bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
L’économie Procédurale
Authors: Mekki Soraya Amrani
Published: November 2024

Procedural economy is invoked to justify the procedural policy of remodelling the contours of civil procedure in view of budgetary constraints. However, procedural economy is not just a means to deal with a problem; it is a means to pursue one particular goal: the public good. The present contribution attempts to investigate the public policies put in place in the name of procedural economy, policies that must help to administer justice and to manage proceedings in a way that avoids government by meaningless numbers and is attentive to the guarantees of an equitable process. The contribution thus looks at the methods used to justify economic policies
Analyse Comparative / Comparative Perspectives
Authors: Hodges Christopher
Published: November 2024

The 2009 Chinese Tort Liability Law introduced a specific chapter dedicated to the civil liability occurring in cases of environmental pollution. One of the main novelties of this law is represented by Article 66, which provides the fundamental rule on the reverse burden of proof of causation, according to which the polluter shall assume the burden of demonstrating that it should not be liable or its liability might be mitigated in certain circumstances. However, the implementation of this rule has met several difficulties, given the fact that Chinese courts are still reluctant to apply the reverse burden of proof and Chinese judges often require the plaintiffs to produce evidence sufficient to demonstrate causation between the pollution and the harm. The paper, therefore, aims firstly to analyse the provision contained in Article 66, underlining as well the influence of other legal systems (specifically the German and the Japanese ones) in the drafting of this article. Secondly, the paper focuses on the difficulties in the application of the rule set out in Article 66 by examining the most significant Chinese case-law on this matter, and the role played by the Supreme People’s Court that has recently addressed this problem by issuing in 2014 a judicial opinion in order to clarify the correct implementation of this fundamental provision.
Negocios Jurídicos Procesales Atípicos en el Nuevo Código Procesal Civil Brasileño
Authors: Didier Fredie
Published: November 2024

This article attempts to examine dogmatically article 190 of the new Brazilian Code of Civil Procedure, which admits the subscription of atypical procedural contracts.
Analyse Comparative / Comparative Perspectives
Authors: Velicogna Marco , Lupo Giampiero , Ontanu Elena Alina
Published: November 2024

Over the years, a number of regulations have been adopted at EU level in an attempt to facilitate and simplify access to justice in cross-border litigation. Despite the various actions undertaken by the European legislator to establish a uniform procedural framework with regard to certain types of cross-border claims, numerous differences continue to exist. The recent efforts to digitalise cross-border procedures through the e-CODEX project in order to allow electronic filing of European uniform procedures claims between Member States have raised awareness of the complexity and the impact of national procedural rules on the application of the European uniform procedures. Empirical data on the service of documents rules applicable in the European Order for Payments claims as well as domestic procedures used for equivalent purposes was collected in 16 EU jurisdictions. This paper investigates the way in which the implementation and coordination between the national service of documents rules and the service standards set by the Regulation impact on the application of the European Order for Payment and, subsequently, on the parties’ access to justice. To conclude, the paper focuses on the possible solutions and actions that could mitigate the difficulties encountered in the present legal framework.
American ‘State of Mind’: Why do Class Actions Keep Failing Outside America?
Authors: Osna Gustavo
Published: November 2024

Although in recent decades a number of countries have tried to establish collective litigation mechanisms, not a single one has developed a mechanism as successful as the one provided for in the US by Federal Rule 23. There are a lot of arguments, based on different perspectives, that could explain this. Nonetheless, the present essay exposes that class actions extraordinariness might be associated with the American pragmatic approach to procedural rights. To demonstrate this point, my matter of investigation, firstly, is the contemporary picture of collective litigation worldwide (explaining its central lines and its most important differences). After that, I connect such differences with the ideological perspective aforementioned, arguing that this is the point where the foreign experiences found their blind side. I conclude that this ideological background, responsible for the US class action effectiveness, is distant from the majority of the continental world, playing a key role to its failure.
Las Acciones Colectivas Y El Enjuiciamiento de Casos Repetitivos: Dos Tipos de Proceso Colectivo en el Derecho Brasileño
Authors: Didier Fredie , Zaneti Hermes
Published: November 2024

This paper aims to present similarities and differences between class actions and aggregation of cases by “enjuiciamiento de casos repetitivos” (judgment of aggregate cases). Therefore, we begin with the premise that both are species of collective process, in order to suggest guidelines to solve problems related to the simultaneous use of both techniques.
Insights of Dynamic Forcing Effects of MJO on ENSO from a Shallow Water Model
Authors: Wang Jinyu , Fang Xianghui , Chen Nan , Mu Mu
Published: November 2024

