bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Female students’ experience in preventing scabies
Authors: Iradaty Fithri , Suyanto Edy , Aji Budi , Chaqil Harimi Abdal
Published: August 2021

The purpose of this study was to examine the students' perceptions on the environmental health conditions related to the contagious skin disease of scabies and examine the implementation of clean and healthy behavior of the students. This research was done by adopting qualitative approach with phenomenological method. The qualitative data obtained were analyzed using thematic analysis with the help of the Maxqda 10 Program. The data were collected through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The findings showed that the environmental sanitation of the Pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in some bedrooms are still not sufficiently ventilated and they needed clean water. The characteristics of Pesantren teaching which teaches students to live modestly, patiently, and prihatin (simple). The perceptions of Pesantren students about scabies that scabies was a normal thing to be experienced by students and that as long as the itching did not produce pus or blood it was not scabies. The healthy behavior of the students in this study were related with taking a bath, maintaining clean clothes, washing hands before eating of the students were still lacking. The efforts in improving the healthy living of the students was seen through the establishment of a health center in the Pesantren called Poskestren (Pesantren Health Services) but there were still limited facilities and the implementation of the administrators’ programs to prevent scabies is also seen to be not optimal yet.
Determinants of medical students' empathy during clinical rotation
Authors: Citra Resiana , Syakurah Rizma Adlia , Roflin Eddy
Published: August 2021

Medical students in clinical rotation level have been developed comprehension and implementation of empathy, considering that they have already dealt with patients in the first hand, whereas professionalism and ethics are two main competences as a physician. This study aims to discuss and investigates determinants of medical students’ empathy towards their patients during clinical rotation in the hospital. A qualitative study with phenomenology approach using focus group discussion (FGD) was accompanied with an open-ended questionnaire to serve as preliminary data and basis of FGD topic guidelines involved fourth and fifth grade medical students that has to pass one and/or two of these stages out of the 15 stages in clinical rotation. As much 191 students participated of the written questionnaire and 28 students agree upon voluntarily joining the FGD, which is held with a snowball sampling approach and finishes in five batches. The three main determinants are: i) Internal factors: knowledge about the importance of empathy, direct experience, personality, motivation, mood (emotion), and personal experience; ii) Patient’s and patient’s family factors: patient’s attitudes, patient’s family’s attitudes, patient’s socioeconomic status, patient's illness type and severity; and iii) Environment factors: burnout, satisfaction or appreciation in the job, work environment, and role models. Many factors influence medical students in expressing and implementing empathy as they are taught to do to their patients. Medical school as an institution responsible for upholding the professionalism and ethical standard can help to create more suitable environment for the students to ensure maximum learning experience.
Eating behavior and physical activity of senior citizens during the COVID-19 lockdown
Authors: Liday Denson M. , Liwag Mary Rose C.
Published: August 2021

A new coronavirus has arisen, causing a pandemic of serious respiratory syndrome in humans. The COVID-19 pandemic has a major effect on human health, resulting in abrupt lifestyle changes, social distances and loneliness at home. The goal of this study was to examine the immediate effect of the pandemic on eating behavior and physical activity among the elderly population aged 60 years and older. Data on the features of the senior citizens' profile, eating habits and physical activity during the lock-up were evaluated and analyzed in this report. In addition, the correlation, key and interaction effects of some of the essential variables in the analysis were also evaluated. The findings of the study revealed a need to promote eating habits that may help to minimize the health inequalities created by eating disorders. Moreover, the synergies between the various determinants of eating habits were found to be deficient. Home restrictions and confinement of the participants also reduced the overall physical activty level of the participants. Income class appeared as a factor on the interaction between eating behavior and physical activity. Recognizing these findings may be significant in developing health promotion programs for older people during the remaining period of quarantine or future ones. There is a need for health education as a response scheme to COVID-19 in low-income settings, and it is essential that approaches are contextually suitable with the vulnerable age group.
Quality of provider-client interaction in a reproductive health clinic in Isabela, Philippines
Authors: Guingab Rosalinda S. , Medrano Pedrita N.
Published: August 2021

The quality of provider-interaction determines client satisfaction and decision to seek health care. This research aimed to determine the women clients’ perception of their quality of interaction with the health care providers in a government reproductive health clinic in one of the municipalities in northern Philippines. Respondents consisted of 30 pregnant women who had visited the clinic for prenatal health care check-up were interviewed. A structured questionnaire and a semi-structured guided for probing served as the study’s research instruments. Women perceived the health care providers to possess good communication skills, and had displayed behavior that showed a regard for them. However, the providerinteraction was considered to be unilinear, with the provider perceived to have dominated the interface, The women also perceived only a somewhat evident show of sympathy/empathy. Hostile words were heard frequently. Creation of a two-way interaction with respect for their clients must be considered by the health care providers. Policies must also be formulated to improve the quality of provider-client interaction inside reproductive health clinics.
Risk factors of leptospirosis incidence in agricultural area
Authors: Porusia Mitoriana , Andari Annisa Fauziah Dwi , Wulandari Windi , Chotklang Duangruedee
Published: August 2021

