bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A trust evaluation scheme of service providers in mobile edge computing
Authors: Monir Mansour Merrihan Badr , Abdelkader Tamer , AbdelAziz Mohammed Hashem , EI-Horbaty El-Sayed Mohamed
Published: January 2022

Mobile edge computing (MEC) is a new computing paradigm that brings cloud services to the network edge. Despite its great need in terms of computational services in daily life, service users may have several concerns while selecting a suitable service provider to fulfil their computational requirements. Such concerns are: with whom they are dealing with, where will their private data migrate to, service provider processing performance quality. Therefore, this paper presents a trust evaluation scheme that evaluates the processing performance of a service provider in the MEC environment. Processing performance of service providers is evaluated in terms of average processing success rate and processing throughput, thus allocating a service provider in a relevant trust status. Service provider processing incompliance and user termination ratio are also computed during provider’s interactions with users. This is in an attempt to help future service users to be acknowledged of service provider’s past interactions prior dealing with it. Thus, eliminating the probability of existing compromised service providers and raising the security and success of future interactions between service providers and users. Simulations results show service providers processing performance degree, processing incompliance and user termination ratio. A service provider is allocated to a trust status according to the evaluated processing performance trust degree.
Forensic steganalysis for identification of steganography software tools using multiple format image
Authors: Veena S. T. , Selvaraj A.
Published: January 2022

Today many steganographic software tools are freely available on the Internet, which helps even callow users to have covert communication through digital images. Targeted structural image steganalysers identify only a particular steganographic software tool by tracing the unique fingerprint left in the stego images by the steganographic process. Image steganalysis proves to be a tough challenging task if the process is blind and universal, the secret payload is very less and the cover image is in lossless compression format. A payload independent universal steganalyser which identifies the steganographic software tools by exploiting the traces of artefacts left in the image and in its metadata for five different image formats is proposed. First, the artefacts in image metadata are identified and clustered to form distinct groups by extended K-means clustering. The group that is identical to the cover is further processed by extracting the artefacts in the image data. This is done by developing a signature of the steganographic software tool from its stego images. They are then matched for steganographic software tool identification. Thus, the steganalyser successfully identifies the stego images in five different image formats, out of which four are lossless, even for a payload of 1 byte. Its performance is also compared with the existing steganalyser software tool.
ZigBee based data collection in wireless sensor networks
Authors: Nguyen Cuong V. , Coboi Alberto E. , Bach Nam V. , Dang Anh TN. , Le Trang TH. , Nguyen Huy P. , Nguyen Minh Tuan
Published: January 2022

Wireless sensor networks (WSN), referring to groups of technologies wirelessly controlled, are widely used in many different fields, agriculture, medical, military, etc. These technologies are mainly used for monitoring physical or environmental conditions, such as temperatures, sound, pressure, and so on. In WSN fields, there are technologies as Wi-Fi, radio frequency (RF), Bluetooth, ZigBee, Z-Wave, and so on. Furthermore, there is one of this technology that offers more outstanding futures to provide more energy-saving and long distances of transmissions compared to other technologies, and that is Zigbee technology, and this had become for many applications, the first high-quality to use and consequently the most used in WSNs. In Zigbee aided WSNs, are included three main devices used to communicate data, that is a Zig-Bee coordinator (network coordinator), ZigBee router, and ZigBee end-devices. The data sensed is transmitted from sensor nodes through coordinators to a base-station (BS), this device (coordinator), collects the data, stores it in a memory, processes, and finally forward to the next suitable nodes or the BS. This research presents the concepts and discussions of Zigbee technologies used in WSNs. Utmost ZigBee communication technologies are revised and analyzed, as well as simulation results with different scenarios are addressed comprehensively. Proposals for advance applications in WSNs are presented. Suggestions for future developments are provided
Atlas da dinâmica criminal em São Paulo (SP): roubos a transeuntes e de veículos
Authors: Oliveira André Rodrigues de ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Comunicações e Artes, Zanetic André ,   Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública/Conselho Nacional de Justiça, Manso Bruno Paes ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Comunicações e Artes, Neme Cristina ,   Instituto Sou da Paz, Fonseca Fernanda Padovesi ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas, Silvestre Giane ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Comunicações e Artes, Reis Ilka Afonso ,   Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Ostronoff Leonardo José ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Comunicações e Artes, Barrozo Ligia Vizeu ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas, Nonato Luis Gustavo ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Instituto de Matemática e Estatística, Nery Marcelo Batista ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Instituto de Estudos Avançados, Alvarez Marcos César ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas, Sousa Marta das Graças ,   Fundação “Prof. Dr. Manoel Pedro Pimentel” de Amparo ao Preso, Santos Michelle Odete dos ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas, Morato Rúbia Gomes ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas, Adorno Sérgio ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas, Silva Thais Bueno da ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas, Kahn Túlio ,   Fundação Espaço Democrático, Cubas Viviane de Oliveira ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas, Batella Wagner ,   Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora
Published: January 2022

