bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social Capital and Student Achievement: An Intervention-Based Test of Theory
Authors: Gamoran Adam , Miller Hannah K. , Fiel Jeremy E. , Valentine Jessa Lewis
Published: September 2021

Social capital is widely cited as benefiting children’s school performance, but close inspection of existing research yields inconsistent findings. Focusing on intergenerational closure among parents of children in the same school, this article draws from a field experiment to test the effects of social capital on children’s achievement in reading and mathematics. When children were in first grade, their schools were randomly assigned to an after-school family-based intervention that boosts social capital. A total of 52 schools in Phoenix, Arizona, and San Antonio, Texas, containing over 3,000 first graders, participated in the study, with half the schools in each city assigned to the treatment group and half serving as no-treatment controls. Two years later, no differences in third-grade achievement were evident between children who had been in treatment schools versus control schools. By contrast, nonexperimental analyses of survey-based measures of social capital suggest positive effects on achievement, indicating that naïve estimates based on survey measures may be upwardly biased by unobserved conditions that lead to both stronger ties among parents and higher test scores. This article adds to a growing literature that raises doubts about the effects of this type of social capital for achievement outcomes among young children.
Examining Tourism Consumers’ Attitudes and the Role of Sensory Information in Virtual Reality Experiences of a Tourist Destination
Authors: Alyahya Mansour , McLean Graeme
Published: September 2021

The purpose of this research is twofold: firstly, we aim to understand the role of virtual reality (VR) in influencing tourism consumers’ attitudes toward a tourist destination and, secondly, understand the influence of different levels of sensory information presented through VR experiences on the development of mental imagery, attitudes toward the destination, and visit intention. We tackle this through a multistudy experimental approach. First, in study 1, we demonstrate that VR plays a positive role in enhancing previously held consumer attitudes toward a tourist destination. Second, we affirm that VR has a greater positive effect on attitudes toward a destination in comparison to a less immersive technology (i.e., website). Third, in study 2, we find that different levels of sensory information in VR experiences result in significant differences with regard to the developed mental imagery, sense of presence in the experience, attitudes toward the destination and visit intentions.
Enacting Fentanyl Tests Strips for Overdose Prevention: The Socio-Material Transformation of “Suspect Technologies” into “Technologies of Solidarity”
Authors: Campbell Nancy D.
Published: September 2021

Fentanyl Test Strips (FTS) make possible rapid visual determinations of whether or not fentanyl is present in a given drug supply. This article places FTS within the historical contexts of drug-checking for drug control, overdose prevention, and harm reduction in North America. Following Fentanyl Test Strips (FTS) as artifacts made to signify and enact possibilities other than those for which they were developed and licensed, this article contributes to socio-material theorization of drug control, overdose prevention, and harm reduction in relation to the agency, empowerment, and liveliness of drug users through enactment of the policy and practice of off-label use. The socio-materialities of FTS co-constitute their semiotics and their interpretive flexibility within prevailing forms of evidence-based reasoning that have transformed clinical practice over past decades. They offer new renderings of facticity and artifactuality, which I connect to Ludwik Fleck’s work on the Wasserman test in Genesis and Structure of a Scientific Fact. Reading both the materiality and the semiotics of FTS as artifacts provides a hybrid concept of socio-materiality attentive to the social and material relations embedded in and embodied by FTS, and those who use them in both intended and unintended ways. Such uses differ from individualized expertise and evaluation taken as contributory to the evidence base of the global North. The political work of articulating between different grounds of struggle is underway among those seeking to distribute FTS more widely. But it is their sociomaterial flexibility that makes these artifacts move into new relations that sustains the more affective and artisanal forms of political and cultural recognition characterized in this article as “artifactual” use for an alterbiopolitics.
Sorting Through the Evidence: A Step Toward Prioritization of Evidence-Based Community Supervision Practices
Authors: Blasko Brandy L. , Viglione Jill , Taylor Liana R. , Taxman Faye S.
Published: September 2021

Studies of implementation of evidence-based supervision policies and procedures often report minimal to moderate adherence to evidence-based models. The few studies that exist examine the degree to which characteristics of probation officers, individuals on supervision, and supervision processes have an impact on rearrest (outcomes). Using administrative data on 7,326 probationers and surveys from 161 probation officers employed by five agencies, hierarchical linear models were used to identify the features of supervision processes that are most important to reduce recidivism. The findings clarify that no one evidence-based supervision feature (i.e., a validated risk and need assessment tool, case planning, treatment, compliance management, etc.) can achieve recidivism reductions. The best results can be achieved by using all features, although a risk-based case management approach that prioritizes employment and/or reducing the criminogenic needs creates similar outcomes. This article discusses the implications of prioritizing which supervision processes are used to impact positive supervision outcomes.
Making Measuring Bodies
Authors: Harris Anna
Published: September 2021

