bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social and environmental concerns within ethical fashion: general consumer cognitions, attitudes and behaviours
Authors: Pérez Andrea , Collado Jesús , Liu Matthew T.
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Although interest in sustainability within the fashion apparel industry has increased over the last decade, ethical fashion remains a minority trend due to low consumer awareness and consumption behaviour. The aim of the paper is to explore empirically the relationships between general consumer support for ethical fashion, buying intention and willingness to pay, focussing on the effect that consumer concern and knowledge and beliefs have on these variables.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 450 general consumers in Spain, who are not specifically dedicated buyers of fashion apparel goods. Responses were collected with a structured questionnaire that included multi-item scales to measure all the variables of the causal model. After corroborating the reliability and validity of the measurement scales with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), 11 research hypotheses were explored using a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that whilst beliefs are not predictors of consumer support for either social or environmental issues, concern and knowledge are antecedents of consumer social and environmental support, which determine general support for ethical fashion, intention to buy and willingness to pay. Consumer social support has a slightly higher impact on consumer support for ethical fashion, intention to buy and willingness to pay than environmental support.

Originality/value

The purpose of the paper is to contribute to the literature by empirically comparing general consumer perceptions, attitudes and behaviours towards the social and environmental dimensions of ethical fashion. In doing so, the authors aim at shedding light on the complex concept of ethical fashion and how general consumers understand it. The findings suggest that promoting educational marketing especially focussed on environmental issues is necessary to raise consumer awareness, knowledge and ethical consumption.
Trocar site hernia after laparoscopic bariatric surgery: Incidence with non‐fascial closure
Authors: Barakat Hosam B. , Elmahdy Tamer M. , El‐sherpiny Waleed Y. , Moussa Gamal I.
Published: December 2021

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of trocar site hernia (TSH) after minimally invasive bariatric surgery in the setting of non‐fascial closure and to assess the possible predisposing factors.

Methodology

Two hundred four patients who underwent laparoscopic bariatric surgery between May 2015 and December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed and were asked for a follow‐up visit. All patients were examined clinically and underwent an abdominal ultrasound (US) for detection of any TSH.

Results

Trocar site hernia was detected in three patients (1.4%), all of them occurred after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). The three TSH developed at the 12‐mm port site. The mean time of TSH occurrence was 13 months postoperatively. Two cases were asymptomatic and discovered on US evaluation while the third was symptomatic. The mean time of follow‐up was 40 months, range (13–67 month). In our study, age, sex, preoperative BMI and comorbidities had no significant statistical relation with TSH; however, postoperative wound infections and smoking were statistically significant predisposing risk factors for TSH.

Conclusions

Trocar wound sites skin closures without fascial closure were associated with a low rate of TSH (1.4%) and all cases were related to 12 mm trocar size.
A high‐throughput amplicon sequencing approach for population‐wide species diversity and composition survey
Authors: Tay Wee Tek , Court Leon N. , Macfadyen Sarina , Jacomb Frances , Vyskočilová Sonia , Colvin John , De Barro Paul J.
Published: December 2021

Management of agricultural pests requires an understanding of pest species diversity, their interactions with beneficial insects and spatial‐temporal patterns of pest abundance. Invasive and agriculturally important insect pests can build up very high populations, especially in cropping landscapes. Traditionally, sampling effort for species identification involves small sample sizes and is labour intensive. Here, we describe a multiprimer high throughput sequencing (HTS) metabarcoding method and associated analytical workflow for a rapid, intensive, high‐volume survey of pest species compositions. We demonstrate our method using the taxonomically challenging Bemisia pest cryptic species complex as examples. The whiteflies Bemisia including the”tabaci” species are agriculturally important capable of vectoring diverse plant viruses that cause diseases and crop losses. Our multiprimer metabarcoding HTS amplicon approach simultaneously process high volumes of whitefly individuals, with efficiency to detect rare (i.e., 1%) test‐species, while our improved whitefly primers for metabarcoding also detected beneficial hymenopteran parasitoid species from whitefly nymphs. Field‐testing our redesigned Bemisia metabarcoding primer sets across the Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi cassava cultivation landscapes, we identified the sub‐Saharan Africa 1 Bemisia putative species as the dominant pest species, with other cryptic Bemisia species being detected at various abundances. We also provide evidence that Bemisia species compositions can be affected by host crops and sampling techniques that target either nymphs or adults. Our multiprimer HTS metabarcoding method incorporated two overlapping amplicons of 472 bp and 518 bp that spanned the entire 657 bp 3' barcoding region for Bemisia, and is particularly suitable to molecular diagnostic surveys of this highly cryptic insect pest species complex that also typically exhibited high population densities in heavy crop infestation episodes. Our approach can be adopted to understand species biodiversity across landscapes, with broad implications for improving transboundary biosecurity preparedness, thus contributing to molecular ecological knowledge and the development of control strategies for high‐density, cryptic, pest‐species complexes.
Observations of different types of sacra in Greyhounds based on the occurrence of sacrocaudal fusion
Authors: Ismail Sa'ad M. Y. , Murray Christina M. , Stevenson Mark A. , Yen Hung‐Hsun , Davies Helen M. S.
Published: December 2021

