bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Seasonal Dependence of TC–ISO Relationship and Its Potential Effect on the Intensification of TCs in the Western North Pacific since the Early 2000s
Authors: Hong Chi-Cherng , Chang Chi-Chun , Chen Kuan-Chieh , Tsou Chih-Hua
Published: March 2023

This study reported that the intensification of tropical cyclones (TCs) to major TCs (MTCs) in the western North Pacific (WNP) region exhibited strong difference between boreal autumn (SON) and summer (JJA) since the early 2000s; the ratio of MTCs to the total number of TCs (MTC ratio) has continuously increased in SON but not in JJA. Due to this difference, more MTCs form and pass through the western flank of the WNP region in SON. The increase of the MTC ratio in SON was associated with interdecadal variability in TC activity and 30–60-day intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) variability. The mean genesis location of TCs and ISOs accompanied by a negative outgoing longwave radiation anomaly shrunk and shifted westward simultaneously in SON since the early 2000s due to the westward extension of the WNP subtropical high. However, this change was not observed in JJA. This westward shift of ISO substantially modulated large-scale thermodynamic and dynamic conditions, which in turn enhanced the TC–ISO interaction and accelerated energy conversion between TC and ISO. The kinetic energy budget along the MTC track was further analyzed to understand the TC–ISO interaction. Both the lower-level barotropic energy conversion (CK) and upper-level baroclinic energy conversion (CE) contributed to the intensification of TCs. CK mainly resulted from the scale interaction between TCs and ISO, whereas CE resulted from TC-related perturbations.

Significant Statement

This study reported the seasonality of TC intensification in the WNP during the early 2000s. Here, we extended the previous work to present that the interdecadal increase of the ratio of TC developing to major TC (MTC; ≥category 3; referred to MTC ratio) exhibits strong seasonal dependence. That is, the MTC ratio stays stationary approximately in 30% for JJA, but it jumps from 40% to 50% in SON. Consequently, more MTCs form and pass through the western flank of the WNP region in SON. The possible physical processes behind the increase of MTC ratio were discussed. These results may advance our knowledge about the TC intensification and were helpful for TC prediction.
Gatekeeping Through Music: A Case of the Patriotic Front in Zambia
Authors: Musonda James
Published: March 2023

What can music used by politicians during campaigns tell us about their behaviour, character and their rule? The article responds to this question by analysing political songs used by Patriotic Front (PF) in Zambia, before winning the 2011 elections and the subsequent elections. This article argues that music can be an important unacknowledged tool for understanding the behaviour of political leaders, and in this case, their gatekeeping behaviour that aims at sustaining the ruling party in power by undermining the opposition.
Social Determinants of Health in Trauma
Authors: Lam Hoi , Harshaw Nate , Bresz Kellie , Brown Catherine Ting , Perea Lindsey L.
Published: March 2023

Social determinants (SD) refer to a variety of environmental factors that can influence certain clinical outcomes. SD that affect clinical outcomes in trauma patients are largely understudied. We hypothesized that patients with an “at risk” (AR) classification for any SD will have a greater frequency of negative outcomes when compared to their “not at risk” (NAR) counterparts. A retrospective review was performed (1/2021-2/2022) of all trauma patients that met the inclusion criteria. 2225 patients were included. SD included (based on collection rates) for analysis were: tobacco use, stress, and intimate partner violence. Tobacco usage was the only SD that was significantly associated with a higher 30-day mortality. This study demonstrated a paucity of data in the medical record regarding SD. In an effort to provide more inclusive care and address health disparities in our patient population, there is a need for more complete data collection upon admission/duration of hospital stay.
The emerging corporate turn in transitional justice
Authors: Jakobsen Line Jespersgaard
Published: March 2023

This essay reviews recent developments in transitional justice (TJ) scholarship that represent an emerging corporate turn in TJ. TJ has traditionally focused primarily on states and state-like actors, a movement that has gone hand in hand with the increasing standardization of TJ as a field of practice. Highlighting some of the limits to this model of TJ, scholars have since early 2000s been calling for the need to include economic actors in the TJ system. These four books that have all been published between 2020 and 2022 reflect a new momentum for this movement within TJ scholarship. They all highlight, in different ways, how complimentary innovative mechanisms and creative legal combinations have led and can lead to holding economic actors accountable for past abuse. Corporate accountability has been a blind spot in the increasingly standardized approach to TJ, but this emerging corporate turn represents a possibility to innovating the TJ standard to include “new” actors as subjects of accountability. All books, however, also show that this is far from a straightforward process as it involves transforming the deeply engrained and rigid international law and human rights system, which have usually protected economic elites and focused on states.
Spatial Market Integration, Price Transmission and Transaction Costs in Major Onion Markets of India
Authors: Ahmed Mumtaz , Singla Naresh
Published: March 2023

