bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Assessment of Law and Practice of the Right to Water: Evidence from Zimbabwe
Authors: Mapuva Jephias
Published: January 2024

This paper seeks to present legal and policy frameworks that govern and promote the right to water. Two case law studies are presented to show legal provisions and associated challenges to the realisation of the right to water. In Zimbabwe, successive Ministries superintending over the provision of water in the country have not been clear on free water. Perennial economic challenges and a general lack of political will to promote the right to water have been debilitating aspects to the right to water. Attempts at privatisation of the provision of water through ZINWA, has culminated in a total failure as the parastatal was bedevilled with a myriad of challenges. The privatisation of water has made it less accessible to the rural and poor urban communities. The constitutionalisation of the right to water has transformed access to water in Zimbabwe, though economic challenges have continued to hamstring local authorities’ and government’s capacity to realise this right. The Mazibuko and SERAC case laws have been given as ground-breaking legal challenges mounted by residents of communities in South Africa and Nigeria respectively as affected citizens have challenged authorities on the need for the realisation of the right to water to the public.
The Causal Relationship between External Debts and Economic Growth in East African Community
Authors: Kibona Ally , Kirama Stephen L.
Published: January 2024

The interest in the causal relationship between external debt and economic growth has increased in the world due to its importance in whether a country is experiencing debt overhang or not. This study attempts to examine the causal relationship between external debt and economic growth in EAC’s founding partner states. The study employs Xtabond2 using a secondary panel data set for the period 1988 to 2020. The study conducted all required econometric tests such as panel data unit root set and overidentification test using Arellano Bond test, Sargan test and Hansen test respectively before proceeding with further regression. The findings reveal the negative impact of external debt on economic growth running from external debt to economic growth with no feedback indicating the debt overhang in these countries. Other moderating variables have shown different impacts on economic growth where the negative impact is revealed from inflation while positive impacts are revealed from gross capital formation, lagged dependent variable, and the square of total external debt. Other variables such as population size have no significant impact which might have been caused by the presence of a square of total external debt while the exchange rate has a short-run impact on economic growth. Therefore it is suggested that the policymaker should ensure that the loan secured is located on the project with a positive net profit to avoid further demand for external assistance on loan repayment. Also, all tax potentials available in these countries should be optimally exhausted to avoid reliance on external financing assistance. Moreover, these countries should ensure that all external debt secured is sustainable and solvency in relation to their economy.
Alternative products for breaking dormancy in ‘Reubennel’ plum in subtropical regions
Authors: Viol Renata Elisa , Peche Pedro Maranha , da Hora Farias Daniela , Campos Matheus Pena , Curi Paula Nogueira , Fazenda Lucídio Henriques Vote , Pio Rafael
Published: January 2024

Plum is a temperate fruit tree and thus shows abundant vegetative bud percentage and flowering following extended periods of low winter temperatures. When adequate periods of low temperatures do not occur, it is necessary to apply products to stimulate bud dormancy break and uniform leaf and flower appearance. This application is more frequently needed when plum trees are grown in the tropics. The objective of this study was to evaluate alternative products for breaking dormancy in ‘Reubennel’ plum in subtropical regions. The experiment was conducted at a site located at 22°22’S, 43°77’W and 1,173 m altitude, with a Cwa climate type. The following treatments were applied to eight-year-old ‘Reubennel’ plum trees in the 2018 and 2019 production cycles: 1) a negative standard composed of only water (control), a positive standard composed of 2) 1.5% hydrogen cyanamide (HC) (Dormex® commercial product) plus 4.5% mineral oil, 3) Erger G® organomineral fertilizer supplemented with 3% calcium nitrate, 4) 5% potassium nitrate and 5) 0.3% copper sulfate. Two liters of the treatment solutions were applied per plant with a sprayer. The effect of the tested products on vegetative bud percentage and flowering capacity, production cycle reduction and production and quality of ‘Reubennel’ plums was evaluated. It was concluded that the chemicals used to break dormancy affected only the phenology of plum trees in this subtropical region and that the application of copper sulfate can be used to break dormancy in these trees.
A review of the Stelidium group of Stelis Panzer, 1806 (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) with two new species from western North America
Authors: SHEFFIELD CORY S.
Published: January 2024