Medicine is often criticized in science and technology studies (STS) for its dominating measuring practices. To date, the focus has been on two areas of “metric work”: health-care workers and metric infrastructures. In this article, I step back into the training of clinicians, which is important for understanding more about how practices of measurement are developed. I draw on ethnographic fieldwork in a Dutch medical school to look at how a ubiquitous and mundane tool––measuring tapes––is embodied by medical students as they learn to coordinate their sensory knowledge. In doing so, they create their own bodies as the standard or measure of things. Unpacking educational practices concerning this object, I suggest that tracing the making of measuring bodies offers new insights into medical metric work. This also speaks to the growing interest in STS in sensory science, where the body is fashioned as a measuring instrument. Specifically, two interrelated contributions build on and deepen STS scholarship: first, the article shows that learning is an embodied process of inner-scaffold making; second, it suggests that the numerical objectification of sensory knowing is not a calibration to “objectivity machines” but rather to oscillations between bodies and objects that involve sensory-numerical work.
Creating Electronic-Literacy Based Behavioral Interventions
Authors: Kearney Kelly B. , Pistorio Kalynn Hall
Published: September 2021

Literacy based behavioral interventions (LBBIs) have been used to teach numerous skills, such as requesting an accommodation, engaging in self-regulation, and remaining on-task, to children and adolescents. Electronic-LBBIs (E-LBBIs) have recently emerged in the literature as an effective strategy, using preferred forms of media (tablet or laptop), to teach students in the classroom new skills. Here we discuss how LBBIs work, what E-LBBIs are, and how teachers can use E-LBBIs in their classroom. Vignettes are provided to demonstrate applications to the reader.
Determinants of societal and academic recognition: Evidence from randomised controlled trials
Authors: Sotudeh Hajar , Asadi Adeleh , Yousefi Zahra
Published: September 2021

Given the increasing importance of recognition in academia and the vital role of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in medical research and clinical decisions, this study verifies how RCTs’ academic and societal impacts are affected by visibility factors, subjects and methodological validity. This study concentrated on a sample of 446 RCTs indexed in Scopus and evaluated by Cochrane reviewers in terms of their methodological validity. The altmetrics, bibliometric and bibliographical information were extracted from Altmetric.com and Scopus, and the contributing countries’ development ranks were obtained from the United Nations Development report. The linear regression analyses revealed that citations and altmetrics depend on some subjects. They are also affected by publication year and journals’ previous reputation. Citations are also affected by keyword counts and reference counts. Keyword counts and contributing countries’ developmental rank also predict the tweet counts. While none of the methodological validity dimensions were found to predict citations, ‘Incomplete Outcome Data’ and ‘Random Sequence Generation’ significantly, though slightly, affect Mendeley Readership and tweets, respectively. By confirming the dependence of RCTs’ recognition on some methodological validity features and attention-inducing characteristics, the study provides further evidence on the interaction of quality and visibility dynamisms in the recognition network and the complementary role of societal mentions for academic citation.
Lumbar motor control training as a complementary treatment for chronic neck pain: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Khosrokiani Zohre , Letafatkar Amir , Gladin Amy
Published: September 2021

Objective:

We investigated whether adding lumbar motor control training with a pressure biofeedback unit improves outcomes of a conservative deep cervical flexor motor control program on neck pain, neck disability, deep cervical flexor endurance, and health status in middle-aged patients with chronic neck pain and forward head posture after eight weeks of interventions.

Design:

Randomized controlled trial.

Setting:

Outpatient setting.

Subjects and interventions:

A total of 113 males and females (mean age 39 ± 5 years) with chronic neck pain were randomized to three treatment groups, group 1 ( n = 38) combined deep cervical flexor motor-control training and lumbar motor control exercise, group 2 ( n = 37) deep cervical flexor motor control training alone, and group 3 ( n = 38) passive treatment and education.

Main outcome measures:

Pain, neck disability, deep cervical flexor muscular endurance, and health status.

Results:

There were significant improvements in the combination group compared with the deep cervical flexor motor-control group alone ( d = 2.03, 95% confidence interval (CI): −2.8 to −1.27, P = 0.021) for pain ( d = −0.99, 95% CI = −1.75 to −0.23, P = 0.023), disability ( d = 1.92, 95% CI = 0.86 to 2.98, P = 0.001), deep cervical flexor endurance, and ( d = −2.75, 95% CI = −8.81 to −1.68, P = 0.037) for health status favoring the combination group. There were significant between-group differences favoring both active groups versus the passive control in all out comes.