The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is believed to play a significant role in triggering El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events and affect the dynamics of ENSO. In this study, the dynamic forcing effects of MJO on the equatorial oceanic dynamic fields and the onsets of different types of ENSO events are investigated through sensitive experiments using spatiotemporally filtered forcing based on an anomalous shallow water model. The comparisons between observations and model responses provide meaningful insights into the extent of MJO’s impacts on sea surface dynamics relative to other atmospheric variabilities. The following conclusions are made. First, the MJO-forced perturbations on zonal currents are stronger and more significant than those on sea surface heights. Second, MJO is essential for improving zonal current simulation in the western-central Pacific and generating activity centers of zonal currents in the eastern Pacific in the model. Third, MJO tends to contribute to the onset of El Niño events rather than La Niña events. Strong intraseasonal oceanic Kelvin waves forced by MJO are confirmed in simulations during the onset stages of the 1997/98 and 2004/05 events. The 120-day running standard deviations of zonal current and sea surface height anomaly series forced by MJO exhibit positive skewness similar to those of the 20–100-day band-passed observational series. Yet, not all the onsets of historical ENSO events are in company with strong MJO-related perturbations. Additionally, the wind stress formula can amplify the responses of zonal current and sea surface height anomalies to synoptic forcings with periods shorter than 20 days through entraining lower-frequency variabilities.

Significance Statement

The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is believed to be able to trigger El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events and influence our understanding of the fundamental nature of ENSO. In this study, spatiotemporally filtered forcing experiments are implemented on an anomalous shallow water model. The results show that MJO is more important for improving the simulation of surface zonal currents rather than the sea surface heights and tends to contribute to the onset of El Niño events rather than La Niña events through triggering strong intraseasonal oceanic Kelvin waves.
Coping in the classroom: A study of Professional Quality of Life (ProQoL) in Australian teachers
Authors: Patrick Pamela Marie , Bensley Elizabeth
Published: November 2024

Research has shown that teachers are at increased risk for compassion fatigue and low career satisfaction. Compassion fatigue may occur as a result of repeated exposure to traumatic experiences of someone in their care. Utilising a sample of 334 Australian teachers, the present study examined the impact of coping styles on compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. Regression analyses revealed that avoidant coping strategies were significant predictors of compassion fatigue. Conversely, teachers who utilised problem-focused coping strategies reported lower levels of compassion fatigue and higher levels of compassion satisfaction than teachers who used other types of coping strategies. These results serve to inform future supports and strategies to promote teacher wellbeing and satisfaction.
Therapeutic-Use-of-Self as Relational Pedagogy in Occupational Therapy Education: A Qualitative Description Study
Authors: Lee Bunting Katie , Meyer Becky , Janzen Katie , Lieberman Gaby , Willick Kaitlyn , Davis Jane A.
Published: November 2024

Background.

Amid growing calls for relational teaching approaches in higher education to improve student learning outcomes and student and educator well-being, a need remains for effective relational pedagogies. Therapeutic-use-of-self (TUS) is an occupational therapy skill that centers the client–occupational therapist relationship, yet there is a dearth of research exploring its application as a pedagogy. This presents an opportunity for a widely used occupational therapy skill, TUS, to be adapted as a much-needed relational pedagogy. Objective. We explored the experience of TUS as a relational pedagogy in occupational therapy education from educator and student perspectives. Method. This qualitative description study borrowed from the evocative methodology of collaborative autoethnography. We, six researcher–participants, across two Canadian entry-to-practice occupational therapy programs, engaged in five discussions exploring the relationship between participant stories and contexts. Reflective memoing and reflexive thematic analysis were applied for analysis. Findings. Four themes were described: (a) education as transaction, (b) authenticity in learning, (c) experiencing TUS, and (d) relationship as resistance. Conclusion. With an emphasis on authenticity, empathy, power equity, and critical reflexivity, TUS challenges status quo approaches to education. Although neoliberalism challenges the feasibility of relational pedagogy in higher education, TUS holds promise as a relational and critical pedagogy.
Relations between reflexivity and institutional work: A case study in a public organisation
Authors: Tuominen Tiina
Published: November 2024

Reflexivity is often considered a prerequisite for institutional work. However, the relationship between reflexivity and institutional work has rarely been examined rigorously in empirical research, and there is a lack of consensus on when and how reflexivity motivates such efforts. This study aims to address this gap by reviewing existing operationalisations of reflexivity and exploring how different forms of reflexivity impacted employees’ engagement in institutional work in a public organisation undergoing institutional change. The empirical results revealed seven distinct patterns of reflexivity and institutional work, indicating that variations across three dimensions of reflexive evaluation – scope, openness and relationality – contributed to decisions about whether and how to engage in institutional work. The results also demonstrated that reflexivity is profoundly grounded in individuals’ concerns and shaped by their work and professional histories. These findings suggest that researchers and practitioners must develop a deeper understanding of the multidimensional nature of reflexivity in order to foster meaningful employee contributions to institutional processes.
Heated Environment, Armed People: Between “Climate Change Conflict” and “Fragility Conflict” in the Sahel
Authors: Akinyetun Tope Shola , Fatai-Abatan Abiodun , Ogunbodede Nife
Published: November 2024