The Stelidium group is readily distinguished from all other members of the subgenus Stelis Panzer, 1806 by the combination of small body size (≤ 6 mm), pale maculations on the head adjacent to the inner margins of the compound eyes and laterally on the vertex in both sexes, and females with sternum 6 extended beyond tergum 6, the former with the dorsal lip trowel-shaped with the apex broadly rounded or subtruncate to more narrowly pointed. This monophyletic clade, which is endemic to North America, currently consists of members previously placed into two species groups: the permaculata group containing S. anasazi Parker & Griswold, 2013, S. ashmeadiellae Timberlake, 1941, S. permaculata Cockerell, 1898, and S. robertsoni Timberlake, 1941, and the palmarum group containing S. broemelingi Parker & Griswold, 2013, S. elongativentris Parker, 1987, and S. palmarum Timberlake, 1941; two additional species, S. herberti (Cockerell, 1916) from Mexico, and S. nyssonoides (Brues, 1903) from Texas, United States, have not been definitively placed in either species group. Two new species are herein described, one from southcentral British Columbia, Canada, the other from New Mexico, United States. A preliminary molecular phylogeny places both new species in the permaculata species group. In addition, S. herberti is also placed within the permaculata species group based on morphological similarity, sharing the multi-spotted maculation pattern on the terga. Based on molecular affinity, S. broemelingi also belongs to the permaculata species group. Because no type specimen for S. nyssonoides is seemingly available for examination, it is hereby considered nomen dubium until the specimen is found and its taxonomic status clarified in relation to the more recently described species in the permaculata species group. A key to females and diagnoses are provided for all known taxa.
Review of the Costa Rican Saltagenes Diller, 1995 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ichneumoninae: Phaeogenini) with descriptions of seven new species
Authors: CLARIDGE BRANDON
Published: January 2024

The parasitoid wasp genus Saltagenes Diller, 1995 is known only from the original description of a single species from Argentina. However, undescribed Saltagenes species occur throughout the Neotropical region and into the southern Nearctic. Here, I review the Saltagenes species of Costa Rica and describe seven new species: Saltagenes alboannulatus sp. nov., S. atrosomus sp. nov., S. escazuensis sp. nov., S. gauldi sp. nov., S. modicum sp. nov., S. pseudatrosomus sp. nov., and S. rotundiceps sp. nov. The generic diagnosis is revised to account for hitherto unknown morphological diversity of Saltagenes. An illustrated key and specimen images are provided to aid in identification. Saltagenes is now represented by eight described species though more than double that figure remain undescribed from outside of Costa Rica. More broadly, this study highlights the paucity of our knowledge of Costa Rican Ichneumoninae.
Climate Change Contributions to Increasing Compound Flooding Risk in New York City
Authors: Sarhadi Ali , Rousseau-Rizzi Raphaël , Mandli Kyle , Neal Jeffrey , Wiper Michael P. , Feldmann Monika , Emanuel Kerry
Published: January 2024

Efforts to meaningfully quantify the changes in coastal compound surge- and rainfall-driven flooding hazard associated with tropical cyclones (TCs) and extratropical cyclones (ETCs) in a warming climate have increased in recent years. Despite substantial progress, however, obtaining actionable details such as the spatially and temporally varying distribution and proximal causes of changing flooding hazard in cities remains a persistent challenge. Here, for the first time, physics-based hydrodynamic flood models driven by rainfall and storm surge simultaneously are used to estimate the magnitude and frequency of compound flooding events. We apply this to the particular case of New York City. We find that sea level rise (SLR) alone will increase the TC and ETC compound flooding hazard more significantly than changes in storm climatology as the climate warms. We also project that the probability of destructive Sandy-like compound flooding will increase by up to 5 times by the end of the century. Our results have strong implications for climate change adaptation in coastal communities.
Empirical Verification of Satellite Data on Solar Radiation and Cloud Cover over the Baltic Sea
Authors: Paszkuta Marcin , Markowski Maciej , Krężel Adam
Published: January 2024

Empirical verification of the reliability of estimating the amount of solar radiation entering the sea surface is a challenging topic due to the quantity and quality of data. The collected measurements of total and diffuse radiation from the Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MRF-7) commercial device over the Baltic Sea were compared with the satellite results of using modeling data. The obtained results, also divided into individual spectral bands, were analyzed for usefulness in satellite cloud and aerosol detection. The article presents a new approach to assessing radiation and cloud cover based on the use of models supported by satellite data. Measurement uncertainties were estimated for the obtained results. To reduce uncertainty, the results were averaged to the time constant of the device, day, and month. The effectiveness of the method was determined by comparison against the SM Hel measurement point. The empirical results obtained confirm the effectiveness of using satellite methods for estimating radiation along with cloud-cover detection over the sea with the adopted uncertainty values.

Significance Statement

The difference in the amount of solar energy reaching the sea surface between cloudless and cloudy areas reaches tens of percent. Empirical results confirm the effectiveness of using satellite methods to estimate solar radiation along with cloud-cover detection. Over the sea in comparison to land, the amount of empirical data is limited. This research uses new empirical results of radiation to determine the accuracy of satellite estimation results. Experimental results show that the proposed method is effective and adequately parameterizes the detection of satellite image features.
Discriminating Factors that Favor the Development of High-Impact Weather Events in Association with Polar–Subtropical Jet Superpositions
Authors: Reiher Clairisse A. , Winters Andrew C.
Published: January 2024

