bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Climate futures: Machine learning from cli-fi
Authors: Querubín Natalia Sánchez , Niederer Sabine
Published: October 2022

This paper introduces and contextualises Climate Futures, an experiment in which AI was repurposed as a ‘co-author’ of climate stories and a co-designer of climate-related images that facilitate reflections on present and future(s) of living with climate change. It converses with histories of writing and computation, including surrealistic ‘algorithmic writing’, recombinatory poems and ‘electronic literature’. At the core lies a reflection about how machine learning’s associative, predictive and regenerative capacities can be employed in playful, critical and contemplative goals. Our goal is not automating writing (as in product-oriented applications of AI). Instead, as poet Charles Hartman argues, ‘the question isn’t exactly whether a poet or a computer writes the poem, but what kinds of collaboration might be interesting’ (1996, p. 5). STS scholars critique labs as future-making sites and machine learning modelling practices and, for example, describe them also as fictions. Building on these critiques and in line with ‘critical technical practice’ ( Agre, 1997 ), we embed our critique of ‘making the future’ in how we employ machine learning to design a tool for looking ahead and telling stories on life with climate change. This has involved engaging with climate narratives and machine learning from the critical and practical perspectives of artistic research. We trained machine learning algorithms (i.e. GPT-2 and AttnGAN) using climate fiction novels (as a dataset of cultural imaginaries of the future). We prompted them to produce new climate fiction stories and images, which we edited to create a tarot-like deck and a story-book, thus also playfully engaging with machine learning’s predictive associations. The tarot deck is designed to facilitate conversations about climate change. How to imagine the future beyond scenarios of resilience and the dystopian? How to aid our transition into different ways of caring for the planet and each other?
Distant local-guided tour perceptions and experiences of online travellers
Authors: Seyitoğlu Faruk , Atsız Ozan
Published: October 2022

This paper investigated travellers’ perceptions and experiences of using distant local guided tours during the COVID-19 pandemic utilising a qualitative methodology. The reviews’ content of online travellers regarding distant local-guided tours offered by a sharing economy platform – Withlocals – in different destinations was analysed. The results demonstrated that travellers’ distant local-guided tour experiences include celebration, togetherness and socialising, escape and relaxation, memorable, educational, and hedonic components. Additionally, travellers perceived distant local-guided tours as an alternative travel type, preparation for an actual visit, and inspiration for face-to-face experiences. Therefore, distant local-guided tours can be defined as engaging alternative travel types that provide multidimensional experiences and help explore a destination before the in-person visit. Apart from playing a guidance role for scholars and practitioners, this research fills the gap of research on distant local-guided tours in the literature. However, future attempts could shed more light on the subject.
Examining an individualized, group-based social skills training using a mixed-methods design: A feasibility study
Authors: Offermans Julia E , de Bruin Esther I , van Steensel Francisca JA
Published: October 2022

Tailoring treatments to individual needs may be beneficial for treatment adherence and treatment effects. However, individualizing a group-based Social Skills Training (SST) may be complicated. Therefore, in this feasibility study, we examined outcomes after engagement in an individualized SST provided to 33 children aged 7–11 years ( M = 9.39, SD = 1.09; 13 girls), who were referred to a mental health care center for various psychosocial problems. To analyze outcomes, we combined a top-down (including researcher-chosen measures: Questionnaires on pro-social, socially inadequate, and problem behavior) and a bottom-up (including participant-driven measures: Ratings of personal goals and evaluation reports) approach and used a mixed-methods design. After the SST, personal goals and pro-social behavior increased (large and small effects respectively). Also, socially inadequate behavior and problem behavior decreased (both small effects). Evaluation reports mainly showed improvements in social responsiveness, emotion regulation, and internalizing problems. At the same time, however, most parents also reported limitations (e.g., a lack of generalization). Altogether, we can conclude that (1) tailoring a group-based SST to the individual needs of children, as well as measuring progress on personal goals, is feasible and (2) mixed-method designs to study intervention effectiveness should be encouraged.
The President and the Boss's son: Prosecuting the crimes of America's most powerful
Authors: Hagan John , McCarthy Bill , Herda Daniel
Published: October 2022

Relatively few theoretical criminologists are recognized for their lasting impact on public policy, and it is therefore instructive to reconsider a scholar whose influence endures. Donald Cressey wrote a theoretically driven Presidential Commission essay that inspired the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). He also advanced a theory of “respectable crime” that explains why this act has more extensively been directed downwards to dismantle ethnically organized criminal groups rather than upwards to prosecute elite political conspiracies led, for example, by Chicago Mayor Richard M Daley and US President Donald J Trump. We present case studies of Daley and Trump that illustrate the continuing relevance and underappreciated potential of Cressey's theoretically driven scholarship.
‘Diagnosis, disclosure and stigma: The perspectives of Indonesian children with HIV and their families’
Authors: Qur’aniati Nuzul , Sweet Linda , De Bellis Anita , Hutton Alison
Published: October 2022

