perceived COVID-19 burden was associated with peaceful activism.
Study on a new pressure loss model of T-junction for compressible flow with particle image velocimetry test
Authors: Zhang Kun , Hu Zhilong , Zhu Sipeng , Wang Yingyuan , Wang Wenhui , Deng Kangyao
Published: August 2021

The energy transfer and conversion of exhaust gas flowing across junctions of exhaust manifold plays an important role in determining performance of turbocharging system. With the increase of engine boost pressure, exhaust gas velocity increases significantly, which increased compressibility of exhaust gas flow simultaneously. The existed exhaust T-junction models that do not take gas compressibility into consideration are not capable to simulate the exhaust gas flow with high boost pressure good enough. In order to predict pressure loss coefficients of high-pressure gas flow with higher accuracy, this paper developed a new T-junction models in which compressibility of gas flow was taken into consideration. A particle image velocimetry (PIV) test rig was established to provide data for investigating influences of flow parameters on the flow state and thermodynamic parameters in the T-junction. The results show that there are obvious streamline contractions in the internal flow field of the junction, and the formed boundary streamline divides the junction into two regions, as the flow ratio increases, the absolute value of the vorticity increases, and the vorticity in most areas of the branch joint is zero. In addition, the flow ratio of the branch pipe and the main pipe and the Mach number of the outflow affect the flow of the junction. Based on the results of the PIV test, a new pressure loss coefficient T-junction model for compressible flow is proposed. The new model has good prediction accuracy of the pressure loss coefficient and the prediction accuracy of the exhaust pressure wave increases by 4.43% when the pressure coefficient model is used in one-dimensional simulation program.
Numerical research on effect of dislocated turbine rims on hot gas ingestion
Authors: Jia Xingyun , He Lidong , Zhang Runbo , Wang Jian , Yang Jianjiang
Published: August 2021

The flow characteristics in the rim clearances of turbines are sensitive to the turbine rim structures. From this standpoint, rotor–stator cavity models with dislocated clearances are proposed in this study to reveal the effect of dislocated turbine rim lips on hot gas ingestion and the clearance flow characteristics. The results show that the rim clearance flow is unstable, and Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices are induced by the relatively large difference in circumferential velocity of the flow fields inside and outside the rim seal. Moreover, the dislocated turbine rim lips decrease the effectiveness of the rim seal. Ultimately, the responses of the flow characteristics to the dislocated rims are determined to be primarily reflected in the effect of the forward or backward step flow on the Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices in turbine rims.
Global Literacies Research Diversity: A Manifesto for Change
Authors: Tierney Robert J. , Smith Graham Hingangaroa , Kan Wei
Published: August 2021

The essay explores the issue of globalization of literacy education research and offers a manifesto to ignite a commitment for a global eclectic for literacy education research. The manifesto’s tenets are drawn from an interrogation of the current dominance of a Western-centric orientation, and from the interviews with postcolonial critics, indigenous sages, global and southern scholars.
Cost Analysis of Community-Based Smoking Cessation Services in Vietnam: A Cluster-Randomized Trial
Authors: Quynh Mai Vu , Van Minh Hoang , Truong Nam Nguyen , Thao Anh Hoang , Minh Van Nguyen , Thi Trang Nguyen , Shelley Donna
Published: August 2021

The study aimed to estimate the cost for developing and implementing 2 smoking cessation service delivery models that were evaluated in a 2-arm cluster randomized trial in Commune Health Centers (CHCs) in Vietnam. In the first model (4As) CHC providers were trained to ask about tobacco use, advise smokers to quit, assess readiness to quit, and assist with brief counseling. The second model included the 4As plus a referral to Village Health Workers (VHWs) who were trained to provide multisession home-based counseling (4As + R). An activity-based ingredients (ABC-I) costing approach with a healthcare provider perspective was applied to collect the costs for each intervention model. Opportunity costs were excluded. Costs during preparation and implementation phase were estimated. Sensitivity analysis of the cost per smoker with the included intervention’ activities were conducted. The cost per facility-based counseling session ranged from USD 9 to USD 11. Cost per home-based counseling session at 4As + R model was USD 4. The non-delivery cost attributed to supportive activities (eg, Monitoring, Logistic, Research, General training) was USD 107 per counseling session. Cost per smoker ranged from USD 6 to USD 451. The study analyzed and compared cost of implementing and scaling community-based smoking cessation service models in Vietnam.
Hating men will free you? Valerie Solanas in Paris or the discursive politics of misandry
Authors: Védie Léa
Published: August 2021

