bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Properties improvement of multiwall carbon nanotubes-reinforced cement-based composites
Authors: Wang Baomin , Pang Bo
Published: December 2019

Multiwall carbon nanotubes with extraordinary mechanical properties have been widely used as effective nano-reinforcer of cement-based composites. In this research, multiwall carbon nanotubes were dispersed uniformly in aqueous solution using N,N-dimethylformamide as dispersant with ultrasonication. The structure and micromorphology of multiwall carbon nanotubes were characterized via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The effect of N,N-dimethylformamide on multiwall carbon nanotubes dispersion was better than that of previous dispersants. The multiwall carbon nanotubes/cement composites with different multiwall carbon nanotubes contents were prepared and the mechanical performances of multiwall carbon nanotubes/cement composites were researched. Results showed that the flexural strength growth rate of multiwall carbon nanotubes/cement composites was 21.7% and the compressive strength growth rate of the multiwall carbon nanotubes/cement composites was 2.9% incorporating with 0.04 wt% multiwall carbon nanotubes at 28 days. The ratio of compressive strength to flexural strength of decline rate of multiwall carbon nanotubes/cement composites was 15.9% with 0.04 wt% multiwall carbon nanotubes at 28 days. The isothermal calorimetry (TAM Air) showed that multiwall carbon nanotubes could accelerate the hydration reaction. The X-ray diffraction and thermal gravity analysis (TG/DTG) suggested that multiwall carbon nanotubes could improve the hydration process and increase the number of hydration products. The mercury intrusion porosimetry revealed the porosity of multiwall carbon nanotubes/cement composites was decreased. There is an effect of multiwall carbon nanotubes on inhibiting the extension of cracks and promoting the degree of compactibility of the cement-based composites. The micromorphology of multiwall carbon nanotubes/cement composites was observed through scanning electron microscope.
Nonresident Fathers’ Spending on Children: Child Support Payments and Housing Instability
Authors: Lewis Patricia , Kornrich Sabino
Published: December 2019

Previous research finds that fathers’ monetary contributions are associated with housing instability, but it is unclear whether effects are similar across more and less severe types of housing instability. In this research, we investigate how nonresident fathers’ monetary contributions are linked to having skipped rent or mortgage payments, moving in with others (“doubling up”) in the last year, moving residences more than once, or having been evicted or homeless. We use data on a population of at-risk families using the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study (FFCWS) ( n = 1,919). We estimate logistic regression models that control for socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Both formal and informal financial support from fathers was significantly associated with lower mother/child housing instability. Housing instability appears to diminish more rapidly with greater informal support than with greater formal support, but the confidence intervals for these estimates overlap, making them indistinguishable.
Comparison of radiologic characteristics and pathological presentations of primary pulmonary lymphoma in 22 patients
Authors: Wang Yanchao , Han Jun , Zhang Fantao , Wang Zhaoyu , Zhao Dahai , Wang Xuan , Wu Ningxin , Lu Rongjian , Wu Chongchong , Gao Jie , Pan Lei , Xue Xinying
Published: December 2019

Objective

This study was performed to compare the radiologic characteristics and pathological presentations of primary pulmonary lymphoma (PPL), explore the possible mechanism underlying its development, summarize its radiologic characteristics, and improve the accuracy of its diagnosis.

Methods

The medical records of 22 patients pathologically diagnosed with PPL were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Chest computed tomography (CT) demonstrated single or multiple nodules and masses in the lungs, patchy opacities or consolidation along the bronchovascular bundle, and no significantly enlarged mediastinal or hilar lymph nodes. All 22 cases of PPL were classified as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) by transbronchial biopsy, CT-guided needle biopsy, and postoperative pathology. Most (16 cases) were marginal-zone B-cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). Twelve patients had air bronchograms within the lesion, and 13 showed ill-defined lesions with ground-glass brush-like changes.

Conclusion

PPL is a rare lung tumor, and most are classified as MALT lymphoma, a subtype of NHL. Chest CT can help to diagnose this disease. Positron emission tomography (PET)/CT is of great clinical value for evaluation of the lesion and patient’s general condition. The possibility of PPL should be considered in patients with characteristic CT and PET/CT findings and mild clinical symptoms, and early treatment should be administered.
Association of infections with multiple sclerosis in Gulf Cooperation Council countries: a review
Authors: Al Wutayd O
Published: December 2019

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, causing inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration. Infection can play a role in its etiology. Herein, a review is presented of studies that have reported an association between infection and MS risk in countries of the Arabian Gulf region. Searches of the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct databases were carried out using various search terms, and relevant studies published through January 2019 on the epidemiology of MS in Gulf Cooperation Council countries identified. MS has been found to be associated with measles in Saudi Arabia and Epstein–Barr virus in Kuwait whereas no association has been identified between risk of MS and varicella-zoster virus, mumps, or human herpesvirus-6. However, few epidemiological studies on this topic have been conducted in countries of the Gulf region. Longitudinal and serological studies to establish robust evidence between infection and risk of MS are highly recommended, and a regional MS registry is needed.
A comparative study on patient safety attitude between nurses and doctors in operating rooms
Authors: Kwon Eunok , Kim Young Woo , Kim Seo Won , Jeon Sujeong , Lee Eunsook , Kang Hye-Young , Nam Seungnam , Kim Mihyeong
Published: December 2019

Objective

To investigate and compare the attitudes of operating room nurses and doctors regarding patient safety, performance of surgical time-out and recognition of count error.