O Atlas é parte de uma das linhas de pesquisa que compõem o projeto “Construindo a Democracia no Dia-a-dia: Direitos Humanos, Violência e Confiança Institucional”, atualmente em execução como Centro de Pesquisa, Inovação e Difusão para o Estudo da Violência, sediado no Núcleo de Estudos da Violência da Universidade de São Paulo (NEV-CEPID/USP), sob apoio e financiamento da Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP). Trata-se de linha que reúne estes objetivos (pesquisa, inovação e difusão) no âmbito das ciências sociais, tendo por foco o crime e a violência nas cidades globais. A presente publicação aborda: a caracterização do território do município de São Paulo; a qualidade dos dados que fundamentam as análises, inclusive suas lacunas, imperfeições e limitações; descrição e caracterização das ocorrências criminais observadas; tendências de vitimização; e disponibilidade de equipamentos de segurança. Ao compartilhar os dados e mapas com reconhecidos pesquisadores da área, o Atlas deixa de ser apenas um documento para consulta, mas se torna, também, uma fonte bibliográfica que contém explicações a respeito da evolução dos roubos a transeuntes e de veículos na metrópole de São Paulo.
Psicanálise, infâncias e vulnerabilidades: as crianças nos espaços da cidade
Authors: Teixeira Bruna Caixeta Alves , Paravidini João Luiz Leitão , Neves Anamaria Silva
Published: January 2022

Este artigo tem como objetivo traçar um panorama acerca dos lugares de vulnerabilidade que as crianças têm ocupado nos cenários da pólis e identificar possíveis modos de cuidados para com elas. Trata-se de uma reflexão teórica que problematiza a maneira como as dinâmicas sociais interferem na constituição subjetiva dos sujeitos. Foram retomados alguns conceitos fundamentais para Freud, como o desamparo e o mal-estar civilizatório, refletindo sobre como estes se presentificam na formação dos laços sociais na conjuntura contemporânea das infâncias. Coube, ainda, enfatizar o processo de segregação e a desigualdade social que compõem a construção das cidades no Brasil, colocando em cena a situação das crianças nestes cenários. Finalmente, considerou-se as possibilidades de cuidado à infância, interessando à psicanálise o sujeito do inconsciente e a circulação da palavra.
O que se transmite no processo de ensino educacional? Interlocuções entre a psicanálise e a educação no ensino superior
Authors: Vargas Bárbara Thomes , Leitão Iagor Brum , Gussão Karlos Pedro Calvi
Published: January 2022

Este estudo se insere em um grande eixo que busca descrever as condições subjetivas fundamentais para que haja qualquer educação. Por meio da psicanálise, tomou-se os conceitos de ensino e transmissão como operadores para compreender questões subjacentes aos processos de educar. Para tanto, realizou-se grupos focais com professores e alunos do ensino superior. Analisou-se os dados por meio da Análise de Similitude, possibilitada pelo IRaMuTeQ. Mostra-se que a transmissão, no contexto educacional, é marcada por encontros evanescentes e imprevisíveis entre alunos e professores, sujeitos em trânsito. Cabe a cada sujeito encontrar o modo mais singular de fazer algo com os saberes transmitidos, reescrevendo-os em letra própria e constituírem seu estilo.
A emancipação dos povos colonizados na proposta educacional freireana: decolonização interculturalidade
Authors: Severino Antônio Joaquim
Published: January 2022

The essay aims to show that the emancipatory meaning of Paulo Freire's educational proposal implies the awareness of the condition of cultural coloniality still persistent in peripheral societies of the planet that were constituted by colonization processes carried out by European metropolitan nations and the need to overcome it through the denunciation of Eurocentrism and the practice of intercultural education. It supports the inclusion of Paulo Freire in the universe of pioneer thinkers in the defense of the necessary and relevant role of education as a process of emancipation of colonized peoples, by proposing the rooting of epistemological practice and the interculturality of educational practice.
 
Keywords: Paulo Freire. Liberating education. Interculturality. Emancipation.
Paulo Freire: um olhar de amorosidade para a educação escolar indígena
Authors: Neves Josélia Gomes
Published: January 2022

This writing resulted from the analysis of the document: A dialogue with Paulo Freire on Indigenous Education (FREIRE, 1982) that took place in June 1982 in Cuiaba, Mato Grosso at the 8th Regional Assembly of the Indigenist Missionary Council (CIMI). The document analysis was the methodological procedure adopted in this study, among other issues, which allowed us to understand Paulo Freire’s borderline thinking through class and ethnicity articulation. In general, the meeting provided an important reflection on alterity punctuated by considerations and questions specific to dialogical experiences and the confrontation of tensions between asymmetric cultures. Although from the beginning of the event Paulo Freire stated that he was not an expert on the subject, it was possible to discuss issues of the oppressed condition in these contexts and thus interpret resistance behaviors and suggest emancipatory paths.
Pedagogia do oprimido: documento da reforma agrária no Chile
Authors: Vasconcelos Joana Salém
Published: January 2022