Little attention has been paid to the normal fusion of the vertebrae of greyhounds despite the common occurrence of sacrocaudal fusion. The current study aimed to investigate and provide data on the morphology of different types of fused sacra (B, C and D) in greyhounds and also to determine the potential association between the sex, body mass and morphology of fused sacra (S. Weight, S. Length and S. Width) in greyhounds. The sacra were collected from 171 greyhounds from Melbourne, Australia. After classifying the sacra based on the occurrence and types of the sacrocaudal fusion, they were measured for weight of the sacrum, length of sacrum and the width of sacrum. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to quantify the association between weight of the sacrum (as the outcome variable) type of sacrum (A, B, C and D), body mass and sex (as explanatory variables). The results proved that there are measurable differences between each type of fused sacra (B, C and D) and the standard sacra (A). In addition, this study showed that sex or body mass do not influence the occurrence of different types of fusion. The results of this study showed that the occurrence of sacrocaudal fusions was independent of body size in this population of greyhounds. Sacrocaudal fusion might affect the biomechanics in greyhounds independently of effects of body size.
Racialized disablement and the need for conceptual analysis of “racial health disparities”
Authors: Valentine Desiree
Published: December 2021

It is well established that racial health disparities are impacted by structural racism, but the imbrication of racialization processes with processes of disablement remains underdeveloped. This essay advocates for a conceptual lens that looks historically and politically at the co‐constitution of “race” and “disability.” Racism and ableism intersect in ways that manifest what I call racialized disablement, a key heuristic for building a fuller understanding of “race” and “racial health disparities.” This terminology, I propose, helps illuminate the following about race and racism in healthcare: first, racialized disablement seeks to denaturalize both race and disability to focus on their political production. Using process‐based terms related to both race and disability heightens the sense in which neither inhere in particular, individual bodies, but rather persist in contexts of ongoing structural oppressions, materializing populations subject to racialization and disablement. Secondly, and relatedly, racialized disablement aims to identify racism and ableism as co‐constitutive—historically, politically, and conceptually intertwined. Without an awareness of the fluidity of race‐ and disability‐based markers and the systems of power generating their materialization, our understandings of racial disparities in health and healthcare are incomplete.
Impact of pharmacological interventions on anthropometric indices in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Abdalla Mohammed A. , Shah Najeeb , Deshmukh Harshal , Sahebkar Amirhossein , Östlundh Linda , Al‐Rifai Rami H. , Atkin Stephen L. , Sathyapalan Thozhukat
Published: December 2021

Context

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous condition affecting women of reproductive age and is associated with increased body weight.

Objective

To review the literature on the effect of different pharmacological interventions on the anthropometric indices in women with PCOS.

Data sources

We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane library, and the Web of Science in April 2020 with an update in PubMed in March 2021.

Study selection

The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA)2020.

Data extraction

Reviewers extracted data and assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane risk of bias tool.

Results

80 RCTs were included in the meta‐analysis. Metformin vs placebo showed significant reduction in the mean body weight (MD: −3.13 kg; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −5.33 to −0.93, I² = 5%) and the mean body mass index (BMI) (MD: −0.75 kg/m2; 95% CI: −1.15 to −0.36, I² = 0%). There was a significant reduction in the mean BMI with orlistat versus placebo (MD: −1.33 kg/m²; 95% CI: −2.16 to −0.66, I² = 0.0%), acarbose versus metformin (MD: −1.26 kg/m²; 95% CI: −2.13 to −0.38, I² = 0%), and metformin versus pioglitazone (MD: −0.91 kg/m²; 95% CI: −1.62 to −0.19, I² = 0%). A significant increase in the mean BMI was also observed in pioglitazone versus placebo (MD: + 2.59 kg/m²; 95% CI: 1.78–3.38, I² = 0%) and in rosiglitazone versus metformin (MD: + 0.80 kg/m²; 95% CI: 0.32–1.27, I² = 3%). There was a significant reduction in the mean waist circumference (WC) with metformin versus placebo (MD: −1.21 cm; 95% CI: −3.71 to 1.29, I² = 0%) while a significant increase in the mean WC with pioglitazone versus placebo (MD: + 5.45 cm; 95% CI: 2.18–8.71, I² = 0%).

Conclusion

Pharmacological interventions including metformin, sitagliptin, pioglitazone, rosiglitazone orlistat, and acarbose have significant effects on the anthropometric indices in women with PCOS.
Dogliotti and Phillips classifications are unsuitable for grading the histopathological findings of exogenous ochronosis
Authors: Ramia de Cap Maximiliano , Parisi Xenia , Tahan Steven R.
Published: December 2021

Background

Cutaneous exogenous ochronosis (EO) is frequently graded and staged according to the Dogliotti or Phillips classification system, both in research studies and in clinical practice. There are no data to support the use of these systems in either of these settings. These systems additionally purport that the clinical and histopathological findings of EO are concordant; however, anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. We aimed to determine the clinical‐histopathological concordance rates in EO and to assess the suitability of the Dogliotti and Phillips classification systems for the grading and staging of EO lesions.