Methods

This cross-sectional study recruited operating room nurses, surgeons and anaesthesiologists between 1 August 2015 and 5 February 2016. A Safety Attitude Questionnaire was used to analyse the three elements in both groups of operating room staff (nurses and doctors).

Results

The study analysed the questionnaires from 171 participants; 95 nurses (55.6%) and 76 doctors (44.4%). Differences exist between doctors and nurses regarding teamwork climate, working conditions, perception of management and the recognition of stress. On the performance of surgical time-out, nurses showed higher scores on way of counting, while doctors showed higher scores on the time-out procedure itself. Also, doctors believed they actively cooperated with the nurses, while nurses believed they did not receive cooperation. Scores for the recognition of count error were higher in nurses than in doctors. More experienced operating room staff showed higher scores than younger less experienced staff.

Conclusions

Perceptual differences among doctors and nurses need to be minimized for the safety of the patient in the operating room.
Endoscopic minimally invasive cholecystolithotomy in a patient with duplicate gallbladder: a case report
Authors: Jia Zeming , Peng Jian , Wan Xiaoping , He Panxiang , Luo Dongren
Published: December 2019

Gallstone disease is common in China and is generally treated with laparoscopic cholecystectomy. For some patients with normal contraction function and a small number of stones, endoscopic minimally invasive cholecystolithotomy is an additional possible treatment method that avoids complications related to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Here, we describe a 45-year-old woman who underwent endoscopic minimally invasive cholecystolithotomy and was found to have duplicate gallbladder, which was not diagnosed preoperatively. We discuss the usefulness of the endoscopic minimally invasive cholecystolithotomy procedure and the management of duplicate gallbladder in patients undergoing endoscopic minimally invasive cholecystolithotomy.
Treatment of spine metastases in cancer: a review
Authors: Chen Yu , He Yayi , Zhao Chao , Li Xuefei , Zhou Caicun , Hirsch Fred R
Published: December 2019

As a consequence of the improvements in diagnostic technology along with gains in life expectancy of cancer patients, the incidence of spine metastases has increased. Spine metastases can affect the patient’s quality of life and negatively impact on their prognosis. Multidisciplinary treatments involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiosurgery and radiotherapy. Spine metastases should be treated using a multidisciplinary and integrated approach that involves spinal surgeons, medical oncologists and radiologists. More research is required to elucidate the pathological mechanisms involved in the aetiology of spine metastasis. This review describes the current situation regarding the diagnosis of spine metastasis, what is understood about the pathological development of spine metastasis and the evolution of the multidisciplinary treatments that are available for patients with spine metastases.
Comparative cone-beam computed tomography evaluation of temporomandibular joint position and morphology in female patients with skeletal class II malocclusion
Authors: Lin Min , Xu Yifei , Wu Hao , Zhang Haixia , Wang Shuang , Qi Kun
Published: December 2019

Objective

This study was performed to evaluate the position and morphology of the temporomandibular joint in female patients with skeletal class II malocclusion and to investigate the association between temporomandibular joint disorders and facial types using cone-beam computed tomography.

Methods

A lateral cephalogram was taken to determine the skeletal class of each participant. Sixty female patients aged 16 to 28 years were divided into high-angle, low-angle, and control groups. The shape of the condyle–fossa was measured and assessed on cone-beam computed tomography images of the 120 temporomandibular joints.

Results

Some condylar shape measurements displayed statistically significant differences among the groups. No significant differences were found in the length of the condyle, width of the glenoid fossa, or height of the articular eminence among the three groups. The posterior condylar position was more frequently observed in the low-angle group, whereas the anterior condylar position was more prevalent in the high-angle group.

Conclusion

The present study revealed differences in the condyle–fossa morphology and position in female patients with skeletal class II malocclusion with different vertical facial types.
Prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters in small cell lung cancer
Authors: Choi Eun Kyoung , Park Minjae , Im Jooyeon Jamie , Chung Yong-An , Oh Jin Kyoung
Published: December 2019

Objective

To compare the prognostic values of metabolic parameters from pretreatment PET/CT between limited disease (LD) and extensive disease (ED) small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients.