Conclusion:

The addition of Lumbar motor control training as a complementary treatment may enhance effectiveness of deep cervical flexor motor control training on neck pain, neck disability, and deep cervical flexor endurance in patients with chronic moderate neck pain and forward head posture.
Navigating the caregiving abyss: A metasynthesis of how family caregivers manage end-of-life care for older adults at home
Authors: Michaels Jacqueline , Chen Chiahui , Ann Meeker Mary
Published: September 2021

Background:

Demographic changes (global aging, decreased fertility, increased home deaths) will present a critical need for end-of-life family caregivers of older adults at home. In order to support these family caregivers, we need to better understand their experiences, struggles, and needs.

Aim:

To describe and explain the process of end-of-life caregiving as experienced by family caregivers of older adults residing in the home setting.

Design:

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Metaanalysis (PRISMA) guidelines and Sandelowski and Barroso’s procedural steps for a metasynthesis review guided this study.

Data sources:

Qualitative and mixed methods literature from CINAHL, Medline, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases and information from professional organizations were reviewed for studies that focused on family caregivers providing end-of-life care to older adults residing in the home setting.

Results:

A total of 24 studies were identified. Family caregivers engaged in the process of “navigating a caregiving abyss” when providing and managing end-of-life-care for older adults at home. The “caregiving abyss” consisted of four phases: (1) managing multiple roles, (2) encountering challenges, (3) mobilizing resources, and (4) acknowledging death is near. During the process family caregivers strived to “live day by day” and “maintain normalcy” to achieve the goals of honoring life’s final wishes and provide home death.

Conclusion:

Family caregivers of older adults at the end of life navigate a variety of challenges. The findings provide a conceptual framework to help guide the development of education, interventions, and health policy to meet family caregivers’ needs in providing quality end-of-life care.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Antecedents of Cyberbullying Victimization in Early Adolescence: An Ecological Systems Framework
Authors: Hong Jun Sung , Zhang Saijun , Wright Michelle F. , Wachs Sebastian
Published: September 2021

This study investigates multiple-level antecedents of cyberbullying victimization among early adolescents. Data from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children, 2009 to 2010 cohort study in the United States were used. The sample included White, Black, Latino, and Asian adolescents, ages 10–14 ( N = 8481). Bivariate analysis, logistic regression, and subgroup analysis were conducted. Among White adolescents, female sex, older age, and bullying victimization were positively associated with cyberbullying victimization, whereas parental awareness was negatively associated. Among Black adolescents, bullying victimization was positively associated with cyberbullying victimization, but parental employment was negatively associated. Among Latino adolescents, older age was positively related to cyberbullying victimization, whereas “other” family structures were negatively related. Among Asian adolescents, “other” family structure and bullying victimization were positively related to cyberbullying victimization, whereas parental awareness, parental employment, and “quite well off” family socioeconomic status were negatively related. Parental awareness moderated the association between parental employment and cyberbullying victimization.
Platelet-Rich Plasma Augmentation of Meniscal Repair in the Setting of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Bailey Lane , Weldon Matthew , Kleihege Jacquelyn , Lauck Kyle , Syed Mohammad , Mascarenhas Randy , Lowe Walter R.
Published: September 2021

Background:

The increasing incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscal injuries has led to strong interest in discovering new methods to enhance the biological healing response of these tissues. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains various growth factors associated with a positive healing response, but few existing clinical studies are available to determine the risks and benefits of these therapies.

Purpose:

To determine the effects of intraoperative PRP on postoperative knee function and complications at 2 years after ACL reconstruction with meniscal repair.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A retrospective matched case-control study was conducted between 2013 and 2017 using a single surgeon database of 1014 patients undergoing primary ACL reconstruction with concomitant meniscal repair, resulting in 324 patients (162 PRP patients and 162 control patients) who met the study criteria. Patients were matched by age, sex, graft type, and meniscal injury. The Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) was administered at 2 years, and injury surveillance was conducted. Secondary outcomes included the time to return to activity (months), self-reported knee function (International Knee Documentation Committee [IKDC] score), functional performance testing (knee range of motion, single-leg balance, single-leg hopping, agility testing), and postoperative complications (graft failure, infection, loss of motion [requiring repeat arthroscopy for lysis of adhesions], venous thrombosis, etc). Univariate models were used for between-group comparisons, and alpha was set at .05 for all analyses.

Results:

No differences were found in SANE knee function scores between the PRP and matched-control groups at 2 years (91.6 ± 11.2 vs 92.4 ± 10.6, respectively; P = .599). Additionally, no differences were reported between groups for self-reported function (IKDC score, 87.6 ± 13.3 vs 88.1 ± 12.6; P = .952), functional performance testing ( P > .05), and timing of return to activity (7.8 ± 1.9 vs 8.0 ± 1.9 months; P = .765). The PRP group demonstrated a higher rate of postoperative knee motion loss compared with the control group (13.6% vs 4.6%; P < .001). No other differences were observed in postoperative complications ( P > .05).