Esse artigo busca demonstrar que a Pedagogia do oprimido é um documento histórico da práxis de Paulo Freire na reforma agrária no Chile, lastreado na alfabetização camponesa durante seu exílio no país (1964-1969). Freire não apenas visitou assentamentos da reforma agrária, dialogou com trabalhadores rurais e formou milhares de alfabetizadores chilenos, como também produziu uma leitura política própria sobre a reforma agrária. Ao examinar as mudanças na estrutura de propriedades, o brasileiro analisou as dinâmicas pelas quais se rompiam as hierarquias de poder e produção no campo, bem como a potência da alfabetização para desestabilizar velhas cadeias de comando. Assim, confirmou no Chile algumas hipóteses formuladas antes do golpe de 1964 no Brasil, como a “aderência ao opressor”, a “cultura do silêncio” e a tensão entre diálogo e anti-diálogo.
Checklist of the oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) of the Republic of Colombia
Authors: SALAZAR-FILLIPPO ANDRÉS A. , MIKO LADISLAV
Published: January 2022

This checklist of oribatid mites of the Republic of Colombia compiles and provides a taxonomic update of all records known up to 2020. It includes 192 entries accounting for 68 named and 47 unnamed species belonging to 73 genera and 58 families of non-astigmatid oribatid mites. Specimens from the brachypyline supercohort were dominant (54.7%), followed by Mixonomata (30.7%). However, current knowledge is far from being complete and distribution patterns show large gaps throughout the country due to this lacking knowledge and most existing investigations only include group specific studies that prevent from any conclusions regarding the real community composition of oribatids in Colombia. From 32 political-administrative departments, oribatids have been reported in 20, but 5 account for 65% of the records. These are: Cundinamarca -including Bogotá D.C.- (24.4%), Magdalena (21.8%), Nariño (6.3%), La Guajira (6.3%), and Quindío (5.9%). Whereas most oribatid reports in the Neotropical region have taken place during the past five decades, a map presented in this document shows that Colombia still lags behind other Latin American countries. Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil, for instance, have reported the highest number of species for the region and are the only nations that possess national oribatid checklists in Latin America. The current work represents a national baseline of oribatids encouraging further study of this clearly underrepresented group.
Ischnura praematura sp. nov. (Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae): a species from Yunnan (China) whose females mate in the teneral state
Authors: SANMARTÍN-VILLAR IAGO , LORENZO-CARBALLA M. OLALLA , ZHANG HAOMIAO , CORDERO-RIVERA ADOLFO
Published: January 2022

Ischnura praematura sp. nov. (Holotype ♂, China, Yunnan, Lijiang, 26º31´03.54”N, 100º13’38.89”E, 2396 m, 04 xii 2015, I. Sanmartín-Villar & H. Zhang leg.) is morphologically described, illustrated and compared with close species of the genus. Ischnura praematura can be mainly distinguished from its congeners I. aurora, I. rubilio and I. asiatica by its abdominal and thoracic morphology and colouration. The posterior lobe of the prothorax is elevated in I. praematura and the mesostigmal plates possess dorsal triangular protuberances. Ischnura praematura shows pointed paraprocts, internalised wide cerci and lacks a dorsal tuberculum in the tenth abdominal segment. The blue abdominal colouration is present in the last three segments (incomplete for segment eight and ten in some individuals). No female polychromatism was detected and all females observed possessed different colouration than male (gynochrome). Morphological distinctiveness of the species is supported by genetic analyses, which show that I. praematura forms a well-supported, monophyletic clade, with I. asiatica, I. ezoin and I. pumilio as the most closely related species. In the field, mature females show strong reluctance to mate, and males were observed mating with newly emerged females.
Supercell Thunderstorm Charge Structure Variability and Influences on Spatial Lightning Flash Relationships with the Updraft
Authors: Stough Sarah M. , Carey Lawrence D. , Schultz Christopher J. , Cecil Daniel J.
Published: January 2022