The price information is one of the prime objectives of marketing strategies, and the farmers are unable to determine the marketing strategies without knowing the price movements of the agricultural commodities. In this context, the study has examined the spatial price integration among four major onion markets using the threshold vector error correction model (TVECM) that takes into account transaction costs in the price adjustment process. Augmented Dickey–Fuller and Phillips–Perron tests for unit root suggest that the time series is I(1). The application of the Johansen cointegration technique supports the presence of long-run price association and equilibrium in all pairs of onion markets. The Granger Causality test unveils that Bengaluru Granger causes all the markets except Kolkata. The Hansen and Seo supreme Lagrange Multiplier ( SupLM) test of linearity suggests that non-linear TVECM with one threshold and two regimes is best fit for the underlying data for three pairs of markets. While the rest of the three pairs, the SupLM test rejects the null of linearity, therefore, linear vector error correction model (VECM) is estimated. Finally, VECM and TVECM results reveal that Mumbai and Bengaluru are dominant markets in price formation in rest of the markets. Against these findings, it is suggested that the prices should be stabilised in the dominant markets so that the price shocks are not transferred to other markets. The threshold parameter, which is analogous to transaction cost, reveals the high transaction costs between the selected markets pairs, especially Mumbai and Delhi. One of the reasons for the high transaction costs may be the inefficiencies in infrastructure and communication. While a more correct explanation for this difference can be attributed to the differences in marketing fees, taxes, commission charges, license fees, etc., across the spatially separated agricultural markets.

JEL Codes: Q1, Q13, D4, C22, D23
Mechanical and optical performance evaluations of embedded polyimide and PEEK coated distributed optical sensors in glass fibre reinforced composites with vinyl ester resin systems
Authors: Nagulapally Prashanth , Shamsuddoha Md , Herath Thinu , Djukic Luke , Prusty Gangadhara B
Published: March 2023

Embedded optical fibre sensors (OFSs) offer the potential to monitor the internal strains at various stages during the manufacturing and service life of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite structures. Various aspects associated with the embedment of OFSs, such as integration, material compatibility, and sensing performance of the embedded sensor needs to be investigated to develop reliable OFSs based internal sensing platform for composite structures. In this study, Polyimide (PI) and Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) coated optical fibres (OF) were embedded into glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites to evaluate four important aspects associated with the embedment of OFs, which include; i). Structural integrity of the OFs against chemical reactions from vinyl ester resin and its additives through immersion testing, ii). Methods of integrating the OFs into layered glass fibres for the vacuum resin infusion manufacturing process, iii). Sensing performance of the embedded OFs during manufacturing and structural testing (tensile and compressive), and iv). Internal structural integrity of the embedded OFs and the host composite structure using X-Ray micro-computerised tomography technique (μ-CT). The results from the immersion testing and manufacturing process monitoring showed that both PEEK and PI coated OFs can resist the chemical and mechanical stresses caused by resin polymerisation during curing process. The subsequent mechanical testing showed a similar sensing performance by the PI and PEEK coated OFs. Under tensile loads, the OFs monitored the tensile strain distribution up to 7,000 με and compressive strain distribution up to −1,200 με under flexural loading without compromising their optical performance. Finally, the μ-CT scanning results had shown a minimal structural deterioration of the embedded OFs and host composite structure. The outcomes from this detailed experimental investigation on the embedment of OFS in GFRP structures provided useful information towards the integration and performance of optical sensors in composite structures.
Muddying the Waters: The Anatomy of Resistance Campaigns and the Failure of Ceasefires in Civil Wars
Authors: Braithwaite Jessica Maves , Butcher Charles
Published: March 2023

Ceasefires are a critical tool for those engaged in conflict management during civil wars, yet little scholarship exists that systematically assesses the durability of these arrangements. We argue that ceasefire failure is driven by variations in the composition of organized dissent including and beyond the context of the civil war. In particular, ceasefires should break down faster given increasingly complicated environments of broader anti-government dissent, where resistance dynamics alter the perceived or actual balance of power between rebels and the state. Using original data on organizations participating in violent and nonviolent dissent across African states from 1990-2015, and new data on civil war ceasefires, we find that ceasefire breakdown is precipitated by complex resistance environments that put the government in a precarious position. Increasing numbers of mobilized organizations, higher ideological fractionalization among those groups, more dense and increasingly decentralized dissident networks all expedite the failure of ceasefires in civil wars.
Fathers’ Relational Experiences of Stillbirth: Pre-natal Attachment, Loss and Continuing Bonds Through Use of Objects
Authors: Burgess Amy , Murray Craig , Clancy Anna
Published: March 2023