Conclusion:

The added use of intraoperative PRP did not improve self-reported knee function, functional performance, and timing of return to activity for patients undergoing ACL reconstruction with meniscal repair. Furthermore, the use of PRP may have negative consequences for regaining knee range of motion after surgery. On the basis of these data, surgeons should cautiously consider the application of PRP when planning surgery for intra-articular injuries of the knee.

Registration:

NCT03704376 ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).
Large eddy simulation as a fast and accurate engineering approach for the simulation of rotary blood pumps
Authors: Huo Jia-Dong , Wu Peng , Zhang Liudi , Wu Wei-Tao
Published: September 2021

An accurate representation of the flow field in blood pumps is important for the design and optimization of blood pumps. The primary turbulence modeling methods applied to blood pumps have been the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) or URANS (unsteady RANS) method. Large eddy simulation (LES) method has been introduced to simulate blood pumps. Nonetheless, LES has not been widely used to assist in the design and optimization of blood pumps to date due to its formidable computational cost. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of the LES technique as a fast and accurate engineering approach for the simulation of rotary blood pumps. The performance of “Light LES” (using the same time and spatial resolutions as the URANS) and LES in two rotary blood pumps was evaluated by comparing the results with the URANS and extensive experimental results. This study showed that the results of both “Light LES” and LES are superior to URANS, in terms of both performance curves and key flow features. URANS could not predict the flow separation and recirculation in diffusers for both pumps. In contrast, LES is superior to URANS in capturing these flows, performing well for both design and off-design conditions. The differences between the “Light LES” and LES results were relatively small. This study shows that with less computational cost than URANS, “Light LES” can be considered as a cost-effective engineering approach to assist in the design and optimization of rotary blood pumps.
Epidemiology of Childhood Trauma and Analysis of Influencing Factors in Psychiatric Disorders Among Chinese Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Liu Jianbo , Lin Xiujin , Shen Yanmei , Zhou Yuanyue , He Yuqiong , Meng Tiantian , Cui Xilong , Xiao Bo , Lu Jianping , Zhang Xiangyang , Luo Xuerong
Published: September 2021

Childhood trauma (CT) can lead to long-term psychiatric disturbances. The current study investigated the prevalence of CT and its associated risk factors among Chinese adolescents with psychiatric disorders. Adolescents were recruited from a large study on mental health in the Hunan province of China in 2014. The study had a two-phase cross-sectional design. Patients with mental disorders (n = 907) and healthy subjects (n = 2,240) completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form. Of all types of CT, emotional neglect (EN; 48.44%-68.82%) and physical neglect (PN; 60.0%-72.1%) were most common among adolescents. The experience of emotional abuse (EA), physical abuse (PA), sexual abuse (SA), EN, and multiple types of trauma (≥3) was higher among adolescents with psychiatric disorders than the healthy comparison group. Moreover, the results of logistic regression analysis showed that living in semi-urban areas and villages, having a sibling, and having bad-to-average academic performance were risk factors for CT among adolescents with psychiatric disorders ( p < .05). In additional, the results of logistic regression analysis revealed that being a left-behind child and bad academic performance were risk factors for experiencing multiple types (≥3) of CT ( p < .05), while being female and having siblings were found to be protective factors against (≥3) CT ( p < .05). In summary, the prevalence rate of CT (especially multiple types of trauma) is high among adolescents with psychiatric disorders. These results indicate the importance of reducing CT to limit the likelihood of psychiatric disorders, especially among adolescents.
Spillover as Movement Agenda Setting: Using Computational and Network Techniques for Improved Rare Event Identification
Authors: Elliott Thomas , Ring-Ramirez Misty , Earl Jennifer
Published: September 2021

The increasing availability of data, along with sophisticated computational methods for analyzing them, presents researchers with new opportunities and challenges. In this article, we address both by describing computational and network methods that can be used to identify cases of rare phenomena. We evaluate each method’s relative utility in the identification of a specific rare phenomenon of interest to social movement researchers: the spillover of social movement claims from one movement to another. We identify and test five different approaches to detecting cases of spillover in the largest data set of protest events currently available, finding that an ensemble approach that combines clique and correspondence analysis and an ensemble approach combining all methods perform considerably better than others. Our approach is preferable to other ways of analyzing such cases; compared to qualitative approaches, our computational process identifies many more cases of spillover—some of which are surprising and would likely not be otherwise investigated. At the same time, compared to crude quantitative measures, our approach substantially reduces the “noise,” or identification of false-positive cases, of movement spillover. We argue that this technique, which can be adapted to other research topics, is a good illustration of how the thoughtful implementation of computational methods can allow for the efficient identification of rare events and also bridge deductive and inductive approaches to scientific inquiry.
Fabrication of micro-mechanical planar cantilever beam-mass structures on quartz substrates using an ECDM process
Authors: Sambathkumar Saranya , Arunagirinathan Ravi Sankar
Published: September 2021

Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) processes have been used to realize miniature structures such as micro-channels and micro-holes on non-conductive materials such as quartz and Pyrex for a variety of applications. However, for realizing mechanical/physical sensors, actuators, energy harvesters, and resonators on glass substrates, free-standing devices with movable components such as beam-mass structures and cantilevers are required. There has been a negligible focus on developing miniature glass-based devices with movable components primarily due to the non-linear material removal rate (MRR) of the ECDM processes, requiring continuous measurement, tracking, and maintaining the working gap in the range of a few micrometers during micromachining. A couple of techniques were proposed to address maintaining a constant working gap, however, using costly equipment with complex feedback mechanisms. We report a two-stage experimental approach – without using feedback mechanisms and additional equipment – to realize micro-mechanical planar cantilever beam-mass structures on thick quartz substrates in the present work. In the first stage, the process parameters such as applied voltage, tool travel rate (TTR), and initial working gap ( Wg) are optimized for fabricating broader and deeper micro-channels using needle-shaped tools. In the second stage, using the optimized parameters, an array of micro-channels is fabricated. The cumulative depth, corresponding depth, and the width of each layer of the channels are measured, and this data is utilized for fabricating planar beam-mass structures on quartz substrates. We envisage that the experimental results of the present study would be beneficial for ECDM researchers to fabricate glass-based miniature devices with movable components without using complex tools and equipment.
A novel platoon topology and performance analysis with cloud brain control center for multi-functional unmanned ground vehicle
Authors: Zhao Yue , Ni Jun , Hu Jibin
Published: September 2021

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are of great significance to the development of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). The UGVs are supposed to serve a large number of missions with multiple functions in civilian use. Therefore, it requires UGV to be grouped as a platoon to complete the given missions. A novel platoon topology, Vehicle-Cloud Bidirectional Leader (VCBDL), is proposed in this paper to provide the basement for the group control of multi-functional UGVs. The VCBDL topology takes consideration of a cloud brain control center, which is capable of analyzing and making autonomous decisions for the UGVs. In order to realize the stable operation of the platoon with VCBDL topology, this paper analyzes the design of the platoon controller based on the graph theory method and obtains the range of controller gain. The robustness of the running platoon is analyzed and the convergence range of the platoon robustness index is defined. The above conclusions are verified by simulation based on the control of the police-used patrol UGV. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of controller design, and the robustness performance is investigated by simulated random platoon disturbance. In addition, the experiments with real shuttle UGVs testbeds platoon are performed to verify the performance of the proposed controller.
Driver drowsiness detection using facial thermal imaging in a driving simulator
Authors: Tashakori Masoumeh , Nahvi Ali , Ebrahimian Hadi Kiashari Serajeddin
Published: September 2021

Driver drowsiness causes fatal driving accidents. Thermal imaging is a suitable drowsiness detection method as it is non-invasive and robust against changes in the ambient light. In this paper, driver drowsiness is detected by measuring the forehead temperature at the region covering the supratrochlear artery and also the cheek temperature. About 30 subjects drove on a highway in a driving simulator in two sessions. A thermal camera was used to monitor the facial temperature pattern. The subjects’ drowsiness levels were estimated by three human observers. The forehead and the cheek regions were located and tracked in each frame. The forehead and the cheek skin temperatures were obtained at three levels of drowsiness. The Support Vector Machine, the K-Nearest Neighbor, and the regression tree classifiers were used. From wakefulness to extreme drowsiness, the forehead skin temperature and the absolute cheek-forehead skin temperature gradient decreased by 0.46°C and 0.81°C, respectively. But the cheek skin temperature increased by 0.35°C in two sessions. The gradient difference is on average 50% higher than the forehead or the cheek temperature change alone. The results indicate that drowsiness can be detected with an accuracy of 82%, sensitivity of 85%, specificity of 90%, and precision of 84%. Driver drowsiness can be detected by monitoring changes in the forehead and the cheek temperature signal. Also, the temperature gradient can be used as a more robust and sensitive indicator of drowsiness.
A novel integrated modeling approach for filter diagnosis in gas turbine air intake system
Authors: Jin Yunfeng , Liu Chao , Tian Xin , Huang Haizhou , Deng Gaofeng , Guan Yunlong , Jiang Dongxiang
Published: September 2021