The Sahel is a classic example of a region inundated by climate change and conflicts. The region is an ecological hotspot that is on the brink of collapse, as countries in the area are trapped in a vicious cycle of conflict, resource scarcity, and environmental threats, which increase the chances of political instability and civil unrest. Noting that there is a divergent scholarly viewpoint on the relationship between climate change and conflict, this study evaluates the climate change-conflict thesis vis-à-vis the fragility-conflict thesis. It argues that armed conflicts in the Sahel are not exclusively attributable to climate change; rather, other conventional drivers exacerbate the impact of climate change on conflicts. These conventional drivers, framed as fragility indices, play a more significant role in conflict escalation in the Sahel. To this end, this study provides a holistic perspective on conflict dynamics and underscores the intricate interplay between fragility and conflict proliferation. This study adopts a qualitative approach and analyzes secondary data, particularly journal articles, reports, briefs, and developmental indices. The findings show that conditions symptomatic of a fragile state increase the incidence and proliferation of armed conflict in the region. Thus, conflict in the Sahel is a product of amplified pre-existing socioeconomic vulnerabilities and governance challenges.
An innovative approach for health and safety training and occupational health program annual enrollment for laboratory animal care and use personnel
Authors: Patlovich Scott J , Emery Robert J , King Kristin G , Becker Zackary B , Kairis Rebecca B , Robinson Mary A , Harrison Joy M , Delclos George , Perkison William B
Published: November 2024

Animal care and use personnel in research laboratory facilities are inherently exposed to a variety of workplace hazards. The health and safety of the workforce working directly with or around research animals is of paramount importance, and as such, an occupational health and safety program for at-risk staff is essential. In order to maximize participation in and the effectiveness of health and safety training and occupational health program enrollment for animal care and use personnel at an academic health sciences university, an innovative annual “health fair” was developed and implemented at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. This event allows personnel working in positions that present exposure risk to research animals to be able to obtain hazard-specific health and safety training, re-enroll in the occupational health oversight program and update their medical history, and participate in the institution’s other safety programs as required by job title or assigned job tasks. By providing a comprehensive health fair that offers convenient access to the necessary safety training and occupational health services in one location during a designated period of time, management and staff are incentivized to participate and have reported satisfaction with and appreciation of the convenient access. Summarized here is how we plan, organize, and effectively execute the annual health fair so that other institutions who might wish to use this strategy can learn from our approach.
Extended oxygen supplementation after thoracotomy in rats may improve welfare
Authors: Few Bryony , Dugdale Alex
Published: November 2024

A retrospective comparison of welfare indicators in male rats undergoing thoracotomy for intrapleural dosing is presented. The initial cohort ( n = 7) breathed room air after recovery from anaesthesia, while later cohorts ( n = 12) had oxygen supplementation for up to 48 h post-surgery. Rats breathing room air sustained a statistically significant average body-weight loss of −1.62% (±1.7%) 2 days after surgery, compared with rats given oxygen supplementation, which maintained a mean weight gain of 0.87% (±1.75%) ( p = 0.009). Oxygen-supplemented rats also had lower pain scores on the evening after surgery (median 0.075 [range 0–1.75] vs. median 1.5 [range 0.5–2]). This difference was not statistically significant ( p = 0.063) but may be of clinical significance. All rats displayed transient sedation after post-operative opioid administration on the day of surgery, and hypoxaemia (SpO2 <90%) was observed in rats maintained on room air. Use of an oxygen concentrator to provide post-operative extended oxygen supplementation was easy to implement and may improve animal welfare post-thoracotomy.
Civilian Casualty Management in World War II: A Case Study of Plymouth’s Halwell Street Mortuary
Authors: McLaughlin Michael C.
Published: November 2024

On the eve of the Second World War, Britain prepared for the likelihood of civilian mass casualty events by directing Local Authorities to requisition property for mortuaries and to staff these facilities. In Plymouth, a lumber yard on Halwell Street served as the city’s principal wartime mortuary. The scale of the German Luftwaffe’s aerial assault in the spring of 1941 presented challenges. Plymouth’s largest civilian mass casualty incident occurred at Portland Square on 23 April. Although Plymouth followed Ministry of Health guidance in preparing for treating civilian war dead, the intensity of the German campaign overwhelmed those plans and compelled officials to adapt. As part of its oversight, Plymouth also had to facilitate the burial of air raid victims. This paper presents a local case study concerning the treatment of civilian war dead to explore the role mortuaries played in the management of large-scale civilian fatalities on the British home front.
“Every Day I was Crying about Something”: Lingering Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on People Working in Juvenile Prisons
Authors: Thompson Kelli R. , Fix Rebecca L. , Doan Brandon K.
Published: November 2024