The rate of leptospirosis incidence in Boyolali regency, Indonesia, during 2017 was high and showing an increasing trend. According to Boyolali District Health Office the number of leptospirosis cases in 2017 was 34 cases. Factors related to leptospirosis in the agriculture area should be understood well to take the right measurements for leptospirosis control in a typical agricultural area. Several risk factors, such as personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, wound presence, occupation, are the factors of leptospirosis infection. This study aimed to determine the risk factors associated with the leptospirosis incidence in Boyolali regency, Indonesia. This research used an observational method with a case-control design. The total number of case sample was 33 people, and the control sample were 99 people (ratio 1:3) with matched by a living area. Data collection were carried out with interviews using a questionnaire to respondents related to personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, wound presence and work as a farmer. The data were tested using logistic regression. Most of the case respondents work as a farmer and worker. The results showed that the risk factors associated with leptospirosis incidence were a wound presence (OR:17.014;95% CI:5.487-52.761) and worked as a farmer (OR:5,186; 95%CI:1.682-15.989). Unrelated variables were bad personal hygiene (95%CI:0.647-7.885) and environmental sanitation (95%CI:0.793-8.773). The dominant risk factor that causes Leptospirosis was wound presences and occupation as a farmer. Therefore people who work mostly touch the water like farmers must cover any wound on feet and keep personal and environmental sanitation to prevent infection.
O impacto da obesidade e do diabetes mellitus no desfecho clínico de pacientes portadores de Covid-19: uma revisão integrativa
Authors: Andrade Ana Flávia Freire de , Korthals Anne Moura , Santos Edna Messias de Freitas , Gomes João Antonio Martins , Costa Laura Medeiros , Souza Maria Gabriela Gonçalves Rezende de , Barbosa Mateus Gonçalves de Sena , Gomes Thaynara Faria
Published: August 2021

Introdução: A COVID-19 (Coronavírus Doença-2019) é uma doença provocada pelo coronavírus SARS-CoV-2 (síndrome respiratória aguda grave Coronavírus-2), a qual representa um desafio à saúde pública global. Existem evidências científicas que indicam que pacientes com COVID-19 e diabetes mellitus (DM) e/ou obesidade tendem a ter um pior prognóstico. O objetivo deste estudo é revisar integrativamente a literatura disponível sobre o impacto do diabetes mellitus e obesidade no desfecho clínico de pacientes portadores de Covid-19. Métodos: Este artigo é uma revisão integrativa. Foram selecionados artigos, publicados de 2019 a 2020, no Pubmed, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) e Scielo usando os descritores: “diabetes”, “obesidade”, “Covid-19”, “fisiopatologia”, “prognóstico”. Os critérios de inclusão foram: estudos publicados em inglês, espanhol e português, caracterizados como ensaio clínico randomizado, estudo de coorte, metanálises e/ou revisões sistemáticas. Resultados: Foi observado que o DM descontrolado e a obesidade são importantes fatores de risco para COVID-19 grave, associados a um pior prognóstico e, consequente necessidade de tratamento intensivo. Tal fato, se justifica sob a ótica de alterações fisiopatológicas correlatas à ambas comorbidades (descontrole glicêmico e inflamação crônica característica de pacientes obesos e diabéticos, comprometimento respiratório, aumento na expressão de receptores de ligação à capsula viral), as quais em conjunto favorecem um pior desfecho clínico. Adicionalmente, foi observado que o estrito controle glicêmico em pacientes diabéticos é importante fator de proteção para a COVID-19 grave, considerando o fato de que pacientes contaminados pelo novo coronavírus os quais tiveram como desfecho clínico, o óbito, apresentaram maiores valores de glicemia em jejum.
Brazilian funk as the herald of a new social order: a semiotic analysis of the internet music video “Beijinho no ombro” and its reception in social media
Authors: Monteiro Ricardo Nogueira de Castro
Published: August 2021

The present article aims to analyze the music video “Beijinho no ombro” – a major Brazilian social media phenomenon that reached more than 9 million Youtube views in 3 months in 2014 –, discussing both the processes by which homologies between categories of expression and content are established – the so called Hjelmslev’s “commutations” – and suspended – the Danish linguist’s concept of “syncretism” (Hjelmslev, 2003) – in the audiovisual text, and the effects of meaning created thereby. The analytical treatment assimilates also some of Éric Landowski’s contributions to the discussions about the intersubjective interactions regimes (Landowski, 1997, 2006) and their impact on the study of the socalled states of soul deeply developed by Greimas and Fontanille in their Sémiotique des passions (Greimas & Fontanille, 1993). The object analysis intends moreover to illustrate a methodological approach proposed by the author and that may be applied to various corpora regarding the audiovisual repertory. Such an approach, a natural extension of Greimas’ treatment of the plane of content and Floch’s developments into the plane of expression (Floch, 1984, 1993), offers as a contribution the proposition of a methodology that, departing from the figures of expression and their homologations and semi-symbolic relations with categories of content, will then detect their projections in each one of the three levels of the generative path. Thus, not only the role of the means of manifestation in the process of generation of effects of meaning can be better evaluated, but also the possibilities of a generative approach that includes the textual structures – rather than the explicit exclusion that appears in the Dictionary of semiotics (Greimas & Courtés, 1991:208) – can be further discussed.
Um estudo semiótico de The Couple in the Cage: A Guatinaui Odyssey
Authors: Siviero Maria Vitória Laurindo
Published: August 2021

