bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rational Basis for Light Emitting Diode Street Lighting Retrofit Luminaire Selection
Authors: Brons Jennifer A. , Bullough John D. , Frering Daniel C.
Published: April 2021

Many municipalities are beginning to undertake efforts to retrofit their existing high pressure sodium (HPS) street lighting with LED (light emitting diode) luminaires. Unlike HPS lighting systems, which are available in a limited range of standard wattages and configurations, LED street lighting systems vary widely in wattage and physical configuration. Moreover, the technological performance of LED lighting continues to improve, whereas HPS is a mature technology with substantial improvements unlikely in the future. To develop a sound basis for selecting LED lighting systems for retrofit street lighting, photometric simulation calculations under a range of pole spacing, road width and luminaire wattage were performed. The results indicated that LED luminaires can have substantially lower wattage than HPS luminaires to produce the same light levels on the road. Further, LED luminaires tend to direct more of their output onto the road compared with HPS luminaires. As a result, LED luminaires can be used that produce substantially fewer lumens overall than HPS systems. Because the white light from LED sources makes illuminated street scenes appear brighter than the yellowish light from HPS lamps, even further reductions in light output can be accomplished with LED street lighting systems to match the same visual effect under HPS.
Prototype Design of Cement/Emulsified Asphalt Based Piezoelectric Composites and its Potential Application in Vehicle Speed Sensing
Authors: Zhu Xingyi , Zhou Xudong , Ye Fangyong , Du Zhao
Published: April 2021

Piezoelectric composites (PC) embedded in pavement have shown great potential in traffic information sensing. As the main form of transportation, the road is the source of much traffic information including vehicle load information. The research into PC can supplement the collection of traffic information used in the development of intelligent technologies and provide effective solutions to problems existing in the process of information gathering. In this study, a 2-2 cement/emulsified asphalt-based PC was prepared with the cutting-filling method. To optimize the PC preparation, the effects of the volume fraction of the piezoelectric phase and the matrix phase composition on the piezoelectric properties of the PC were investigated by employing the finite element method. The results indicated that the smaller the volume fraction of the piezoelectric phase, the higher the voltage output of the PC, and the higher the sensitivity to external load, but the greater the stress concentration at the interface between the piezoelectric phase and the matrix phase. In addition, the greater the amount of emulsified asphalt in the matrix phase, the higher the voltage output of the PC. However, a higher content of emulsified asphalt will undermine the fluidity of the matrix phase. Based on the simulation analysis, performance optimization of the cement/emulsified asphalt PC was achieved. According to the voltage output characteristic of PC under a moving load, a placement scheme of PCs in the asphalt pavement was also proposed, which enables vehicle speeds to be be sensed with high precision.
Use of Time–Temperature Superposition Principle to Create Pavement Performance Master Curves and Relate Pavement Condition Index and International Roughness Index
Authors: Medina Jose R. , Zalghout Ali , Gundla Akshay , Castro Samuel , Kaloush Kamil
Published: April 2021

The international roughness index (IRI) is one of the most popular indices to measure pavement roughness. State agencies and cities with plenty of resources often collect IRI and pavement distresses every year or every other year, but some others with fewer resources will collect this information every 3 to 5 years. Collecting IRI is much more affordable than collecting pavement distresses. With this in mind, the objective of this paper was to establish a relationship between IRI and pavement condition index (PCI) using pavement deterioration models for both PCI and IRI based on the concept of time–deterioration superposition similar to the time–temperature superposition principle, and then combine both models to establish this relationship. Additionally, this study was used to establish threshold limits for IRI measurements that can be used as a general reference for pavement condition. Data from the Long-Term Pavement Performance InfoPave was used to perform the analysis for three network samples from Arizona, California, and Wisconsin. This analysis only included flexible pavements. The results from Arizona, California, and Wisconsin showed a good relationship between IRI and PCI using the proposed approach with a coefficient of determination ranging from 0.71 to 0.85. Furthermore, the analysis showed that the change in IRI over time can be related to the change in PCI over time. The general thresholds developed in this study apply to the sections evaluated but the approach can be used to set limits for other networks.
The Clinical Radiographic Incidence of Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis 10 Years After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Data From the MOON Nested Cohort
Authors:   The MOON Group, Everhart Josh S. , Jones Morgan H. , Yalcin Sercan , Reinke Emily K. , Huston Laura J. , Andrish Jack T. , Cox Charles L. , Flanigan David C. , Kaeding Christopher C. , Magnussen Robert A. , Obuchowski Nancy , Parker Richard D. , Pedroza Angela D. , Sanders Rosemary A. , Winalski Carl S. , Spindler Kurt P.
Published: April 2021

Background:

The incidence of posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) based on clinical radiographic grading criteria at 10 years after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) has not been well-defined in a prospective cohort of young athletic patients.