Staff working in prison settings experience high rates of job-related stress which was amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty staff members from a juvenile prison were interviewed to determine the unique mental health symptoms and stressors several years after initial shutdown procedures. Anxiety, PTSD symptoms, and sleep disturbances were reported; sometimes resulting in staff avoiding interactions with youth. Some positive aspects were noted, but overall, results indicated a continued need for mental health support and policy changes for staff. As noted by one participant, “If you don’t have the direct care staff, you don’t have a facility.”
Moving Beyond the Impasse: Importation, Deprivation, and Difference in Prisons
Authors: Kelly-Corless Laura , McCarthy Helen
Published: November 2024

This theoretical article uses an intersectionality lens to show that, together, the importation and deprivation models can act as an important theoretical tool for understanding the lives of incarcerated people who deviate from the expected population of young, white, able-bodied, hearing males. We use examples from the lives of incarcerated d/Deaf people and incarcerated women to introduce a pain-difference continuum, where the extent to which someone differs from what is ‘expected' in prison correlates with the types of pains/deprivations they experience. We acknowledge the impact of imported oppression and coin the term “imported coping,” where people utilize pre-existing strategies to navigate prison's pains.
Design and static and dynamic analysis of floor vibration isolators for high-speed train
Authors: Wan Shuaishuai , Song Leiming , Hu Xiaojun , Lin Hao , Zhang Hu
Published: November 2024

With the increasing speed of high-speed train, it is more and more difficult to reduce the vibration and noise inside the train. The floor of the train, as a carriage component in direct contact with passengers, is of great significance to improve its vibration and sound isolation performance to ensure the comfort of passengers. In this article, a floor vibration isolator with quasi-zero stiffness is designed based on the dimensional parameters of the traditional floor vibration isolator, and the vibration isolation performance is analyzed by the finite element model of the floor vibration isolator from the static and dynamics aspects, respectively. The load-displacement curves of the floor vibration isolator are obtained through static simulation calculations, and the dynamic analysis of the floor vibration isolator is carried out by simulation methods, which verifies the low-frequency vibration isolation performance of the floor vibration isolator under different working conditions, and the vibration isolator has a good prospect for development.
Submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection for a rectal schwannoma: A rare case
Authors: Hu Chunxiao , Ye Xiaohua
Published: November 2024

Rectal Schwannomas are exceptionally uncommon tumors that arise from the peripheral nerve plexus. These neoplasms are incidentally discovered as submucosal tumor-like lesions during routine colonoscopy in individuals without symptoms. Surgical resection accompanied by biopsy is considered the standard approach for diagnosis and treatment. We describe here the first successful utilization of submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (STER) technique for removal of a rare rectal Schwannoma. A 59-year-old asymptomatic female was found to have a 15 × 12 mm submucosal tumor during colonoscopy. Submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection achieved en bloc resection and pathology confirmed Schwannoma. The patient was discharged uneventfully with no adverse events. This study highlights the efficacy and safety of STER for removing rare rectal Schwannomas.
Association of uremic toxins and systemic inflammation with depression and anxiety among hemodialysis patients in Montenegro
Authors: Babovic Batric , Belada Babovic Natasa , Tomovic Filip , Radovanovic Snezana , Debeljevic Mladen , Djordjevic Jelena , Mihaljevic Olgica
Published: November 2024

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between uremic toxins, inflammation, depression and anxiety among hemodialysis patients in Montenegro.

Method

The cross-sectional study included 88 patients undergoing hemodialysis. Depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed by Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The standard laboratory methods were used to measure uremic toxins and systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein, Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR)).

Results

Clinically significant depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 10) and anxiety (BAI ≥16) were found in 55.7% and 27.2%, respectively. Logistic regression analyses revealed that serum urea, beta 2-microglobulin (B2M), and systemic inflammation (CRP, NLR, PLR) were significantly and independently associated with depressive symptoms, whereas serum urea, creatinine, uric acid, B2M, and systemic inflammation (CRP nad NLR) were associated with anxiety symptoms.

Conclusions

Depressive symptoms and anxiety are common among hemodialysis patients in Montenegro, and are associated with increased levels of systematic inflammation, serum urea, and beta 2-microglobulin.
Who Veridicts Health? Health Professional Discourses on Performance and Image-Enhancing Drugs (PIEDs), Health, and Masculinity
Authors: Nourse Gemma , Moore David , Fraser Suzanne
Published: November 2024