Esse artigo discute a performance enquanto manifestação artística. Diante da dificuldade de precisar as características gerais desse gênero experimental, utilizei a semiótica como principal ferramenta para analisar um ato performático e compará-lo a outras duas obras, a fim de destacar a existência de fenômenos recorrentes nos diferentes casos. Por meio de uma abordagem greimasiana, foi analisada a obra “The Couple in the Cage: A Guatinaui Odyssey”, um ato performático realizado no ano de 1992, por dois artistas lanito-americanos, Guillermo Gomez-Peña e Coco Fusco, os quais, vestidos como aborígenes, trancaram-se em uma jaula e passaram três dias compondo parte do acervo de museus da Europa, EUA e México. A performance em questão foi comparada com “Rape Scene” (1973), da artista Ana Mendieta, e “First Woman at the Moon” (1999), realizada por Aleksandra Mir, sendo um dos principais objetivos dessa investigação o levantamento de elementos comuns a todas as obras, possibilitando uma observação mais precisa de tais fenômenos a fim de demonstrar que tais obras possuem aspectos por meio dos quais é possível agrupá-las na categoria “performance”, pois essa linguagem se difere de outras manifestações artísticas (como a música, teatro, pintura, etc.) e garante sua autonomia por meio de uma série de características próprias ao gênero.
A epistemologia semiótica de Louis Hjelmslev: uma teoria utópica da linguagem
Authors: Beividas Waldir
Published: August 2021

Resenha de: Badir, Sémir. Épistémologie sémiotique. La théorie du langage de Louis Hjelmslev. Paris: Honoré Champion, 2014. 411 páginas.
Four new dendrochirotid holothurians collected from the Seto Inland Sea and the western part of the Sea of Japan, western Japan
Authors: YAMANA YUSUKE , NAKAGUCHI KAZUMITSU , YAMAGUCHI SHUHEI , KATOH MIKIO , OGAWA AKITO , OHTSUKA SUSUMU
Published: August 2021

Fifteen dendrochirotid holothurians, including four new species, were collected from the Seto Inland Sea and the western part of the Sea of Japan, western Japan by the training and research vessel (TR/V) TOYOSHIO MARU of Hiroshima University, during the 2014–15 surveys. Massinium toyoshiomaruae sp. nov., Thyone kyushuensis sp. nov., T. liaoi sp. nov., and T. toyoshiomaruae sp. nov. are described as new species. Massinium toyoshiomaruae sp. nov. is readily distinguishable from all congeners by the absence of bodywall ossicles and the presence of table ossicles in the tentacle base. Thyone kyushuensis sp. nov. possesses large polyporous-tables in the introvert and tentacles, bodywall ossicles of a peculiar shape, and tentacle ossicles comprised mostly of unbranching rods and/or rod-like rosettes, which differ from those of all congeners. Thyone liaoi sp. nov. resembles T. pedata Semper, 1867 in its bodywall ossicles, however, it is distinguishable by the absences of huge ossicles in the body wall and the needle-shaped ossicles in the gonadal tubules. Thyone toyoshiomaruae sp. nov. is distinguishable from all other Thyone by the presence of the peculiar shape of the bodywall ossicles. Partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene are provided from the type specimens of the new species as DNA barcoding data.
The genus Rhyacophila Stephens (Trichoptera, Rhyacophilidae) in Yakushima Island, northern Ryukyu, southwestern Japan
Authors: ITO TOMIKO
Published: August 2021

This study revises the caddisfly genus Rhyacophila Stephens, Rhyacophilidae, for Yakushima Island within the northern Ryukyu Archipelago in southwestern Japan. Four new species are described based on adults: Rhyacophila yakushima sp. nov. of the R. anatina Species Group, R. arakawa sp. nov. of the R. lieftincki Species Group, R. miyanoura sp. nov. of the R. yosiiana Species Group, and R. nagata sp. nov. of the R. ulmeri Species Group. Additionally, two species are recorded for the island for the first time: R. brevicephala Iwata 1927, a Japanese species, and R. shikotsuensis Iwata 1927, an East Asian species.
A new species of Tricorythopsis Traver, 1958 (Ephemeroptera: Leptohyphidae) from Pará state, Brazil
Authors: DE OLIVEIRA LAURA A. , NASCIMENTO JEANE M. C. DO , COUCEIRO SHEYLA R. M.
Published: August 2021