Relationships between lightning flashes and thunderstorm kinematics and microphysics are important for applications such as nowcasting of convective intensity. These relationships are influenced by cloud electrification structures and have been shown to vary in anomalously electrified thunderstorms. This study addresses transitional relationships between active charge structure and lightning flash location in the context of kinematic and microphysical updraft characteristics during the development of an anomalously electrified supercell thunderstorm in the Tennessee Valley on 10 April 2009. The initial charge structure within the updraft was characterized as an anomalous dipole in which positive charge was inferred in regions of precipitation ice (i.e., graupel and hail) and negative charge was inferred in regions of cloud ice (i.e., aggregates and ice crystals). During subsequent development of the anomalous charge structure, additional minor charge layers as well as evidence of increasing horizontal complexity were observed. Microphysical and kinematic characteristics of the charge structure also evolved to include increasing observations of negative charge in precipitation ice regions, indicating the emergence of more prominent normal charging alongside dominant anomalous charging. Simultaneously, lightning flash initiation locations were also increasingly observed in regions of faster updrafts and stronger horizontal gradients in updraft speed. It is suggested that continuous variability in charging behavior over mesogamma spatial scales influenced the evolution of lightning flash locations with respect to the updraft structure. Further work is necessary to determine how this variability may impact lightning flash relationships, including lightning flash rate, with bulk microphysical and kinematic characteristics and related applications.
Damage detection based on output-only measurements using cepstrum analysis and a baseline-free frequency response function curvature method
Authors: Nayyar Ayisha , Baneen Ummul , Ahsan Muhammad , Zilqurnain Naqvi Syed A , Israr Asif
Published: January 2022

Low-severity multiple damage detection relies on sensing minute deviations in the vibrational or dynamical characteristics of the structure. The problem becomes complicated when the reference vibrational profile of the healthy structure and corresponding input excitation, is unavailable as frequently experienced in real-life scenarios. Detection methods that require neither undamaged vibrational profile (baseline-free) nor excitation information (output-only) constitute state-of-art in structural health monitoring. Unfortunately, their efficacy is ultimately limited by non-ideal input excitation masking crucial attributes of system response such as resonant frequency peaks beyond first (few) natural frequency(ies) which can better resolve the issue of multiple damage detection. This study presents an improved frequency response function curvature method which is both baseline-free and output-only. It employs the cepstrum technique to eliminate [Formula: see text] decay of higher resonance peaks caused by the temporal spread of real impulse excitation. Long-pass liftering screens out the bulk of low-frequency sensor noise along with the excitation. With more visible resonant peaks, the cepstrum purified frequency response functions (regenerated frequency response functions) register finer deviation from an estimated baseline frequency response function and yield an accurate damage index profile. The simulation and experimental results on the beam show that the proposed method can successfully locate multiple damages of severity as low as 5%.
Teaching international comparative public management through a development lens
Authors: Straussman Jeffrey D , Guinn David E
Published: January 2022

The article tackles the question, how to provide students with a comparative orientation to public administration. We eschew the older tradition of comparing major systems such British parliamentary system or French bureaucratic approaches to organizations’ structure. Rather, we seek to understand public administration in countries with different cultures, histories, and political regimes by focusing on international development. Our students are drawn from the Master of Public Administration degree program and the Master of International Affairs degree program. What unites them is an interest in international affairs and the desire to work internationally; international students take what they learn and apply it in their home countries. We ground the course on a model of international development with a strong focus on development in governance. We spend the first third of the class creating a development lens for understanding global practices in public management in which they use what they learned in the first part of the course to analyze a range of public management issues within governmental institutions and/or in working in the nongovernmental organizations and intergovernmental organization sectors. We use detailed case studies drawn from several case data banks to apply some of the core concepts of public administration such as leadership, stakeholder analysis, complexity, and implementation to development challenges such as fiscal issues, poverty alleviation, interorganizational collaboration, and human rights. We do this with a range of in-class exercises and assignments that students do out of class. One goal we have is to provide students with knowledge and skills to enhance their ability to work internationally since many have gone on to work for donor and various implementing organizations in international development. We believe that this is a reasonable measure of success of the approach we have taken to comparative public administration.
The “populist” foundation of liberal democracy: Jan-Werner Müller, Chantal Mouffe, and post-foundationalism
Authors: Thomassen Lasse
Published: January 2022

This article examines the connection between populism and post-foundationalism in the context of contemporary debates about populism as a strategy for the Left. I argue that there is something “populist” about every constitutional order, including liberal democratic ones. I argue so drawing on Chantal Mouffe’s theories of hegemony, agonistic democracy, and left populism. Populism is the quintessential form of post-foundational politics because, rightly understood, populism constructs the object it claims to represent, namely the people. As such, it expresses the fact that, because there is no ultimate foundation, politics consists in the construction of contingent foundations. I develop this argument through readings of Jan-Werner Müller and Chantal Mouffe, showing the differences between their respective post-foundational approaches. I show that Müller cannot uphold the distinction between populism and democracy in the way he seeks to do, but I also argue that this does not mean that we must jettison all normativity, only that it requires that we rethink normativity in hegemonic terms.
Romantic conflict narratives and associations with psychological relationship aggression in emerging adult couples
Authors: Feiring Candice , Liang Elisa , Cleland Charles , Simon Valerie
Published: January 2022