Methods

Data on 118 newly diagnosed SCLC patients (50 LD and 68 ED) who underwent pretreatment positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET/CT) were reviewed. For PET, metabolic parameters were measured for: (1) primary tumor, maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume, and total lesion glycolysis; and (2) all tumor lesions, SUVmax of the hottest tumor, whole body metabolic tumor volume (WBMTV), and whole body total lesion glycolysis (WBTLG). Prognostic values of metabolic parameters and other clinical variables were analyzed to predict overall survival (OS).

Results

In LD, SUVmax of the primary tumor was an independent prognostic factor for OS. Patients with high SUVmax showed significantly worse OS than those with low SUVmax. In ED, WBMTV and WBTLG were independent prognostic factors for OS. Patients with high WBMTV or WBTLG showed significantly worse OS than those with low WBMTV or WBTLG.

Conclusions

SUVmax of primary tumor was the only independent prognostic factor for OS in LD SCLC patients. WBMTV and WBTLG were independent prognostic factors in ED SCLC patients.
Use of dual-marker staining to differentiate between lung squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma
Authors: Guo Rui , Tian Yi , Zhang Na , Huang Hong , Huang Ying , Yang Jun
Published: December 2019

Objective

To assess the value of dual-marker immunostaining for detecting p40 and napsin A, and cytokeratin 5/6 (CK5/6) and thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF1) in single sections of lung cancer tissue, for differentiating between lung squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.

Methods

Lung cancer tissue sections from 58 patients were stained by dual-marker immunostaining using a mixtures of anti-p40 and anti-napsin A, and anti-CK5/6 and anti-TTF1 primary antibodies. Sections stained with single markers were used as controls. Nuclear or cytoplasmic staining was considered as indicating positive p40 or napsin A expression, respectively, and cytoplasmic or nuclear staining was considered as indicating positive CK5/6 or TTF1 expression, respectively.

Results

p40/napsin A and CK5/6/TTF1 dual-marker staining showed high sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma respectively. There were no differences in marker expression between dual-marker and single-marker staining.

Conclusions

Dual-marker immunostaining is a relatively easy, time- and cost-conserving staining method for detecting two markers in a single section using one procedure and one chromogen. p40 and napsin A, and CK5/6 and TTF1 dual-marker staining were suitable for the differential diagnosis of lung squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.
Micah 5.9-14 (10-15) and Isaiah 2.6-22: Two distinctive perceptions of idolatry
Authors: Zimran Yisca
Published: December 2019

This article presents a comparative reading of Micah 5.9-14 [10-15] and Isaiah 2.6-22. The article demonstrates the contribution of comparative reading to the understanding of each text. The discussion opens by outlining the clear lexical and thematic similarities between the units. While some of the similarities have been previously noted by scholars, this article expands on the range of verses analyzed and method of presenting similarities, for a more accurate picture. Based on the similarities between the units, the discussion turns to the lexical, structural, and content differences between them. Finally, this analysis of similarities and differences is a tool for uncovering essential ideological differences between the texts. The literary and ideological study in this article reveals the worldviews expressed in the units, such as the attitude toward idolatry, the God of Israel, and other gods.
‘When dust was poured out’: Creation in Job 38.36–38
Authors: Staps Camil
Published: December 2019

The end of the first section of the whirlwind speech in Job 38.37b–38 reads, ‘who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens, when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick fast together?’ (ESV). The straightforward explanation, that this refers to rainfall, cannot explain the verses in the larger context of the chapter. This article carefully reviews the words used in v. 38, in particular עפר‎ ‘dust’ and יצק‎ ‘to pour’ (here ‘to run’), and points to a parallel for דבק‎ ‘stick together’ in Job 41.15. This newly collected evidence reinforces the hypothesis of Van Wolde, that the stanza is a reference to the creation of the earth. With the suggested interpretation, the poetic structure of chapter 38 is more coherent. However, for this to work, one must either swap vv. 36 and 37 or reorder 36–38 into two tricola instead of three bicola.
Climatic changes during the past two millennia along the Ancient Silk Road
Authors: Hao Zhixin , Zheng Jingyun , Yu Yingzhuo , Xiong Danyang , Liu Yang , Ge Quansheng
Published: December 2019