This grounded theory study aimed to explore the subjective experiences of children living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) from the perspective of children and their families in Indonesia. Twenty participants were interviewed, consisting of 12 children aged 9–18 years and eight family members. Using grounded theory analysis, this study identified three categories: ‘coping with diagnosis’, ‘disclosing their status’ and ‘living with the stigma of HIV’. Participants responded with shock, denial, sadness, secrecy and often had misconceptions about the virus to the diagnosis of themselves or their children. After diagnosis, children with HIV and their families continuously lived with stigma stemming from individual and societal beliefs about the virus. This stigma manifested in actions such as isolation, disclosure avoidance, secrecy, deception and social rejection. Because of these stigmatisations, many of the participants decided not to disclose the child’s HIV status and used status strategies such as telling lies, keeping secrets and keeping their distance. The participants offered insight into the need for comprehensive programs to address care gaps. This study highlights that health professionals need to develop practical guidelines to support families during the disclosure process, provide psychosocial care for children, and create stigma reduction interventions for children with HIV.
Personalisation at the top of civil societies? Legitimation claims on civil society elites in Europe
Authors: Altermark Niklas , Hadjievska Milka Ivanovska , Johansson Håkan
Published: October 2022

Top civil society organisations (CSOs) face a particular legitimacy dilemma as they need to have leaders who are seen as legitimate by the elite groups they interact with, and by those they represent. This article investigates how they handle this dilemma by studying legitimation practices of newly appointed leaders. Based on Weber’s theory of authority and Pitkin’s theory of representation, the article investigates 114 public announcements of governance leaders in the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the EU. The article finds a common model of civil society elite legitimation beyond national differences. The observed model draws on two types of claims: promoting leaders as excellent and astounding professional leaders (charismatic authority) and as able spokespersons (substantive representation). Major European CSOs hence legitimate their leaders as being ‘on par with’ other top leaders, as an elite among other elite groups, similar to trends of personalisation in politics and business.
GoPro(blem)s and possibilities: Keeping the child human of colour in play in an interview
Authors: Murris Karin , Peers Joanne
Published: October 2022

In response to the call for papers for this special issue and the questions it poses, the authors show how the ontological posthumanist shift of agential realism does not erase but keeps the child human of colour in play, despite the inclusion of the other-than-(Adult)human in its methodologies. Through a montaging technique, the authors explore the philosophical complexity of ‘decentering without erasure’ by re-turning to data from a large international research project – Children, Technology and Play (2019–2020). Through an agential realist reading of interview data ‘of’ ‘seven-year-old’ Henry when visiting him at home in an informal settlement in Cape Town, they show what else is going on, and the politically radical and subtle philosophical difference this makes for reconfiguring child subjectivity. To do more justice to the complexity of reality, the analysis bounces around like Henry's sack ball and zooms in on the role apparatuses such as GoPros play in research. The authors ‘follow the child’ literally but differently, without excluding or erasing the more-than-(Adult)human. In meeting Henry, they also meet Eshal, who introduces the GoPro(blem). By diffractively reading Karen Barad's scholarship through visual and aural texts, the authors respond to the question of how posthumanist research makes a difference to childhood studies. They show how the agential realist move(ment) from Object and Subject to Phenomenon explodes ageist, ableist, racist, extractive and settler-colonial logics in education research.
A micro mechanical study on tensile behavior of steel sheets with spheroidal cementite using crystal plasticity finite element method
Authors: Einolghozati Mona , Assempour Ahmad
Published: October 2022

In this research, we investigate the effects of various microstructural features on the behavior of spherical steel sheets, using the crystal plasticity finite element method. The cementite phase ratio, the grain sizes of ferrite and cementite, and the percentage of residual pearlite in the steel structure due to incomplete annealing are the major microstructural parameters studied in this work. A grain generator software has been developed to generate hexagonal ferrite grains as well as circular cementite particles distributed in the ferrite matrix. We use a hard coating with special properties as an intermediate layer around the cementite grains to simulate the contact between ferrite grains and cementite particles. This software can also assist with the preprocessing including boundary condition and load producing and introducing constitutive modeling relations. We use representative volume elements (RVEs) to simulate the microstructure of the steel sheet. The hardening parameters in the simulations are calibrated according to the available experimental data in the literature. Several RVEs were prepared and solved to investigate the effect of the thickness of this layer on material behavior. We can replicate the experimental results by setting the ratio of this thickness to the cementite particles’ diameter to be 0.25. Moreover, by reducing the size of ferrite grains and cementite particles, the strength of steel increases. On the other hand, increasing the ratio of the cementite phase increases the strength of steel but the uniform plastic deformation of the material is reduced. We also model and discuss the remaining pearlite content and its effect on the flow behavior of the material. Finally, the effect of the cementite precipitation location and its bimodal size distribution were discussed in this study.
Maximum reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by complete replacement of natural gas with pure hydrogen as a sole low reactive fuel in a RCCI engine
Authors: Sattarzadeh Mehran , Ebrahimi Mojtaba , Jazayeri Seyed Ali
Published: October 2022