This article explores the ways in which Australian health professionals performatively constitute the relationships between performance and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs), health, and masculinity. It draws on the work of Judith Butler, John Law and Bruno Latour to argue that interviews with health professionals stabilize PIEDs, somewhat paradoxically, as inherently dangerous substances that distort and damage “natural” bodies, and as important medical technologies that can reverse this damage when administered “legitimately.” On the basis of interviews with 20 Australian health professionals who, in the course of their work, encounter men who consume PIEDs, we identify some of the mechanisms through which PIED consumers are excluded from health services, and are sometimes enacted as difficult and deceitful. Rather than taking these as reflecting pre-existing truths about PIED consumers, we show how, when framed within the assumed authority of medical expertise, discourses of “the natural,” health and masculinity produce these realities. Through these entanglements, masculinity is performed as natural to the body, and self-guided, experimental and illicit consumption of drugs constitutes the consumer, his body and his masculinity as unnatural, deceptive, and inauthentic. We conclude by arguing that treating men who consume PIEDs as potential co-experts, acknowledging the uses of PIEDs, and having open discussions could improve health outcomes for this group. Such a move, we propose, might also intervene in the iterative practices that work to regulate so-called “real” and “authentic” masculinities to create more expansive possibilities for men.
The Effectiveness of Online Courses in Building Nemeth Code Within UEB Contexts Skills and Increasing Knowledge of Strategies to Support Prekindergarten Through Eighth-Grade Students in Their Mathematics Learning
Authors: Herzberg Tina S. , Rosenblum L. Penny , McBride C. Rett
Published: November 2024

Introduction

Professional development can assist individuals in learning a variety of new skills and refining their teaching practice. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of asynchronous online courses designed to assist individuals in building their Nemeth Code within Unified English Braille (UEB) Contexts skills and strategies for teaching the code to prekindergarten through eighth-grade students.

Methods

Four teachers of students with visual impairments designed five asynchronous online courses. The courses provided multiple opportunities for participants to actively complete course content as well as learn about strategies and resources for teaching the Nemeth Code within UEB Contexts to children and youths. Each course included an initial survey, pretest, seven self-paced lessons, and posttest. Participants were also invited to complete a follow-up survey.

Results

Between spring 2020 and spring 2023, 452 participants completed between 1 and 5 of the courses for a total of 620 courses completed. Almost all completers ( n = 598) scored higher on the posttest. Of the 227 individuals who completed the follow-up survey, 223 reported that what they learned in the course had positively impacted how they support or will support students who read braille in their math classes.

Discussion

Effective professional development goes beyond learning. When individuals actively consume content and reflect upon their learning, their professional practice is transformed.

Implications for Practitioners

Well-designed asynchronous instructional modules allow professionals to increase their knowledge and skills. Opportunities to practice skills and check one's work, access to instructional videos, and the availability of downloadable slides and resources are helpful to professionals.
Training Future Comrades: Gender Pedagogy and Model Train Sets in the German Democratic Republic
Authors: Bianchini Mario
Published: November 2024

This article investigates how model train sets became a medium for the marketing and development of East German technological utopianism, particularly in order to recruit women into the technical workforce. It begins by contextualizing the role of women in the GDR and their recruitment into engineering. From there, it explores the pedagogical power of East German train sets as well as its cultural impact on children. Finally, this article examines how technological utopianism shaped East German culture and how the model train was only one such effort on the road to the socialist utopia in East Germany.
How do personality traits affect the formation of friendship and preference-for-collaboration networks?
Authors: de Matos Fernandes Carlos A. , Bakker Dieko M. , Flache Andreas , Brouwer Jasperina
Published: November 2024

Intuitively, personality traits may shape friendships differently from academic connections, potentially influencing social support development. Yet, this remains understudied, while it is crucial for student’s wellbeing. Therefore, this study investigates how the personality traits of the Five-Factor Model interact with the role friendships and preferred collaboration relationships. In a sample of 95 university students, socio-centric data were collected with questionnaires on personality traits and longitudinally on networks of friendship and preferences for collaboration networks. Utilizing stochastic actor-oriented models in RSiena, we showed that students more open to new experiences established more friendships, preferred more collaborations with their peers, and were also more popular in both networks than students less open-to-new-experiences. Students scoring higher on agreeableness were less likely to connect to their peers in both networks, whereas higher-achieving students were more likely to establish peer relationships in both networks. Furthermore, friends were preferred for collaboration (and vice versa), indicating an overlap. This study points to the importance of personality traits and achievement when students integrate into their social and academic environment.
Cardiopulmonary bypass of acute type A aortic dissection during pregnancy at the 20th gestational week with maternal and foetal survival: A case report
Authors: Wang Ling , Yi Jie , Qin Fang-Fang , Liu Cai-Xia , Huang Liu
Published: November 2024

Background

Type A acute aortic dissection, an aggressive and highly fatal disease, is particularly common among pregnant women and foetuses. This disease often occurs during the third trimester of pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Case Report

This case involves a female who was 20 weeks pregnant with type A acute aortic dissection. While maintaining pregnancy, the patient underwent Bentall surgery and Sun’s procedure. The duration of circulatory arrest was a brief 4 min. The patient fully recovered 40 days after surgery and remained pregnant post-discharge. At the 38th gestational week, she delivered a healthy male infant via caesarean section.

Clinical Discussion

Gestational morbidity can have a serious impact on the safety of mothers and children. Currently, the shortest time reported for hypothermic circulatory arrest is 5 min. In this case, the lower body circulatory arrest was controlled to approximately 4 min during cardiopulmonary bypass while simultaneously safeguarding both individuals. Ideal strategies for cardiopulmonary bypass to reduce foetal risk include shorter cardiopulmonary bypass times, higher flow rates, and higher perfusion pressures. A reduction in the duration of hypothermic circulatory arrest further increases foetal survival rates.