In the wake of contemporary controversies in France over feminist misandry, this article reflects on claimed hatred of men as a feminist discursive resource. I use the reception of Valerie Solanas’ SCUM Manifesto by some radical French feminists of the 1970s as a privileged case study, along with historian Colette Pipon’s study on misandry within French second-wave feminist movements and Judith Butler’s works on stigma reversal. I contend that in a seemingly paradoxical way, misandry is both an anti-feminist stigma and a feminist discursive strategy: the inhibiting effects of such injurious term on feminist politics – the aggressive, castrating and hateful feminist you should at all cost avoid to become – can be managed, if not neutralized, by means of feminist misandry. From that point, I argue that claimed hatred of men can open fruitful political venues in challenging the stifling effects of respectability politics.
Equality without improvement? A case study of the impact of the Belgian unified status among blue-collar and white-collar workers on their occupational pensions
Authors: Knoops Sarah
Published: August 2021

The long-standing EU acquis of equal pay between male and female workers still proves to be a source of inspiration in the fight against discrimination, even in matters beyond the EU’s competence. This article deals with differences in status between blue- and white-collar workers, which have been haunting many Member States even as technological progress erodes its justification. Although this ground was never protected by EU law, a case study of the Belgian unified status with regard to occupational pensions (the second pension pillar), clearly shows the impact of the jurisprudence of the CJEU. In line with this EU case law, there is no requirement to grant the most beneficial pension scheme to all employees, which could lead to equal, but nevertheless very modest occupational pensions. Based on the preliminary results, we can predict that the Belgian unified status will have a positive effect on the number of blue- and white-collar workers affiliated to a pension scheme. It is, however, unlikely that the high level of benefits of the most generous pension schemes will be retained after harmonisation, considering the financial impact on the employer. It is therefore to be expected that the unified status will indeed lead to equal occupational pension schemes between blue- and white-collar workers, but fail to act as a lever to improve the quality of the second pension pillar in Belgium.
Meta-analysis of associations between cooking oil fumes exposure and lung cancer risk
Authors: Zhang Xiaofang , Rao Lei , Liu Qinghong , Yang Qin
Published: August 2021

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and cooking oil fumes (COF) are considered as the potential dangerous contributing factors. This study, a meta-analysis was conducted to analyse the correlation between exposure to COF and risk of lung cancer. Literature from 1980 to 2020 were searched and 29 studies were selected for analysis. Results showed that population exposed to COF had significant differences in lung cancer prevalence (P < 0.05). The odds ratio (OR) values of different periods (before 2000, 2000–2010 and 2010–2020) were significantly different. Using ventilation equipment had the OR of 0.54. Liao cuisine, Fujian cuisine, Shanghai cuisine, Jingdong cuisine and Shaanxi cuisine had the ORs (95% confidence interval) of 1.91 (1.62, 2.25), 2.38 (1.80, 3.16), 1.56 (1.29, 1.89), 2.58 (1.63, 4.09) and 1.57 (1.16, 2.11), respectively. These results revealed that exposure to COF could increase the risk of lung cancer, but the risk was gradually reduced with the changes of the times and the use of ventilation equipment. Different cooking methods in different regions caused different risks of lung cancer. The risk of lung cancer caused by COF mainly produced by deep-frying, quick-frying, stir-frying and pan-frying is higher than in other methods.
Advantages, Challenges and Limitations of Audit Experiments with Constituents
Authors: Bischof Daniel , Cohen Gidon , Cohen Sarah , Foos Florian , Kuhn Patrick Michael , Nanou Kyriaki , Visalvanich Neil , Vivyan Nick
Published: August 2021