In order to maximum reduction in hydrocarbon fuels consumption as the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, the aim of this study is to evaluate a RCCI engine performance fueled with diesel fuel and pure hydrogen as sole low reactive fuel. For this purpose, a single-cylinder heavy-duty diesel engine with bathtub piston bowl profile and compression ratio of 14.88:1 is assessed that operates at its mid-load range from 9.4 to 13.5 bar gross IMEPs. In order to overcome the NOx challenge resulted from using pure hydrogen, the use of suitable amount of EGR and nitrogen addition as air-hydrogen diluents along with the advanced SOI timing were employed. The simulation results show that in a hydrogen-fueled RCCI engine, while reducing the diesel fuel energy share as the only supplier of air-hydrogen mixture ignition energy to about 13%, the HES percentage can be enhanced up to 87%. Although, the SOC will occur with a long delay and the CA50 will take place about 15°CA after the TDC compared to the experimental data, however, the maximum loss of the engine load is less than 6% with the GIE of more than 48% without any exposure to diesel knock. Moreover, not only the EURO VI level of the CO and UHC emissions and the EPA level of Formaldehyde emission can be met, but also, the EURO VI level of NOx emission as the most important challenge of a hydrogen-fueled engine is achievable.
A new second order thermal model for accurate simulation of the transient and steady–state response of beta-type Stirling engines based on time-varying calculation of thermal losses
Authors: Tzouganakis Panteleimon , Kalligeros Christos , Papalexis Christos , Koronaki Irene , Antonakos Georgios , Spitas Vasilios
Published: October 2022

A novel numerical second order transient thermal model for beta-type Stirling engines (TTMS) was developed taking into account the transient heat transfer between the engine cylinder walls and pistons and the working gas in the expansion and compression space in order to determine the total power output and thermal efficiency with higher accuracy. The time-dependent energy equilibriums were formulated by including the transient thermal response of the cylinder walls and pistons until steady state operation was achieved. In addition, the transient response of the heat exchangers (cooler, regenerator and heater) was developed in order to determine more accurately the enthalpy of the working gas that enters or exits each compartment of the engine. The solution of the governing differential equations at each time step can be achieved with the implementation of a conventional fixed point algorithm. Various loss mechanisms were incorporated in order to increase the accuracy of the developed model. The TTMS was applied to the GPU-3 Stirling engine and the thermal response of the engine was calculated. The steady state results were compared to both experimental results and other numerical second order models in the literature which showed that TTMS can predict the thermal efficiency and the power output of the engine with an improved accuracy of as high as 65% and 62% respectively compared to the more advanced second order models published in the literature. The information of the transient response of the engine will be valuable for automotive and other energy applications in the industry.
Reduction of noise generated by cylinder-airfoil interaction using grooved structures on the upstream cylinder
Authors: Zhang Chengchun , Sun Xiaowei , Du Tianyu , Shen Chun , Chen Zhengwu , Liang Dong , Zhao Jiale , Zhang Yingchao
Published: October 2022

The cylinder-airfoil interaction noise can be reduced by changing the shape of the leading edge of the downstream airfoil. Generally, this way not only can reduce the interaction noise at middle and high frequency, but also can change the peak noise at the low frequency. This study attempts to affect the cylinder-airfoil interaction noise from the perspective of reducing the intensity of the upstream wake shedding vortex. In order to achieve this target, the equally spaced grooves were cut into the upstream cylinder, and the acoustic wind tunnel tests at various incoming velocities (20–60m·s−1) were conducted to compare the interaction noise of cylinder-airfoil (NACA0012) models. It is found that the grooved structure can effectively reduce the peak noise at characteristic frequencies bellow 1000 Hz and the broadband noise in the mid-frequency ranging from 1000 Hz to 3000 Hz, especially for the higher incoming velocity. Thereinto, the peak noise and overall sound pressure level (OASPL) with the grooved cylinder are reduced by 13 dB and 7.2 dB, respectively at the incoming velocity of 60 m·s−1. The numerical simulations based on the large eddy simulation (LES) and Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings (FW-H) acoustic analogy were performed to further reveal the mechanisms of noise reduction when the velocity is 60 m·s−1. The results show that the vortex shedding from cylinder wake is suppressed by the grooved cylinder and the vortex structure at the leading edge of the airfoil is also cut into the small-scale vortex structures by the grooved structure. The pressure fluctuation amplitude and the peak value turbulent kinetic energy in the wake of the grooved cylinder are significantly reduced. In addition, the further spectrum analysis reveals that the weak correlation of the vortex shedding on the grooved cylinder could lead to the suppression of the pressure fluctuation in the cylinder wake, and thereby the interaction noise is significantly reduced.
Arrangement of reinforcement in variable density timber slab systems for multi-story construction
Authors: Orozco Luis , Krtschil Anna , Skoury Lior , Knippers Jan , Menges Achim
Published: October 2022