Conclusions

The development of a rational cardiopulmonary bypass plan should be tailored to the physiological characteristics of the pregnant woman to ensure the safety of both the pregnant woman and the foetus, reduce complications, and improve the success rate of the operation.
Soft sensor model for endpoint carbon content and temperature in BOF steelmaking based on just-in-time learning with multilayer structure preservation and sparse information enhancement
Authors: Su Yunke , Liu Hui , Chen Fugang , Liu Jianxun , Li Heng , Xue Xiaojun
Published: November 2024

Ensuring precise prediction of the endpoint carbon content and temperature is paramount in controlling the endpoint of the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steelmaking process. However, due to the frequent fluctuations in real-time blowing conditions, the conventional just-in-time learning soft sensor approach encounters challenges in effectively anticipating the blowing endpoint. To address these aforementioned issues, this research introduces a novel approach known as the pattern-oriented multilayer structure preservation and sparse information enhancement model (POMLSP-SIE). This approach involves dynamically generating a dataset with the same distribution based on the characteristics of the query sample pattern. It is combined with a multi-pathway dimension reduction model to preserve multi-view spatial geometry information while reducing data dimension. The low-dimensional embedding serves as dictionaries containing various hierarchical structural characteristics. Significant information within these dictionaries is sparsely represented to amplify its influence during the regression prediction process while diminishing the impact of less relevant information. This refinement aims to rectify the problem of static regression models being weak to adapt to changing working conditions, ultimately enhancing prediction performance. The effectiveness of the proposed method is substantiated through an experimental study utilising real converter steelmaking process data, thereby confirming its practical applicability.
In Search of the Unicorn: The Magical, the Imaginary and the Spatio-Temporal Ordering of Knowledge
Authors: Çapan Zeynep Gülşah
Published: November 2024

The article argues that the pre-modern/modern divide has a ‘regulative function’ in the narratives of the international and continues to be central in the reproduction of spatio-temporal hierarchies. The interrogation of spatio-temporal hierarchies in International Relations (IR) has predominalty focused on either searching for new origins or making the ‘non-West’ co-present but has not sufficiently interrogated the fixity of the past of Europe. The article will focus on the narrative of the disenchantment of the world and how it structures what is legitimate knowledge, what is past and what is inside and outside through three illustrative examples of different processes of ordering knowledge that fix the past of Europe. The first example will discuss how the division of alchemy and chemistry occurred, and how alchemy was delegitimized. The second example will focus on how the narrative of the magic as ‘past’ and the present as modern, scientific and rational came to be naturalized through the writing of history. The third example will discuss the search for the unicorn which continued long after the assumed disenchantment of Europe. The aim is to further the discussion how these processes order knowledge in a way that not only fixes the past of Europe but also structures how ‘ Europe’ and the ‘past’ is approached in IR.
Interrupting circulations: the politics of infrastructure in contemporary mobilisations for Palestine
Authors: Corry Sigrid , Rose Charlotte
Published: November 2024

An unprecedented popular mobilisation for Palestine has in recent months engaged with the transnational infrastructures that enable and sustain the settler-colonial occupation and genocidal onslaught in Palestine. A series of mobilisations has taken flows of energy, armaments and capital as their terrain of struggle. Solidarity activists have targeted arms factories, military tankers, coal mines and oil companies in attempts to disrupt the production and circulation of key commodities that make Israel’s settler-colonial occupation possible. The authors argue that attention to the infrastructural politics of these disruptions is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, beyond symbolic actions, resolutions or condemnations, these disruptions take solidarity as a material practice, and offer a diagnostic tool to reveal the transnational, historical and material underpinnings of Israeli settler-colonialism. Second, the authors argue that locating ‘circuits’ of struggle, and centring the histories of indigenous anti-colonial resistance that inform contemporary tactics of intervention and interruption, opens up possibilities for a radical internationalist politics of solidarity, with Palestine at its heart.
Outcomes, unmet needs, and challenges in the management of patients who withdraw from anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Burgalassi Andrea , Romozzi Marina , Vigani Giulia , De Icco Roberto , Raffaelli Bianca , Boccalini Alberto , De Cesaris Francesco , Calabresi Paolo , Geppetti Pierangelo , Chiarugi Alberto , Iannone Luigi Francesco
Published: November 2024

Background

The anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), or its receptor (CGRP/R) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), offer targeted, effective, and tolerated drugs for migraine. However, about 25% of patients fail to achieve a clinically meaningful response, usually leading to discontinuation. These patients often have a lengthy migraine history and multiple prior preventive treatment failures, resulting in limited therapeutic options. Herein, we describe the cause for and outcome of withdrawal of anti-CGRP/R mAb and evaluate the treatment course until discontinuation.