A new species of Tricorythopsis is described, illustrated and diagnosed based on nymphs from Pará state, Brazil. Tricorythopsis similis sp. nov. is related to Tricorythopsis rondoniensis (Dias, Cruz & Ferreira) based on abdominal terga III–VII with acute tubercles medially located on posterior margins, and by the absence of the transversal line on operculate gill. However, the new species can be identified by the following combination of characteristics: general coloration yellowish brown, with blackish and purplish marks irregularly distributed; maxillary palp 1-segmented; segment II of labial palp shorter than segment I and longer than segment III; femora and tibiae with margins covered by long, pectinate setae; tarsal claws with 4 to 5 marginal denticles and 4+2 very small, submarginal denticles. This is the first species of Tricorythopsis recorded from Pará state.
A new species of the genus Urumaelmis Satô, and the first record of the genus from China (Coleoptera: Elmidae)
Authors: BIAN DONGJU , WANG ZHANXIANG
Published: August 2021

The genus Urumaelmis Satô, 1963 is recorded for the first time from China. A new species, Urumaelmis yunnanensis sp. nov. is described from Yunnan, China. The new species can be distinguished from U. uenoi uenoi (Nomura, 1961) and U. u. tokarana (Satô, 1963) by its larger body size, and by the carina on elytral interval VI which extends nearly from base to apex; and from U. flammea Nakajima & Kamite, 2020 also by its black body color, the median groove of pronotum not reaching the base, pointed anterior pronotal angles, and by the absence of parameres. The habitus, and aedeagus photos, and line drawings of the male genitalia are provided.
A note on the power distribution between symmetric and anti-symmetric components of the tropical Brightness Temperature spectrum in the wavenumber-frequency plane
Authors: Shamir Ofer , Garfinkel Chaim I. , Adam Ori , Paldor Nathan
Published: August 2021

A recent study observed the existence of a salient bias towards the symmetric part of the tropical wavenumber-frequency spectrum. Examination of the tropical Brightness Temperature (BT) spectrum in this note shows that its parity difference, i.e., the difference between its symmetric and anti-symmetric components, is concentrated in regions of the wavenumber-frequency plane corresponding to the spectral bands suggested by Wheeler and Kiladis (1999). In terms of the difference between the spectral power in the symmetric and anti-symmetric components, the spectral bands corresponding to Kelvin waves, Madden-Julian Oscillation, and Rossby waves explain about 31%, 21%, and 13% of the symmetric bias, respectively, while the combined contribution of all the other bands is negligible. The “background” spectrum after filtering out all the spectral bands explains the remaining 35% of the symmetric bias. As these spectral bands were originally designed for filtering convectively coupled equatorial waves, the findings of this note may help estimate the contributions of different wave features to the symmetric bias in the tropical BT spectrum. In addition, these findings may also help better understand the processes responsible for generating the tropical background spectrum.
Explaining Globally Inhomogeneous Future Changes in Monsoons Using Simple Moist Energy Diagnostics
Authors: Bombardi Rodrigo J. , Boos William R.
Published: August 2021

This study examines the annual cycle of monsoon precipitation simulated by models from phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), then uses moist energy diagnostics to explain globally inhomogeneous projected future changes. Rainy season characteristics are quantified using a consistent method across the globe. Model bias is shown to include rainy season onsets tens of days later than observed in some monsoon regions (India, Australia, and North America) and overly large summer precipitation in others (North America, South America, and southern Africa). Projected next-century changes include rainy season lengthening in the two largest Northern Hemisphere monsoon regions (South Asia and central Sahel) and shortening in the two largest Southern Hemisphere regions (South America and southern Africa). Changes in the North American and Australian monsoons are less coherent across models. To understand these changes, relative moist static energy (MSE) is defined as the difference between local and tropical-mean surface air MSE. Future changes in relative MSE in each region correlate well with onset and demise date changes. Furthermore, Southern Hemisphere regions projected to undergo rainy season shortening are spanned by an increasing equator-to-pole MSE gradient, suggesting their rainfall will be increasingly inhibited by fluxes of dry extratropical air; Northern Hemisphere regions with projected lengthening of rainy seasons undergo little change in equator-to-pole MSE gradient. Thus, although model biases raise questions as to the reliability of some projections, these results suggest that globally inhomogeneous future changes in monsoon timing may be understood through simple measures of surface air MSE.
The September 2020 Wildfires over the Pacific Northwest
Authors: Mass Clifford F. , Ovens David , Conrick Robert , Saltenberger John
Published: August 2021

A series of major fires spread across eastern Washington and western Oregon starting on September 7, 2020, driven by strong easterly and northeasterly winds gusting to ~70 kt at exposed locations. This event was associated with a high-amplitude upper-level ridge over the eastern Pacific and a mobile trough that moved southward on its eastern flank. The synoptic environment during the event was highly unusual, with the easterly 925-hPa wind speeds at Salem, Oregon, being unprecedented for the August-September period. The September 2020 wildfires produced dense smoke that initially moved westward over the Willamette Valley and eventually covered the region. As a result, air quality rapidly degraded to hazardous levels, representing the worst air quality period of recent decades. High-resolution numerical simulations using the WRF model indicated the importance of a high-amplitude mountain wave in producing strong easterly winds over western Oregon.