Hypothesis:

Among young athletic patients, there is a high incidence of clinical radiographic PTOA at 10 years after ACLR. Additionally, there is a significant difference in clinical radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) changes (joint space narrowing and osteophyte formation) between ACL-reconstructed and contralateral knees at 10 years.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

The first 146 patients in an ongoing nested cohort study of the Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) prospective cohort presented for a minimum 10-year follow-up. Included patients had a sports-related ACL injury, were aged <33 years at the time of ACLR, had no history of ipsilateral or contralateral knee surgery, and did not undergo revision ACLR before follow-up. Bilateral knee metatarsophalangeal view radiographs were obtained and graded according to International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI), and modified Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) criteria by 2 blinded reviewers. The incidence and severity of ipsilateral and contralateral radiographic OA were determined among patients without a contralateral ACL injury before 10-year follow-up (N = 133).

Results:

Interrater reliability was substantial for the IKDC (Gwet Agreement Coefficient [AC] 1 = 0.71), moderate for the KL (0.48), and almost perfect for the OARSI (0.84) grading systems. Among patients with a contralateral radiographically normal knee, the 10-year incidence of clinical radiographic PTOA after ACLR was 37% as defined by osteophytes and 23% as defined by joint space narrowing. The maximum side-to-side difference in the OARSI osteophyte grade in the medial or lateral compartment was 0 in 65% of patients, 1 in 20%, and ≥2 in 15%. The maximum side-to-side difference in the OARSI joint space narrowing grade was 0 in 77% of patients, 1 in 19%, and ≥2 in 4%.

Conclusion:

In young active patients, the 10-year incidence of clinical radiographic PTOA after ACLR was 37% as defined by osteophytes and 23% as defined by joint space narrowing. The mean difference in the degree of osteophyte formation (≤1 grade in 85%) and joint space narrowing (≤1 grade in 96%) between the ACL-reconstructed and contralateral knees was small.

Registration:

NCT02717559 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier)
The Rate of Surplus Value in Brazil, 1996–2016
Authors: Freitas Antonio
Published: April 2021

This paper estimates the Brazilian economy’s rate of surplus value as well as its underlying determinants, i.e., wage rate and labor productivity between 1996 and 2016. In addition, it builds a theoretical narrative of the Brazilian economy that integrates its political successions, highlighting the governments of Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995–2002), Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003–2010), Dilma Rousseff (2011–August 2016), and the parliamentary coup d’état (December 2015–August 2016). The findings are presented based on the classical political economy tradition, which sees capital-labor struggle as a key, albeit nonexclusive, condition that frames the economic, political, and ideological disputes of society.

JEL Classification: B51, E25, N16
Looking beyond Administrative Health Care Data: The Role of Socioeconomic Status in Predicting Future High-cost Patients with Mental Health and Addiction
Authors: de Oliveira Claire , Mondor Luke , Wodchis Walter P. , Rosella Laura C.
Published: April 2021

Introduction:

Previous research has shown that the socioeconomic status (SES)–health gradient also extends to high-cost patients; however, little work has examined high-cost patients with mental illness and/or addiction. The objective of this study was to examine associations between individual-, household- and area-level SES factors and future high-cost use among these patients.

Methods:

We linked survey data from adult participants (ages 18 and older) of 3 cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey to administrative health care data from Ontario, Canada. Respondents with mental illness and/or addiction were identified based on prior mental health and addiction health care use and followed for 5 years for which we ascertained health care costs covered under the public health care system. We quantified associations between SES factors and becoming a high-cost patient (i.e., transitioning into the top 5%) using logistic regression models. For ordinal SES factors, such as income, education and marginalization variables, we measured absolute and relative inequalities using the slope and relative index of inequality.

Results:

Among our sample, lower personal income (odds ratio [ OR] = 2.11, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.54 to 2.88, for CAD$0 to CAD$14,999), lower household income ( OR = 2.11, 95% CI, 1.49 to 2.99, for lowest income quintile), food insecurity ( OR = 1.87, 95% CI, 1.38 to 2.55) and non-homeownership ( OR = 1.34, 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.66), at the individual and household levels, respectively, and higher residential instability (OR = 1.72, 95% CI, 1.23 to 2.42, for most marginalized), at the area level, were associated with higher odds of becoming a high-cost patient within a 5-year period. Moreover, the inequality analysis suggested pro-high-SES gradients in high-cost transitions.