Methods

Five cutaneous EO cases diagnosed at our institution were studied. Clinical and histopathological data were obtained by medical record and histopathology slide review. Each case was assigned a clinical and histopathological grade according to both the Dogliotti and Phillips classifications. Clinical‐histopathological concordance rates were determined for each classification.

Results

Clinical‐histopathological concordance was seen in 80% and 60% of EO lesions when graded according to the Dogliotti and Phillips classifications, respectively.

Conclusions

Cutaneous EO lesions do not consistently show clinical‐histopathological concordance. Although the Dogliotti and Phillips classifications may have clinical utility, they are not suitable to grade EO histopathologically.
Intra‐Alpine Islands: Population genomic inference reveals high degree of isolation between freshwater spring habitats
Authors: Blattner Lucas , Lucek Kay , Beck Nathanael , Berner Daniel , von Fumetti Stefanie
Published: December 2021

Aim

Alpine spring ecosystems have long been considered as highly isolated, island‐like habitats. This presumption, however, is insufficiently supported empirically and conclusions about spring isolation have been based on indirect evidence. Therefore, we investigated the population genomic structure of Partnunia steinmanni Walter, 1906, a strictly spring‐dwelling water mite (Hydrachnidia) species, to shed light on the degree of interconnection among freshwater spring habitats.

Location

Protected areas across the Alps, Central Europe.

Methods

Partnunia steinmanni populations were sampled by hand‐net from 12 springs. Population genomic structure was inferred with 2263 polymorphic restriction site‐associated DNA (RADseq) loci of 256 individuals. We assessed genomic admixture, the phylogenetic relationship, isolation by distance, contemporary migration, effective population sizes, and genetic diversity among individuals from different springs.

Results

We observed strong genetic differentiation between individuals from different springs. Water mites from each spring qualified as well‐delimited distinct populations with only little intra‐spring migration, even when these were located in close geographic proximity. Furthermore, we found subtle shared genetic structure among springs within the same area, and a southwestern genotype associated with the Rhône catchment that extended into eastern populations. Effective population size estimates and standing genetic variation within springs were generally low.

Main conclusions

Our findings indicate strong insularity of freshwater springs and headwater areas, likely caused by intra‐alpine Pleistocene isolation and limited dispersal abilities of strictly spring‐bound species like P. steinmanni. Our results support the concept of spring habitat isolation and highlight the importance of alpine protected areas to conserve springs as substantial components of freshwater biodiversity.
Efficacy and tolerability of intravenous immunoglobulin versus intravenous methylprednisolone treatment in anti‐N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor encephalitis
Authors: Gong Xue , Luo Rong , Liu Jie , Guo Kundian , Li Aiqing , Liu Xu , Liu Yue , Zhou Dong , Hong Zhen
Published: December 2021

Background and purpose

The aim was to compare the effectiveness and safety of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) or intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) versus IVIg plus IVMP (IPI) as initial therapy in anti‐N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis.

Methods

This was a multicenter study of prospectively identified NMDAR encephalitis individuals who presented from October 2011 to August 2020 to the study hospitals of western China, with a median follow‐up of 3.9 years. Prespecified candidate variables were the prescriptions of IVIg, IVMP or IPI. Propensity score matching was also performed to control potential confounders.

Results

A total of 347 NMDAR encephalitis patients were finally analyzed in this study. After TriMatch for NMDAR encephalitis, 37 triplets were generated. Compared to IVIg or IVMP, the administration of IPI exhibited a significant benefit of a higher response rate (86.5% vs. 55.6% vs. 68.7%, pcorr < 0.01), improved modified Rankin Scale score at 3, 6 and 12 months (pcorr < 0.05), and reduced further recurrence rate (10 of 37 [27.0%] vs. 9 of 37 [24.3%] vs. 2 of 37 [5.4%]; p log rank = 0.01). There was no association between treatment superiority and patient sex or the presence of tumors (p ≥ 0.05). Patients treated with IVMP had a significantly higher number of adverse events, but 99% of adverse events were mild to moderate and did not lead to a change in treatment.

Conclusion

In patients with NMDAR encephalitis, adequate response, favorable outcome and less recurrence were each more likely to occur in individuals treated with a combined immunotherapy than in monotherapy individuals.
Cognitive sequelae of long COVID may not be permanent: A prospective study
Authors: Del Brutto Oscar H. , Rumbea Denisse A. , Recalde Bettsy Y. , Mera Robertino M.
Published: December 2021

Background and purpose

Cognitive decline is a recognized manifestation of long COVID, even among patients who experience mild disease. However, there is no evidence regarding the length of cognitive decline in these patients. This study aimed to assess whether COVID‐19‐related cognitive decline is a permanent deficit or if it improves over time.