A vertical superposition of the polar and subtropical jet streams constitutes a unique synoptic-scale environment with the potential to induce high-impact weather, including anomalously strong surface cyclones that are accompanied by heavy precipitation and strong winds. Jet superpositions are not always a sufficient condition for the occurrence of high-impact weather, however, so understanding the dynamical and thermodynamic environments that favor the development of high-impact weather in association with jet superpositions is essential for improving sensible weather forecasts during these events. In this study, we pair a climatology of jet superpositions with climatologies of atmospheric rivers and surface cyclones to determine the frequency with which these features accompany jet superpositions. We subsequently construct two subsets of jet superpositions for further analysis. “High-impact” jet superposition cases are defined as those that feature an atmospheric river and a highly anomalous surface cyclone relative to climatology, which can potentially support extreme near-surface winds and precipitation. In contrast, “null” cases are defined as jet superposition cases that are not associated with a surface cyclone and are therefore less likely to support widespread high-impact weather. Composite analyses are then performed to identify discriminating environmental factors between high-impact and null cases, and how these factors influence jet superposition dynamics. We find that stronger environmental baroclinicity and a sufficient moisture supply within the near-jet environment are common characteristics of high-impact cases. These characteristics subsequently support the development of a more vigorous ageostrophic transverse circulation beneath the superposed jet’s exit region during high-impact cases and more intense surface cyclogenesis.

Significance Statement

A jet superposition event occurs when the normally separate polar and subtropical jets combine to form a single jet. This study aims to understand what factors differentiate jet superposition events that coincide with strong winds and heavy precipitation, or “high-impact weather,” from those that are less likely to coincide with such weather conditions. We identified several important environmental characteristics that tend to precede jet superposition events with a large potential to induce high-impact weather, including increased moisture and a strengthened pole-to-equator temperature gradient. These results provide indicators forecasters may consider when predicting the impacts of a jet superposition event.
A Diagnostic Study on a Southward Southwest Vortex Track Forecasted by CMA-GFS: The Role of Initial Field
Authors: Wang Lei , Chen Qiying , Jiang Ning , Hu Jianglin , Xu Guoqiang
Published: January 2024

It is known that the southwest vortex (SWV) is an important weather system that may induce severe weather. The southward deviation of an SWV track forecasted by the Global Assimilation and Prediction System of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA-GFS) is systematically diagnosed in this study. The southward shift of the SWV is directly attributed to the deviation of the steering flow caused by the weak forecast of the upper-level trough. According to the diagnosis of potential tendency, the underestimation of the initial vorticity advection forecasted by CMA-GFS dominates the weak development of the upper-level trough. The underestimation of the vorticity advection is eventually sourced to the weak geostrophic wind caused by the weak initial meridional and zonal gradients of the midlevel height in front of the trough. The assimilation process on the initial field of the CMA-GFS acts a negative effect on forecasting this SWV track. It weakens the π field at midmodel level, resulting in the weak midlevel height gradient in front of the trough. A verified numerical experiment initialized by a more reasonable field is carried out and the southward shift of the SWV is obviously modified. This study suggests that a reasonable analysis field is crucial for the accurate forecast of the SWV track.

Significance Statement

The important impact of initial field deviation in key regions on the forecast in the late period is highlighted. A systematic diagnosis process for identifying and addressing forecast issues on SWV track is proposed. This research provides a comprehensive approach for diagnosing the forecast deviation associated with SWV track.
Early Implementation of Robotic Training in Surgical and Surgical Subspecialty Residency
Authors: Newland John J. , Sundel Margaret H. , Blackburn Kyle W. , Cairns Cassandra A. , Cooper Laura E. , Stewart Shelby J. , Roque Dana M. , Siddiqui Mohummad Minhaj , Brown Rebecca F.
Published: January 2024

Background

Robotic surgery has emerged as an operative tool for many elective and urgent surgical procedures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate early surgical trainees’ experiences and opinions of robotic surgery.

Methods

An introductory robotic training course consisting of online da Vinci Xi/X training and in-person, hands on training was implemented for residents and medical students across surgical subspecialties at a single institution. A voluntary survey evaluating perceptions of and interest in robotic surgery and prior robotic surgery experience, as well as a basics of robotics quiz, was distributed to participants prior to the start of the in-person session. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the cohort.

Results

85 trainees participated in the course between 2020 and 2023, including 58 first- and second-year surgical residents (general surgery, urology, OB/GYN, and thoracic surgery) and 27 fourth-year medical students. 9.4% of participants reported any formal robotic surgery training prior to the session, with only 19% of participants reporting robotic operative experience. 52% of the participants knew of and/or had completed the da Vinci online course modules prior to the scheduled training session. Participants unanimously (100%) agreed that robotic surgery should be implemented into surgical training.