Methods

We conducted a prospective analysis on migraine patients attending the Florence Headache Center in Italy, who discontinued treatment with anti-CGRP/R mAbs. The primary objectives were to describe the reasons for anti-CGRP mAbs discontinuation and the treatment course. Secondary objectives were the evaluation of the absolute change from baseline in monthly headache days, response rates, persistence in medication overuse, absolute change from baseline of the overall number and days of analgesics use per month, change of MIDAS and HIT-6 at three, six, and 12 months, and the last month of treatment.

Results

Among 472 patients, 136 (28.8%) discontinued mAb treatment after an average of 9.0 ± 6.1 (mean ± SD) months. The majority (96/136, 70.6%) discontinued due to ineffectiveness, followed by lost to follow-up during treatment (18/136, 13.1%) and adverse events (10/136, 7.3%). In total, 77.9% of the 136 patients ceased treatment within the first year. Following discontinuation, 48.5% initiated new pharmacological treatment, 39.7% were lost to follow-up, and 11.8% opted not to start another treatment. The majority of patients that started a new pharmacology treatment switched to another anti-CGRP/R (46/68, 67.6%). The second most-used treatment was onabotulinumtoxinA (7/68, 10.2%; all patients in this subgroup were naïve to this treatment), followed by an anticonvulsive medication (7/68, 10.2%). The response status (≥50% reduction in monthly headache days) was achieved by 30.5%, 34.6%, and 40.0% of patients at month 3, 6, and 12 of treatment, respectively. Considering only the comprehensive last month of treatment before withdrawn the percentage of responders was 16.9%.

Conclusion

Although anti-CGRP/R mAbs have provided a substantial amelioration of migraine management, a relevant proportion of patients remains unresponsive and requires additional therapeutic support. Further research is required to identify non-responder features and address unmet needs in migraine treatment.
Solid waste management in Ugandan developing cities: Material flow analysis and sustainable practices for reducing the global warming potential
Authors: Castellani Pietro , Ferronato Navarro , Barbieri Jacopo , Menya Emmanuel , Carnevale Miino Marco , Torretta Vincenzo
Published: November 2024

The introduction of appropriate solid waste management (SWM) strategies can foster the mitigation of waste open dumping and burning in low-income developing cities. In this work, the SWM system in Gulu (Uganda) has been studied, and a material flow analysis, also of informal flows of waste, has been carried out. Moreover, the effectiveness of the SWM system of St. Mary’s Lacor Hospital in Gulu was evaluated. Waste has been characterized and a material flow analysis allowed to highlight the difference with the current situation in the remaining part of Gulu. The sustainable practices already implemented in the hospital compound were studied to be replicated in Gulu to mitigate SWM impact in terms of global warming potential. Inadequate financial resources pose a hurdle for Gulu municipality in managing municipal solid waste (MSW) effectively. The SWM system of the hospital demonstrated both financial and managerial competence, paving the way to promote waste recycling actions acting as a hub for fostering sustainable and health-conscious valourization technologies, while discouraging waste open burning and dumping. This study estimated that the total CO2-eq emissions from open dumping and open burning avoided in 2030–2050, if Gulu would appropriately dispose of MSW by 2030, are equal to about 17,000 metric tonnes per year (t year−1). This work suggests appropriate strategies to mitigate waste open burning in low-middle income countries. The results can be helpful for waste management planners and practitioners providing important information for the use of appropriate technologies in low-middle income developing cities.
“I Hope this Brings Comfort to Others; It's Brought Me Comfort Too”: Ceremony-Based Participatory and Practice Research as Indigenist Feminist Methodology
Authors: Beltrán Ramona , Alvarez Antonia , To My Ngoc , Dunbar Annie Zean , Pacheco Blanca Azucena , Valdovinos Miriam
Published: November 2024

Rooted in Indigenist and critical feminist research principles and traditional Indigenous values and ethics in research, Ceremony-based Participatory and Practice Research (CerBPPR) is an essential approach for conducting research with, by, and for Indigenous communities. In this article, we define CerBPPR through presenting a project centering Indigenous health knowledge and storytelling, detailing the ceremonial protocols and practices interwoven throughout the research process—from design and development through data collection and dissemination. Through an examination of reflections from community members engaged in the project, core principles for research with, by, and for Indigenous peoples are illustrated as they are embodied and embedded within the CerBPPR approach. Findings from oral histories reflecting on the storytelling methods used in the research highlight the ways that community members felt healed, comforted, grateful, inspired, and connected to future generations throughout the project and demonstrate the promise of this approach as both research method and healing practice. In the spirit of feminist disruptions to mainstream research reporting, we use ceremonial prompts, moments of pause, invitations, and offerings to tap into the reader's humanity and embodied experience to approximate the sensory experience of participating in our storytelling/witnessing circle and as illustration of what is possible with CerBPPR.
A Scoping Review of Mathematics Interventions: Moderation Analyses of Initial Mathematics Skills
Authors: Nelson Gena , Kong Eunji , Quinn Sarah , Kosty Derek , Wilke Emily J. , Clarke Ben
Published: November 2024