Methods

Cognitive performance was evaluated by means of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in COVID‐19 survivors and noninfected individuals. All study participants had four cognitive evaluations, two of them before the pandemic and the other two, 6 and 18 months after the initial SARS‐CoV‐2 outbreak infection in the village. Linear mixed effects models for longitudinal data were fitted to assess differences in cognitive performance across COVID‐19 survivors and noninfected individuals.

Results

The study included 78 participants, 50 with history of mild COVID‐19 and 28 without. There was a significant—likely age‐related—decline in MoCA scores between the two prepandemic tests (β = −1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −2.14 to −0.92, p < 0.001), which did not differ across individuals who later developed COVID‐19 when compared to noninfected individuals. Six months after infection, only COVID‐19 survivors had a significant decline in MoCA scores (β = −1.37, 95% CI = −2.14 to −0.61, p < 0.001), which reversed after 1 additional year of follow‐up (β = 0.66, 95% CI = −0.11 to 1.42, p = 0.092). No differences were noticed among noninfected individuals when both postpandemic MoCA scores were compared.

Conclusions

Study results suggest that long COVID‐related cognitive decline may spontaneously improve over time.
Damming shapes genetic patterns and may affect the persistence of freshwater fish populations
Authors: Machado Carolina B. , Braga‐Silva Alline , Freitas Patrícia D. , Galetti Pedro M.
Published: December 2021

River damming threatens freshwater biodiversity worldwide by isolating populations, reducing both gene flow and genetic variation, and affecting the ability of a given population to adapt to environmental changes.

Herein, we employed a microsatellite DNA marker panel and a multitemporal approach to assess the effects of damming on the genetic diversity of a long‐lived species from both contemporary and historical perspectives. To accomplish this, we used the migratory catfish Pseudoplatystoma corruscans as a model and sampled it in two South American basins. We tested whether: (1) populations from dammed and undammed environments would display different levels of genetic diversity; (2) ecosystem size would influence the level of genetic diversity; and (3) projected whether fish populations would maintain their current genetic diversity in the long term.

Our findings reveal that P. corruscans populations from dammed landscapes with smaller ecosystems showed smaller estimated effective population size, lower genetic diversity, and higher relatedness coefficient than in intermediate ecosystem size in both dammed and undammed environments. We also noticed changes in estimated gene flow and effective population size from both contemporary and historical perspectives, probably because of dams. Predictive genetic diversity analysis revealed a critical scenario for the long‐term persistence of P. corruscans in dammed environments with smaller ecosystem sizes.

Our study suggests that anthropogenic barriers have substantially impacted genetic diversity and genetic structuring of the migratory fish P. corruscans. Thus, the formation of conservation policies is urgently needed to avoid local extinctions of this species in fragmented riverscapes. We highlighted the effectiveness of large ecosystems and connectivity between populations in conserving genetic diversity of migratory fishes.
Polycentricity and the evolution of metropolitan spatial structure
Authors: Giuliano Genevieve , Hou Yuting , Kang Sanggyun , Shin Eun Jin
Published: December 2021

While evidence of polycentric urban form is extensive, questions remain regarding the value of agglomeration economies in an information economy, and hence whether polycentricity will persist over time. This paper examines employment spatial structure in four U.S. metropolitan areas between 1990 and 2009. We describe the spatial distribution of employment among centers and non‐center locations across time, examine the persistence of center boundaries, and test for monocentric and polycentric form via density gradient estimations. Results show that the four areas are all polycentric but of different degree. Despite some small fluctuations, metropolitan spatial structure is persistent even in the face of economic shocks in the 2000s: employment centers have not lost their importance and influence in the metro‐wide employment distribution over time.
Understanding immunity in a tissue‐centric context: Combining novel imaging methods and mathematics to extract new insights into function and dysfunction*
Authors: Germain Ronald N. , Radtke Andrea J. , Thakur Nishant , Schrom Edward C. , Hor Jyh Liang , Ichise Hiroshi , Arroyo‐Mejias Armando J. , Chu Colin J. , Grant Spencer
Published: December 2021

A central question in immunology is what features allow the immune system to respond in a timely manner to a variety of pathogens encountered at unanticipated times and diverse body sites. Two decades of advanced and static dynamic imaging methods have now revealed several major principles facilitating host defense. Suborgan spatial prepositioning of distinct cells promotes time‐efficient interactions upon pathogen sensing. Such pre‐organization also provides an effective barrier to movement of pathogens from parenchymal tissues into the blood circulation. Various molecular mechanisms maintain effective intercellular communication among otherwise rapidly moving cells. These and related discoveries have benefited from recent increases in the number of parameters that can be measured simultaneously in a single tissue section and the extension of such multiplex analyses to 3D tissue volumes. The application of new computational methods to such imaging data has provided a quantitative, in vivo context for cell trafficking and signaling pathways traditionally explored in vitro or with dissociated cell preparations. Here, we summarize our efforts to devise and employ diverse imaging tools to probe immune system organization and function, concluding with a commentary on future developments, which we believe will reveal even more about how the immune system operates in health and disease.
Performance evaluation of emergency department physicians using robust value‐based additive efficiency model
Authors: Labijak‐Kowalska Anna , Kadziński Miłosz , Spychała Inga , Dias Luis C. , Fiallos Javier , Patrick Jonathan , Michalowski Wojtek , Farion Ken
Published: December 2021