Conclusions

There is rising enthusiasm for robotic surgery, yet early exposure and training remain infrequent and inconsistent amongst medical students and new surgical residents. A standardized introduction of multi-disciplinary robotic surgery training should be incorporated into medical school and/or early residency education to ensure surgical residents receive appropriate exposure and training to achieve competency.
Perceived barriers and facilitators of childcare providers’ physical activity: A mixed-methods study
Authors: Chaudhary Priyanka , Rech John P , Kumar Gaurav , Dinkel Danae
Published: January 2024

Background:

Childcare providers’ work demands have been associated with high rates of stress and health conditions. Physical activity (PA) may help to alleviate some of these issues, yet few studies have explored this topic. The purpose of the study was to assess childcare providers’ PA levels and to explore their perceived barriers and facilitators to PA.

Methods:

This was a mixed-methods concurrent triangulation study with childcare providers ( n = 27) from both family childcare homes and childcare centres from urban ( n = 14) and rural ( n = 13) areas. Accelerometers and the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) measured the amount of PA (leisure, transport-related, occupational), and a semi-structured interview explored barriers and facilitators to PA. Descriptive statistics were calculated for PA data. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis.

Results:

For accelerometer data, on average per day, childcare providers accumulated 199.5 ± 62.5 minutes of light activity, 125.9 ± 68.1 minutes of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) and 666.3 ± 23.7 minutes of sedentary time. For GPAQ data, childcare providers reported 114.5 ± 48.4 minutes/day of MVPA and 295.6 ± 141.4 minutes/day of sedentary time. Common barriers included time constraints and health issues, while common facilitators included knowledge of PA health benefits and family/peer support.

Conclusion:

The study suggests an estimated 92% of childcare providers met the US national PA guidelines of 150 minutes of MVPA per week. However, they exhibited prolonged periods of sedentary behaviour (~11 hours). Programmes and interventions could address barriers to PA such as providing short movement breaks to decrease sedentary time and improve childcare providers’ health.
Death Anxiety is Associated With Less Health Behavior for Individuals Low in Action Orientation
Authors: Busch Holger , Knudsen Hanna
Published: January 2024

Research has shown that death anxiety relates to less health behavior. The present study proposes that action orientation moderates this association. That is, it is hypothesized that death anxiety and health behavior relate negatively only in individuals low in action orientation. German adults ( N = 187; aged 19–86) provided self-reports on health behavior, action orientation, death anxiety, social desirability, and sociodemographics. Analyses yielded a significant moderation effect of action orientation on the link between death anxiety and health behavior over and above significant relationships of action orientation, social desirability, age, and gender, respectively, with health behavior. As hypothesized, a significantly negative association of death anxiety and health behavior was found only given low action orientation but not among high action orientation individuals. This suggests that self-regulation plays a decisive role in whether death anxiety and health behavior relate to each other.
Leveraging Public Health and Public School Partnerships for Local Surveillance of Positive Childhood Experiences
Authors: Spesia Frank , Swigonski Nancy , White Cassy , Fox Mark D. , Enneking Brett
Published: January 2024

Childhood psychosocial experiences can have a lifelong effect on health. These experiences can be measured together as positive and adverse childhood experiences or individually as positive childhood experiences (PCEs) or adverse childhood experiences. Most research on PCEs has focused on how PCEs promote health outcomes. However, limited research has been conducted on the prevalence of PCEs among adolescents in local areas served by public health departments. The St. Joseph County Department of Health developed a study to test the feasibility of surveillance of PCEs through local public health departments and to establish a prevalence for PCE exposure among a population of urban public-school students in Indiana. We conducted a survey in spring 2022 that collected demographic information on students at 2 high schools and 1 middle school and assessed exposure to PCEs. We assessed prevalence of PCEs on a 5-point Likert scale (0 = never, 1 = rarely, 2 = sometimes, 3 = usually, 4 = always). PCE scores were grouped into low (0-2), medium (3-5), and high (6 or 7). The prevalence of individual PCE items ranged from 35.6% to 86.8%. Among 798 respondents, 189 (23.7%) reported low PCE scores, 396 (49.6%) reported medium scores, and 213 (26.7%) reported high scores. This research demonstrates the feasibility of school-based PCE surveillance and establishes a baseline prevalence of PCE exposure among a population of middle and high school students. These methods are applicable to different contexts and can provide both local health departments and school systems with a new tool to address adverse childhood experiences.
The Fraying of the “Ecumenical Consensus” or a New Stage of Liturgical Renewal: A Case Study
Authors: Cones Bryan
Published: January 2024

Feminist, LGBTQIA+, and postcolonial critiques over the past decades have questioned the so-called “ecumenical consensus” in liturgical matters ranging from language about God to lectionaries to liturgical time. These developments have affected liturgical development across churches, with some (most recently, the Presbyterian Church, USA) revising their resources to address these critiques. Others are pursuing a different approach: This article will provide a case study of ongoing liturgical development in The Episcopal Church, which has chosen not to redraft its 1979 Book of Common Prayer but, instead, encourage the development of supplemental resources housed at an official church website governed by its triennial General Convention and church law. The use of such resources will be regulated primarily by local bishops and pastors; already some bishops have authorized the use of different lectionary patterns and, anecdotally, variances in the baptismal formula. This article seeks to uncover the opportunities and the risks of such an approach to liturgical reform in one church, with a view to the effect it may have on that treasured “ecumenical consensus” among the churches.
The Interplay Between Helping Behavior and Absenteeism in Teams: A Longitudinal Examination of Their Reciprocal Relationship in a Public Organization
Authors: Tremblay Michel
Published: January 2024