This study aimed to investigate fathers’ lived experiences of stillbirth through the lens of continuing bonds and use of objects. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six fathers who had experienced stillbirth from 20 weeks gestation. Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed five themes: loss and continued bonds in a mother-mediated dynamic, objects as manifestations of relational and meaningful memories, exerting existence and continued connection to others, continued bond through physical presence and evolving expressions of love and fatherhood. Findings offer a novel understanding of the relationship between objects and continued bonds, where objects are seen to facilitate this bond through varying means, including physical manifestation of the deceased and representation of the father-infant relationship. The study places importance on fathers’ involvement in creating objects permeated with meaning and memories, and of validating fathers’ experiences of loss rather than considering these men merely as partners of a mother who lost their own baby.
Characteristics of Decedents With COVID-19–Related Mortality in Kentucky, July 1–August 13, 2021
Authors: Cavanaugh Alyson M. , Raparti Likhita , Bhurgri Mishaal , Herrington Amy , Holladay Claire , Arora Vaneet , Spicer Kevin B. , Thoroughman Douglas A. , Winter Kathleen
Published: March 2023

Objective:

Although vaccination reduces the risk of severe COVID-19, fatal COVID-19 cases after vaccination can occur. We examined the characteristics of decedents with COVID-19–related mortality to help inform discussions about vaccination, boosters, and mitigation strategies.

Methods:

We examined COVID-19–related deaths in Kentucky resulting from infections occurring from July 1 through August 13, 2021. We used records from case investigations, medical records, the Kentucky Health Information Exchange, and the Kentucky Immunization Registry to determine demographic information, vaccination status, and underlying health conditions, including calculation of the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). We calculated mortality incidence rates by vaccination status by using data for unvaccinated and fully vaccinated populations in Kentucky as of July 1, 2021.

Results:

In total, 777 COVID-19–related deaths occurred in Kentucky during the study period; 592 (76.2%) occurred among unvaccinated people. Compared with unvaccinated decedents, fully vaccinated decedents were older (median age, 77 vs 65 years; P < .001), had higher comorbidity levels (median CCI, 3 vs 1; P < .001), and were more likely to have immunocompromised health status (26.4% vs 16.0%; P = .003). Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and chronic lung disease were more common among vaccinated decedents than among unvaccinated decedents. Unvaccinated adults had a significantly higher risk of death than fully vaccinated adults (incidence rate ratio for age 20-49 years: 20.5 [95% CI, 6.5-64.8]; 50-64 years: 14.6 [95% CI, 9.4-22.7]; ≥65 years: 10.2 [95% CI, 8.3-12.4]).

Conclusions:

Immunocompromised health status, older age, and higher comorbidity were prevalent among fully vaccinated decedents, suggesting adults with these characteristics may benefit from additional protection strategies. Further understanding of the protection of additional and booster doses is needed.
Provisional Entrants, Exemptions, and Kindergarteners Up-to-Date on Vaccination Before and After a Regulatory Change in Pennsylvania, 2015-2019
Authors: Delamater Paul L. , Goel Varun , Strack Claire N. , Yang Y. Tony
Published: March 2023

Objectives:

Before the 2017-2018 school year, Pennsylvania shortened the grace period for provisional entrants—kindergarteners who are not up-to-date on vaccination and do not have medical or nonmedical exemption—from 8 months to 5 days. We analyzed the impact of this change on school-entry vaccination status.

Methods:

Using data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health for school years 2015-2016 through 2018-2019, we examined state-level trends in Pennsylvania kindergarteners’ vaccination status, including the percentage who were up-to-date on each required vaccine, provisionally enrolled, medically exempted from vaccination, and nonmedically exempted from vaccination. Using the Spearman correlation coefficient, we assessed associations at the school level among changes in kindergarteners’ vaccination status after the grace period was shortened.

Results:

From 2016-2017 to 2017-2018, the provisional entrance rate of kindergarteners in Pennsylvania decreased substantially after the change in the grace period (from 8.1% to 2.2%), the medical exemption rate remained stable, and the nonmedical exemption rate increased slightly (from 1.8% to 2.5%). The percentage of kindergarteners up-to-date on required vaccines increased or remained stable across the study period except for polio, which decreased from 97.9% in 2015-2016 to 96.2% in 2018-2019. The change in provisional entrance rate was negatively associated with change in kindergarteners up-to-date on required vaccines (ρ range, −0.30 to −0.70) but not with change in medical or nonmedical exemptions (ρ range, −0.01 to −0.08).

Conclusions:

Efforts to reduce provisional entrants may increase the percentage of kindergarteners up-to-date on vaccinations at school entry without a corresponding increase in exemptions.
Virtual Distance in Project Work: What We Have Learned From the Pandemic
Authors: Hafner Christoph A. , Xia Sichen
Published: March 2023

The Covid-19 pandemic posed novel challenges to language teachers and learners, as ‘emergency remote teaching' became a necessity in order for teachers and learners to isolate from one another. Much has already been written about the nature of those challenges and language teachers' response to them, which response frequently made use of video-conferencing technology like Zoom in order to facilitate remote interaction, teaching and learning. The existing work has focused heavily on teacher experiences, including the kinds of strategies and competencies that teachers made use of when ‘doing' synchronous online learning. However, much less work has examined the student experience. In addition, one challenge consistently identified in the literature is that of fostering meaningful interaction and engagement. In this viewpoint article, we apply the concept of ‘virtual distance’ to the activity of project-based learning taking place at a university in Hong Kong and mediated by digital technologies as part of emergency remote teaching. We report on the emergence of a socio-technical divide in one particular student team and teacher strategies that tend to bridge the divide. We offer suggestions on how the lessons learned from this experience can inform project-based learning in the post-pandemic future.
Biocomposites Films Based on Polylactic Acid and Olive Wood-Flour: Investigation on Physical, Thermal and Mechanical Properties
Authors: Taktak Imen , Mansouri Afef , Souissi Slim , Etoh Marie-Annie , Elloumi Ahmed
Published: March 2023