The Ancient Silk Road has a history of more than 2000 years and gave birth to the diversities of culture between East and West. Climate change may have played a crucial role in this process and in the flourishing and decline of civilizations. In this work, high-resolution temperature reconstructions covering more than 1000 years along the Ancient Silk Road are reviewed, and the main characteristics of temperature and hydroclimatic changes are summarized. Four warm stages occurred that included the 1st–3rd centuries, the late 7th century to the early 11th century, the mid-12th century to the mid-13th century, and since the 20th century, and three cold stages, including the 4th century to the early 7th century, the middle of the 11th century to the early 12th century, and the end of the 13th century to the mid-19th century, occurred. Within these various stages, regional differences existed in amplitudes and starting–ending years of the cold/warm phases. Wetness and dryness variabilities during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) were greater than during the Little Ice Age in Northwestern China. The climate was dry during the MCA in Central Asia, South Scandinavia, and North-central Europe. In addition, the climate backgrounds of several famous kingdoms flowering and social events that flourished during these times, such as the Roman Empire, the Loulan Kingdom, the Tibetan Kingdom, and the three unprecedented Mongol westward conquests, are discussed.
Precision of Single-Skill Math CBM Time-Series Data: The Effect of Probe Stratification and Set Size
Authors: Solomon Benjamin G. , Payne Lexy L. , Campana Kayla V. , Marr Erin A. , Battista Carmela , Silva Alex , Dawes Jillian M.
Published: December 2019

Comparatively little research exists on single-skill math (SSM) curriculum-based measurements (CBMs) for the purpose of monitoring growth, as may be done in practice or when monitoring intervention effectiveness within group or single-case research. Therefore, we examined a common variant of SSM-CBM: 1 digit × 1 digit multiplication. Reflecting how such measures are often used in contemporary research and practice, we examined the comparative reliability of three representative SSM-CBM set sizes of 8, 16, and 32 unique problems. In a separate study, we investigated the possible benefit of stratifying problems within operation and probe relative to random assignment. Findings suggest that SSM-CBM slope reliability benefits from explicit stratification and that set size is a relevant consideration. Implications for the selection and interpretation of SSM-CBMs when engaging in practice and research are discussed.
Safety and Tolerability of Adjunctive Eslicarbazepine Acetate in Pediatric Patients (Aged 4-17 Years) With Focal Seizures
Authors: Mintz Mark , Pina-Garza Jesus E. , Wolf Steven M. , McGoldrick Patricia E. , Józwiak Sergiusz , Grinnell Todd , Cantu David , Costa Raquel , Moreira Joana , Li Yan , Blum David
Published: December 2019

Objective:

To evaluate the safety and tolerability of adjunctive eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) in pediatric patients (aged 4-17 years) with refractory focal seizures.

Methods:

Pooled safety data from patients aged 4-17 years in Study 208 (NCT01527513) and Study 305 (NCT00988156) were analyzed. Both were randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of ESL as adjunctive treatment in pediatric patients with refractory focal seizures receiving 1 or 2 antiepileptic drugs. Incidences of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), serious adverse events (SAEs), TEAEs leading to discontinuation, and TEAEs of special interest were evaluated.

Results:

The safety population comprised 362 patients (placebo, n = 160; ESL, n = 202). The overall incidence of TEAEs was similar between the ESL (67.8%) and placebo groups (65.6%), with no clear dose-response relationship. The most frequently reported TEAEs with ESL were headache, somnolence, vomiting, and diplopia. Overall incidences of SAEs and TEAEs leading to discontinuation were higher with ESL versus placebo (9.9% vs 5.0% and 5.9% vs 2.5%, respectively). The majority of SAEs with ESL occurred in Study 305. Two deaths were reported, 1 with ESL (0.5%) due to cluster seizures (resulting in herniation of the cerebellar tonsils) and 1 with placebo (0.6%) due to asphyxia. TEAEs related to allergic reaction, hyponatremia, hypothyroidism, cytopenia, seizure exacerbation, cognitive dysfunction, psychiatric disorders, or suicide occurred infrequently (<9%).

Conclusion:

Adjunctive ESL was generally well tolerated in children aged 4-17 years with focal seizures. The safety profile of ESL in children was comparable to that observed in adults.
Neurodevelopment of Nonmicrocephalic Children, After 18 Months of Life, Exposed Prenatally to Zika Virus
Authors: Gerzson Laís Rodrigues , de Almeida Carla Skilhan , Silva Juliana Herrero da , Feitosa Michelle Mirttes Albuquerque , de Oliveira Lucia Nunes , Schuler-Faccini Lavínia
Published: December 2019

The aim of this work was to evaluate the cognitive, language, and motor development, after 18 months of life, of nonmicrocephalic children born to mothers with Zika virus infection during pregnancy. Participants were 37 children aged 18-29 months divided into 2 groups: 17 nonmicrocephalic children born to mothers who had Zika virus infection during pregnancy (ZIKVG) and 20 nonmicrocephalic children with no maternal history of infection matched by sex and age (control group). A semistructured interview and the Bayley Scale of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley III) were used for their evaluation. One child in the ZIKVG presented low cognitive score, the same in the control group. There were no statistical differences between the 2 groups regarding cognitive, language, and motor development. This sample, although small, showed that a significant proportion of nonmicrocephalic children exposed prenatally to Zika virus had normal development. A longer follow-up is necessary to observe if no other adverse outcomes will appear in the future.
Gender Pay Gaps, the U.K. Experience: How Do We Close Them, How Do We Bring Research Into Practice?
Authors: Brown Duncan
Published: December 2019