This study employed a longitudinal model to investigate the reciprocal relationships between interpersonal citizenship behavior (OCB-I) and absenteeism at the team level. The research utilized four waves of data from a sample comprising over 5,000 employees in 168 teams within a large Canadian public organization. Drawing upon the focus theory of normative conduct and the collective identity perspective, our findings indicated that a positive change in OCB-I, which encompasses helping behaviors, led to a subsequent decrease in team absenteeism. In addition, emphasizing the identity perspective and allocation of time perspective, our study demonstrated that increased absenteeism within a given period was associated with a subsequent reduction in team OCB-I.
Selective News Avoidance: Consistency and Temporality
Authors: Andersen Kim , Shehata Adam , Skovsgaard Morten , Strömbäck Jesper
Published: January 2024

Can news avoidance be considered a stable personal “trait,” adhering to a specific group of consistent news avoiders, or is it rather a volatile “state” reflecting temporal variations in audience practices? Based on a five-wave panel survey collected in Sweden during the coronavirus pandemic, we show that selective avoidance of news about the pandemic varies both between persons, representing consistency, and within persons, representing temporality. Drawing on the information utility model, we additionally show that both dimensions are related to audience preferences, specifically news interest, news media trust, and societal concerns. These results illustrate that the practice of selective news avoidance is not restricted to a specific group of people with limited news use but also represents a more fluid audience behavior of adjusting news consumption patterns in response to individual and contextual changes. However, as the correlates of the two dimensions are similar, the results stress the polarizing potential of news avoidance in democracy.
Public and private interests in Han Fei: A statist approach
Authors: Jin Yutang
Published: January 2024

Han Fei was a central figure in Chinese Legalism, which was a leading school of thought in the Warring States period of China, and which left a huge imprint on political culture in imperial China. This article examines the complex duality of public and private interests in Han Fei’s political thought, a crucial aspect of his thinking. I argue that Han Fei adopted a sophisticated statist approach to understanding public and private interests. For Han Fei, public interests are embodied in the state while private ones have dual functions. On the one hand, private interests threaten public ones by inviting corrupt material interests, personal morality, and knowledge, as well as human relationships. On the other hand, self-centered human psychology plays a dialectic role in strengthening the state.
A systematic scoping review of measures of the quality of health and social care for adults in the criminal justice system: Learning for the probation service
Authors: Sirdifield Coral , Parkhouse Thomas , Brooker Charlie
Published: January 2024

We conducted a systematic scoping review to identify quality indicators, guidelines or standards measuring the quality of health or social care for adult criminal justice populations that were relevant to probation practice. Seventeen papers were included, and measures were categorised by how they were developed, which national probation service health and social care strategy objectives they relate to, type of measures, and what is measured. We aimed to identify existing indicators that may support improvements in the health of people on probation and the care that they receive, and to share any insights around developing and introducing such indicators in practice.
Formalizing and evaluating requirements of perception systems for automated vehicles using spatio-temporal perception logic
Authors: Hekmatnejad Mohammad , Hoxha Bardh , Deshmukh Jyotirmoy V. , Yang Yezhou , Fainekos Georgios
Published: January 2024

Automated vehicles (AV) heavily depend on robust perception systems. Current methods for evaluating vision systems focus mainly on frame-by-frame performance. Such evaluation methods appear to be inadequate in assessing the performance of a perception subsystem when used within an AV. In this paper, we present a logic—referred to as Spatio-Temporal Perception Logic (STPL)—which utilizes both spatial and temporal modalities. STPL enables reasoning over perception data using spatial and temporal operators. One major advantage of STPL is that it facilitates basic sanity checks on the functional performance of the perception system, even without ground truth data in some cases. We identify a fragment of STPL which is efficiently monitorable offline in polynomial time. Finally, we present a range of specifications for AV perception systems to highlight the types of requirements that can be expressed and analyzed through offline monitoring with STPL.
Theoretical and experimental investigation of variable contact forces on the rollers of a mecanum wheeled mobile robot
Authors: Tezel Can , Bayar Gokhan
Published: January 2024