Considerable interest has been shown in the development of biocomposite films for food packaging in recent years. In this study, biocomposite films based on polylactic acid (PLA) were prepared with varying levels of olive wood flour (OWF) (0, 1, 3, 5, and 10 wt%) using the solvent casting method. To achieve better dispersion, 2% ethanol was added during the casting of the biocomposite films. The effect of OWF content on the physicochemical and mechanical properties of the PLA films was investigated. Interaction between the OWF cellulose and the PLA matrix was revealed by FTIR spectroscopy analysis, and the addition of ethanol was found to be suitable for better dispersion of OWF, which resulted in decreased agglomeration rate in the biocomposites. The biocomposite films with the addition of 1% of OWF (OW1) exhibited the best dispersion, thermal stability, and tensile strength, with a gain of 31.07% (29.65 ± 6.6 MPa) and an increase in Young’s modulus of 15% (1199.18 ± 98 MPa). It was demonstrated that the properties of the PLA/OWF biocomposites make them suitable for green applications, including as film packaging for food products.
Operation optimization of distributed multi-energy multi-microgrid considering system robustness
Authors: Feng Fei , Du Xin , Si Qiang , Cai Hao
Published: March 2023

Carbon emission trading is regarded as an effective way to combine energy economy with green and low-carbon, which brings new vitality to the traditional multi-micro grid day-ahead dispatch. In this paper, a robust decentralized energy management framework is proposed for monitoring a collaborative structure of gas turbines, gas boilers, ground source heat pumps, energy storage and electrolyzers, etc for microgrid in the presence of power to gas and carbon capture systems. The price sensitivity of the power market results in the fluctuations of multi-micro grid dispatching. The worst-scenario uncertainty of multi-micro grid is managed by adopting trading prices at different conservativeness levels. The kalman filter distributed algorithm based on iteration is used to decompose the dispatch problem to minimize the total daily overhead of the multi-micro grid system while protecting microgrid data privacy. Finally, the simulation results represent the effectiveness of the proposed decentralized model of trading prices to meet the demand for electricity and heat. At the same time, the kalman filter distributed algorithm is compared with the alternating direction multiplier method algorithm to ensure accuracy and speed.
Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance of the LIVES Daily Hassles Scale in Chinese Samples
Authors: Liu Kang , Yu Xiaofang , Cai Yan , Tu Dongbo
Published: March 2023

Daily hassles have a larger effect on our health and well-being than those major events in daily life. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the LIVES Daily Hassles Scale (LIVES-DHS) in Chinese samples, which consisted of 815 people at work aged between 20 and 60 years old. The results of both Explanatory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the five-factor model solution was better than other solutions, which supported the original structure of LIVES-DHS. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of the five subdimensions varied between.721 and.818, with the entire scale of.920, and McDonald’s [Formula: see text] values of the five subdimensions varied between.716 and.821, with the entire scale of.936. The results also showed the support for measurement invariance of the five-factor model across different groups, which is the first to offer evidence for configural, metric, scalar and strict invariance of LIVES-DHS across gender, age and educational groups.
Rethinking telepresence: post- and pre-COVID-19
Authors: Bourdon Jérôme
Published: March 2023

Following the marked increase in the use of digital technologies during the recent pandemic, the article reconsiders the concept of social telepresence, in the sense of interpersonal connection at a distance, locating it in the longue durée and within media studies. It reminds the reader that, for centuries, when people were separated from one another by the force of various circumstances, including pandemics, they resorted to technologies at their disposal to experience telepresence, long before the term itself was coined by scholars. Foremost among these has been the epistolary, a vitally important interpersonal media largely overlooked by media and telepresence researchers. Rather than competitively evaluating the performance of various technologies, the article proposes a framework to compare them, along with the practices of social telepresence, in the course of history. This comparative program employs the following criteria: embodiment, synchronicity, the space of the encounter, the ontology of entities other than humans actuated by telepresence and the social preferences for different forms of telepresence.
Effect of the topic-combination novelty on the disruption and impact of scientific articles: Evidence from PubMed
Authors: Ruan Xuanmin , Ao Weiyi , Lyu Dongqing , Cheng Ying , Li Jiang
Published: March 2023