In 2017, the U.K. government enacted legislation making it compulsory for employers across all sectors with more than 250 employees to report six gender pay gap statistics on a consistent basis, with the majority adding voluntary explanatory reports. Over 10,000 have reported in each of the 2 years since, pushing the issue significantly higher up both corporate boardroom and academic research agendas. In this article, after briefly explaining the national and legislative context, the author profiles the action plans which U.K. employers have published designed to close these gaps, focusing on higher education institutions. The author goes on to profile the research on what works in closing gaps and highlights the significant dissonance between the two perspectives. Employer actions tend to focus narrowly on training and other “soft” involuntary initiatives, while the academic research highlights a multipronged approach across all areas of human resources activity as most effective and including compulsory actions such as “blind” recruitment. The author concludes by outlining how these two perspectives may be integrated to produce more relevant research and evidence-based practice, thereby driving more significant and sustainable reductions in gender pay gaps.
Numerical assessment of occupant responses during the bus rollover test: A finite element parametric study
Authors: Seyedi MohammadReza , Jung Sungmoon
Published: December 2019

Rollover crashes of buses are usually associated with multiple impacts that can result in complex interactions between passengers and a bus superstructure. Although there have been a few field data studies that provide some insights into occupant injuries (e.g. severity and distribution of injuries) during the real-world bus rollover crash, because they had used post-crash data, the occupant kinematics and injury mechanisms were not completely detailed in their results. Based on a literature review, available numerical and experimental studies on a bus rollover safety have mainly focused on structural integrity rather than considering occupant responses in their assessment. In addition, their results about occupant responses in bus rollover crashes show some discrepancies in terms of the estimated injury distribution, severity, and causes. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to provide a more detailed understanding of the occupant kinematics and associated injury risk during the ECE R66 tilt table bus rollover test using validated finite element (FE) models. The ECE R66 tilt table rollover was simulated using a full finite element model of the bus. A 50th percentile male Hybrid III Anthropomorphic test device (ATD) and EuroSID-2re FE models were selected to simulate the occupant’s motion. Each ATD was seated adjacent to the impacted side wall and restrained with a 2-point seatbelt. Simulation parameters included two impact surface friction values and different side window conditions. The results indicated that both ATD estimated the highest injury risk when the partial ejection occurred. They predicted a similar injury risk for the head and thorax. The ES-2re estimated a very low risk of neck injury in all simulations, whereas the Hybrid III estimated the high risk of a neck injury. Finally, recommendations to potentially reduce the injuries were provided and possible future works were suggested.
Estimating the age at onset distribution of the asymptomatic stage of a genetic disease based on pedigree data
Authors: Jonker Marianne A , Vart Priya , Rodriguez Girondo Mar
Published: December 2019

Information on the age at onset distribution of the asymptomatic stage of a disease can be of paramount importance in early detection and timely management of that disease. However, accurately estimating this distribution is challenging, because the asymptomatic stage is difficult to recognize for the patient and is often detected as an incidental finding or in case of recommended screening; the age at onset is often interval-censored. In this paper, we propose a method for the estimation of the age at onset distribution of the asymptomatic stage of a genetic disease based on ascertained pedigree data that take into account the way the data are ascertained to overcome selection bias. Simulation studies show that the estimates seem to be asymptotically unbiased. Our work is motivated by the analysis of data on facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, a genetic muscle disorder. In our application, carriers of the genetic causal variant are identified through genetic screening of the relatives of symptomatic carriers and their disease status is determined by a medical examination. The estimates reveal an early age at onset of the asymptomatic stage of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.
Petropolitics and Pipeline Diplomacy in Central Asia: Can India Afford to Wait in the Wings?
Authors: Pradhan Ramakrushna
Published: December 2019

The fight for hegemony in Central Asia has existed for ages. Strategically placed between two nuclear powers—Russia and China—and geopolitically located at the heart of Eurasia, Central Asia has always remained in global limelight. Even after the disintegration of the USSR, the geopolitical importance of Central Asia never waned down, instead emerged as a grand chessboard for regional and extra-regional player for the immense opportunities it has offered in the form of widely untapped natural resources and geostrategic leverages. Importantly, it has emerged as the latest geological landscape for the energy crunch countries as potentially new and non-OPEC source of oil and natural gas. In the quest for energy security and diversity of supply sources by the energy consumers, the heartland region has witnessed a new great game in the scramble for resources. This accentuated struggle for oil and energy in the region has further led to aggressive foreign policy formulations and strategic calculation by countries like the United States, China, European Union, Japan, Israel, Iran, Pakistan and India, to which many now call as the New Great Game for not just controlling but administering the energy resources of the region. The bottom line of the New Great Game unlike the previous version is essentially played out around petropolitics and pipeline diplomacy. It is in this context this research article makes a modest attempt to examine the energy factor in the geopolitics of Central Asia and tries to figure out the position of India in the epic quest for oil in the traditional bastion of Russia and the new grand chessboard of China and the United States.
Active materials: minimal models of cognition?
Authors: McGivern Patrick
Published: December 2019