The modeling structures of rollers, mecanum wheels, and mecanum wheeled mobile robots presented in the literature use single contact force assumption. This assumption may give good results in a simulation environment; however, it is not strong enough to reflect reality. To make an improvement, a new aspect of mecanum wheel model is proposed in this study. The model takes the variable roller contact forces into account and investigates their effects on the performance of motion of a mecanum wheeled mobile robot. It uses all points on each roller’s curved shape so that the slippage phenomena is also taken into consideration which makes it possible to get less position estimation errors in real-time operations. The modeling structure introduced aims to reflect reality both in simulation and real applications. A simulation environment is developed for this study. To make verification, an experimental setup including a four-mecanum-wheeled mobile robot, its mechanical and electrical hardware and software infrastructures, and a ground-truth system is designed and constructed. A Robot Operating System (ROS) based control system is created and integrated into the experimental system. Different types of reference trajectories including straight-line, square-shaped, Z-shaped, and wave(S)-shaped are used to test the performance of the model proposed in both simulation and experimental studies. The tests are also conducted using the model that involves single contact force assumption to make comparisons. The details of the variable contact forces model proposed, simulation environment developed, experimental setup built, simulation and experimental studies, their results, and comparisons are given in this paper.
Fabrication and evaluation of silver modified micro/nano structured titanium implant
Authors: Huang Chengyi , Wang Haiyan , Yao Lili , Li Li , Lou Weiwei , Yao Litao , Shi Yitian , Li Renren
Published: January 2024

In order to enhance the antibacterial property of titanium implant without inducing obvious cytotoxicity, the combination of Ag nanolayer and micro/nano surface structure was conducted by magnetron sputtering and hot-alkali treatment in this study. A series of specimens (AH-Ti, AH-Ti/Ag0.25, AH-Ti/Ag1, AH-Ti/Ag2, and AH-Ti/Ag5) were prepared with different sputtering durations (0 min, 0.25 min, 1 min, 2 min, 5 min), respectively, all realizing long-term release of Ag+. In vitro experiments indicated that AH-Ti/Ag1 group possessed good cytocompatibility, nice osteogenic ability, and excellent antibacterial efficiency as well. In addition, AH-Ti/Ag0.25 showed good biocompatibility, while the reduction of S.aureus (78.5%) was not enough compared with AH-Ti/Ag1. Although the AH-Ti/Ag2 and AH-Ti/Ag5 group showed superior antibacterial activity, their obvious cytotoxicity caused low ALP and mineralization level. Therefore, the design of suitable Ag nanolayer coating combined with micro/nano surface structure (AH-Ti/Ag1) might be a promising strategy to enhance osteogenic property and maintain excellent antibacterial ability at the same time.
The role of peritoneal dialysis in the treatment of acute kidney injury in neurocritical patients: a retrospective Brazilian study
Authors: Ponce Daniela , Ramírez-Guerrero Gonzalo , Balbi André Luis
Published: January 2024

Background:

Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs frequently in the neurocritical intensive care unit and is associated with greater morbidity and mortality. AKI and its treatment, including acute kidney replacement therapy, can expose patients to a secondary greater brain injury. This study aimed to explore the role of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in neurocritical AKI patients in relation to metabolic and fluid control, complications related to PD and outcome.

Methods:

Neurocritical AKI patients were treated by PD (prescribed Kt/V = 0.40/session) using a flexible catheter and a cycler and lactate as a buffer.

Results:

A total of 58 patients were included. The mean age was 61.8 ± 13.2 years, 65.5% were in the intensive care unit, 68.5% needed intravenous inotropic agents, 72.4% were on mechanical ventilation, APACHE II was 16 ± 6.67 and the main neurological diagnoses were stroke (25.9%) and intracerebral haemorrhage (31%). Ischaemic acute tubular necrosis (iATN) was the most common cause of AKI (51.7%), followed by nephrotoxic ATN AKI (25.8%). The main dialysis indications were uraemia and hypervolemia. Blood urea and creatinine levels stabilised after four sessions at around 48 ± 11 mg/dL and 2.9 ± 0.4 mg/dL, respectively. Negative fluid balance and ultrafiltration increased progressively and stabilised around 2.1 ± 0.4 L /day. Weekly delivered Kt/V was 2.6 ± 0.31. The median number of high-volume PD sessions was 6 (4–10). Peritonitis and mechanical complications were not frequent (8.6% and 10.3%, respectively). Mortality rate was 58.6%. Logistic regression identified as factors associated with death in neurocritical AKI patients: age (odds ratio (OR) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09–2.16, p = 0.001), nephrotoxic AKI (OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.69– 0.95, p = 0.03), mechanical ventilation (OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.17–2.46, p = 0.01), intracerebral haemorrhage as main neurological diagnoses (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.09–2.11, p = 0.03) and negative fluid balance after two PD sessions (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.74–0.97, p = 0.009).

Conclusion:

Our study suggests that careful prescription may contribute to providing adequate treatment for most neurocritical AKI patients without contraindications for PD use, allowing adequate metabolic and fluid control, with no increase in the number of infectious, mechanical and metabolic complications. Mechanical ventilation, positive fluid balance and intracerebral haemorrhage were factors associated with mortality, while patients with nephrotoxic AKI had lower odds of mortality compared to those with septic and ischaemic AKI. Further studies are needed to investigate better the role of PD in neurocritical patients with AKI.
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in children receiving peritoneal dialysis: A tertiary centre long-term experience and literature review
Authors: Fati Federica , Pulvirenti Rebecca , Longo Germana , Antoniello Luca Maria , Zambaiti Elisa , Gamba Piergiorgio
Published: January 2024

Background:

Children with severe chronic kidney disease receiving maintenance peritoneal dialysis (PD) are often malnourished and may require nutritional supplementation. Recent PD guidelines address laparoscopic and open surgical gastrostomy as safe approaches in children established on PD, while existing evidence on percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is still lacking; as well as the role of perioperative antibiotic and antifungal prophylaxis. Hence, this study aimed to report our experience with PEG placement in patients on PD and compare it with the available literature.