Conclusions:

Policies aimed at high-cost patients with mental illness and/or addiction, or those concerned with preventing individuals with these conditions from becoming high-cost patients in the health care system, should also consider non-clinical factors such as income as well as related dimensions including food security and homeownership.
Age Knows No Bounds: A Latent Content Analysis of Social Media Comments Toward Older Adults’ Engagement in Sports Activities
Authors: de Guzman Allan B. , Mesana John Christopher B. , Roman Jonas Airon M.
Published: April 2021

With the growing statistics of older adults across societies, sustaining their health and well-being through active participation in sports cannot be neglected nor overlooked. This qualitative study purports to characterize the ontology of social media comments relative to older person’s engagement in sports via latent content analysis. Specifically, a set of YouTube comments ( n = 7,546), extracted from select videos featuring older adults in sports ( n = 62), through YouTube Data Application Programming Interface (API) Version 3, was subjected to inductive analytic procedures of content analysis. Interestingly, this study afforded the emergence of a playing field model emanating from the dualistic perspectives of aging as engagement and aged as engaged that represent how YouTube users view older adult’s continual involvement in sports. Limitations and future directions of this study are also discussed in this article.
Examining the Link Between Character Strengths and Positive and Negative Mental Health Indicators in Iranian Adolescents
Authors: Jabbari Mahsa , Shahidi Shahriar , Panaghi Leili , Mazaheri Mohammad Ali , Oberle Eva
Published: April 2021

Character strengths are an important foundation for positive development and thriving in adolescence. Most research on character strengths has been conducted with youths in Western cultures. We examined character strengths in relation to positive and negative well-being indicators in a sample of Iranian youths. We investigated the reliability and validity of the Farsi version of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth (VIA Y-96)—a self-report survey commonly used in Western contexts. Participants were adolescents in Iran ( N = 1,359; 48.5% female; M age = 13.54, SD = 1.00) who completed the VIA Y-96 and questionnaires assessing life satisfaction, positive/negative experiences, depression, anxiety, and stress. We found that reliability coefficients were acceptable for most of the VIA subscales. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), as well as a second-order CFA, supported the construct validity of the Farsi VIA Y-96. Correlations between the character strengths and positive and negative well-being indicators supported convergent validity. Measurement invariance for the VIA Y-96 was established in this study comparing boys’ and girls’ response patterns. Sex and grade level differences were found for some of the subscales. Overall, the Farsi VIA Y-96 had acceptable psychometric properties, suggesting that it can be used in research on character strengths with Iranian youths.
Lifting the Curtain on Motivation in Exercise: Validation of Two Questionnaires for Physical Education and Leisure Time in French and German
Authors: Hutmacher Djenna , Eckelt Melanie , Bund Andreas , Steffgen Georges
Published: April 2021

The increase of cross-cultural studies and intervention programs, based on the self-determination theory, highlights the urge for validated scales to ensure high-quality research, particularly in the domain of physical education. The present study aimed at evaluating the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the revised Perceived Locus of Causality Scale (PLOC-R) in physical education and the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-II) during leisure-time translations from English into German and French among youth. Data obtained from 1808 Luxemburgish students supported the five-factor structure of the translated PLOC-R as well as for the BREQ-II and showed good internal reliability as well as concurrent, discriminant, and nomological validity. Measurement invariance analyses across the two languages revealed configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance for both questionnaires. The findings provide promising evidence for the reliability and validity of the translated PLOC-R and BREQ-II and support their use in cross-cultural and physical activity–related motivational research.
Validating the Neurodevelopmental Domain of Neurodevelopmental Ecological Screening Tool: An Ecological Screener for Use With 3-5 Year-Old Children Impacted by Poverty and Homelessness
Authors: DeCandia Carmela J. , Unick George J. , Volk Katherine T.
Published: April 2021

The Neurodevelopmental Ecological Screening Tool (NEST) is a new instrument to screen children for developmental challenges. This article describes the validation of the NEST neurodevelopmental domain. Data were collected from a nationwide purposely restricted sample of caregivers of children aged 3–5 years ( n = 231) living in poverty and experiencing homelessness. We used Rasch-based Rating Scale Models to select items with good fit. Cronbach’s alpha was used to measure the internal consistency validity of the entire neurodevelopmental domain. Construct validity and dimensional structure were obtained using confirmatory factor analysis. Interclass correlations were used to measure the test–retest reliability of the subdomains. Neurodevelopmental Ecological Screening Tool scores were compared to results on clinician-administered gold standard measures for a subsample ( n = 48). The neurodevelopmental domain score represents a single overarching risk construct with some variance attributable to distinct developmental constructs and validly and reliably identifies a child’s level of developmental risk.
Learning from Asian Americans: Implications for Planning
Authors: Lee C. Aujean , Flores Nina M. , Hom Laureen D.
Published: April 2021

This commentary serves as an introduction for the planning academe about Asian Americans and how an understanding of their racialization can contribute to anti-racist frameworks in planning. Asian Americans are a unique group comprised of diverse communities with a long history in the country. Yet, most research about Asian Americans exists outside of mainstream planning scholarship. Asian Americans offer several insights for planning, including how to contend with intragroup and intergroup differences, how racialization upholds white supremacy, and how to document histories of activism. We end with recommendations to rethink diversity and racial climate in the field.
Past-Year Abuse and Eating Disorder Symptoms Among U.S. College Students
Authors: Hazzard Vivienne M. , Ziobrowski Hannah N. , Borg Skylar L. , Schaefer Lauren M. , Mangold Ani C. , Herting Nicola A. , Lipson Sarah K. , Crosby Ross D. , Wonderlich Stephen A.
Published: April 2021