Work on minimal cognition raises a variety of questions concerning the boundaries of cognition. Many discussions of minimal cognition assume that the domain of minimal cognition is a subset of the domain of the living. In this article, I consider whether non-living ‘active materials’ ought to be included as instances of minimal cognition. I argue that seeing such cases as ‘minimal models’ of (minimal) cognition requires recognising them as members of a class of systems sharing the same basic features and exhibiting the same general patterns of behaviour. Minimal cognition in this sense is a very inclusive concept: rather than specifying some threshold level of cognition or a type of cognition found only in very simple systems, it is a concept of cognition associated with very minimal criteria that pick out only the most essential requirements for a system to exhibit cognitive behaviour.
Fertility Treatment Options for Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Authors: Sawant Shital , Bhide Priya
Published: December 2019

Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common endocrinological disorder in women of reproductive age. It is commonly associated with anovulatory subfertility, for which there are a range of treatment options available to help them conceive. These options are given in a step-wise manner with an appropriate selection of patients to maximise success rates with minimal complications. This review discusses the importance and involvement of multidisciplinary care when offering treatment to women with subfertility. Multidisciplinary care gives an excellent opportunity to identify, assess risk, and potentially prevent future morbidities and complications while treating women for fertility issues. We have also summarised the various options available for fertility treatment: pharmacological treatments, nonpharmacological intervention, and assisted reproductive technology.
Tribological and dynamical analysis of a brake pad with multiple blocks for a high-speed train
Authors: Wu YK , Mo JL , Tang B , Xu JW , Huang B , Xiang ZY , Zhou ZR
Published: December 2019

In this research, the tribological and dynamical characteristics of a brake pad with multiple blocks are investigated using experimental and numerical methods. A dynamometer with a multiblock brake pad configuration on a brake disc is developed and a series of drag-type tests are conducted to study the brake squeal and wear behavior of a high-speed train brake system. Finite element analysis is performed to derive physical explanations for the observed experimental phenomena. The experimental and numerical results show that the rotational speed and braking force have important influences on the brake squeal; the trends of the multiblock and single-block systems are different. In the multiblock brake pad, the different blocks exhibit significantly different magnitudes of contact stresses and vibration accelerations. The blocks located in the inner and outer rings have higher vibration acceleration amplitudes and stronger vibration energies than the blocks located in the middle ring.
Polycentric inspection: A catalyst for sparking positive interactions in educational networks
Authors: Brown Martin , McNamara Gerry , O’Hara Joe , Shevlin Paddy
Published: December 2019

The core assumption of polycentric inspection is that when schools reach a certain quality threshold, they can further improve best through a coordinated, collaborative effort between clusters of schools and external agencies such as, for example, social services and training providers. The suggested role of an external agency with the respect and resources of the inspectorate is to provide stimulus and support to make the network effective. Using a bounded case study method, this research seeks to assess the potential of polycentric inspection as a tool for improving school effectiveness and outcomes. Evidence from this study suggests that this mode of evaluation has had a significant impact on improving schools, supporting teachers’ practice and, arguably, increasing student examination outcomes in the network examined. In consequence, it is suggested that these findings have wider implications for the changing conception of school evaluation and how improvement can be achieved in education.
Dynamics of post-injection fuel flow in mini-sac diesel injectors part 1: Admission of external gases and implications for deposit formation
Authors: Makri Kassandra , Lockett Russel , Jeshani Mahesh
Published: December 2019

Samples of unadditised, middle distillate diesel fuel were injected through real-size optically accessible mini-sac diesel injectors into ambient air at common rail pressures of 250 and 350 bar, respectively. High-resolution images of white light scattered from the internal mini-sac and nozzle flow were captured on a high-speed monochrome video camera. Following the end of each injection, the momentum-driven evacuation of fuel liquid from the mini-sac and nozzle holes resulted in the formation of a vapour cloud and bubbles in the mini-sac, and vapour capsules in the nozzle holes. This permitted external gas to gain entrance to the nozzle holes. The diesel fuel in the mini-sac was observed to rotate with large initial vorticity, which decayed until the fuel became stationary. The diesel fuel remaining in the nozzle holes was observed to move inwards towards the mini-sac or outwards towards the nozzle exit in concert with the rotational flow in the mini-sac. The mini-sac bubbles’ internal pressure differences revealed that the bubbles must have contained previously dissolved oxygen and nitrogen. Under diesel engine operating conditions, this multi-phase mixture would be highly reactive and could initiate local pyrolysis and/or oxidation reactions. Finally, the dynamical behaviour of the diesel fuel in the nozzle holes would support the admission of external hot combustion gases into the nozzle holes, establishing the conditions for oxidation/pyrolysis reactions with surrounding liquid fuel films.
‘All the world’s a stage’: Accounting for the dementia experience – insights from the IDEAL study
Authors: Hillman Alexandra , Jones Ian Rees , Quinn Catherine , Nelis Sharon M , Lamont Ruth A , Clare Linda
Published: December 2019