This cross-sectional study aimed to understand how emerging adult couples interpreted relationship conflicts, and whether such meaning making was associated with psychological relationship aggression and moderated by gender. We specified the I Cubed model of relationship aggression to examine how in the context of recounting relationship conflicts, the impellance factors of anger and break-up anxiety might increase and the inhibition factor of perspective taking might decrease the likelihood of relationship aggression. Each partner in 126 couples was interviewed separately about their unmet relationship needs. Narrative-based measures of impellance and inhibition were obtained as well as self-reported psychological relationship aggression and satisfaction. Although gender was not a moderator, there was some support for associations of impellance and inhibition factors with aggression. Extending prior work using couple observations and diary methods, we found that interpreting conflict events in terms of anger and perspective taking was related to relationship aggression while controlling for relationship satisfaction. Consistent with the I Cubed model, there were actor effects such that anger ratings were an impellance factor that increased and perspective taking was an inhibition factor that decreased the likelihood of aggression. Our findings suggest that narrating past conflicts related to unmet needs is a task that involves the management of anger associated with more relationship aggression. The efficacy of relationship education programs for emerging adult couples might be improved by focusing on skills to decrease anger and facilitate perspective taking.
Quality-of-life assessment in patients treated with radiofrequency ablation with or without great saphenous vein recanalization
Authors: Bissacco Daniele , Malloggi Chiara , Lomazzi Chiara , Domanin Maurizio , Odero Andrea , Trimarchi Santi , Casana Renato
Published: January 2022

Quality of life (QoL) in patients with chronic venous disorders has a central role to decide the correct treatment approach. In particular, in case of mini-invasive therapy, such as endovenous radiofrequency ablation (RFA), the postoperative QoL improvement remains one of the most important outcome to be reached. Despite this, very few data are published on the long-term QoL modifications after RFA. The aim of this brief report is to describe and analyze the role of QoL scales in a population of patients treated with RFA of the great saphenous vein and phlebectomies, highlighting results in short- and long-term follow-up period, and differences between recanalized and non-recanalized patients.
Varieties of Inner Speech and Creative Potential
Authors: de Rooij Alwin
Published: January 2022

Inner speaking, the covert talking that goes on inside a person's mind, can shape creative thought. How the phenomenological properties and quality of inner speaking correlate with a person's creative potential, however, is an open scientific problem. To explore this, participants ( n = 267) filled in the revised Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire and the revised Launay Slade Hallucination Scale (auditory subscale), and performed three tests of creative potential: one divergent (Alternative Uses Test) and two convergent thinking tests (Compound Remote Associates Test, short Hagen Matrices Test). The results showed that a tendency to engage in condensed and evaluative/ critical inner speaking negatively correlated with convergent thinking ability; and the results pointed toward a potential negative correlation of auditory hallucination proneness with divergent and convergent thinking ability. No evidence was found for a correlation of the dialogicality, imagining of others’ voices, or positive/regulatory aspect of the participants day-to-day inner speech, with creative potential. Herewith, the presented study contributes novel insight into the relationship between the varieties of inner speech and creative potential.
SPOCD1 regulated by miR-133a-3p promotes hepatocellular carcinoma invasion and metastasis
Authors: Zheng Tianying , Zhang Xin , Wang Yonggang , Wang Aijun
Published: January 2022

Objective

To investigate the tumorigenic role of spen paralogue and orthologue C-terminal domain-containing 1 (SPOCD1) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and identify the upstream regulatory mechanism.

Methods

We analyzed SPOCD1 and miR-133-3p expression in normal and HCC tissues from the Cancer Genome Atlas and UALCAN databases, and in normal hepatocytes and HCC cell lines by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot. We identified the miR-133a-3p-binding site on the SPOCD1 3ʹ-untranslated region using TargetScan. Hierarchical regulation was confirmed by luciferase assay and miR-133a-3p overexpression/silencing. Cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation were assessed by MTT, scratch, transwell, and clonogenic assays, respectively.

Results

SPOCD1 was highly expressed in HCC tissues and cell lines, while miR-133a-3p expression was significantly downregulated. Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated that high SPOCD1 expression was significantly associated with poor survival. TargetScan and luciferase reporter assay revealed that SPOCD1 was the downstream target of miR-133a-3p. Overexpression of miR-133a-3p significantly inhibited the expression of SPOCD1, while miR-133a-3p knockdown significantly increased SPOCD1 expression.