The arrangement of columns and their spacing in multi-story timber construction is restricted to rectangular grids by the production and shipping sizes of floor assemblies. This is particularly true for hollow box floor systems, for which the punctual supports must be placed at the reinforced edges of the hollow boxes. The arrangement of the columns and their spacing is thereby restricted by the production and shipping sizes of the box ceilings to rectangular grids. To overcome these design limits a new wooden box building system is developed that allows for irregular column layouts through a tailored slab interior design. This development allows for the increased applicability of timber floor systems regardless of site shape or architectural design intent. The slab interior design is dependent on occurring forces and fabrication requirements. Three methods for the internal slab layout are developed and compared: a sequential method, a structurally informed agent-based method, and a geometrically informed agent-based method that uses both a sequential and agent-based approach. The structural performance of each method is compared through the analysis of three reinforcement layouts an architectural testing setup.
Effects of Acupuncture on Cancer Pain in Animal Intervention Studies: A Systematic Review and Quality Assessment
Authors: Jiao Liangbo , He Xiaoxia , Zhang Jihong , Liu Yali , Luo Yanan , Wei Hu
Published: October 2022

Background:

Preclinical studies often provide the evidence base for clinical studies. However, the design and reporting of preclinical trial results are inadequate, resulting in poor reproducibility and clinical translatability. We aimed to systematically evaluate the methodology and reporting quality of animal studies of acupuncture for cancer pain.

Methods:

About 7 databases were searched for animal research articles on acupuncture for cancer pain from the beginning of the database to January 31, 2022. ARRIVE guidelines, STRICTA, and SYRCLE risk of bias tools were used to assess the reporting quality and risk of bias of the selected studies.

Results:

A total of 18 studies were evaluated. Of the 22 items on the SYRCLE tool, only 6 items had a positive reporting rate of more than 50%. Of the 39 items in the ARRIVE guidelines, 14 were rated excellent, and the least frequently reported checklist items were 7. Out of the 17 STRICTA checklist items analyzed, 10 were considered appropriately reported in more than 80% of the studies, while 4 were correctly reported in less than 20%.

Conclusions:

Some crucial points in the design, implementation, and reporting of the experiments included in the study were not well developed, which could significantly affect the clarity, reproducibility, and translatability of the experiments. There is a need to fully implement scientific tool guidelines for future experimental studies in order to improve the quality of preclinical studies and facilitate effective translation of their results to the clinic.
The Nutritarian Women’s Health Study (NWHS): Cohort 1
Authors: Sutliffe Jay T. , Lopez Nanette V. , Gardner Julia C. , Carnot Mary Jo , Adams Alison E. M.
Published: October 2022

Plant-based dietary patterns are associated with chronic disease risk reduction, prevention, and reversal. As such, the Nutritarian diet is a dietary plan grounded in the daily consumption of micronutrient-dense, plant-rich foods that satisfy nutrient needs with a corresponding improvement in overall health. The Nutritarian Women’s Health Study was a fully-online intervention that included supportive, automated email messages, with participants self-reporting dietary adherence and anthropometric measurements quarterly. Changes in Body Mass Index (BMI) were not significant. The groups with the lowest baseline Waist-to-Height-Ratio (WHtR) showed an initial increase followed by a decrease. Responses related to dietary adherence showed that most participants easily consumed greens, beans, onions/garlic, berries, and seeds, avoided animal products, alcohol, and refined foods, but had difficulty with regularly consuming mushrooms and tomatoes. A midpoint questionnaire revealed participants consumed an overwhelming amount of their meals/snacks according to the dietary plan and about half found it easy/very easy to eat strictly Nutritarian. A large majority reported a positive change in health from participating in the study. The barriers to following the dietary plan include a busy lifestyle and the opposing views/pressures from friends, family, co-workers, and/or spouse/partner. It is important to evaluate this fully-online approach when considering future interventions.
Does distributed leadership improve teacher agency? Exploring the mediating effect of teacher reflection
Authors: Hilal Yara Yasser , Hammad Waheed , Polatcan Mahmut
Published: October 2022

The manner in which perceived principal distributed leadership affects teachers’ professional agency remains ambiguous in Oman. The study aimed to explore the effect of distributed leadership on teacher agency through teacher reflection. In the cross-sectional study, survey data were gathered from 1095 teachers in 58 middle and secondary schools in Muscat, Oman. Structural equation modelling and bootstrapping were used to analyse the data. Data analysis revealed that distributed leadership elicited significant direct and indirect effects on teacher agency, with teacher reflection playing a partial mediating role in this relationship. These results contribute to an existing body of research that confirms the relationship between principal leadership and teacher agency and highlights the importance of reflection in shaping this relationship. Moreover, these results could provide cultural evidence for theoretical implications and offer evidence-based guidance to policymakers and principals to promote teacher agency.
Level and predictors of breast cancer awareness among Saudi women: A nationwide study
Authors: Qedair Jumanah T , Al Qurashi Abdullah A , Alfayea Turki , Mortada Hatan , Alsudais Ali , Almuntashiri Saleh , Hakami Alqassem Y
Published: October 2022

Background:

Breast cancer occurs when abnormal breast cells grow rapidly and uncontrollably. Early detection and intervention have been established to significantly decrease mortality rates.