Methods:

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records from patients on PD, who underwent PEG placement at a tertiary referral centre between 2000 and 2020. Data on perioperative management, complications and outcomes were retrieved. An extensive literature search was performed; studies describing PEG placement and perioperative prophylaxis in patients on PD were used as a comparison. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted.

Results:

Seven patients (five males) were included. Perioperative antibiotic and antifungal prophylaxis were standard practice. At a median follow-up of 27 months (10–75), the peritonitis rate was 0.2 patient/years. No statistical significance was found between the peritonitis rate before and after PEG placement ( p = 0.2). Patients’ demographics and postoperative complications were comparable to the reported studies.

Conclusions:

Based on our experience, our technique of PEG insertion with antimicrobial prophylaxis is feasible and associated with an acceptable complication risk in patients on PD. Further multicentric studies about surgical technique in patients on PD will be necessary to verify the feasibility of PEG and standardise the perioperative protocol.
Development of combined simulation device for vehicle lateral acceleration and yaw
Authors: Sun Fuwei , Li Kunkun , Chen Guoqiang , Guo Desui , Kang Jincan , Ren Chaorui
Published: January 2024

When driving, the handling stability and active safety of the vehicle are influenced by the Electronic Stability Program (ESP). The ESP electrical performance test is crucial to the research and development of the whole vehicle. Considering the available space and the safety of the road test, today, the static electrical performance test can only be carried out for the ESP, and the dynamic electrical performance test method is lacked. During driving, the vehicle generated lateral acceleration and yaw angle can activate the ESP, however it is difficult to collect these dynamic signals. Therefore, a combined simulation device for lateral acceleration and yaw is designed in the study. The lateral acceleration is calculated by controlling the motor rotation speed of based on the principle of centrifugal acceleration in circular motion. The yaw angle is obtained by adjusting the motor rotation position. Integrated signal combines two simulation principles to simulate two physical signals at the same time. The practical application in the testing field, it is necessary to reasonably design the combined simulation device structure. The device mainly consists of a power device, a transmission mechanism, an actuator, an angle generator and a signal transmission unit. In the process of study, stress analysis is carried out on key components, and the fatigue strength is checked based on the third strength theory. Then the finite element analysis method is applied to verify the component. Finally, the feasibility of the combined simulation device is verified. In the paper, the simulation device can collect the physical signals of various working conditions, which it transmits the signals to the ESP in real time and the vehicle responds according to the signals. The developed device has extremely important practical value for the vehicle electrical performance test.
Refuting Naïve Realism: Exploding the Myth of the Immaculate Perception and the Implications for Design and Practice
Authors: Hancock P.A.
Published: January 2024

This paper discusses the fallacies involved in naive realism.
Existence of time-dependent attractor of wave equation in locally uniform space
Authors: Luo Xudong , Ma Qiaozhen
Published: January 2024

In this article, we study non-autonomous dynamical behavior of weakly damped wave equation in unbounded domain. First of all, we introduce the time-dependent locally uniform space. After that, the pullback asymptotical compactness is proved by applying the contractive function method. Eventually, we obtain the existence of [Formula: see text]-time-dependent attractor of wave equation.
Examining the associations among knowledge, empowerment, and advocacy among parents of transition-aged youth with autism
Authors: Li Chak , Cheung W. Catherine , Burke Meghan M , Taylor Julie Lounds , DaWalt Leann S
Published: January 2024

Parents of individuals with autism face many challenges in accessing appropriate services and supports for their offspring. Parents also play vital roles in advocating for their offspring’s rights and needs. Furthermore, despite advocacy programs becoming increasingly common, it remains unclear how to best foster advocacy among parents of individuals with autism. To this end, we examined the associations among knowledge, empowerment, and three types of advocacy activities (i.e. individual, peer, and systemic) among 185 parents of transition-aged youth with autism using structural equation modeling. Results show that empowerment has a greater impact on advocacy than knowledge. Significant direct and indirect effects of individual advocacy activities on peer advocacy activities, and peer advocacy activities on systemic advocacy activities were also confirmed. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Lay abstract