We propose a novel variant of the value‐based additive data envelopment analysis model. It conducts a comprehensive robustness analysis of efficiency outcomes for all feasible input and output weights using mathematical programming and the Monte Carlo simulation. We also introduce the original procedures for selecting a common vector of weights and an approach for investigating the stability of results in a multiscenario setting. The presented framework is applied to evaluate the performance of emergency department physicians using data from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa. Our focus is on the physicians' performance when dealing with groups of patients' complaints related to abdominal pain and constipation, fever, extremity injury, head injury, and laceration/puncture. The obtained results emphasize the strong dependence of the physicians' performances on the selected weight vectors. However, they prove helpful in pointing out overall good performers who can serve as universal benchmarks or niche performers being markedly better in providing care to a given complaint group. They also offer a basis for developing an improvement plan for the underperforming physicians, identifying the priorities for a practice‐oriented model, and recognizing the most challenging patients' complaints.
Safeguarding communications between multiagency professionals when working with children and young people: A qualitative study
Authors: Jahans‐Baynton Kate , Grealish Annmarie
Published: December 2021

Problem

Open and responsive safeguarding communications between multiagency professionals who work with children and young people can be critical. Few studies have examined the experience of interprofessional safeguarding communications, and most reports are of social workers. This study explored safeguarding communications from the perspectives of four disciplines.

Method

Semistructured interviews were conducted in (London) England with 11 professionals who were purposively sampled for their involvement in safeguarding and child protection work: school nurses (n = 4); teachers (n = 3); general practitioner (n = 1); and social workers (n = 3). Interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed.

Findings

Five themes emerged from participant data to describe their experiences of safeguarding communications: communication technology; care coordination; professional relationships; information sharing; and, resources.

Conclusions

Although participants reported positive experiences they also encountered significant communication challenges in their safeguarding roles. Complex technology could alienate as well as connect professionals, for which some IT system and process improvements were recommended. However, participants also wanted more opportunities for face‐to‐face contact. Their experiences indicate that effective safeguarding communications are best assured by both.
The role of first‐trimester ultrasound screening for women with positive noninvasive prenatal testing results
Authors: Saito Mizue , Tokunaka Mayumi , Goto Minako , Takita Hiroko , Arakaki Tatsuya , Miyagami Keiko , Hamada Shoko , Oba Tomohiro , Matsuoka Ryu , Sekizawa Akihiko
Published: December 2021

Aim

This study aimed to assess the utility of ultrasound screening for pregnancies with positive noninvasive prenatal testing results for trisomy 21, trisomy 18, and trisomy 13.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of positive noninvasive prenatal testing results and first‐trimester ultrasound screening at our department between 2013 and 2019. Invasive genetic testing was performed if the patient had positive noninvasive prenatal testing results. Fetal ultrasound and cytogenetic data were collected. Noninvasive prenatal testing was performed in the women for advanced maternal age, nuchal translucency thickness, or history of abnormality in the previous child or relative.

Results

Forty‐one pregnant women had positive noninvasive prenatal testing results for trisomy 21, trisomy 18, and trisomy 13. Twenty‐three women had positive results for trisomy 21, 13 had positive results for trisomy 18, and 5 had positive results for trisomy 13 at 11 to 14 weeks of gestation. The positive predictive value of noninvasive prenatal testing was 100% for trisomy 21, 84.6% for trisomy 18, and 100% for trisomy 13. The positive predictive value of positive noninvasive prenatal testing results and fetal morphological abnormalities was 100% for trisomy 21, trisomy 18, and trisomy 13.

Conclusion

Combining an ultrasound examination with noninvasive prenatal testing resulted in a higher positive predictive value for trisomy 18. Normal ultrasound examination results can help alleviate stress caused by false‐positive noninvasive prenatal testing results. In contrast, the positive predictive value and negative predictive value for trisomy 21 were not altered by adding an ultrasound examination to noninvasive prenatal testing.
Developmental trajectories of Big Five personality traits among adolescents and young adults: Differences by sex, alcohol use, and marijuana use
Authors: Jones Scott A. , Van Fossen Ryan P. , Thompson Wesley K. , Baker Fiona C. , Clark Duncan B. , Nagel Bonnie J.
Published: December 2021

Objective

Individual differences in adolescent personality are related to a variety of long‐term health outcomes. While previous studies have demonstrated sex differences and non‐linear changes in personality development, these results remain equivocal. The current study utilized longitudinal data (n = 831) from the National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence to examine sex differences in the development of personality and the association between substance use and personality.