Conclusion

SPOCD1, regulated by miR-133a-3p, promotes HCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation. This study provides the first evidence for the role of the miR-133a-3p/SPOCD1 axis in HCC tumorigenesis.
Bilateral leg pain and unilateral calf atrophy caused by polymyositis accompanying lumbar spinal stenosis and disc herniation: a case report
Authors: Baek In-Hwa , Park Hyung-Youl , Jung Ho-Young , Lee Jun-Seok
Published: January 2022

Polymyositis is a subgroup of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies characterized by symmetric proximal limb weakness and chronic skeletal muscle inflammation. We herein report the first case of bilateral leg pain and unilateral calf atrophy caused by polymyositis accompanying lumbar spinal stenosis and disc herniation. A 52-year-old man presented with intermittent claudication and calf pain that had become gradually aggravated during the last 3 months. Magnetic resonance imaging showed spinal stenosis at the L3/4 and L4/5 levels and lumbar disc herniation at the L4/5 level. Preoperative laboratory investigations revealed elevated muscle enzyme concentrations. Magnetic resonance imaging also showed atrophy, fatty degeneration, and edema in both calf muscles. Histological examination showed inflammatory myositis and fibrosis in the perifascicular connective tissues. The patient was diagnosed with polymyositis. We performed decompressive laminectomy at the L3/4 and L4/5 levels and discectomy at the L4/5 level. After administration of prednisolone for 6 months and methotrexate for 3 months, the patient’s bilateral calf pain and abnormal laboratory findings improved. The combination of surgical decompression and adequate medical treatment resulted in a successful recovery. Polymyositis should be suspected in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis or lumbar disc herniation who exhibit increased muscle enzyme concentrations or lower extremity muscle atrophy.
Collaborative Behavior Patterns of Students in Programming Instruction
Authors: Hopcan Sinan , Polat Elif , Albayrak Ebru
Published: January 2022

The pair programming approach is used to overcome the difficulties of the programming process in education environments. In this study, the interaction sequences during the paired programming of preservice teachers was investigated. Lag sequential analysis were used to explore students’ behavioral patterns in pair programming. The participants of the study consist of 14 students, seven pairs enrolled in a Programming Languages course. The findings indicate that there are significant behavioral learning sequences. During the program development process, students hesitated to create an algorithm and to improve an existing one while proposing the next step. In addition, they constantly waited for approval. Collaborative behaviors such as giving and receiving feedback and helping other partners were less observed in females. In addition, significant sequential driver and navigator behaviors were presented. The findings of the study have important implications for instructors and designers when using a pair programming approach in teaching programming. In the future, programming instruction environments can be designed by considering the learner behaviors that are presented in this study.
Structural Change Shapes Career Mobility Opportunities: An Analysis of Cohorts, Gender and Parental Class
Authors: Witteveen Dirk , Westerman Johan
Published: January 2022

Research suggests that structural change drives occupational mobility in high-income countries over time, but two partially competing theories explain how such change occurs. One suggests that younger cohorts replace older ones through higher education, and the second suggests that individuals adapt to structural change by switching from declining to new or growing occupations during their careers. A proposed occupational scheme aligns with the two dimensions of structural change – skill upgrading on the vertical axis of occupational differentiation, increasing demand for data comprehension (i.e. high skill) and primary tasks concerning either people or things on the horizontal axis. Applied to career trajectories in the Swedish labour market, sequence analyses of the scheme suggest stability in attainment of career mobility types over time between consecutive birth cohorts, and considerable evidence for within-career manoeuvring. Analyses address heterogeneity along parental class and gender.
How to Optimize the Job Search Process: Development and Validation of the Job Search Quality Scale
Authors: van Hooft Edwin A. J. , Van Hoye Greet , van den Hee Sarah M.
Published: January 2022

Job search quality is important for unemployed individuals pursuing reemployment. To comprehensively measure job search quality, we develop and test a 20-item Job Search Quality Scale (JSQS), using four samples of unemployed individuals (pilot sample, N=218; exploration sample, N=3372; confirmation sample, N=3372; and replication sample, N=434). Results show a four-dimensional structure, composed of (a) goal establishment and planning, (b) preparation and alignment, (c) emotion regulation and persistence, and (d) learning and improvement. Substantial evidence was found for its reliability, convergent and discriminant validity. Building job search quality’s nomological net, conscientiousness, learning goal orientation, self-efficacy, employment commitment, autonomous job search motivation, and social support emerged as positive correlates. Supporting its criterion-related validity, the JSQS predicted key job search and employment outcomes. Moreover, usefulness analyses supported its incremental validity beyond extant job search measures. Our findings have important implications for studying and measuring job search quality in future research and career counseling practice.
The Impact of D-Dimer on Postoperative Deep Vein Thrombosis in Patients with Thoracolumbar Fracture Caused by High-Energy Injuries
Authors: Wang Haiying , Lv Bing , Li Weifeng , Wang Shunyi
Published: January 2022

Objective

To investigate the dynamic variation of D-dimer and to evaluate the efficacy and accuracy of D-dimer level in patients with thoracolumbar fractures caused by high-energy injuries.

Methods

A total of 121 patients with thoracolumbar fractures caused by high-energy injuries were retrospectively identified and included in this study. There were 83 males and 38 females, with an average age of 48.6 ± 11.2 years. All patients were treated with either screw fixation surgery or decompression fixation surgery. The D-dimer levels were measured 1 day before surgery and on the first, third, and fifth days after surgery. The dynamic variation of D-dimer and the effects of risk factors on D-dimer levels were analysed. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed and the appropriate D-dimer cut-off level was determined for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) screening.