Audit experiments examining the responsiveness of public officials have become an increasingly popular tool used by political scientists. While these studies have brought significant insight into how public officials respond to different types of constituents, particularly those from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds, audit studies have also been controversial due to their frequent use of deception. Scholars have justified the use of deception by arguing that the benefits of audit studies ultimately outweigh the costs of deceptive practices. Do all audit experiments require the use of deception? This article reviews audit study designs differing in their amount of deception. It then discusses the organizational and logistical challenges of a UK study design where all letters were solicited from MPs’ actual constituents (so-called confederates) and reflected those constituents’ genuine opinions. We call on researchers to avoid deception, unless necessary, and engage in ethical design innovation of their audit experiments, on ethics review boards to raise the level of justification of needed studies involving fake identities and misrepresentation, and on journal editors and reviewers to require researchers to justify in detail which forms of deception were unavoidable.
Cultural Proficiency: The Necessary Link to Family Engagement
Authors: Brion Corinne
Published: August 2021

Although family engagement is crucial to student and community outcomes, schools often alienate families who are not part of the dominant culture. As a result, school leaders need to become culturally proficient to systematically engage all families equitably regardless of their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other cultural identifiers. This teaching case study raises issues related to cultural proficiency and family engagement. To help current and future educational leaders foster family engagement, I provide a cultural proficiency for family and community engagement framework. I also pose questions designed to trigger conversations and find practical solutions related to equitable family engagement.
Coaches’ perceptions of innovation programs of the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation
Authors: Crespo Miguel , Botella-Carrubi Dolores , Jabaloyes Jose
Published: August 2021

This research studied the coaches’ perceptions of the innovation programs of the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) during 2016-2020. The RFET is one of the most relevant national federations in Spain both in terms of results at the highest levels of the game as well as in terms of participation and grassroots tennis. Coaches are considered relevant stakeholders of any sport federation due to their role in delivering the sport. A 29-item questionnaire adapted to tennis was completed by 132 certified coaches RFET members which had different years of experience and coached players of various skill levels. Results showed significant differences between the coaches with more than 20 years of experience as they perceived more rivalry between regional federations in the access to grants and more international competitiveness at high-level tennis as compared to their less experienced colleagues. Coaches also considered that the COVID-19 pandemic had negatively affected the innovation strategy and capability of the organization. They identified a grassroots initiative and a coach education project as the two most valued innovative programs implemented by the RFET in the period. These last findings coincide with those from previous research and highlight the relevance of providing coaches with clear player development guidelines and opportunities for continuous professional development through education. It can be concluded that federation leaders should consider the coaches’ perceptions on their innovation programs. This will assist them to better provide initiatives that will satisfy their needs and improve the effectiveness of their federations.
Identifying potential association on gene-disease network via dual hypergraph regularized least squares
Authors: Yang Hongpeng , Ding Yijie , Tang Jijun , Guo Fei
Published: August 2021

Background

Identifying potential associations between genes and diseases via biomedical experiments must be the time-consuming and expensive research works. The computational technologies based on machine learning models have been widely utilized to explore genetic information related to complex diseases. Importantly, the gene-disease association detection can be defined as the link prediction problem in bipartite network. However, many existing methods do not utilize multiple sources of biological information; Additionally, they do not extract higher-order relationships among genes and diseases.

Results

In this study, we propose a novel method called Dual Hypergraph Regularized Least Squares (DHRLS) with Centered Kernel Alignment-based Multiple Kernel Learning (CKA-MKL), in order to detect all potential gene-disease associations. First, we construct multiple kernels based on various biological data sources in gene and disease spaces respectively. After that, we use CAK-MKL to obtain the optimal kernels in the two spaces respectively. To specific, hypergraph can be employed to establish higher-order relationships. Finally, our DHRLS model is solved by the Alternating Least squares algorithm (ALSA), for predicting gene-disease associations.

Conclusion

Comparing with many outstanding prediction tools, DHRLS achieves best performance on gene-disease associations network under two types of cross validation. To verify robustness, our proposed approach has excellent prediction performance on six real-world networks. Our research work can effectively discover potential disease-associated genes and provide guidance for the follow-up verification methods of complex diseases.