Due to the complex and harsh environmental factors, the useful life of the filter in the gas turbine air intake system is usually less than its design life. When the filter is seriously degraded, the power and thermal efficiency of the gas turbine will decrease obviously due to the increase of inlet pressure loss. For evaluating the health condition of filters in the air intake system, this work forms a filter pressure loss model with the defined health index for the filter and five external environmental and control factors. By integrating the gas path component model, the combined model is applied in a real data set and the results show that (i) the proposed health index is efficient in representing the degradation state of the filter, (ii) the influencing factors on the pressure loss are successfully decoupled and their contributions on the pressure are quantitatively estimated, and (iii) the integrated model of filter pressure loss and gas path component can be used to better estimate the deterioration states of the filter as well as the gas turbine performance.
Exosome-derived miR-2682-5p suppresses cell viability and migration by HDAC1-silence-mediated upregulation of ADH1A in non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Mao Guangxian , Mu Zhimin , Wu Da
Published: September 2021

Introduction:

Increasing evidence indicated that miR-2682-5p acted as a tumor suppressor in various cancers. The current study aimed to investigate the biological function of exosomal miR-2682-5p in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods:

The expression of miR-2682-5p in NSCLC tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues, NSCLC cell lines and human embryonic lung fibroblast, as well as serum and serum exosomes of NSCLC patients and healthy donors was detected by RT-qPCR. The effects of miR-2682-5p on the viability, migration, and apoptosis of NSCLC cells were detected by CCK-8, Transwell, and flow cytometry assays. Dual-luciferase reporter gene and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were used to evalutate the relationship between miR-2682-5p and HDAC1.

Results:

Low expressed miR-2682-5p was found in tumor tissues, cell lines, serum, and serum exosomes of NSCLC patients. MiR-2682-5p overexpression suppressed NSCLC cell viability and migration and promoted apoptosis, while miR-2682-5p knockdown showed the opposite results. Furthermore, exosomes from healthy donor serum inhibited NSCLC cell viability and migration and promoted apoptosis. Dual-luciferase reporter gene and RNA immunoprecipitation assays verified that HDAC1 was a target of miR-2682-5p. HDAC1 overexpression abolished the effects of miR-2682-5p mimic on NSCLC cell viability, migration, and apoptosis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay indicated that HDAC1 bound to the promoter region of ADH1A. Upregulation of ADH1A counteracted the effects of HDAC1 overexpression on NSCLC cell viability, migration, and apoptosis.

Conclusion:

Taken together, exosomal miR-2682-5p inhibited NSCLC cell viability and migration and promoted apoptosis by the HDAC1/ADH1A axis, and this result might provide a novel therapeutic target for NSCLC.
Comparison of U.S. 4-year and community college librarians’ perspectives on competencies, challenges, and educational preparation for the instructional role
Authors: Wang Ting , Lund Brady D. , Widdersheim Michael , Fay Brendan
Published: September 2021

The purpose of this study is to explore and compare community (2-year) college librarians’ perceptions of their competencies, challenges, and educational preparation with those of librarians at 4-year colleges. Researchers created survey questions based on previous studies and distributed the survey through online mailing lists. The survey results indicated that community college instructional librarians’ responses were generally not statistically significantly different from 4-year university librarians in terms of what skills, traits, and educational needs were most prevalent. From the perspective of career challenges, community college instructional librarians cited marketing and changing perceptions/needs of content area faculty, while the librarians at 4-year universities cited burnout and class overload. These differences reveal the substantial challenge of preparing instructional librarians according to the types of libraries and instructional approaches.
Monitoring, browsing and being aware – Keeping abreast and staying updated with professional information in Swedish regional libraries
Authors: Pilerot Ola
Published: September 2021

A substantial part of the work conducted by librarians at Swedish regional libraries concerns staying alert and informed in ways that allow for continuous development of the kind of knowledge and abilities that are required for doing a qualified job, but this part of the work is elusive and hard to identify. This paper presents an empirical study that elucidates this specific kind of work of keeping abreast and updated with professional information. Empirical data were produced through interviews and logbooks with 10 members of staff at 4 regional libraries in Sweden. The data were analysed by employing Marcia Bates’ model of different information-seeking modes. The results of the study show that the activity in focus is seamlessly intertwined with other work activities and enacted in a variety of ways that are adapted after other work tasks (than the information seeking in itself) and dependent on individual preferences and routines. Since there is a certain conception of this activity as something that should be carried out in a certain systematic way and since it is something that one as a librarian ought to be good at, it is furthermore often associated with a normative dimension that provokes a sense of guilt among the study participants.
Sample sizes for cluster-randomised trials with continuous outcomes: Accounting for uncertainty in a single intra-cluster correlation estimate
Authors: Lewis Jen , Julious Steven A
Published: September 2021