Novelty, disruption and impact are essential concepts for understanding the originality and importance of scientific discoveries. By drawing on a large-scale corpus consisting of nearly 0.9 million PubMed papers published between 1970 and 2009 and their citations before 2018 in the Web of Science, we found that the topic-combination novelty has different effects on the impact and disruption of scientific papers, that is, an inverted U-shaped effect on the impact and a positive effect on disruption. One of our contributions is that we have significantly improved the reliability of topic-combination novelty by applying MeSH terms of PubMed to the measurement of novelty. Another contribution is that we have explained how a novel combination of MeSH terms of an article contributes to citations and citation networks, that is, the middle-level novelty is more likely to achieve large citation counts. In contrast, high topic-combination novelty relates to the discontinuity in the focal paper’s citation network.
The role of assistive technology in supporting the engagement of students with visual impairment in learning mathematics: An integrative literature review
Authors: Ketema Dabi Gezie , Negassa Golga Dawit
Published: March 2023

This integrative literature review examined how assistive technology (AT) can help students with visual impairment (VI) in middle primary and secondary schools (aged 11–18 years) engage in learning Mathematics. To collate the relevant findings across studies, an integrative literature review approach was employed and supported by an evidence-based synthesis method. Automatic search phrases were used to find research articles related to the topic in the Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, and Springer Link databases. A total of 628 articles were identified during the initial search of which only 11 were included after putting them under rigorous selection criteria. In addition, a mixed-method appraisal technique (MMAT) was used to examine the methodological quality of the papers that were included. The synthesis result came up with three overarching themes: the availability of AT to support learning mathematics, the usability of AT in mathematics classes, and the role of AT in the inclusion of visually impaired students. The findings based on the results of the 11 academic articles published from 2007 to 2021 revealed that effective engagement of students with VIs in Mathematics instruction is achieved by providing students with VI equitable access to the swiftly evolving AT, addressing issues related to affordability, testing the usability and appropriateness of existing AT and enhancing accessibility of AT for all by breaking the social stigma against students with VI in using AT. It is concluded that easily affordable and accessible assistive technologies with multiple non-visual display formats that enable students with VI to access mathematical symbols, notations, expressions, and tactual contents should be in place to actively engage students with VI in learning mathematics.
Reflexive standardization and the resolution of uncertainty in the genomics clinic
Authors: Hedgecoe Adam , Job Kathleen , Clarke Angus
Published: March 2023

In genomics, the clinical application of Next Generation Sequencing technologies (such as Whole Genome or Exome Sequencing) has attracted considerable attention from UK policymakers, interested in the benefits such technologies could bring the National Health Service. However, this boosterism plays little attention to the challenges raised by a kind of result known as a Variant of Uncertain Significance, or VUS, which require clinical geneticists and related colleagues to classify ambiguous genomic variants as ‘benign’ or ‘pathogenic’. With a rigorous analysis based on data gathered at 290 clinical meetings over a two-year period, this paper presents the first ethnographic account of decision-making around NGS technology in a NHS clinical genomics service, broadening our understanding of the role formal criteria play in the classification of VUS. Drawing on Stefan Timmermans’ concept of ‘reflexive standardisation’ to explore the way in which clinical genetics staff classify such variants this paper explores the application of a set of criteria drafted by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, highlighting the flexible way in which various resources – variant databases, computer programmes, the research literature – are drawn on to reach a decision. A crucial insight is how professionals’ perception of, and trust in, the clinical practice at other genomics centres in the NHS, shapes their own application of criteria and the classification of a VUS as either benign or pathogenic.
The changing spatial arrangements of global finance: Financial, social and legal infrastructures
Authors: Hall Sarah , Leaver Adam , Seabrooke Leonard , Tischer Daniel
Published: March 2023

The spatial arrangements of global finance have changed significantly over the last 30 years, entangling new actors, relations and sites. Infrastructures have developed to stabilize change and complexity. The collection advocates for a broader understanding of infrastructures that includes – but moves beyond – supporting technologies of Bloomberg terminals, telephony, and high-speed cabling. In particular, it highlights other infrastructural forms: financial institutions which govern and steer market action, social networks which organize financial practices and reproduce status-based power asymmetries and legal treatments which work across jurisdictions to open up opportunities for actors to innovate or avoid costs. This theme issue highlights how these different infrastructural forms support both changes and continuities in the global financial system and thus contributes to the literature on financialization, global financial networks and global wealth chains.
“Wearing-off” efficacy of CGRP monoclonal antibodies for migraine prevention: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Asawavichienjinda Thanin , Sathitratanacheewin Seelwan , Chokesuwattanaskul Ronpichai
Published: March 2023

Background

A new migraine prevention, CGRP monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), is injectable on a monthly or quarterly basis. In clinical practice, some patients reported that drug effectiveness does not last until the upcoming scheduled injection, a so-called “wearing-off” effect. We aimed to evaluate the wearing-off effect of the CGRP mAbs for migraine prevention in patients with different monthly migraine days.

Methods

We conducted a literature search for studies that reported migraine frequency after CGRP monoclonal antibody administration from MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Cochrane Database from inception through February 2022. A meta-analysis, random-effects model was applied to assess the difference in migraine frequency between early and later weeks after medication to assess the presence of a wearing-off effect. Risk ratio was calculated to report the pooled treatment effect.