Qualitative dementia research emphasises the importance of recognising the voice of the person with dementia. However, research imbued with a politics of selfhood, whereby individuals are called upon to give coherence to experience and emotion, jars with representations of dementia as a gradual decline in capacity. Moreover, it reinforces an assumption that there is an essential experience that can be accessed through different methods. Drawing on Atkinson and Silverman, we view the interview not as confessional but rather as an outcome of social interaction. This paper draws on qualitative interviews from the Improving the Experince of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life (IDEAL) study, to focus specifically on the forms of accounting and storytelling of people living with dementia and how these are produced through the course of the interview encounter. Extracts from our interviews highlight key aspects of this interactional process: (a) social conventions and temporality, (b) self presentation and identity work, (c) accounts and wider cultural meanings. To conclude, we suggest that qualitative research with people with dementia requires a reframing of both the interview encounter and interpretive practices.
Closing the gap? Overcoming limitations in sociomaterial accounts of early literacy
Authors: Burnett Cathy , Merchant Guy , Neumann Michelle M
Published: December 2019

This article uses a sociomaterial perspective to explore how deficit views of young children’s language and literacy are sustained and can be challenged. Foregrounding the notion of multiplicity, it considers how diverse sociomaterial relations work to uphold particular kinds of practice and particular arrangements of bodies and things over others. These relations may interfere with and interface with each other in different ways, sometimes sustaining but also potentially disrupting deficit discourses and practices. Our sociomaterial perspective is illustrated with a short vignette from a study of children and touchscreen tablets in an early years setting. An initial analysis is followed by a series of alternate and tentative tracings of other kinds of relations that play through those moments. The article contributes to debates about social inequality by troubling the certainties generated though deficit models of children’s literacy, whilst working proactively to envision and produce alternate possibilities that foreground the potentialities generated as people and other materials assemble together.
Actual and experiential shadow origin tagging: A 2.5D algorithm for efficient precinct-scale modelling
Authors: Kimm Geoff
Published: December 2019

This article describes a novel algorithm for built environment 2.5D digital model shadow generation that allows identities of shadowing sources to be efficiently precalculated. For any point on the ground, all sources of shadowing can be identified and are classified as actual or experiential obstructions to sunlight. The article justifies a 2.5D raster approach in the context of modelling of architectural and urban environments that has in recent times shifted from 2D to 3D, and describes in detail the algorithm which builds on precedents for 2.5D raster calculation of shadows. The algorithm is efficient and is applicable at even precinct scale in low-end computing environments. The simplicity of this new technique, and its independence of GPU coding, facilitates its easy use in research, prototyping and civic engagement contexts. Two research software applications are presented with technical details to demonstrate the algorithm’s use for participatory built environment simulation and generative modelling applications. The algorithm and its shadow origin tagging can be applied to many digital workflows in architectural and urban design, including those using big data, artificial intelligence or community participative processes.
The Choice between Crisp and Fuzzy Sets in Qualitative Comparative Analysis and the Ambiguous Consequences for Finding Consistent Set Relations
Authors: Rohlfing Ingo
Published: December 2019

Empirical researchers using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) can work with crisp, multivalue, and fuzzy sets. The relative advantages of crisp and multivalue sets have been discussed in the QCA literature. There has been little reflection on the more frequent decision between crisp and fuzzy sets for which there often is no theoretical guidance. A review shows that researchers often prefer fuzzy over crisp sets, sometimes because they contain more information. This meets with the argument that fuzzy sets produce more conservative consistency measures and constitute tougher tests. In my article, I demonstrate analytically and with data from published QCA studies that the relationship between crisp sets, fuzzy sets, and the consistency score is ambiguous. It depends on the distribution of cases whether the consistency value is more or less conservative for fuzzy sets than for crisp sets. I outline the implications of the ambiguous relationship for empirical research.
The Impact of Sensitive Research on the Researcher: Preparedness and Positionality
Authors: Fenge Lee Ann , Oakley Lisa , Taylor Bethan , Beer Sean
Published: December 2019