Sample size calculations for cluster-randomised trials require inclusion of an inflation factor taking into account the intra-cluster correlation coefficient. Often, estimates of the intra-cluster correlation coefficient are taken from pilot trials, which are known to have uncertainty about their estimation. Given that the value of the intra-cluster correlation coefficient has a considerable influence on the calculated sample size for a main trial, the uncertainty in the estimate can have a large impact on the ultimate sample size and consequently, the power of a main trial. As such, it is important to account for the uncertainty in the estimate of the intra-cluster correlation coefficient. While a commonly adopted approach is to utilise the upper confidence limit in the sample size calculation, this is a largely inefficient method which can result in overpowered main trials. In this paper, we present a method of estimating the sample size for a main cluster-randomised trial with a continuous outcome, using numerical methods to account for the uncertainty in the intra-cluster correlation coefficient estimate. Despite limitations with this initial study, the findings and recommendations in this paper can help to improve sample size estimations for cluster randomised controlled trials by accounting for uncertainty in the estimate of the intra-cluster correlation coefficient. We recommend this approach be applied to all trials where there is uncertainty in the intra-cluster correlation coefficient estimate, in conjunction with additional sources of information to guide the estimation of the intra-cluster correlation coefficient.
The Relationship Between Human Resource Management Practices, Knowledge Management Practices, and Performance: Evidence from the Healthcare Industry in India
Authors: Parayitam Satyanarayana , Naina Shaik Mohamed , Shea Timothy , Syed Mohideen Abdul Hameed , Aruldoss Alex
Published: September 2021

The objective of the present study is to examine the impact of human resource management (HRM) practices on organizational performance. Knowledge management (KM) practices as a moderator in the relationship between HRM practices and organizational performance are studied by developing a conceptual model. Using a structured survey instrument, the data were collected from 979 employees from 10 hospitals in the southern part of India (Tiruchirappalli District of Tamil Nadu). After thoroughly checking the instrument’s measurement properties using the LISREL, hierarchical regression was performed to test the hypotheses. The results support (a) compensation and rewards, performance appraisal and learning culture that are positively and significantly related to organizational performance; (b) recruitment and selection, training and development that are not significantly related to organizational performance; and (c) KM practices that moderate the relationship between (a) training and development and organizational performance, and (b) learning culture and organizational performance. Finally, the implications for HRM and KM are discussed.
Antecedents of Intention to Use Online Peer-to-Peer Platform in Malaysia
Authors: Khan Mohammad Tariqul Islam , Yee Gan Han , Gan Gerald Goh Guan
Published: September 2021

Considering the demand for alternative source of finance, the number of online peer-to-peer (P2P) financing platforms is increasing tremendously in Malaysia with the upward trend in the number of users and the introduction of secondary market for P2P platforms. As such, it is of great importance to investigate the antecedents of intention to use this online-based financing platform. This study examines if P2P platform ease of use, P2P platform usefulness, perceived expertise, P2P platform trustworthiness and reciprocity contribute to the usage intention of online P2P platforms building on technology acceptance model (TAM), source credibility theory (SCT) and social exchange theory (SET). By estimating partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the results reveal that P2P platform ease of use, P2P platform usefulness and reciprocity are the crucial determinants influencing the intention to use online P2P financing platforms. The findings imply that P2P service providers should emphasize more on the ease of use and usefulness of the platform with reciprocity to increase usage the intention of borrowers or lenders.
Book review: Catherine Besteman, Militarized Global Apartheid
Authors: Kurzwelly Jonatan
Published: September 2021

Catherine Besteman, Militarized Global Apartheid, Duke University Press, Durham and London, 2020, pp. 208, $89.95/$23.95, ISBN: 978-1-4780-1043-2/978-1-4780-1150-7.
COVID-19: Urban Vulnerability and the Need for Transformations
Authors: Rajan S. Irudaya , Cherian Anand P.
Published: September 2021

The urban–rural divide in India has been the cause of labour flow to Indian cities, which have historically witnessed an insufficiency in planning. Moreover, widening social inequalities exacerbate the living conditions in Indian cities, pushing the migrant labourers from rural areas to the margins of urban spaces. Public policymakers have long turned a blind-eye to migrants, denying them essential social security. This study attempts to review how these factors have made urban space unwelcome to migrants from rural areas, edging them to a state of inability to sustain themselves, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also an attempt to re-evaluate the status of urbanization. The government imposed a sudden lockdown in 2020 to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, leading to a massive exodus of migrants from cities back to their homes. The study also seeks to account for the significance of economic planning and social security with regard to migrant labour.
Power Relations of Husbands and Wives Experiencing Domestic Violence in Dual-Career Families in Indonesia
Authors: Mas’udah Siti
Published: September 2021