Evidence consistently indicates associations between eating disorders (EDs) and childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, but the relationship between EDs and abuse occurring later in development has largely been unexplored. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine associations between past-year abuse and ED symptoms among college students. Participants represented 12 U.S. colleges and universities participating in the Healthy Bodies Study (HBS) between 2013 and 2015 ( N = 10,204; Mage = 23.38 years). Students self-reported experiences of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse over the past year. Cognitive ED symptoms (i.e., dietary restraint, shape/weight overvaluation, body dissatisfaction) were measured via the Short-Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (S-EDE-Q), and behavioral ED symptoms (i.e., binge eating, purging) were measured via items from the full EDE-Q. Regression models that adjusted for demographics and weight status were conducted to examine associations between past-year abuse and ED symptoms. Past-year emotional, physical, and sexual abuse each exhibited independent associations with ED symptoms. When mutually adjusting for emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, past-year emotional abuse was associated with higher levels of dietary restraint ( b = 0.20, p = .02), shape/weight overvaluation ( b = 0.85, p < .001), body dissatisfaction ( b = 0.63, p < .001), binge eating (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.23, p = .002), and purging (PR = 1.68, p < .001), and past-year sexual abuse was associated with shape/weight overvaluation ( b = 0.35, p = .03) and purging (PR = 1.71, p = .009) but no other ED symptoms. No associations were observed for past-year physical abuse in mutually adjusted models. In summary, past-year emotional abuse emerged as a key correlate of all ED symptoms examined in this sample of U.S. college students, while past-year sexual abuse also emerged as a key correlate of shape/weight overvaluation and purging. Findings emphasize the need to screen for abuse and implement abuse prevention efforts on college campuses.
Career Adaptability Profiles and Their Relations With Emotional and Decision-Making Correlates Among Belgian Undergraduate Students
Authors: Parmentier Michaël , Pirsoul Thomas , Nils Frédéric
Published: April 2021

This study used a person-centered approach to investigate university students’ profiles of career adaptability and determine whether different combinations of concern, control, curiosity, and confidence could be identified. We also explored the relations of these profiles with emotional intelligence, anticipatory emotions, and career decision-making self-efficacy. We found six distinct profiles of career adaptability among 307 university students who differed both on their level and on shape. Emotional intelligence was associated with profiles displaying higher levels of career adaptability. Furthermore, profiles of career adaptability significantly displayed differences in terms of positive anticipatory emotions at the prospect of the school-to-work transition and career decision-making self-efficacy but not in terms of negative anticipatory emotions. These results highlight that differentiating profiles of career adaptability provide insights for the design and the implementation of career-related interventions among university students.
Trajectories of Multiple Behavioral Risk Factors and Their Associations With Cognitive Function Trajectories Among Older African Americans and White Americans
Authors: Li Chien-Ching , Chen Yi-Fan , Liang Jersey , Matthews Alicia K. , Barnes Lisa L.
Published: April 2021

Objectives: This study examined the joint trajectories of behavioral risk factors (smoking, alcohol drinking, and body mass index) and their associations with cognitive function trajectories among older African Americans and white Americans. Methods: Data from the Health and Retirement Study (1998–2014) were used. Group-based mixture modeling and multinomial logistic regression analysis were performed. Results: Three joint trajectories of behavioral risk factors (overweight, smoking and drinking, and drinking and overweight) and three cognitive function trajectories (low, moderate, and high) were identified. A significantly higher percentage of African Americans were in the “overweight,” “smoking and drinking,” and “low” cognitive functioning groups as measured by the total cognition composite score compared to white Americans. After accounting for covariates, the “drinking and overweight” group was associated with the “moderate” or “high” cognitive functioning group. Discussion: Future interventions targeting the combinations of behavioral risk factors are needed to promote healthy aging among high-risk populations.
Through Him and With Him? A Longitudinal Study of How God-Mediated Control Beliefs Shape the Relationship between Divine Forgiveness and Physical Health in Later Life
Authors: Upenieks Laura
Published: April 2021

Objectives: While there has been a recent surge in research on forgiveness and health, much less is known about the relationship between divine forgiveness and health. Methods: Using longitudinal data from the 2001–2004 Religion, Aging, and Health Survey from the United States, the current study assesses how changes in beliefs in God-mediated control, a perceived collaborative relationship with a divine power, affect the association between divine forgiveness and physical health among Christian older adults. Results: Older adults with consistently high beliefs in God-mediated control over the study period received stronger health benefits of divine forgiveness. Forgiveness by God also had a stronger relationship with health compared to forgiveness of self and others. Discussion: The findings underscore the importance of subjective beliefs about God. Future research directions are proposed to advance the study of religion and health in later life by conceiving of a more salient role for divine forgiveness.
Organisational Social Mobility Programmes as Mechanisms of Power and Control
Authors: Ashley Louise
Published: April 2021