The dead fuel moisture levels over eastern Washington before the fires were typical for that time of the year. Along the western slopes of the Oregon Cascades, where the fuels are largely comprised of a dense conifer forest with understory vegetation, fire weather indices were lower (moister) than normal during the early part of the summer, but transitioned to above-normal (drier) values during August, with a spike to record values in early September coincident with the strong easterly winds.

Forecast guidance was highly accurate for both the Washington and Oregon wildfire events. Analyses of climatological data and fuel indices did not suggest that unusual pre-existing climatic conditions were major drivers of the September 2020 Northwest wildfires.
Evelyn Underhill and the Virgin Mary
Authors: Poston Carol H.
Published: August 2021

Evelyn Underhill (1875–1941) was a guiding light in Anglican spirituality in the twentieth century, and her best-known works, Mysticism (1911) and Worship (1936) are still read and studied today. A prolific writer—theologian, poet, novelist—she is frequently anthologized. Her early life and writings—those undertaken before she became an actively-committed member of the Church of England in the 1920s—are, with the exception of Mysticism, less well-known. This article examines the early works that treat the Virgin Mary, and explain how that subject may have influenced the pacifism she later embraced. A feminist reading of those early works also suggests biographical links to her “care for souls,” or spiritual direction, and to her own family. The dutiful child of somewhat remote and distant parents, herself in a childless marriage, Underhill's spiritual nurture by way of Mary helps explain both her spiritual growth and her role as a spiritual director to others.
Robustness of Adaptive Measurement of Change to Item Parameter Estimation Error
Authors: Cooperman Allison W. , Weiss David J. , Wang Chun
Published: August 2021

Adaptive measurement of change (AMC) is a psychometric method for measuring intra-individual change on one or more latent traits across testing occasions. Three hypothesis tests—a Z test, likelihood ratio test, and score ratio index—have demonstrated desirable statistical properties in this context, including low false positive rates and high true positive rates. However, the extant AMC research has assumed that the item parameter values in the simulated item banks were devoid of estimation error. This assumption is unrealistic for applied testing settings, where item parameters are estimated from a calibration sample before test administration. Using Monte Carlo simulation, this study evaluated the robustness of the common AMC hypothesis tests to the presence of item parameter estimation error when measuring omnibus change across four testing occasions. Results indicated that item parameter estimation error had at most a small effect on false positive rates and latent trait change recovery, and these effects were largely explained by the computerized adaptive testing item bank information functions. Differences in AMC performance as a function of item parameter estimation error and choice of hypothesis test were generally limited to simulees with particularly low or high latent trait values, where the item bank provided relatively lower information. These simulations highlight how AMC can accurately measure intra-individual change in the presence of item parameter estimation error when paired with an informative item bank. Limitations and future directions for AMC research are discussed.
Examining the Use of Kinesiology Tape During Weight Bearing Exercises on Proprioception in Participants With Functional Ankle Instability
Authors: Binaei Fatemeh , Hedayati Rozita , Mirmohammadkhani Majid , Taghizadeh Delkhoush Cyrus , Bagheri Rasool
Published: August 2021

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of tape worn during weight bearing exercises on proprioception (i.e., ankle angle repositioning error) in participants with functional ankle instability. We employed a randomized, controlled clinical study in a laboratory setting, with 56 participants with functional ankle instability. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: (a) weight bearing exercises without tape (n = 18), (b) weight bearing exercises with tape (n = 19) and controls not engaged in weight bearing exercises (n = 19). Weight bearing exercises included six weeks of bilateral squats in partial form with up to 45 degrees of knee flexion, and unilateral partial squats with full heel raise, and with full toe raise. In the taped condition, participants wore tape for six weeks with up to three tape replacements per week. Proprioception was measured as ankle repositioning error. Results showed that the mean angle repositioning error among participants in the active weight bearing groups was decreased by the taping intervention, relative to the control group’s performance ( p = 0.042). There were no significant differences between weight bearing exercise groups and control groups. The addition of kinesiology tape in weight bearing exercises can improve proprioception in active conditions.
The Development and Evaluation of a Tactile Analog to the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts, Form A
Authors: Caton Hilda
Published: August 2021