This scoping review describes mathematics intervention studies that include initial skill moderation analyses. Sixteen studies were included that focused on students with or at risk for mathematics difficulties (MD). The results revealed that mathematics intervention studies with initial skill moderation analyses focused on students in kindergarten through Grade 6 (no studies that met inclusion criteria were located for Grades 7–12). Studies focused more on whole number concepts and fractions than other areas of intervention (e.g., computation, word problem solving). Further, the studies were mostly conducted by two research teams, which potentially limits the generalizability of the findings. Overall, the review serves as a call to action for researchers to address important gaps in initial skill moderation analyses within mathematics intervention studies.
HIV risk perception and PrEP uptake among black MSM in Mississippi
Authors: Teng Fei , Burns Paul , Welsch Michael , Tang Weiming , Walker Benjamin
Published: November 2024

Introduction

Rates for HIV are disproportionately higher for Black men who have sex with men (MSM) compared to other MSM in the U.S. While there is evidence that low perceived risk of HIV infection may increase HIV vulnerability, few studies have examined this relationship among Black MSM in the Southern U.S. where the HIV rates are the highest in the country. This study examined the association between perceived HIV risk and PrEP adoption among Black MSM in a medium-size city in Mississippi.

Methods

Data were drawn from a subsample of the “ACCELERATE!” intervention, an innovative and sustainable community-driven project to improve health outcomes among Black MSM. The outcome of interest was PrEP uptake, a binary variable derived from responses to the question “Have you taken PrEP in the last year?”. The perceived risk of HIV, an independent variable, is measured by self-report of an individual’s assessment of their vulnerability of contracting HIV defined as low versus high risk. Covariates included age and socio-environmental factors (health insurance, incarceration and discrimination) Sample characteristics were provided using means and standard deviations for continuous variables and proportions for categorical variables. Exact logistic regression was used to assess the association between perceived HIV risk and PrEP adoption, adjusting for covariates.

Results

A total of 84 HIV negative Black men with a median age of 30 (min = 18, max = 69) years were available for analyses. Approximately 16% of participants reported experiencing incarceration and 57% reported experiencing discrimination. Seven out of ten respondents reported having low perceived risk, and 28.6% (24/84) reported having high perceived risk for HIV. There were 73 participants (86.9%) who reported PrEP use in the last year. We observed a higher proportion of participants with high perceived risk that reported lower uptake of PrEP. After adjusting for age, socioeconomic variables, and risky sexual behaviors, higher levels of perceived risk of HIV were associated with decreased odds of PrEP uptake (OR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.04–0.94, p = 0.040).

Conclusion

The role of HIV risk perception on PrEP adoption is complex among Black MSM in Mississippi. Higher levels of perceived risk of HIV were associated with lower odds of PrEP adoption among Black MSM. This inverse relationship between HIV risk perception and PrEP adoption suggests social- and structural- factors play a critical role in decision-making on PrEP initiation among Black MSM in Jackson. In addition, further longitudinal studies are needed to understand the complex interactions between perceived risk and PrEP use.
Therapeutic drug monitoring of tenofovir disoproxil and emtricitabine in oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) users who have undergone gastrointestinal surgery
Authors: Ismail Muhammad Azam , Tittle Victoria , Jones Rachael , Loftus Hannah , Girometti Nicolo , Dosekun Olamide , Stegmann Katrina , Pool Erica , Tariq Shema , Nakamura Anna , Tyler Stephanie , Coleman Harry , Teh Yee Suh , Boffito Marta
Published: November 2024

Objectives

Oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective in preventing HIV, but its efficacy depends on adequate absorption of drug, which may decrease following gastrointestinal surgery.

Methods

Clinicians across eight Genito-urinary Medicine clinics in the United Kingdom submitted data on PrEP users with history of gastrointestinal surgery who were referred to a national complex PrEP multi-disciplinary team between June 2021 and April 2023. Anonymised data were submitted on demographics, surgical history, PrEP regimen, and results of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and HIV screening tests. Descriptive analyses were performed in SPSS version 29.

Results

Nine cases described cis-gender men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) with median age of 47.4 years (IQR = 43 – 56.5) taking tenofovir disoproxil (TDF)/emtricitabine (FTC) daily ( n = 8) or event-based ( n = 1) as PrEP. Median time between PrEP initiation and TDM was 53 days (IQR = 8.5–1705). The mean (±SD) trough concentration of tenofovir (TFV) and FTC were 90.2 ± 27.7 ng/mL and 76.0 ± 45.9 ng/mL, respectively. All patients had a negative HIV test at follow-up.

Conclusions

Plasma trough concentrations of TFV observed in our cohort taking TDF/FTC were above the expected concentrations associated with PrEP efficacy as previously described in the literature, suggesting that PrEP can be safely given in this population, with TDM used for reassurance.