Successive UK governments have blamed poor rates of relative social mobility on the tendency of elite occupations to exclude according to social class. Organisational programmes implemented in response aim to identify talented young people from less privileged socio-economic backgrounds, help them identify as ‘legitimate’ professionals, and equip them with relevant knowledge and skills. Based on interviews with 35 participants in one programme and drawing on Foucauldian perspectives on governmentality and disciplinary power, the current study explores how these programmes may reproduce inequalities rather than challenge the status quo. It shows how a dominant discourse of merit invites participants to adopt a subject position that conforms with an idealised professional identity and how they shape their conduct in response. The core contribution is to suggest that social mobility initiatives framed by organisations as mechanisms to empower disadvantaged young people, might be read as expressions of neo-liberal governmentality, unequal power and corporate control.
Physical Strength Partly Explains Sex Differences in Trait Anxiety in Young Americans
Authors: Kerry Nicholas , Murray Damian R.
Published: April 2021

Among the most consistent sex differences to emerge from personality research is that women score higher than men on the Big Five personality trait Neuroticism. However, there are few functionally coherent explanations for this sex difference. The current studies tested whether this sex difference is due, in part, to variation in physical capital. Two preregistered studies (total N = 878 U.S. students) found that sex differences in the anxiety facet of Neuroticism were mediated by variation in physical strength and self-perceived formidability. Study 1 ( N = 374) did not find a predicted mediation effect for overall Neuroticism but found a mediation effect for anxiety (the facet of Neuroticism most strongly associated with grip strength). Study 2 ( N = 504) predicted and replicated this mediation effect. Further, sex differences in anxiety were serially mediated by grip strength and self-perceived formidability. These findings add to a nascent literature suggesting that differences in physical attributes may partially explain sex differences in personality.
Collecting to understand: the art of children and the medical-pedagogical approach in twentieth-century Portugal
Authors: Fróis João Pedro
Published: April 2021

In this essay I look at the art of children as a tool in the medical-pedagogical approach, as proposed by the founder of child psychiatry in Portugal, Vítor Fontes (1893–1979). First, the topic of the art of children is introduced, and the second part focuses on the model of medical pedagogy as it was practised in Portugal. The third and fourth parts present Fontes’s own investigations on the drawings of children with intellectual disabilities under observation at the Instituto Médico-Pedagógico António Aurélio da Costa Ferreira (IAACF) in Lisbon. In the conclusion it is argued that Fontes contributed to the development of child psychiatry in Portugal by showing that children’s art can mirror their cognitive and emotional development.
Novel near-infrared and Raman spectroscopic technologies for print and photography identification, classification, and authentication
Authors: Grabska Justyna , Beć Krzysztof B , Huck Christian W
Published: April 2021

Modern forensics encounters new challenges and demands new analytical methods that would meet variety of prerequisites regarding their accuracy, rapidness, flexibility, and reliability. Vibrational spectroscopic methods, in particular near-infrared spectroscopy, offer such potential and meet an increasing interest in forensics for authentication of various documents. Pittcon 2020 Conference, which took place in Chicago, Illinois, included a Session dedicated to the role of novel tools of investigation in the forensics of tomorrow. This article summarizes and complements the presentation upon how the current state-of-the-art and future prospects of vibrational spectroscopic techniques fits into this role. The application of near-infrared spectroscopy, including the benefits stemming from using novel miniaturized portable instruments, Raman and surface-enhanced Raman scattering techniques, is discussed in detail in the present article.
Identification of an Immune Gene Signature Based on Tumor Microenvironment Characteristics in Colon Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Chen Ying , Zhao Jia
Published: April 2021

Tumor microenvironment (TME) changes are related to the occurrence and development of colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of the immune microenvironment in CC, as well as the microenvironment’s relationship with the clinical features of CC. Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GSE39582 cohorts, the scores of 22 tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were calculated using CIBERSORT. ConsensusClusterPlus was used for unsupervised clustering. Three TME subtypes (TMEC1, TMEC2, and TME3) were identified based on TIL scores. TMEC2 was associated with the worst prognosis. Random forest, k-means clustering, and principal component analysis were used to construct the TME score risk signature. The median TME score was used to divide the samples into high- and low-risk groups. The prognoses of the patients with high TME scores were worse than those of the patients with low TME scores. A high TME score was an independent prognostic risk factor for patients with colon cancer. The Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) results showed that those with high TME scores were enriched in FOCAL_ADHESION, ECM_RECEPTOR_INTERACTION, and PATHWAYS_IN_CANCER. Our findings will provide a new strategy for immunotherapy in patients with CC.
Collaborative innovation and activation in urban labour markets
Authors: Lindsay Colin , Pearson Sarah , Batty Elaine , Cullen Anne Marie , Eadson Will
Published: April 2021