This article describes the field test of the Tactile Test of Basic Concepts (TTBC), a tactile analog to the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (BTBC). The performance of blind subjects is decribed as well as a comparison of the performance of blind subjects and seeing subjects on analagous test forms. The comparison revealed no significant differences between the performance of the two groups. Comparison of the performance of the two subject groups on each individual item of the test revealed that blind and sighted kindergarten children perform at approximately the same level, though the blind group was slightly superior. However, this difference is reversed at the first and second grade levels. It is suggested that the TTBC be administered upon school entry so that difficult concepts can be taught earlier, thereby avoiding differences at higher grade levels.
Development of Efficiency in Visual Functioning: A Literature Analysis
Authors: Barraga Natalie C. , Collins Marcia , Hollis James
Published: August 2021

Analysis of recent literature covering visual experiments with infants and young children documents a progression of visual functions in early development. Summaries of studies of individuals with seriously impaired vision suggest that principles which apply to visual development are as valid when the system is impaired as when there is no impairment.
The Adult Development of Middle-Aged Congenitally Blind Men
Authors: Barlow Mary Margaret
Published: August 2021

A special forum for individuals to respond in detail to material published in the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness or to raise issues which relate to the specialized field of work with blind and visually handicapped persons. Contributions should be 350–1000 words in length.
Social Smiles of Visually Impaired Infants
Authors: Rogers S. J. , Puchalski C. B.
Published: August 2021

Social smiles of 10 visually impaired infants, ages 4 to 12 months, were examined longitudinally in play interactions with their mothers. Characteristics examined included the cognitive skills of the infants when the social smile was first seen, the parental behaviors that elicited and followed social smiles, and the frequency of social smiles in play interactions across the first year of life.

All infants demonstrated both the presence of social smiles and the second Piagetian stage of cognitive development at the start of the study. Social smiling appeared to increase in frequency from 6 to 12 months except for a drop at 8 months. Smiles occurred in response to social and environmental events and were consistently followed by another parental social behavior.
Arterial stiffness and carotid distensibility following acute formaldehyde exposure in female adults
Authors: Stute Nina L , Stickford Jonathon L , Augenreich Marc A , Kimball Kyle C , Cope Janet M , Bennett Cynthia , Grosicki Gregory J , Ratchford Stephen M
Published: August 2021

Formaldehyde (FA) is a ubiquitous organic preservative used in several industries and represents an occupational health hazard. Short-term exposure to FA can increase oxidative stress and cause a decrease in conduit vessel function. These decrements in vascular function may extend to the arterial architecture, predisposing individuals to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of an acute 90-minute FA exposure period (259 ± 95 ppb) on indices of arterial architecture. Arterial stiffness and carotid distensibility as determined by central pressures, augmentation index (AIx), and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) ( n=13F, 24 ± 1 year) as well as carotid stiffness and intima media thickness (IMT) ( n = 9F, 23 ± 1 year) were assessed prior to (Pre-FA) and immediately following (Post-FA) exposure to FA in human cadaver dissection laboratories. Central pressures and cfPWV (Pre-FA: 5.2 ± 0.8 m.s−1, Post-FA: 5.2 ± 1.1 m s−1) were unchanged by acute FA exposure ( p > 0.05). Carotid stiffness parameters and distension were unchanged by acute FA exposure ( p > 0.05), although distensibility (Pre-FA: 33.9 ± 10.5[10–3*kPa−1], Post-FA: 25.9 ± 5.5[10–3*kPa-1], p < 0.05), and IMT (Pre-FA: 0.42 ± 0.05 mm, Post-FA: 0.51 ± 0.11 mm, p < 0.05) decreased and increased, respectively. Individual Pre- to Post-FA changes in these markers of arterial architecture did not correlate with levels of FA exposure ([FA]: 20–473 ppb) ( p > 0.05). Our group previously found vascular function decrements following acute FA exposure in human cadaver laboratories; here we found that carotid distensibility and intima media thickness are altered following FA exposure.
From Stand-Alone Pensions to Alternative Retirement Plans: Examining State and Local Governments
Authors: Perlman Bruce J. , Reddick Christopher G.
Published: August 2021

Defined benefit (DB) pension plans are the dominant retirement program for state and local governments in the United States. However, in the last 15 years, some have given new employees a choice of alternatives to stand-alone DB pension plans such as cash balance (CB), defined contribution (DC), and hybrid retirement plans. This article examines this shift through survival analysis using panel data of 190 state and local pension plans across the United States. From 2001 to 2019, we modeled five change factors found in the pension reform literature, namely, financial constraints, interest group influence, plan membership, and liability, along with other state factors. Our analysis shows that all five of these factors impacted the shift to alternative retirement plans from stand-alone DB plans. Notable findings are that well-funded pensions were more likely to shift to alternative retirement plans, and interest groups such as police, fire, and teachers were more likely to keep stand-alone plans.
English learners’ readiness for online flipped learning: Interrelationships with motivation and engagement, attitude, and support
Authors: Jiang Lianjiang , Meng Haoran , Zhou Nan
Published: August 2021