Method

Participants (ages 12–21 at baseline) completed the Ten‐Item Personality Inventory and self‐reported past year alcohol and marijuana use at up to 7 yearly visits. Data were analyzed using generalized additive mixed‐effects models and linear mixed‐effects models.

Results

Findings support linear increases in agreeableness and conscientious and decreases in openness with age and inform on timing of sex‐specific non‐linear development of extraversion and emotional stability. Further, results provide novel information regarding the timing of the association between substance use and personality, and replicate past reporting of differential associations between alcohol and marijuana use and extraversion, and sex‐dependent effects of marijuana use on emotional stability.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the importance of modeling sex differences in personality development using flexible non‐linear modeling strategies, and accounting for sex‐ and age‐specific effects of alcohol and marijuana use.
Community‐Academic Partnership to Improve the Oral Health of Underserved Schoolchildren in Rural North Carolina
Authors: Stewart Rachel , Pardi Vanessa , Buck Jennifer , Smallwood Otis , Wright Wanda
Published: December 2021

BACKGROUND

Dental caries is the most common chronic illness for children. Caries can reduce the quality of life, cause missed classroom hours, and decrease cognition. Strategies to improve children's oral health must be evidence‐based, developed, and implemented in consultation with communities.

METHODS

A community‐academic partnership was formed between East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine and the Bertie County Public School District to develop and implement a school‐based oral health prevention program using the PRECEDE‐PROCEED Model.

RESULTS

The PRECEDE component involved social, epidemiological, environmental, educational, ecological, administrative, and policy factors that informed the development of the oral health program. The PROCEED component consisted of implementation and evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS

School‐based oral health programs can increase access to care for vulnerable children and improve learning. The application of the PRECEDE‐PROCEED model proved to be a valuable method for developing, implementing, and evaluating a school‐based oral health program.
Siblings of children with a complex chronic disorder treated by non‐invasive ventilation
Authors: Théron Nicolas , Khirani Sonia , Amaddeo Alessandro , Griffon Lucie , Touil Samira , Ouss Lisa , Fauroux Brigitte
Published: December 2021

Aim

The aim of the study was to assess the emotional and behavioural functioning of siblings of children treated with long term non‐invasive ventilation (NIV).

Methods

Parents of children treated with NIV completed the Child Behaviour Checklist and a qualitative questionnaire for each sibling, aged 1.5–18 years old.

Results

The parents of 49 ventilated children were questioned about 79 siblings. For the siblings aged 1.5–5, mean total T score was 57 ± 22 (range 28–92), and five siblings (31%) were in the clinical range. For the siblings aged 6–18, mean total T score was 49 ± 12 (range 26–71), and six siblings (10%) were in the clinical range. Siblings felt responsible for their affected sibling (31%) and involved with his/her illness (52%), with 31% being worried about him/her. A change in behaviour was observed in 19% of the siblings since the initiation of NIV; 26% were impacted by the use of the NIV device.

Conclusions

The majority of siblings of children treated with NIV do not present significant emotional and behavioural problems. They feel deeply responsible for their affected sibling and involved in his/her illness and treatment, highlighting the importance to involve the siblings in the care of the affected child.
Wound healing in periodontal disease induces macrophage polarization characterized by different arginine‐metabolizing enzymes
Authors: Miyashita Yukihiro , Kuraji Ryutaro , Ito Hiroshi , Numabe Yukihiro
Published: December 2021

Background and objective

Macrophages play important roles from the initiation of inflammation to wound healing. Two phenotypes of macrophages, namely pro‐inflammatory type macrophages (M1‐MΦ) and anti‐inflammatory type macrophages (M2‐MΦ), have been reported. Two contrasting metabolic enzymes that use arginine as a substrate, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and arginase‐1 (Arg‐1), have been identified as M1‐MΦ and M2‐MΦ markers, respectively. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the temporal dynamics of the macrophage phenotype during the progression and healing phases of experimental periodontitis in mice.

Material and methods

A total of 63 C57BL/6J mice were divided into the following 3 groups: control (C), periodontitis (P), and healing (H). To induce periodontitis, a silk ligature was placed around the maxillary bilateral second molars of mice in the periodontitis and healing groups. In the healing group, the ligature was removed 3 days after ligation to induce tissue healing. Maxillary tissue was collected on day 0 for the control group, days 1, 3, 5, and 7 for the periodontitis group (P1, P3, P5, and P7), and days 5 and 7 for the healing group (H5 and H7: 3 days with the ligation + 2 days or 4 days following ligature removal). The left side of the maxilla was subjected to bone structure analysis using micro‐computed tomography and gene expression analysis using polymerase chain reaction. On the right side, immunohistochemistry was performed to histopathologically evaluate the localization of macrophages by phenotype in the periodontal tissue.