Objective:

There is a lack of focused research investigating the degree of breast cancer awareness among Saudi women. Thus, this study aimed to fill this gap by conducting a nationwide survey on a large pool of women.

Design:

A cross-sectional web-based nationwide study.

Methods:

This study targeted Saudi women from all regions of the country and was conducted from 20 August to 3 September 2021. The study used the Breast Cancer Awareness Measure questionnaire to measure breast cancer awareness. This study was approved by the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center institutional review board.

Results:

Overall, poor breast cancer awareness scores were demonstrated by 71% of the participants. Unemployed women were more likely to have poor breast cancer awareness.

Conclusion:

Our study reports an alarmingly high level of poor overall breast cancer awareness in Saudi women. Interventions should be implemented to combat this lack of awareness.
RUL management by production reference loopback
Authors: Shahin Kamrul Islam , Simon Christophe , Weber Philippe
Published: October 2022

Online remaining useful life (RUL) assessment is a significant asset in prognostic and health management (PHM) in many industrial domains where safety, reliability, and cost reduction are of high importance. It is not easy to predict the breakdown state of a system when it operates under multiple operating conditions, because system degradation varies with the dynamics of the operations. This paper presents an Input-Output Hidden Markov Model (IOHMM) that estimates the RUL in real time based on available measurements. The model learns the impact of the operating condition on the RUL and allows to manage the system RUL by changing the corresponding operating conditions. A reference managing algorithm is presented to match the estimated RUL to a given target RUL. In addition, well-known algorithms are adapted from HMM to IOHMM and are used for model training and health state diagnostics. A numerical application is proposed to show the importance of obtaining good predictions from a limited amount of data sequences. Specifically, since degradation is a slow process, it is difficult to have a large amount of data sequences in order to predict the RUL more accurately until the failure. Therefore, the bootstrap method with data resampling and replacement is used to train the IOHMM model to improve estimation accuracy.
Individual-Specific Relationship Between External Training and Match Load and Creatine-Kinase Response in Youth National Team Soccer Players
Authors: Schuth Gabor , Szigeti Gyorgy , Dobreff Gergely , Pasic Alija , Gabbett Tim , Szilas Adam , Pavlik Gabor
Published: October 2022

Background:

Previous studies have examined the relationship between external load and creatine-kinase (CK) response at the team level. This study aimed to build individualized CK prediction models for elite youth national team soccer players.

Hypothesis:

The CK response of youth soccer players can be categorized as being sensitive to micromovements (MM), high-velocity (HV) parameters, or the combination of both, measured during training sessions and matches.

Study Design:

Prospective cohort study.

Level of Evidence:

Level 4.

Methods:

A total of 25 U16-U17 youth national team soccer players were monitored during training sessions and matches using global positioning system (GPS) units. Individual CK values were measured every morning from whole blood. The data set consisted of 57 ± 17 individual datapoints per player. Individual prediction models were used to examine the relationship between external load and consecutive CK changes. Numerous models were built for each player using MM, HV parameters, or the combination of both. The performance of the models was described by the R2 and the root mean square error (RMSE, U/l for CK values).

Results:

The MM models were superior for 8 players ( R2 = 0.68; RMSE = 113 U/l), followed by HV (8 players; R2 = 0.69; RMSE = 88 U/l) and the combined models (2 players; R2 = 0.64; RMSE = 141 U/l). For the remaining 7 players, the R2 of the models was <0.5. The recovery time between efforts was more important in the HV model.

Conclusion:

Players could be categorized on sensitivity to MM, HV movements, or the combination of both.

Clinical Relevance:

These findings can be used to individualize postmatch recovery strategies and to optimize weekly training periodization to maximize match performance.
Intra-Articular Injections of the Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Suppress Progression of a Mouse Traumatic Knee Osteoarthritis Model
Authors: Wakayama Takanori , Saita Yoshitomo , Nagao Masashi , Uchino Sayuri , Yoshihara Sei-ichi , Tsuji Kunikazu , Koga Hideyuki , Kobayashi Yohei , Nishio Hirofumi , Momoi Yasumasa , Ikeda Hiroshi , Kaneko Kazuo , Ishijima Muneaki
Published: October 2022

Objective

This study aimed to determine whether the intra-articular injection of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) protects against the progression of murine post-traumatic osteoarthritis.

Design

ADSCs were isolated from human abdomen or buttock adipose tissues. In in vitro study, ADSCs conditioned medium was added to human chondrocytes pre-treated with interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and resultant gene expression of target inflammatory genes was measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. A mouse model of knee osteoarthritis was generated by unilaterally transecting the medial meniscus in the right hind limb of 20 female C57BL/6 mice. Mice were randomly assigned to 2 treatment groups that received 6 µl intra-articular injections of either phosphate-buffered saline (control) or 2 × 104 cells/μl of ADSCs 14, 28, and 42 days post-surgery. Mice were euthanized 84 days post-surgery and histological and micro-computed tomography evaluation of knee joints were analyzed. Hind limb weight-bearing distribution was measured pre-surgery and 28 and 84 days post-surgery.