There is currently limited research exploring the impact of undertaking sensitive or challenging research on the researcher, although some textbooks explore researcher preparedness. This article presents a discussion of the findings from a research project which engaged with the seldom heard voices of researchers themselves. The aim was to explore researchers’ experiences of undertaking research on sensitive topics, or with marginalized groups, as this can expose researchers to emotionally disturbing situations throughout data collection and analysis, which can be psychologically challenging. Although ethical codes of practice include discussion around protection of both the researcher and the participant, in practice, the ethics approval process rarely considers the impact of the proposed research on the researcher. Their experiences are therefore seldom acknowledged or heard, resulting in potential distress for the researcher. Semistructured interviews were undertaken with social science researchers from a range of discipline backgrounds and at different points in their research careers ( n = 10). This article explores two themes emerging from the data: preparedness and positionality. It considers what these themes mean in terms of supporting researchers who encounter challenging research data, and issues related to supporting researcher reflexivity and the requirements for institutional support offered to researchers will also be considered.
Aajiiqatigiingniq: An Inuit Consensus Methodology in Qualitative Health Research
Authors: Ferrazzi Priscilla , Tagalik Shirley , Christie Peter , Karetak Joe , Baker Kukik , Angalik Louis
Published: December 2019

Indigenous knowledge and approaches to health research have historically been marginalized by Western traditions. Efforts to overcome this marginalization by recognizing Indigenous methodologies as a distinctive form of inquiry are gathering momentum. Health research that seeks to establish levels of agreement about disputed or conceptually unclear subjects frequently relies on consensus methods. Aajiiqatigiingniq is a principle of cultural knowledge and a consensus decision-making approach among Inuit in the Canadian Arctic. We used group meetings and individual interviews involving Inuit elders and other senior community members in Arviat, Nunavut, to explore and describe aajiiqatigiingniq as an appropriate and ethical methodology in qualitative health research. Findings reveal a systematic but apparently informal approach focused on sustained individual and community well-being. Consensus is achieved through the successive addition of group members, respectful communication, mainly narrative discourse, subjective personal engagement, and an unhurried meeting style. While previous research has used Western consensus methods to embed Inuit knowledge in health research, this study provides a first descriptive account of a wholly Inuit consensus methodology.
Mechanical atherothrombectomy in the treatment of peripheral arterial in-stent occlusions
Authors: Bulvas Miroslav
Published: December 2019

Background

Endovascular mechanical atherothrombectomy (MATH) is the technique that removes occlusive masses from vessel lumen. In patients with in-stent arterial occlusions, this modality can exclude or reduce the wall barotrauma associated with balloon angioplasty, necessity of additional stent implantation and the risk of open surgery. However, adoption of MATH has been slow mainly due to limited experience with the technique.

Method/results

The purpose of this minireview is to present a pictorial anatomic series of managed lesions and immediate therapeutic results documented angiographically. This may help the reader to select efficient technique for safe and successful treatment even in difficult anatomic conditions.

Conclusion

Endovascular mechanical atherectomy with the Rotarex catheter can be helpful in recanalization of lower limbs arterial in-stent occlusions. It can be used also when other therapeutic modalities are risky or inefficient.
Optimal inspection and replacement strategy for 145 kV gas-insulated switchgear
Authors: Han Young Jin , Zhao Qian Qian , Yun Won Young
Published: December 2019

We deal with an optimization problem of planning a maintenance strategy for 145 kV gas-insulated switchgear and apply reliability-centered maintenance approach to find an efficient and effective strategy. In a three-step sequential process, we use failure mode effects and criticality analysis to define the critical failure modes that cause the major failures of 145 kV gas-insulated switchgear, select the maintenance significant items to remove the major failure modes, and finally apply logic tree analysis to assign the appropriate maintenance task to each critical failure modes in the system. We then compare the assigned maintenance tasks with existing tasks in the installation, operation, and maintenance manuals developed in the system design and development phase. The assigned maintenance tasks in this study are compared with those in the system design and development phase by simulation, and a simple heuristic method is proposed to find optimal solutions.
FromadministratortoCEO: Exploring changing representations of hierarchy and prestige in a diachronic corpus of academic management writing
Authors: Mautner Gerlinde , Learmonth Mark
Published: December 2019

We explore the lexical choices made by authors published in Administrative Science Quarterly (ASQ), a major academic journal in business and management studies. We do so via a corpus constructed from all the articles published in ASQ from its first publication in 1956 up until the end of 2018. Specifically, our focus is on lexical items that represent social actors. Our findings suggest that, compared with earlier work, recent articles typically ascribe greater status and prestige to organizational elites. Relatively contemporary papers are also more likely to use language that obfuscates or ignores unpalatable aspects of organizational life, such as power asymmetries, hierarchy and control through identity regulation. We suggest that these changes in word choices can be understood to reflect a wider trend towards neo-liberal rhetoric – a rhetoric increasingly pervading contemporary social life more generally.