Results

In the alveolar bone structure analysis, the linear distance of bone height increased significantly in the P5 and P7 groups, whereas bone volume fraction and bone mineral density decreased over time after ligature placement; in the healing group (H5 and H7), these parameters improved significantly compared with the periodontitis group (P5 and P7). Expression of genes encoding pro‐inflammatory cytokines and iNOS increased in the periodontitis group, and expression of anti‐inflammatory cytokine genes and Arg‐1 increased in the healing group. Furthermore, the iNOS/Arg‐1 expression ratio increased with ligation, whereas the ratio in the healing groups (H5 and H7) significantly decreased compared with the periodontitis groups (P5 and P7). Immunofluorescence staining revealed a significant increase in the number of iNOS‐positive macrophages in the periodontitis group and decrease in the healing group. In contrast, the number of Arg‐1‐positive macrophages decreased in the periodontitis group and increased in the healing group.

Conclusion

The results of the present study suggest that wound healing in periodontal disease induces macrophage polarization from M1‐MΦ to M2‐MΦ characterized by iNOS and Arg‐1.
Microbial community composition of translocated ancient woodland soil: a case study
Authors: Borchers Nicolas , Hannam Jacqueline , Pawlett Mark
Published: December 2021

Soil translocation is an ecological habitat restoration technique, which consists of moving the entire topsoil from a donor site to a chosen receptor site. We investigated soil chemistry and microbiology changes three growing seasons after the salvage of semi‐ancient woodland soil (0.94 ha) to a nearby receptor pasture due to road widening works (Kent, United Kingdom). We sampled (1) Intact woodland soils adjacent to the area of soils that was translocated to represent the lost donor site; (2) The soil from three growing seasons after it had been translocated; and (3) Grassland soils adjacent to the translocated soil to represent the original receptor site. The intention was to ascertain if shifts in soil chemistry and microbial community composition (phospholipid fatty acid analysis, PLFA) occurred due to soil translocation. PLFA signature biomarkers demonstrated the overall microbial community profile of the translocated and woodland soils were similar; however, salvaged soils had a 40% increase in the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi bioindicator fatty acid 16:1ω5, a 10% decrease in the Gram‐positive bacterial fatty acids, and increased pH (5.01–5.77) compared to the original donor woodland soil. Microbial community composition (PLFA) correlated well with soil pH across all sites. Considering that pH increases with soil depth in this location, it is likely that mixing of soil horizons during translocation increased the topsoil pH causing changes in the soil microbial communities. We concluded that after three growing seasons, the chemical and microbial properties of the salvaged soil were characteristic of a woodland soil but showed signs of disturbance.
Energy Conversion Efficiency of Thermoelectric Power Generators With Cylindrical Legs
Authors: Pang Dandan , Zhang Aibing , Wen Zhenfei , Wang Baolin , Wang Ji
Published: December 2021

Thermoelectric power generators (TEGs) have been attracted increasing attention due to their capability of converting waste heat into useful electric energy without hazardous emissions. Many theoretical models to conduct their performance analysis are developed based on the generalized heat transport theory. However, most of them are assumed that the TEGs are thermally isolate from the surroundings except for the heat exchange at hot and cold reservoirs. This paper develops a theoretical model to study the performance of TEGs with cylindrical legs, and the influence of convective heat loss between lateral surfaces of legs and ambient environment is considered. Analytical solutions for temperature distribution inside the TEG, power output and energy conversion efficiency are obtained by using eigenfunction expansion method. A new dimensionless impact factor H is introduced to capture the convective heat effect, and the maximum energy conversion efficiency can be evaluated by the figure of merit, impact factor H and temperature ratio of heat sink to hot source for a well-designed TEG. There exists an optimal leg’s height for maximum energy conversion efficiency when the convective heat loss on lateral surfaces of thermoelectric legs and electrode thermal resistance are considered. The conclusions provided in this paper will be very helpful in the designing of high-performance TEG devices.
Multi-Objective Optimization of a Geothermal Steam Turbine Combined With Reverse Osmosis and Multi-Effect Desalination for Sustainable Freshwater Production
Authors: Farsi Aida , Rosen Marc A.
Published: December 2021

A novel geothermal desalination system is proposed and optimized in terms of maximizing the exergy efficiency and minimizing the total cost rate of the system. The system includes a geothermal steam turbine with a flash chamber, a reverse osmosis unit, and a multi-effect distillation system. First, exergy and economic analyses of the system are performed using Engineering Equation software. Then, an artificial neural network is used to develop a mathematical function linking input design variables and objective functions for this system. Finally, a multi-objective optimization is carried out using a genetic algorithm to determine the optimum solutions. The Utopian method is used to select the favorable solution from the optimal solutions in the Pareto frontier. Also, the distributions of the values of design variables within their allowable ranges are investigated. It is found that the optimum exergy efficiency and total cost rate of the geothermal desalination system are 29.6% and 3410 $/h, respectively. Increasing the seawater salinity and decreasing the intake geothermal water temperature result in an improvement in both exergy efficiency and total cost rate of the system, while variations in the flash pressure and turbine outlet pressure lead to a conflict between the exergy efficiency and the total cost rate of the geothermal desalination system over the range of their variations.
Numerical Simulation and Optimization of CO2-Enhanced Gas Recovery in Homogeneous and Vertical Heterogeneous Reservoir Models
Authors: Liu Shuyang , Agarwal Ramesh , Sun Baojiang
Published: December 2021