Results

Conditioned medium from cultured human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells suppressed the expression of target inflammatory genes in chondrocytes pre-treated with IL-1β, suggesting anti-inflammatory properties ( P < 0.01). Histological analyses indicated that the progression of destabilization of medial meniscus-induced knee osteoarthritis was suppressed by the administration of ADSCs compared with control group at medial femorotibial joint in vivo. This protective effect was related to a reduction in articular cartilage loss.

Conclusion

The intra-articular injection of ADSCs suppressed articular cartilage loss in a mouse model of knee osteoarthritis, possible through anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
Multimodal analysis of the differential effects of cyclic strain on collagen isoform composition, fibril architecture and biomechanics of tissue engineered tendon
Authors: Janvier Adam J , Pendleton Emily G , Mortensen Luke J , Green Daniel C , Henstock James R , Canty-Laird Elizabeth G
Published: October 2022

Tendon is predominantly composed of aligned type I collagen, but additional isoforms are known to influence fibril architecture and maturation, which contribute to the tendon’s overall biomechanical performance. The role of the less well-studied collagen isoforms on fibrillogenesis in tissue engineered tendons is currently unknown, and correlating their relative abundance with biomechanical changes in response to cyclic strain is a promising method for characterising optimised bioengineered tendon grafts. In this study, human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were cultured in a fibrin scaffold with 3%, 5% or 10% cyclic strain at 0.5 Hz for 3 weeks, and a comprehensive multimodal analysis comprising qPCR, western blotting, histology, mechanical testing, fluorescent probe CLSM, TEM and label-free second-harmonic imaging was performed. Molecular data indicated complex transcriptional and translational regulation of collagen isoforms I, II, III, V XI, XII and XIV in response to cyclic strain. Isoforms (XII and XIV) associated with embryonic tenogenesis were deposited in the formation of neo-tendons from hMSCs, suggesting that these engineered tendons form through some recapitulation of a developmental pathway. Tendons cultured with 3% strain had the smallest median fibril diameter but highest resistance to stress, whilst at 10% strain tendons had the highest median fibril diameter and the highest rate of stress relaxation. Second harmonic generation exposed distinct structural arrangements of collagen fibres in each strain group. Fluorescent probe images correlated increasing cyclic strain with increased fibril alignment from 40% (static strain) to 61.5% alignment (10% cyclic strain). These results indicate that cyclic strain rates stimulate differential cell responses via complex regulation of collagen isoforms which influence the structural organisation of developing fibril architectures.
Imaging findings of two patients with isolated infarction of the splenium during COVID-19
Authors: Kızılgöz Volkan , Kantarci Mecit , Kahraman Şevket
Published: October 2022

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the virus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the literature, this virus has been associated with coagulation dysfunction and arterial thromboembolism. In clinical practice, corpus callosum infarcts are very rare, and the incidence of isolated splenium infarct is very low. Here, two cases of isolated splenium infarct after COVID-19 are reported with clinical and imaging findings. These findings are thought to be useful in daily practice for our colleagues. In addition, differential diagnoses of this entity will also be discussed in this case report.
Clinical Characteristics of Hospital Follow-up for Patients Hospitalized from SARS CoV-2 (COVID 19) in an Academic Outpatient Internal Medicine Clinic
Authors: Abohelwa Mostafa , Peterson Christopher J. , Landis Dylan , Le Duc , Conde Camila , DeWare Charles , Elgendy Fares , Payne Drew , Nugent Kenneth
Published: October 2022

Background:

As of July 2022, there have been more than 91.3 million cases of COVID-19 and nearly 1.03 million deaths in the United States alone. In addition, many people who survived COVID-19 had long-term symptoms, such as fatigue, dyspnea, loss of smell and taste, depression, and anxiety.

Objectives:

The purpose of our study is to evaluate the status of COVID-19 patients who were previously hospitalized.

Methods:

We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and its affiliated University Medical Center under IRB of L21-144. We included all patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and followed up in our Internal Medicine Clinic at any time between April 1, 2020, and April 1, 2021, and reviewed follow-up data for these patients after discharge.

Results:

A total of 128 patients were included; 59 (46%) were men, and 69 (54%) were women with an average age of 59.7 ± 14.8 years. Most of the patients (n = 78, 60.9%) identified their race as Hispanic or Latino origin; the next largest group was Caucasian (n = 29, 22.65%). The average number of days until post-hospitalization follow-up was 36 ± 38 days. The 50% of the patients (n = 64) used telemedicine for follow-up visits. Important comorbidities in these patients included diabetes (n = 84, 65.6%) and hypertension (n = 94, 73.4%). Thirty-four patients (26.6%) reported respiratory symptoms at their follow-up appointments, 24 patients (18.8%) reported constitutional symptoms, 12 patients (9.4%) reported GI symptoms, and 25 patients (19.5%) reported other symptoms, such as paresthesia, lower extremity edema, or psychological symptoms. After hospital discharge, 54 patients had follow-up chest x-rays, and 41 (75.9%) still had abnormal findings consistent with COVID-19 imaging characteristics. Follow-up laboratory tests identified 44 patients (77.2%, 57 tested) with elevated D-dimer levels, 44 patients (78.6%, 56 tested) with high ferritin levels, and 21patients (35.6%, 59 tested) with elevated troponin T HS levels.