Policymakers in the UK, having long supported centralised and marketised models of governance and delivery in the field of labour market activation, have recently begun to acknowledge the benefits of more localised, collaborative approaches to organising public services. Evidence from other European welfare states suggests that the case in favour of localised innovation may be particularly compelling in urban labour markets, where there can be pockets of severe disadvantage, but also networks of community stakeholders better able to support collaboration and innovation through user engagement. Drawing on the conceptual and empirical literature on ‘collaborative innovation’, this article discusses an example of good practice in innovative localised activation in city labour markets (‘Making It Work’ services targeting unemployed single parents in Scotland’s two largest cities). Our analysis is based on 92 in-depth interviews with single parents and key stakeholders involved in service design and delivery. We identify benefits associated with multi-stakeholder collaborative governance, distributive leadership in programme management, and practices promoting the co-production of innovative services with single parents at the frontline. However, we also note tensions between localised services committed to innovation and empowerment, and an increasingly less interventionist but more punitive liberal welfare state. We conclude by identifying potential lessons for the governance, management and delivery of activation services in urban areas.
Health Information and Its Crucial Role in Policy Formulation and Implementation
Authors: Chauhan Himanshu , U. S. Saurabha , Singh Sujeet Kumar
Published: April 2021

In an era where every public health action is expected to be backed by credible evidence, health policy-making has also been increasingly seen to follow the same. The general consensus across the globe is to strengthen health information systems and the decisions of the policy makers are increasingly relying on the information provided to them through such systems. COVID-19 has clearly brought out the need for accurate, timely and relevant information in planning for and responding to public health emergencies that can be equally devastating, if not more. It is crucial for information providers to understand the importance of communicating and disseminating it in a timely manner so that it leads to public health action for the larger good of the population.
COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for the Health Systems
Authors: Prakash Narain Jai , Sodani P. R. , Kant Lalit
Published: April 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by a novel virus SARS-CoV-2 has swept the world, leaving behind a trail of free-falling economy, misery and death. The most vulnerable are the hardest hit—the elderly, those with chronic noncommunicable diseases and the poor and marginalised in society. The experience of various countries in handling the pandemic has shown that robustness of health system with surge capacity is critical to take the pandemic head-on. In the process important lessons for health systems have emerged. Countries with political leaders who led with a principled approach, while adopting an early and comprehensive strategy to contain the virus, have done better. Vulnerable populations should not be left to be further marginalised. To deal with the ‘infodemic’, communities should be engaged early. For successful handling of future challenges investment in public health is a must. National readiness and response capacity for epidemic control and disease surveillance need to be strengthened, leveraging modern technology. Institutional capacity building, pooling resources and harnessing innovations through partnerships would be key for mounting effective response now and in the future.
COVID-19-induced Returns, Attention, Sentiments and Social Isolation: Evidence from Dynamic Panel Model
Authors: Yahya Farzan , Shaohua Zhang , Abbas Ulfat , Waqas Muhammad
Published: April 2021

This article develops a dynamic panel model to examine the association among coronavirus outbreak, investor attention, social isolation, investor sentiments and stock returns in the German Stock exchange. The results of the two-step GMM estimator show a significant effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange after controlling for calendar anomalies, meteorological conditions, country-specific factors and oil returns. Results also show that a higher level of stock returns during social isolation (lockdown period) is explained by investor attention to buy underpriced stocks. Thus, temporary social isolation enhances an investor’s ability to make better investment decisions. Investor sentiment indicators (momentum and liquidity) are also positively associated with the stock return and partially mediate the COVID-returns link, but they have no direct effect on investor attention. The stock market attracts investor attention under good news shocks (recovered cases) when investor sentiments are optimistic. Our results are robust across the transparency level of firms and their size.
Community Perceptions of the Determinants of Diabetes in Peri-Urban Vanuatu
Authors: Elliott Lana M. , Taylor John
Published: April 2021