Results

Four studies were entered for the analysis, comprising 2409 patients in randomized controlled trials. There was no association between CGRP mAbs and wearing-off effect in patients with galcanezumab with a pooled risk ratio of 1.29 (95% CI 0.73 to 2.28) compared to placebo group. However, there was an association between galcanezumab and wearing-off effect in patients with chronic migraine with a pooled risk ratio of 1.91 (95% CI 1.11 to 3.28) compared to placebo group.

Conclusion

In this meta-analysis, there was a wearing-off efficacy of galcanezumab but only in a small percentage of patients with chronic migraine in randomized controlled trials.
The Family as “Best Weapon.” Instrumentalizing German Health Care Discourses in Upper Silesia During the Interwar Period
Authors: Hiemer Elisa-Maria
Published: March 2023

Pro-German family and health policies were, at their core, anti-Polish measures that cleared the path for later racially determined politics. The sources demonstrate how these policies were justified and how their character developed from protective to invasive. Therefore, I examine first protective discourses about the fight against venereal diseases, then analyze supportive regulations such as the midwifery policies and the later invasive measures like sterilizations. Although these seem to be different topics, I show that the German “people's family” ( Volksfamilie) and its significance for the health of the German “people's body” ( Volkskörper) is always implied. Using a close-reading approach that considers newspaper articles, administrative and private files, I show the extent to which national and nationalist beliefs interfered with the everyday life of citizens. The text thus scrutinizes unpublished sources regarding the strategic importance of families in German biopolitics and its interpretation in the conflicted border region of Upper Silesia. In 1921, a plebiscite was held to decide on the division of the region. This intensified conflicts between Germany and Poland, which had just gained independence in 1918. I argue that the unstable position of the new emerged country was instrumentalized in German discourses to underline the image of the disorganized and underdeveloped East.
Effect of Posterior Tibial Slopes on Graft Survival Rates at 10 Years After Primary Single-Bundle Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Yoon Kyoung Ho , Lee Jong-Hwan , Kim Sang-Gyun , Park Jae-Young , Lee Hee-Sung , Kim Sang Jin , Kim Yoon-Seok
Published: March 2023

Background:

Recent biomechanical studies have reported that stress on the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) graft increases as the posterior tibial slope (PTS) decreases (flattened) in knees with single-bundle (SB) and double-bundle PCL reconstruction. Clinical studies of SB PCL reconstruction have shown that a flattened PTS is associated with a lesser reduction in posterior tibial translation. There is no long-term study on the clinical outcomes and graft survival rates of SB PCL reconstruction based on the medial and lateral PTSs measured on magnetic resonance imaging.

Hypothesis:

Flattened medial and lateral PTSs are associated with poor clinical outcomes and graft survival rates at a minimum 10-year follow-up after SB PCL reconstruction.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

In this cohort study, we retrospectively reviewed 46 patients (mean age, 28.8 ± 9.9 years) who underwent primary SB PCL reconstruction between 2000 and 2009. They were followed up for a minimum of 10 years. The medial and lateral PTSs were measured on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging. As a previous study reported that a steeper medial or lateral PTS showed a higher risk of anterior tibial translation at thresholds of 5.6° and 3.8°, respectively, the patients were divided into 2 groups based on the cutoff values of both the medial (≤5.6° vs >5.6°) and lateral (≤3.8° vs >3.8°) PTSs. Clinical scores (International Knee Documentation Committee subjective score, Lysholm score, and Tegner activity score), radiological outcomes (side-to-side difference [SSD] on stress radiography and osteoarthritis progression), and graft survival rates were compared between the groups at the last follow-up.

Results:

All clinical scores and the progression of osteoarthritis demonstrated no significant difference between the 2 subgroups of both the medial and lateral PTS groups. The mean SSD on stress radiography after SB PCL reconstruction was significantly greater in patients with a medial PTS ≤5.6° than in patients with a medial PTS >5.6° (8.4 ± 3.9 vs 5.1 ± 2.9 mm, respectively; P = .030), while the lateral PTS subgroups after SB PCL reconstruction demonstrated no significant difference. The minimum 10-year graft survival rate was significantly lower in patients with a medial PTS ≤5.6° (68.4% vs 92.6%, respectively; P = .029) and a lateral PTS ≤3.8° (50.0% vs 91.7%, respectively; P = .001).