Conclusion:

Long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms in these patients included respiratory symptoms (26.6%), constitutional symptoms (18.8%), GI symptoms (9.4%), and other symptoms, such as paresthesia, lower extremity edema, or psychological symptoms (19.5%). The rate of telehealth follow-up was 50%. Many patients had elevated inflammatory markers that will need follow up to determine the clinical implications.
Depressive Symptoms of Chinese Rural-to-Urban Migrant Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Yan Lixia , Wang Siyuan , Yuan Yang , Zhang Yu , Zhang Junhua
Published: October 2022

There are many contradictions in previous studies of the status of depressive symptoms among Chinese migrant children, the number of which in the compulsory education stage is about 13.9 million. This systematic review and meta-analysis were designed to compare depressive symptoms among migrant children and their urban children. Around 2,710 papers were retrieved from PubMed, OVID, the Web of Knowledge, CNKI, Wan Fang, Chongqing VIP, and Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index on January 27, 2020. Thirty-Two studies met study criteria with 14,906 migrant children and 10,792 urban children. Migrant children scored significantly higher for depressive symptoms score (SMD = 0.307, 95% CI [0.222, 0.393]). Region significantly influenced the difference of depressive symptoms between migrant children and urban children. Large effect sizes came from studies using scales that focus on depressive mood while studies using scales that focus on depressive behavioural symptoms had small effect sizes. Future research should focus on treatments to decrease depressive mood of migrant children. Future studies can add information about the length of their current stay in the urban location to improve the quality of study. PROSPERO registry: Systematic review registration no. CRD42018090676.
Exploring the Effects of Classical Auto Insurance Rating Variables on Premium in ARDL: Is the high Policyholders’ Premium in Ghana Justified?
Authors: Azaare Jacob , Wu Zhao , Ahia Bright Nana Kwame
Published: October 2022

To better understand the actual rating variables that affects Auto insurance Policyholders’ premium, this paper attempts to provide empirical evidence to justify which ones are significant and needed to be considered by insurers by adopting the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. In satisfying all the conditions for ARDL application, unit root, Heteroskedasticity, normality, dynamic stability and serial correlation tests were conducted. We estimate the effects of each rating variable on Premium taking into consideration whether the policy of the insured is Third-Party or Comprehensive. These rating variables in the ARDL model serves as the independent variables that establishes the short and long-run relationships between them and the Premium as the dependent variable. The results suggest that not all the classical rating variables used in the market significantly impact Premium. Whiles, to some extent, we found a varying degree of variables impact on Premium depending on the insurance type, the autos cubic capacity, which plays a cogent role on the basic Premium in Ghana, is insignificant. Also, policyholders’ age characteristics are statistically significant but are excluded in the premium calculations. Thus, this paper shows the need to consider all the other possible rating variables, including policyholders’ age into the Ghanaian insurance pricing system, whiles autos cubic capacity considering the weight it put on the basic Premium should be re-examined. This would help to obtain a financially balanced and optimal pricing system for policyholders.
Association of Training and Game Loads to Injury Risk in Junior Male Elite Ice Hockey Players: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Nordstrøm Anine , Bahr Roald , Bache-Mathiesen Lena K. , Clarsen Ben , Talsnes Ove
Published: October 2022

Background:

Training and game loads are potential risk factors of injury in junior elite ice hockey, but the association of training and game loads to injuries is unknown.

Purpose:

To investigate the association of chronic training and game loads to injury risk in junior male elite ice hockey players.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

In this prospective cohort study, we monitored all health problems among 159 male junior ice hockey players (mean age, 16 years; range, 15-19 years) at sports-specific high schools during the 2018-2019 school year. Players reported their health problems every week using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Questionnaire on Health Problems (OSTRC-H2). The number of training sessions and games was reported for 33 weeks. We calculated the previous 2-week difference in training/game loads as well as the cumulative training/game loads of the previous 2, 3, 4, and 6 weeks and explored potential associations between training/game loads and injury risk using mixed-effects logistic regression.

Results:

The players reported 133 acute injuries, 75 overuse injuries, and 162 illnesses in total, and an average of 8.8 (SD ±3.9) training sessions and 0.9 (SD ± 1.1) games per week. We found no association between the difference of the two previous weeks or the previous 2- 3- and 4-week cumulative, training or game load and acute injuries, nor the difference of the two previous weeks, or the previous 4- and 6-week cumulative, training or game load and overuse injuries (OR, ∼1.0; P > .05 in all models).