Health promotion is a core component of the Pacific region’s response to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) prevention and control. However, while health promotion should build on and be informed by contextually specific norms and social discourse, there remains a paucity in research that seeks to understand how people in the Pacific region comprehend chronic conditions and their determinants. Based in peri-urban Vanuatu, this codesigned study utilized an open-ended survey to investigate community perceptions of factors contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes. Results demonstrate a complex picture of diabetes-specific health literacy, with 22 distinct causes identified by 308 respondents. Dietary factors were commonly acknowledged; however, dietary complexity was not well understood. Limited recognition of the role of tobacco and alcohol consumption in disease development was also noted. Overall, findings demonstrate mixed successes in NCD-related health promotion. Moving away from more universalized approaches commonly advocated by donors, this research identifies the need for locally designed and driven health promotion that focuses on more nuanced, culturally sensitive, and contextually grounded messaging.
Increased canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI) and 1,2-o-dilauryl-rac-glycero-3-glutaric acid-(6′-methylresorufin) ester (DGGR) lipase in dogs with evidence of portal hypertension and normal pancreatic histology: a pilot study
Authors: Serrano Gonçalo , Paepe Dominique , Williams Tim , Watson Penny
Published: April 2021

The clinical presentations of both liver disease and pancreatitis are nonspecific and overlapping, which may cause difficulty in diagnosis. In our retrospective pilot study, we assessed whether dogs with evidence of portal hypertension and absence of pancreatitis on pancreatic histology have increases in canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI) and 1,2-o-dilauryl-rac-glycero-3-glutaric acid-(6′-methylresorufin) ester (DGGR) lipase. We included dogs that had been presented between 2008 and 2019 if they had normal pancreatic histology, histologically confirmed hepatopathy, and if canine pancreas-specific lipase (Spec cPL; Idexx) or DGGR lipase had been measured. Only dogs with portal hypertension were included. Six dogs fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Four of 6 and 2 of 6 dogs had Spec cPL and DGGR lipase exceeding the upper reference limit, respectively. From the 4 dogs with increased Spec cPL, 2 had concentrations of 200–400 µg/L and 2 had concentrations ≥ 400 µg/L. Our results suggest that canine portal hypertension might lead to increased Spec cPL and DGGR lipase values in the absence of pancreatitis on histology. Until more evidence in a larger number of dogs with portal hypertension is available, both tests should be interpreted cautiously in the presence of portal hypertension.
Association between case signalment and disease diagnosis in urinary bladder disease in Australian cats and dogs
Authors: Jones Emily , Alawneh John , Thompson Mary , Allavena Rachel
Published: April 2021

Urinary bladder diseases are common in dogs and cats; however, there is little published work on urinary bladder disease in Australian pets. We identified pathology records of Australian dogs and cats with urinary bladder tissue submitted to the University of Queensland Veterinary Laboratory Service during 1994–2016 ( n = 320). We described the proportion of bladder diseases in dogs and cats, and applied the less-commonly used logistic regression procedure to quantify associations between signalment variables and disease diagnosis that were evident using descriptive statistics alone. After preliminary analysis, both species were combined because of similar results. Spayed/castrated animals were 74% less likely to be diagnosed with cystitis compared with intact animals. Animals 4–11 y old were also at lower risk of being diagnosed with cystitis compared with younger or older animals. Male animals were at increased risk of neoplasia compared to females, which contrasts with reports from North America and Europe. There was increased risk for developing neoplasia with progressive age, with up to 20 times higher odds in the > 11-y age group. Logistic regression modeling provided unique insight into proportionate morbidity of urinary bladder diseases in Australian dogs and cats.
Exploring the Psychosocial Needs of People Living in Extreme Poverty and Introducing Brief Interventions: The Case of Crete Region in Greece
Authors: Papadakaki Maria , Stamouli Maria-Aggeliki , Maragkaki Pagona , Lioliou Stavroula , Diamanti Sophia , Kasotaki Kleanthi , Chliaoutakis Joannes
Published: April 2021

Introduction:

The financial crisis of the last decade has increased the number of people living in extreme poverty in Greece. Despite this fact, little evidence exists on their profile and psychosocial needs.

Method:

The current study explored the socioeconomic circumstances and psychosocial profile of 798 people confronted with severe poverty. This article further reports on brief interventions introduced at individual-, group-, and community level to address the psychosocial burden of these people.

Results:

A huge health and mental health burden was found among the participants. People also experienced long periods of unemployment, bad housing and living conditions, and absence of a supportive social/family network. Brief interventions increased people’s self-awareness, self-expression, and self-esteem and improved their problem-solving and coping skills.

Conclusions:

Integrated and family-focused care seems necessary. Mapping the biopsychosocial needs of these people is important for health care and social welfare planning.
Rethinking relationality
Authors: van den Heuvel Dirk
Published: April 2021

The text presents a discussion of possible connections between the ideas of Erik Rietveld and concepts of relationality and materiality in modern architecture, with a special focus on Dutch Structuralism and the New Brutalism.
Measuring Negative Emotion Differentiation Via Coded Descriptions of Emotional Experience
Authors: Williams Gregory E. , Uliaszek Amanda A.
Published: April 2021