As one variant of the conventional flipped model, online flipped learning is increasingly implemented and it becomes important to explore how learners may be ready for it and how learner readiness may relate to motivation, attitude, and support. Informed by a multidimensional conceptualization of learner readiness and motivation and engagement, this study investigates the current situation of learner readiness, focusing on the moderating roles of learner attitude and environmental support in moderating the interrelationships between learner readiness and motivation and engagement in online flipped learning. Based on survey responses from 6,364 English learners across 11 Chinese universities, the results reveal that the students exhibited a generally high level of readiness for online flipped learning, though with significant demographic differences. The results also indicate that learner attitudes and environmental support moderated the impact of learner readiness upon learner motivation and engagement in online flipped learning. The findings call for attention to examine closely what dimensions of learner readiness could shape what aspects of motivation and engagement rather than simply assuming a linear causal relationship between readiness and motivation and engagement. A potential polarizing effect in online flipped learning is also highlighted, with implications discussed.
From government to governance: School coalition for promoting educational quality and equity in China
Authors: Huang Zhongjing , Chen HuanChun
Published: August 2021

The major aim of recent school education reform in China is to improve educational equity and quality. This paper aims to explore a collaborative reform in a school district in Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province. The major focus of the reform has been a change of school management from “government” to “governance,” which is a shift from individual school effort to multi-school collaboration, from a single point development to a regional ecological development, as well as from loose development to excellence and equality development. Under such reform and through the school coalition among all schools within the district, high-quality and balanced development of the regional education has been promoted. Reform strategies in the school coalition studied include enhancing educational equity within the coalition; coordinating multiple powers; upholding educational quality by a shared curriculum; putting in extra resources to release school burdens; improving the quality of the teaching force; and developing an evidence-based comprehensive assessment system. The results of such changes not only promote teacher professional development but also meet students’ individual needs and growth. The schools involved in the collaborative endeavor have all earned support and recognition from parents, respect from the bureau, and a good reputation, and have improved competitiveness in Hangzhou.
Dialogic Reconstruction of Memory: A Methodological Contribution Aimed at Social Impact on Youth’s Sexual-Affective Relationships
Authors: López de Aguileta Garazi , Torras-Gómez Elisabeth , Padrós Maria , Oliver Esther
Published: August 2021

Methodologies of research aimed at achieving social impact, such as the Communicative Methodology (CM), have overcome the instrumental uses of language. Alongside these, research on memory has shown how this is not a static construct but one that is continuously evolving through social interaction. Research on youths’ sexual-affective relationships achieving social impact currently combines these two frameworks. However, from a methodological perspective, what advancements allow for the achievement of such an impact has not been explored yet. The current study contributes a new methodological contribution within the CM, the Dialogic Reconstruction of Memory (DRM). Six interviews were conducted with researchers studying sexual-affective relationships and participants in this kind of study. The results show how both interviewed researchers and participants identify the emergence of the DRM during and after communicative interviews. In turn, this leads to a series of modifications to communicative interviews and opens up possibilities for personal transformation. These findings open new avenues for research with social impact.
Headache with occipital neuralgia phenotype: Report of four cases
Authors: Nagel Vanesa , Bonamico Lucas , Goicochea María T
Published: August 2021

Background:

The International Headache Society defines Occipital neuralgia as an unilateral or bilateral paroxysmal, shooting or stabbing pain in the posterior part of the scalp, in the distribution(s) of the greater, lesser and/or third occipital nerves. The most common pain trigger in this area result from chronically contracted muscles. Different aetiologies of headache with occipital neuralgia phenotype have been described.

Case:

We report four cases in which pain with occipital neuralgia phenotype was the initial symptom of a clivus chordoma; a para-pharyngeal carcinoma; a vertebral dissection; and a brachial plexitis due to zoster.

Conclusion:

A detailed anamnesis and physical examination should be performed in these patients. If during follow up atypical finding appears, we recommend head and neck gadolinium-enhanced MRI and biochemistry to exclude secondary causes.
A Dynamic Capabilities Model of Innovation in Large Interfirm Projects
Authors: Steen John , Ford Jerad A. , Verreynne Martie-Louise
Published: August 2021

Large-scale projects often involve hundreds or even thousands of businesses. There are opportunities for these firms to produce innovations to solve problems and improve the project’s outcomes, but the time-bounded nature of the project and technical interdependencies also constrains innovation. Using quantitative analysis of data from firms in large oil and gas projects, we show that Teece’s sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring model of dynamic capabilities theorizes innovation in this interfirm project context. We also identify connections between these microfoundations that are not captured in Teece’s linear model, where sensing activities moderate the relationship between seizing activities and innovation.
Investigating novel biomarkers of immune activation and modulation in the context of sedentary behaviour: a multicentre prospective ischemic stroke cohort study
Authors: Alme Katinka Nordheim , Askim Torunn , Assmus Jörg , Mollnes Tom Eirik , Naik Mala , Næss Halvor , Saltvedt Ingvild , Ueland Per-Magne , Ulvik Arve , Knapskog Anne-Brita
Published: August 2021

Background

Sedentary behaviour is associated with disease, but the molecular mechanisms are not understood. Valid biomarkers with predictive and explanatory properties are required. Therefore, we have investigated traditional and novel biomarkers of inflammation and immune modulation and their association to objectively measured sedentary behaviour in an ischemic stroke population.