Indonesia has experienced incidents of domestic violence involving partners working in professional fields. The domestic violence has become a critical problem in both developed and developing countries. The number of cases of violence against women (VAW) has been increasing every year. Data from Indonesian National Commission on Violence Against Women year 2020 show that there are 431,471 cases. Earlier studies indicated that high academic and professional status achieved by women can reduce VAW. However, cases of domestic violence reveal that such initiatives are not enough and do not exclude academically and professionally empowered women from being victims of domestic violence. The studies indicate that power relations between husband and wife play a crucial role in determining the incidence of domestic violence in a family. This study aims to reveal power relations in dual-career families experiencing domestic violence in Indonesia. The study deploys the qualitative research method and applies the Connell theory on gender and power. This research was conducted in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, and it involved 44 key informants and 34 supporting informants from the general public. The results reveal three categories of power relations between husbands and wives, who faced domestic violence in dual-career families: male-dominated families, female-dominated families and alternating families (i.e., families where the dominant roles of men as husbands and women as wives can change). This study concludes that the ownership of intellectual and economic resources in themselves does not contain the power relations between husband and wife play a critical role in determining the incidence of domestic violence. cases of domestic violence. Based on power relations between husband and wife, alternating family, driven by women’s resistance, is capable of changing the structure of the family. In alternating families, the power of husband and wife are alternated. There are reversed roles between them. Furthermore, it tends to build a new structure where there is no hierarchical family position between women and men. In addition, the structural change will create an equal and ideal family.
Modeling and validation of preload force effect on characteristics of a V-shaped linear ultrasonic motor
Authors: Zhou Lifeng , Yao Zhiyuan , Dai Shichao , He Ying , Li Xiaoniu
Published: September 2021

The traditional dynamic models of linear ultrasonic motor (LUSM) do not consider the influences of the preload force and the roughness of the contact surface of stator/slider on the performance of the motor, which unable to effectively describe the dynamic behavior of the motor. In this paper, a dynamic model is established for a V-shaped LUSM considering the influence of the preload force and the roughness of the contact surface of stator/slider on the dynamic behavior of the motor. The contact mechanism of the stator/slider and the influence of preload force on the stator parameters are studied and analyzed. The effectiveness of the developed model is verified by comparing with the analytical model that ignored the effect of the preload force on the stator parameters. The experimental results shown that the developed model can accurately reflect the dynamic characteristics of the motor, and the model will be helpful for the function prediction and precise control of the motor.
The characters exploration of a piezoelectric pump with fishtail-shaped bluffbody
Authors: Hou Yi , He Lipeng , Zhang Zheng , Yu Baojun , Jiang Hong , Cheng Guangming
Published: September 2021

This paper focuses on a new structure in the valveless piezoelectric pump, which has a combination structure of the conical flow channel and two fishtail-shaped bluffbodies in the chamber of the pump. The fishtail-shaped bluffbody is inspired by the shape of the swimming fish to diminish the backflow and optimize the performance of the pump. The performance is studied by changing the shape and size of the inlet and outlet, the bluff bodies’ height and the space between two bluff bodies. The results show that the 3 mm × 3 mm square inlet, 3 mm diameter round outlet, 3 mm height of bluffbodies, 6.8 mm pitch of bluffbodies has a best performance in all 10 prototypes, which implements a maximum flow rate of 87.5 ml/min at 170 V 40 Hz with a noise of 42.6 dB. This study makes a preliminary investigation and theoretical explanation for the subsequent optimization of this structure, improved the performance of the valveless piezoelectric pump, broaden the thinking of the design for the bluffbody for better performance of the valveless piezoelectric pump.
Patients’ Awareness of Advanced Disease Status, Psychological Distress and Quality of Life Among Patients With Advanced Cancer: Results From the APPROACH Study, India
Authors: Satija Aanchal , Bhatnagar Sushma , Ozdemir Semra , Finkelstein Eric , Maholtra Chetna , Teo Irene , Yang Grace Meijuan
Published: September 2021

Background:

Prognostic disclosure to patients with advanced cancer facilitates treatment decisions and goals of care discussions. However, the perspectives of patients, families and physicians differ in this regard across different cultures. Non-disclosure of cancer diagnosis or prognosis is commonly observed in family-centric cultures such as India.

Aim:

To assess the prevalence of and factors associated with cancer patients’ awareness of advanced disease status; and its with quality of life and psychological distress.

Methods:

Patients for this cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey were recruited from oncology and palliative medicine clinics at a tertiary cancer hospital in India from January 2017 to June 2018. Patients aged ≥ 21 years, aware of cancer diagnosis and receiving oncology treatment for Stage IV solid cancer were included in the study after obtaining written informed consent.

Results:

Two hundred patients were enrolled, of which 146 (73%) were not aware of the stage of their malignancy and 9 (4.5%) believed that their disease was at stage I, II or III. Those who were aware of their advanced cancer stage had more years of education (9.9 years vs 8.1 years, p = .05) and had poorer spiritual wellbeing in the faith domain (adjusted difference −1.6, 95% confidence interval −3.1 to −0.1, p = .03) compared to those who were unaware.

Conclusion:

It is recommended that future studies may explore prognostic understanding in Indian patients according to their socio-cultural, spiritual and educational background.