Emotion differentiation (ED) has been defined in terms of two abilities: (a) making fine-grained distinctions between emotional experiences, and (b) describing individual emotional experiences with a high degree of nuance and specificity. Research to date has almost exclusively focused on the former, with little attention paid to the latter. The current study sought to address this discrepant focus by testing two novel measures of negative ED (i.e., based on negatively valenced emotions only) via coded open-ended descriptions of individual emotional experiences, both past and present. As part of a larger study, 307 participants completed written descriptions of two negative emotional experiences, as well as a measure of emotion regulation difficulties and indices of psychopathological symptom severity. Negative ED ability, as measured via consistency between emotional experiences, was found to be unrelated to negative ED ability exhibited via coding of language within experiences. Within-experience negative ED may offer an incrementally adaptive function to that of ED between emotional experiences. Implications for ED theory are discussed.
Refinement of the Reflective Function Questionnaire for Youth (RFQY) Scale B Using Item Response Theory
Authors: Sharp Carla , Steinberg Lynne , McLaren Veronica , Weir Stuart , Ha Carolyn , Fonagy Peter
Published: April 2021

We conducted item response theory analyses to refine the Reflective Function Questionnaire for Youth (RFQY) Scale B. Data from a non-clinical sample of young people ( n = 737; aged 18-25 years) was used to derive a shortened version of the RFQY. Results were replicated in a clinical sample of inpatient adolescents ( n = 467; aged 12-17 year), resulting in a five-item measure, thereafter named the RFQY-5. The RFQY-5 item set was then scrutinized for construct validity against the original 23-item RFQY item set in a randomly selected sample of 100 inpatient adolescents not included in the item response theory replication, and 186 healthy adolescents drawn from the community. Results showed that the RFQY-5 performed similarly as the long version in terms of associations with criterion variables, and outperformed the longer version in discriminating between inpatient and community-dwelling adolescents who differed in their levels of borderline traits. The study provides evidence in support of the use of the RFQY-5 in research and clinical settings.
Fuzzy observer–based disturbance rejection control for nonlinear fractional-order systems with time-varying delay
Authors: Mahmoudabadi Parvin , Tavakoli-Kakhki Mahsan
Published: April 2021

In this article, a Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy model is applied to deal with the problem of observer-based control design for nonlinear time-delayed systems with fractional-order [Formula: see text]. By applying the Lyapunov–Krasovskii method, a fuzzy observer–based controller is established to stabilize the time-delayed fractional-order Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy model. Also, the problem of disturbance rejection for the addressed systems is studied via the state-feedback method in the form of a parallel distributed compensation approach. Furthermore, sufficient conditions for the existence of state-feedback gains and observer gains are achieved in the terms of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, two numerical examples are simulated for the validation of the presented methods.
Multivariate empirical mode decomposition–based structural damage localization using limited sensors
Authors: Sony Sandeep , Sadhu Ayan
Published: April 2021

In this article, multivariate empirical mode decomposition is proposed for damage localization in structures using limited measurements. Multivariate empirical mode decomposition is first used to decompose the acceleration responses into their mono-component modal responses. The major contributing modal responses are then used to evaluate the modal energy for the respective modes. A damage localization feature is proposed by calculating the percentage difference in the modal energies of damaged and undamaged structures, followed by the determination of the threshold value of the feature. The feature of the specific sensor location exceeding the threshold value is finally used to identify the location of structural damage. The proposed method is validated using a suite of numerical and full-scale studies. The validation is further explored using various limited measurement cases for evaluating the feasibility of using a fewer number of sensors to enable cost-effective structural health monitoring. The results show the capability of the proposed method in identifying as minimal as 2% change in global modal parameters of structures, outperforming the existing time–frequency methods to delineate such minor global damage.
Haar wavelet technique applied on the functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced conical shells to study free vibration and buckling behaviors in thermal environments
Authors: Pakravan Isaac , Heidari Soureshjani Ali , Talebitooti Roohollah , Talebitooti Mostafa
Published: April 2021

This article is provided to investigate the free vibrational behaviors accompanied by buckling characteristics of carbon nanotube-reinforced conical shells via the Haar wavelet technique. For a better performance in the thermal environments, materials used in the structure obey the temperature-dependent relations. On the other hand, carbon nanotubes are embedded across the thickness uniformly or functionally. Using Hamilton’s principle through the first-order shear deformation theory yields governing equations. Both dynamic and stability states are evaluated in the vicinity of equilibrium state and are also derived with regard to initial thermal stresses that are obtained via linear membrane technique in static analysis. The obtained partial differential equations are converted into ordinary ones with the aid of separating variable technique. Subsequently, the Haar wavelet approach is used to discretize the equations meridionally and transform them into new algebraic ones. Capability of this approach in calculation of frequencies with only a few numbers of the collocation points is demonstrated. Finally, to verify the integrity and precision of the proposed approach, some comparison studies are made with those of relevant results in the literature primarily. Thereafter, some effective parameters such as the geometry of nanotube, different boundary conditions, temperatures, and material properties are studied.