Parents of individuals with autism face many challenges in finding appropriate services and support for their children, and they also play an important role in advocating for their children’s rights and needs. Despite the increasing availability of advocacy programs, it is still uncertain how to best encourage parents to advocate for their children. This study explored the connection between parents’ knowledge and sense of empowerment, and how these factors relate to three types of advocacy activities (i.e. individual, peer, and systemic). The findings reveal that feeling empowered has a greater impact on advocacy than simply having knowledge. In addition, the study found that individual advocacy correlates to more peer advocacy, which also correlates to more systemic advocacy. These results can help researchers and professionals to better develop programs to increase parent advocacy and, in turn, help improve the lives of individuals with autism.
In-situ measurements of temperature and strain fields of large-diameter concrete-filled steel tube columns and the refined finite element modeling
Authors: Liu Xiaofan , Wang Zhangxuan , Bai Bin , Wang Tao , Tong Teng , Li Xiaobo
Published: January 2024

Concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns are prevalent in transmission towers and arch bridges due to their cost-effectiveness and superior mechanical performance. The growing megastructures lead to large-diameter CFST components, which are exposed to the risk of early-age thermal concrete cracking. In this study, temperature and strain fields of two 2.1 m-dia. CFST columns were monitored in-situ. Within 30 h, the peak temperature and tensile strain at the centroid reached 97.0°C and 400 με, respectively. Meanwhile, temperature fields of eight scaled CFST columns were also monitored and compared. In addition, ultrasonic pulse velocity test was performed to detect the early-age thermal cracking. To predict the temperature and strain evolutions accurately, a refined numerical model is proposed, considering coupled mechanical, hydration and thermal processes. It is revealed that the model could accurately predict the temperature and strain evolutions of CFST columns. Furthermore, experiments and numerical simulations illustrate that thermal cracking would likely be triggered in CFST components with diameter greater than 1.2 m.
Oral Health Nursing Education and Practice Program: Ten-Year Outcomes
Authors: Haber Judith , Cipollina Jessamin
Published: January 2024

The Oral Health Nursing Education and Practice Program (OHNEP), a core partner of the National Interprofessional Initiative on Oral Health, is a national initiative focused on implementing an interprofessional oral health workforce innovation to influence change in clinical education, practice, and policy. OHNEP aims to address oral health disparities by enhancing the nursing profession's role in integrating oral health and its links to overall health in both academic and clinical settings. Leveraging the opportunity to cultivate faculty, preceptors, and clinicians as oral health champions, OHNEP aims to integrate interprofessional oral health clinical content and competencies in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs through faculty and preceptor development, curriculum integration, and establishing oral health as a standard of care in clinical settings. Outcomes include widespread dissemination of OHNEP virtual products and resources used by a significant number of undergraduate and graduate programs nationwide. OHNEP has a notable impact on policy related to integrating oral health and its links to overall health in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs, thereby increasing interprofessional oral health workforce capacity and aiming to improve oral health equity.
Hydrodynamic control of silicone elastomers on between porous media
Authors: Ma Zhengyuan , Chen Ruoyang , Qu Yixiao , Kong Yuan , Hu Kami , Zhou Qin , Xu Siye , Yan Ziyue , Yang Yunchu , He Hui
Published: January 2024

Silicone elastomers, for example, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), have been widely used as cross-linkers for fabrication of flexible strain sensors. They not only lend strong adhesion to adjacent materials, for example, porous fabrics, but also tune their elastic property. Silicone elastomer precursors, which are typical non-Newtonian fluids, can easily penetrate into porous fabrics, driven by the capillary effects of fibers. Unfortunately, such a penetration has negative effects on both adhesion strength and elastic property of PDMS, thus limiting their applications. Here we report a facile method for preparing uniform silicone elastomer films, that is, PDMS, on between porous media via controlling the hydrodynamics of elastomer precursors. Our experiments show that the hydrodynamics of elastomer precursors can be easily controlled by modulating the pre-curing time of PDMS precursors to prevent them from penetration into porous media but keep their high adhesion. Based on this hydrodynamic modulation of PDMS precursors, we firmly adhere conductive silver nanowires (AgNWs) onto knitted fabrics, and further combine composites with common clothing from the point of view of ergonomics, showing the possibility of applying such a modulation to the fabrication of wearable strain sensors. Our findings not only present an understanding of liquid transport in porous media, but also provide a novel method of controlling the hydrodynamics of elastomer precursors in porous media for achieving the effective wearable sensors.
Non-Religious Identity Salience for Candidate Choice
Authors: Kiesel Spencer
Published: January 2024

Religion is on the decline in the United States. Americans increasingly report low religiosity, have less attachment to religion, and a rapidly growing number identify as nonreligious. In Congress, the story is different. While a quarter of the public identifies as nonreligious, only one member of Congress does. Why are the nonreligious vastly underrepresented in government? I use a conjoint candidate choice experiment to causally link religious voters’ bias against nonreligious candidates to reduced support for them in electoral settings. I demonstrate that bias against the nonreligious affects electoral decisions and is causally linked to the exclusion of the nonreligious from government. Furthermore, I show that nonreligious voters only exhibit in-group support for candidates who explicitly identify as Atheists, not agnostic or candidates that merely lack a religious identity.