Conclusion:

A flattened medial PTS (≤5.6°) was associated with an increased SSD on stress radiography, and both flattened medial (≤5.6°) and lateral (≤3.8°) PTSs resulted in lower graft survival rates at a minimum 10-year follow-up after primary SB PCL reconstruction.
Distal Clavicle Autograft Versus Traditional and Congruent Arc Latarjet Procedures: A Comparison of Surface Area and Glenoid Apposition With 3-Dimensional Computed Tomography and 3-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Kim Billy I. , Hudson Caroline P. , Taylor Dean C. , Anakwenze Oke , Dickens Jonathan F. , Lau Brian C.
Published: March 2023

Background:

Limited studies have compared graft-glenoid apposition and glenoid augmentation area between the Latarjet procedure and distal clavicle graft in glenohumeral stabilization. Additionally, preoperative planning is typically performed using computed tomography (CT), and few studies have used 3-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reformations to assess graft dimensions.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was 2-fold: (1) to compare bony apposition, glenoid augmentation, and graft width among coracoid and distal clavicle bony augmentation techniques and (2) to determine the viability of 3D MRI to assess bone graft dimensions.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

A total of 24 patients with recurrent glenohumeral instability and bone loss were included in this study. 3D CT and 3D MRI reformations were utilized to measure pertinent dimensions for 5 orientations of coracoid and distal clavicle autografts: (1) standard Latarjet procedure (SLJ), (2) congruent arc Latarjet procedure (CLJ), (3) distal clavicle attached by its posterior surface (DCP), (4) distal clavicle attached by its inferior surface (DCI), and (5) distal clavicle attached by its resected end (DCR). Glenoid augmentation was defined as the graft surface area contributing to the glenoid. Bone-on-bone apposition was defined as the graft-glenoid contact area for bone healing potential, and graft width was pertinent for fixation technique. Glenoid bone loss ranged from 0% to 34%. Paired t tests were used to compare graft sizes between patients and compare 3D CT versus 3D MRI measurements.

Results:

The CLJ had the largest graft surface area (mean, 318.41 ± 74.44 mm2), while the SLJ displayed the most bone-on-bone apposition (mean, 318.41 ± 74.44 mm2). The DCI had the largest graft width (mean, 20.62 ± 3.93 mm). Paired t tests revealed no significant differences between the Latarjet techniques, whereas distal clavicle grafts varied significantly with orientation. All 3D CT and 3D MRI measurements were within 1 mm of each other, and only 2 demonstrated a statistically significant difference (coracoid width: 13.03 vs 13.98 mm, respectively [ P = .010]; distal clavicle thickness: 9.69 vs 10.77 mm, respectively [ P = .002]). 3D CT and 3D MRI measurements demonstrated a strong positive correlation ( r > 0.6 and P < .001 for all dimensions).

Conclusion:

Glenoid augmentation, bony apposition, and graft width varied with coracoid or distal clavicle graft type and orientation. Differences between 3D CT and 3D MRI were small and likely not clinically significant.

Clinical Relevance:

3D MRI is a viable method for preoperative planning and graft selection in glenoid bone loss.
Study on fabricating epoxy coatings reinforced with iron oxide flakes and nano silica
Authors: Le Huy Cuong H , Thanh An T
Published: March 2023

Flake micaceous iron oxide (MIO) pigment is a natural flake pigment, together with nano silica (NS) used to increase mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of coatings based on epoxy resin Epotec YD011X75 cured with Domide G5022. MIO and NS were dispersed into epoxy resin Epotec YD011X75 by mechanical stirring combined with ultrasonic vibration. The structural morphology of the materials was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Functional groups in epoxy/curing agent/MIO polymers analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The thermal property of the material is evaluated by Thermogravimetric and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TG-DSC). Epoxy coatings with flake micaceous oxide iron, nano silica, phosphate zinc pigment (P), talc filler powder (T), additives, and solvents are prepared by grinding and mechanical stirring. The mechanical properties of epoxy coatings were evaluated by standards for epoxy coatings. The anti-corrosion properties of the coatings on steel were evaluated by the salt fog spray method and electrochemical method. The research results have fabricated two formulations of epoxy coatings based on epoxy resin Epotec YD011X75 with the most appropriate mass ratio of YD011X75/(MIO/P/T) is 40/60 (wt/wt); of which one does not have nano silica (epoxy coating MIO2); one with 1 wt% nano silica (epoxy coating MIO5). The thermal stability of epoxy coating MIO5 is better than epoxy coating MIO2. The decomposition temperature of 50 wt% of epoxy coatings MIO5 and MIO2 is 528.34°C and 470.53°C. The formed epoxy coatings achieve the physical chemistry properties, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance properties of steel for epoxy coatings, in which the epoxy coating MIO5 is better than the epoxy coating MIO2.
Rollin’ papers: Newspaper coverage of cannabis legalization in Canada
Authors: Aversa Joseph , Cleave Evan , Jacobson Jenna , Hernandez Tony , Dizonno Stephanie , Macdonald Michael
Published: March 2023

With Canada becoming the first G20 country to legalize the recreational use of cannabis, there has been increasing interest in the emergence of this new marketplace. Newspaper framing helps to shape public opinion on legalization and news sources play a role in determining how the public perceives the use of cannabis. This research analyzes how mainstream newspapers reported on the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada in the years before and after legalization (between 2016 and 2019). Using a content analysis of 1,390 cannabis-related articles, 11 dominant reporting themes are identified. Over time, there was a shift from negative and sensationalist cannabis news coverage toward more balanced and progressive framing. The findings identify the influence of editorial political stance on thematic coverage.
Temporal Dissociation Between Activity and Body Temperature Rhythms of a Subterranean Rodent (Ctenomys famosus) in Field Enclosures
Authors: Jannetti Milene G. , Tachinardi Patricia , Valentinuzzi Veronica S. , Oda Gisele A.
Published: March 2023