Methods

Patients admitted to hospital with acute ischemic stroke were included in the multicentre Norwegian Cognitive Impairment After Stroke (Nor-COAST) study (n = 815). For this sub-study (n = 257), sedentary behaviour was registered 3 months after stroke using position transition data from the body-worn sensor, ActivPal®. Blood samples were analysed for high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), the cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and 10 (IL-10), neopterin, tryptophan (Trp), kynurenine (kyn), kynurenic acid (KA), and three B6 vitamers, pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP), pyridoxal (PL), and pyridoxic acid (PA). The kynurenine/tryptophan ratio (KTR) and the pyridoxic acid ratio index (PAr = PA: PL + PLP) were calculated.

Results

Of the 815 patients included in the main study, 700 attended the three-month follow-up, and 257 fulfilled the inclusion criteria for this study. Sedentary time was significantly associated with levels of hsCRP, IL-6, neopterin, PAr-index, and KA adjusted for age, sex, waist circumference, and creatinine. In a fully adjusted model including all the significant biomarkers except hsCRP (because of missing values), sedentary time was independently positively associated with the PAr-index and negatively with KA. We did not find an association between sedentary behaviour, IL-10, and KTR.

Conclusions

The PAr-index is known to capture several modes of inflammation and has previously shown predictive abilities for future stroke. This novel result indicates that the PAr-index could be a useful biomarker in future studies on sedentary behaviour and disease progression. KA is an important modulator of inflammation, and this finding opens new and exciting pathways to understand the hazards of sedentary behaviour.

Trial registration

The study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02650531). First posted 08/01/2016.
Gastrointestinal cancers, ACE-2/TMPRSS2 expression and susceptibility to COVID-19
Authors: Shafiee Sepehr , Cegolon Luca , Khafaei Mostafa , Gholami Nasrin , Zhao Shi , Khalesi Nasrin , Moosavian Hamidreza , Fathi Saeid , Izadi Morteza , Ghadian Alireza , Javanbakht Mohammad , Javanbakht Amin , Akhavan-Sigari Reza
Published: August 2021

Recent studies on the pathophysiology of COVID-19 are indicating that the Angiotensin convertase enzyme 2 (ACE-2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) can act as a major component in the fusion of SARS-Cov-2 with target cells. It has also been observed that the expression of ACE-2 and TMPRSS2 can be altered in malignancies. Shedding light on this matter could be crucial since the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with many gastrointestinal cancer screening programs. Herein we discuss the possibility of severe forms of COVID-19 in patients with gastrointestinal cancers due to the gastrointestinal entry route of SARS-CoV-2 into the human body. The disruption of cancer screening programs caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic could therefore have massive negative health impact on patients affected by gastrointestinal malignancies.
Impact of sex differences on thrombin-induced hydrocephalus and white matter injury: the role of neutrophils
Authors: Peng Kang , Koduri Sravanthi , Xia Fan , Gao Feng , Hua Ya , Keep Richard F. , Xi Guohua
Published: August 2021

Background

Thrombin has been implicated in playing a role in hydrocephalus development following intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). However, the mechanisms underlying the sex differences to the detrimental effects of thrombin post-IVH remain elusive.

Method

Three-month old male and female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent unilateral intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of 3U or 5U thrombin, or saline, to examine differences in thrombin-induced hydrocephalus and white matter injury. Mortality, and lateral ventricle volume and white matter injury were measured on magnetic resonance imaging evaluation at 24 h post-injection. In addition, male rats were pretreated with 17-β estradiol (E2, 5 mg/kg) or vehicle at 24 and 2 h prior to ICV injection of 3U thrombin. All rats were euthanized at 24 h post-injection for histology and immunohistochemistry.

Results

ICV injection of 5U thrombin caused 100 and 0% mortality in female and male rats, respectively. 3U of thrombin resulted in significant ventricular dilation and white matter damage at 24 h in both male and female rats, but both were worse in females (p < 0.05). Furthermore, neutrophil infiltration into choroid plexus and periventricular white matter was enhanced in female rats and may play a critical role in the sex difference in brain injury. Pre-treating male rats with E2, increased thrombin (3U)-induced hydrocephalus, periventricular white matter injury and neutrophil infiltration into the choroid plexus and white matter.

Conclusions

ICV thrombin injection induced more severe ventricular dilation and white matter damage in female rats compared to males. Estrogen appears to contribute to this difference which may involve greater neutrophil infiltration in females. Understanding sex differences in thrombin-induced brain injury may shed light on future interventions for hemorrhagic stroke.