CO2-enhanced gas recovery (CO2-EGR) is a promising, environment-friendly technology to produce more natural gas from depleted reservoirs and simultaneously sequester CO2. The subsurface flow in the heterogeneous reservoir is usually different from homogenous one, and the heterogeneity significantly affects the gas recovery. The effects of heterogeneity and the optimization of CO2 injection strategy are the key factors in CO2-EGR. Thus, one of the goals of this paper is to conduct simulations of CO2-EGR in both homogeneous and heterogeneous reservoirs to evaluate the effects of reservoir heterogeneity on CO2-EGR. The second goal is to perform optimization studies to determine optimal CO2 injection time and injection rate for achieving optimal natural gas recovery. The CO2-EGR simulations were conducted in a 3D reservoir model with a 'five-spot' well pattern by using the multi-phase simulator TOUGH2. The results show that the layers with low permeability as well as gravity segregation retard upward migration of CO2 and promote horizontal displacement efficiency. The breakthrough time of CO2 and reservoir space of underexploited natural gas directly affect the gas recovery. The optimal injection time is determined as the depleted stage, and the corresponding injection rate is optimized by using a genetic algorithm (GA) integrated with TOUGH2. The optimization of CO2 injection parameters leads to recovery factors (RFs) reaching 62.83% and 64.75% in the homogeneous and heterogeneous cases while simultaneously obtaining the economic benefit of about 8.67 and 8.95 million USD. This study shows significant economic potential as well as environmental benefits of using CO2-EGR in the depleted gas reservoir by optimizing the CO2 injection parameters. The findings of this work could assist in determining the optimal injection strategy for using CO2-EGR in industrial scale gas reservoirs.
Tribological Performance of Multiscale Micro-Textured H62 Brass Surface Fabricated by Micro-Milling and Wet Micro-Blasting
Authors: Chen Luanxia , Liu Zhanqiang , Cai Yukui , Wang Bing
Published: December 2021

The cylinder block/valve plate interface in the axial piston pump has been proven to be easily worn out, which will increase power loss and reduce its efficiency. The valve plate surface is required to be manufactured with low viscous friction and wear. Multiscale micro-texture has been proven to improve surface tribological properties. However, there are few types of research in the effect of surface topography on the tribological performance of multiscale micro-textured surfaces. The purpose of this study is to explore how the multiscale micro-texture on H62 brass affects its sliding friction behavior on 38CrMoAl. Based on micro-milling and wet micro-blasting, the multiscale micro-textured surface was manufactured on H62 brass. The wet micro-blasting was applied in the H62 brass after the surface micro-texturing. The surface topography of multiscale micro-textured samples processed by three abrasive grit sizes accompanied by two processing times was comprehensively measured in terms of height, feature, functional, and functional volume parameters. The tribological performance of multiscale micro-textured H62 brass was characterized by disk-on-disk frictional experiments. Through analyzing the relationship between surface morphology and tribological properties, the antifriction mechanism of the multiscale micro-textured surface was analyzed from the perspective of 3D surface roughness parameters. The friction coefficient of the multiscale micro-textured surface processed by the combination of micro-milling and wet micro-blasting decreased with the increasing grit size and micro-blasting time.
Optical emission spectroscopy and Langmuir probe studies of an intermediate pressure, supersonic microplasma jet deposition source
Authors: Mackie Katherine E. , Gordon Michael J.
Published: December 2021

Optical emission spectroscopy and double Langmuir probe studies were conducted on the supersonic expansion plume of a flow-through, intermediate pressure (∼10 Torr) Ar/N2 microplasma source used for material deposition. Emission from the first positive system of N2 (B3Πg → A3Σu+) was used to determine the expanding gas rotational and vibrational temperatures; both were strongly dependent on plasma drive current, and the gas (rotational) temperature could be tuned from 300 to 800 K. The effects of drive current, plasma circuit configuration, and O2 addition to the gas feed on the local electron temperature (Te) were investigated using a miniature double Langmuir probe. Electron temperatures of 1–2 eV were estimated and decreased slightly with higher O2 content in the feed and increased distance from the capillary orifice. Te dependence on drive current was more complicated, falling into two regimes, namely, a nonuniform “predischarge” regime at low currents (<12 mA) where Te varied greatly, and the normal hollow cathode regime at higher currents (>12 mA) where Te remained nearly constant as plasma current was increased. These phenomena are discussed in light of the IV characteristics of the discharge drive circuit.