Conclusion:

In the current study of junior elite ice hockey players, there was no evidence of an association between cumulative exposure to training/game loads and injury risk.
Effect of Anterior Glenoid Chondrolabral Defects on Anterior Glenohumeral Stability: A Biomechanical Study
Authors: Kawakami Jun , Henninger Heath B. , Knighton Tyler W. , Yamamoto Nobuyuki , Tashjian Robert Z. , Itoi Eiji , Chalmers Peter N.
Published: October 2022

Background:

It is well known that glenoid osseous defects >13.5% of the glenoid width critically destabilize the shoulder, as do labral tears. Chondrolabral defects often occur with anterior dislocation of the shoulder. It is unclear whether glenoid chondrolabral defects contribute to shoulder stability and, if so, at what size they become critical.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of incremental chondrolabral defect sizes on anterior shoulder stability in the setting of labral deficiency. The hypothesis was that chondrolabral defects ≥13.5% of the glenoid width will decrease anterior shoulder stability.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

This controlled laboratory study tested 12 fresh-frozen shoulders. Specimens were attached to a custom testing device in abduction and neutral rotation with 50-N compression applied to the glenoid. The humeral head was translated 10 mm anterior, anteroinferior, and anterosuperior with the conditions of intact cartilage and labrum and anterior full-thickness chondrolabral defects of 3-, 6-, and 9-mm width. Translation force was measured continuously. Peak translation force divided by 50-N compressive force defined the stability ratio. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance.

Results:

The anterior stability ratio decreased between the intact state (36% ± 7%) and all defects ≥3 mm (≤32% ± 8%; P ≤ .023). The anteroinferior stability ratio decreased between the intact state (52% ± 7%) and all defects ≥3 mm (≤47% ± 7%; P ≤ .006). The anterosuperior stability ratio decreased between the intact state (36% ± 4%) and all defects ≥6 mm (≤33% ± 4%; P ≤ .006). A 3-mm defect equated to 10% of the glenoid width. There were moderate to strong negative correlations between chondrolabral defect size and stability ratio in the anterior, anteroinferior, and anterosuperior directions ( r = –0.79, –0.63, and –0.58, respectively; P ≤ .001). There were moderate to strong negative correlations between the percentage of glenoid chondrolabral defect size to the glenoid width and the stability percentage in all directions ( r = –0.81, –0.63, and –0.61; P ≤ .001).

Conclusion:

An anterior glenoid chondrolabral defect ≥3 mm (>10% of the glenoid width) significantly decreased anterior and anteroinferior stability. Chondrolabral defect size negatively correlated with stability.

Clinical Relevance:

To fully restore glenohumeral stability, in addition to labral repair, it may be necessary to reconstruct chondrolabral defects as small as 3 mm (10% of the glenoid width).
Vps13 is Required for Efficient Autophagy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Lei Yuchen , Wen Xin , Klionsky Daniel J
Published: October 2022

Vps13 is a large, conserved protein that transports lipids between membranes. Its localization at multiple organelle membranes and membrane contact sites suggests its important physiological roles. In addition, the high correlation of mutant VPS13 with certain diseases, especially those involving neurodegeneration, makes this protein of considerable biomedical interest. Taking advantage of the fact that yeasts only have one Vps13 protein, the roles of yeast Vps13 have been well studied. However, whether and how Vps13 functions in macroautophagy/autophagy, a process of degradation of cytoplasmic cargoes, have been elusive questions. In this paper, we investigated the role of Vps13 in both non-selective and selective autophagy and found that this protein participates in non-selective autophagy, reticulophagy and pexophagy, but not mitophagy, and that Vps13 plays a role in the late stage of autophagy.
What really matters for patient safety: Correlation of nurse competence with international patient safety goals
Authors: Kalsoom Zubia , Victor Gideon , Virtanen Heli , Sultana Nuzhat
Published: October 2022

Background

Optimal level of nurse competence is imperative for patient safety and quality of care. A research gap exists in empirical evidence for associating nurses’ competencies with patient safety.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this study was to measure the association between general ward nurses' competencies with international patient safety goals.

Method

Correlational research design was adopted. Stratified random sampling was used to recruit (n  =  182) nurses working in two JCIA accredited and non-JCIA hospitals. Data were collected using the Competency Inventory for Registered Nurses and International Patient Safety Goals. The research was approved by the Institutional review board and ethics committee.

Findings

The regression analysis showed enhancement of patient safety with an improvement in nurse competencies R2  =  0.238. Nurse competencies showed a moderate positive association with an overall patient safety such as critical thinking and research aptitude (r  =  0.420, P – Value < 0.001), teaching coaching (r  =  0.469, P- Value <0.01), professional development (r  =  0.436, P – Value < 0.001), legal and ethical practices (r  =  0.434, P –Value < 0.001), interpersonal relationships (r  =  0.430, P –Value < 0.001), Leadership (r  =  0.400, P –Value < 0.001), and Clinical Care (r  =  0.541, P –Value < 0.001). Moreover, experience and professional education show positive association with both, patient safety and nurses’ competencies.

Conclusion

Nurses’ clinical competencies are crucial to enhance patient safety. Personal and professional attributes affect the competencies of nurses and patient safety. Hospital management should take mandatory steps to ensure improving nurses’ competencies for better patient safety.