Results

Due to a trough on the third day, D-dimer levels grew in an unsustainable manner following surgery (P < 0.001). Patients with the operation time >120 min (P = 0.009) and those with an American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) score A-C (P < 0.001) had higher D-dimer levels. The area under the curve of D-dimer was the greatest on the third day. Applying stratified cut-off values did not change the sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value in the group with an operation time >120 min, and ASIA score A-C group.

Conclusions

D-dimer levels elevated with fluctuation in patients with thoracolumbar fractures caused by high-energy injuries after surgery. Both operation time and ASIA score had an impact on D-dimer levels. Regarding DVT diagnoses, the diagnostic value of D-dimer was highest on the third day postoperatively, and stratified cut-off values by these two factors did not show better diagnostic efficacy compared with a collective one.
Research and application of tristable stochastic resonance based on harmonic and pinning potential model
Authors: He Lifang , Liu Yilin , Zhang Gang
Published: January 2022

In view of the unique potential barrier and complex potential function of the pining model, as well as the lack of researches on two-dimensional stochastic resonance, two new potential tristable models are proposed: one-dimensional tristable model and two-dimensional tristable model. The stochastic resonance mechanism and application of two potential systems under Gaussian white noise and weak external driving force are discussed and the differences and advantages of the two systems are analyzed in detail for the first time. First, the potential function and mean first passage time are analyzed. Second, according to the linear response theory, the probability flow method is used to calculate the spectral amplification. The effects of system parameters on spectral amplification of the two models are studied, and the two models are compared. Finally, the two models are applied to the detection of actual bearing fault signals together with the classical tristable system and the performance is compared. Both algorithms can detect fault signals effectively, but the two-dimensional model has better amplitude and difference, and the one-dimensional model has less interference burrs. The theoretical basis and reference value of the system are provided for further application in practical engineering testing.
Vibration control through the robust nonlinear absorber with negative stiffness and internal resonance creation
Authors: Harouni Peiman , Khajeh Ahmad Attari Nader , Rahimzadeh Rofooei Fayaz
Published: January 2022

In this study, a nonlinear absorber that works with a negative stiffness mechanism is suggested to mitigate vibration, and its effect on the reduction of vibration is investigated. The negative stiffness, which is inherently nonlinear, creates internal resonance; therefore, the vibration energy can be transmitted from low-frequency to high-frequency vibrating modes, causing vibration suppression. The nonlinear absorber is added to the primary nonlinear system, and when the main system is subjected to external resonance due to harmonic excitation, the negative stiffness parameter of absorber is so adjusted that autoparametric resonance occurs and vibration is reduced. First, the mathematical model of the system is presented and the governing differential equations of the motion are derived, and then, using the multiple scale method, the equations are solved for the case without, and with the 1:3 internal resonance. The responses and their stability are inspected, discussed, and compared. After that, the effect of negative stiffness and damping parameters on vibration amplitude reduction is investigated and the adequacy of the proposed absorber will be demonstrated by numerical analysis. Finally, the energy exchange between the primary system and the absorber will be demonstrated by plotting the responses in the state space and the displacement response Fourier spectrum.
Examining Housing Instability Among Females Who Are System-Involved: Comparing Females With and Without Histories of Commercial Sexual Exploitation
Authors: Dierkhising Carly B. , Eastman Andrea L. , Walker Brown Kate
Published: January 2022

Females involved in child welfare (CW) or juvenile justice (JJ) systems are at-risk for commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). This study used administrative data from CW and JJ agencies in Los Angeles County to examine out-of-home care experiences and identify the types of homes that were associated with housing instability for females who experienced CSE. Demographic and case characteristics of females with a history of CSE and a matched sample without a reported history of CSE were compared using χ2 analyses and t-tests. Females with a history of CSE experienced significantly more housing instability compared to their matched counterparts. Housing instability was associated with leaving care without permission (LCWOP), and females were most likely to move because of LCWOP from group homes. These findings highlight the extremely unstable living situations for females with histories of CSE. Recommendations align with new federal policy, which aims to reduce reliance on group homes.
COVID-19 and the Fourth Estate: Asian American Journalists’ Gendered Racial Harms and Racial Activation During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Oh David C. , Min Seong Jae
Published: January 2022

Through in-depth interviews, this study explored the voices of Asian American journalists who faced unprecedented stresses due to the racist discourse of Asian Americans as carriers of disease during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Socialized to de-emphasize their vulnerabilities in their professional work, Asian American reporters generally claimed they did not experience racist harms, but further probing revealed indirect harms. Women reporters discussed internalized harms such as elevated anxiety and fear, whereas men reporters referenced only external harms such as racial microaggressions. Women reporters also manifested greater self-reflexivity. The importance of analyzing race and gender in White masculine newsrooms is discussed.
Motivated team innovation: Impact of need for closure and epistemic authority
Authors: Theodorou Annalisa , Livi Stefano , Kruglanski Arie W. , Pierro Antonio
Published: January 2022