Several wild rodents, such as the subterranean tuco-tucos ( Ctenomys famosus), switch their time of activity from diurnal to nocturnal when they are transferred from field to the laboratory. Nevertheless, in most studies, different methods to measure activity in each of these conditions were used, which raised the question of whether the detected change in activity timing could be an artifact. Because locomotor activity and body temperature (Tb) rhythms in rodents are tightly synchronized and because abdominal Tb loggers can provide continuous measurements across field and laboratory, we monitored Tb as a proxy of activity in tuco-tucos transferred from a semi-field enclosure to constant lab conditions. In the first stage of this study (“Tb-only group,” 2012-2016), we verified high incidence (55%, n = 20) of arrhythmicity, with no consistent diurnal Tb rhythms in tuco-tucos maintained under semi-field conditions. Because these results were discrepant from subsequent findings using miniature accelerometers (portable activity loggers), which showed diurnal activity patterns in natural conditions ( n = 10, “Activity-only group,” 2016-2017), we also investigated, in the present study, whether the tight association between activity and Tb would be sustained outside the lab. To verify this, we measured activity and Tb simultaneously across laboratory and semi-field deploying both accelerometers and Tb loggers to each animal. These measurements ( n = 11, “Tb + activity group,” 2019-2022) confirmed diurnality of locomotor activity and revealed an unexpected loosening of the temporal association between Tb and activity rhythms in the field enclosures, which is otherwise robustly tight in the laboratory.
Harmonizing conscience claims and patient access to assisted death
Authors: Wasylenko Eric
Published: March 2023

The rights of patients to receive legally permissible interventions sometimes conflict with enshrined rights of providers to object, for reasons of conscience, to providing those interventions. Getting the balance right is challenging. But reasonable balance to manage these conflicting imperatives can be achieved in the design of programs for assisted death. Rather than limiting the discourse to the platform of competing individual rights, health leaders are urged to consider the broader societal benefits and impacts of valuing conscience in the practice of medicine, the creation of regulation and policy, and the delivery of healthcare. A method to determine that conscience claims are “genuine,” “reasonable,” and “acceptable” needs developing. A list of criteria toward this determination is offered.
Post-operative Pain Assessment Following Tooth Extraction Using Liposomal Encapsulated Bupivacaine as a Local Anesthetic in Dogs
Authors: Jones Teela L. , Cediel Roberto , Wolff Stephanie , Thomas Kara , Hofmeister Erik H.
Published: March 2023

The objective of this study was to evaluate owner assessment of appetite, demeanor, and mouth soreness following dental extractions in dogs receiving either bupivacaine hydrochloride (BH) or liposomal encapsulated bupivacaine (LEB) for dental blocks. Thirty healthy, adult dogs requiring dental extractions were enrolled in the study. All procedures were completed with dogs under general anesthesia. A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug was administered subcutaneously in the preoperative period. Dogs were randomly assigned to receive BH or LEB. An owner assessment to evaluate appetite, demeanor, and soreness of mouth was completed at the end of both the first and second day after discharge from the hospital. The total of the owner assessments for day 1 and both days combined was significantly lower for dogs receiving LEB ( P = .007). There were no differences in the number of extractions ( P = .21), time from block to evaluations ( P = .07), in-hospital pain assessments ( P = .99), or number of dogs requiring rescue analgesia ( P = .99). This study concluded, dogs that received LEB for dental blocks had improved appetite and demeanor, and reduced soreness of mouth, as evaluated by the owner two days postoperatively, when compared to dogs who received BH.
A novel design methodology for fixed-shaft hybrid powertrain with a single-motor
Authors: Deng Tao , Zhou Xin , Zhao Ke
Published: March 2023

Hybrid power configuration has two kinds of power sources, how to design the configuration to couple the energy of the two power sources is an important part of the development of hybrid power technology. In the systematic design scheme of hybrid power, most scholars focus on the design of planetary gear hybrid power configuration, but lack of systematic design scheme of fixed-shaft hybrid power configuration. In this paper, based on the equivalent tree graph method, the fixed-shaft hybrid configuration is transformed into the corresponding tree graph representation, and all possible configurations are generated by the combination of the trunk, branches and leaves. Add the corresponding design constraints, use Matlab to realize automatic generation and screening, and finally obtain the required configuration after specification. The configuration is verified in the Simulink & Amesim co-simulation environment. The results show that the proposed single-motor fixed-shaft hybrid power configuration has certain advantages in economy compared with the traditional P2 and P3 configurations, and its dynamic performance is the same as that of P2 configurations and superior to P3 configurations.