New members are important sources of innovative perspectives in groups. However, it can be very difficult for newcomers’ ideas to be heard. It is likely that group members with high (vs. low) levels of need for closure (NFC) are more resistant to newcomers’ innovative ideas. Moreover, when group epistemic authority (EA) is high, members should “freeze” on the group’s ideas, regardless of the newcomer’s EA. In contrast, when group EA is low, members would be expected to “seize” the ideas proposed by newcomers with high EA. Study 1 confirmed that high (vs. low) NFC group members are more resistant to newcomers’ innovative ideas. In Study 2, in high NFC groups, evidence was obtained for seizing but not freezing. In Study 3, for group members with heightened NFC, both freezing and seizing results were obtained. Findings suggest that both NFC and EA play important roles in receptivity to newcomers’ ideas.
Fast identification of the pull-in voltage of a nano/micro-electromechanical system
Authors: He Ji-Huan , Qie Na , He Chun-Hui , Gepreel Khaled
Published: January 2022

The pull-in voltage is crucial in designing an optimal nano/micro-electromechanical system (N/MEMS). It is vital to have a simple formulation to calculate the pull-in voltage with relatively high accuracy. Two simple and effective methods are suggested for this purpose; one is an ancient Chinese algorithm and the other is an extension of He’s frequency formulation.
Dose Reduction and Low-Contrast Detectability Using Iterative CBCT Reconstruction Algorithm for Radiotherapy
Authors: Washio Hayate , Ohira Shingo , Funama Yoshinori , Ueda Yoshihiro , Morimoto Masahiro , Kanayama Naoyuki , Isono Masaru , Inui Shoki , Nitta Yuya , Miyazaki Masayoshi , Teshima Teruki
Published: January 2022

Introduction: Several studies have reported the relation between the imaging dose and secondary cancer risk and have emphasized the need to minimize the additional imaging dose as low as reasonably achievable. The iterative cone-beam computed tomography (iCBCT) algorithm can improve the image quality by utilizing scatter correction and statistical reconstruction. We investigate the use of a novel iCBCT reconstruction algorithm to reduce the patient dose while maintaining low-contrast detectability and registration accuracy. Methods: Catphan and anthropomorphic phantoms were analyzed. All CBCT images were acquired with varying dose levels and reconstructed with a Feldkamp–Davis–Kress algorithm-based CBCT (FDK-CBCT) and iCBCT. The low-contrast detectability was subjectively assessed using a 9-point scale by 4 reviewers and objectively assessed using structure similarity index (SSIM). The soft tissue-based registration error was analyzed for each dose level and reconstruction technique. Results: The results of subjective low-contrast detectability found that the iCBCT acquired at two-thirds of a dose was superior to the FDK-CBCT acquired at a full dose (6.4 vs 5.4). Relative to FDK-CBCT acquired at full dose, SSIM was higher for iCBCT acquired at one-sixth dose in head and head and neck region while equivalent with iCBCT acquired at two-thirds dose in pelvis region. The soft tissue-based registration was 2.2 and 0.6 mm for FDK-CBCT and iCBCT, respectively. Conclusion: Use of iCBCT reconstruction algorithm can generally reduce the patient dose by approximately two-thirds compared to conventional reconstruction methods while maintaining low-contrast detectability and accuracy of registration.
Prognostic Value of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Levels in Predicting Survival in Men With Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Wang Qian , Sun Yuan-Yuan , Huang Yu-Xia , Wang Lan , Miao Yu-Qing , Yuan Ping
Published: January 2022

The objective of the study was to assess the association between changes in plasma follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and the potential effect on idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) in male patients. A total of 116 male patients with IPAH and 53 healthy controls were included from XX Hospital. Plasma FSH concentration was assessed in all participants. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the mortality risk. Kaplan–Meier curve and Cox regression analyses were used to predict the value of FSH on the survival rate of male IPAH patients. The plasma FSH concentration in the IPAH group was significantly higher than that in the control group ( p = .017). Nonsurvivors had significantly higher levels of FSH than survivors ( p < .0001). FSH levels were positively correlated with World Health Organization Functional Class, mean pulmonary artery pressure, and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR; p = .023, p < .0001, and p < .0001, respectively) and negatively correlated with 6-min walk distance (6MWD) and cardiac output (CO; p = .004 and p = .010). Cox regression model analysis showed that the levels of FSH were also the independent factors of mortality in male IPAH patients ( p < .0001). The IPAH patients with higher FSH levels had higher PVR, lower 6MWD, CO, and a lower survival rate ( p = .042, p = .003, p = .029, and p < .0001, respectively). Therefore, we identified that increased FSH levels were associated with disease severity in male patients with IPAH and independently predicted risk of disease and poor survival rate.