bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Long-Term Atorvastatin Therapy on Carotid Intima-Media Thickness of Children With Dyslipidemia
Authors: Karapostolakis Georgios , Vakaki Marina , Attilakos Achilleas , Marmarinos Antonios , Papadaki Maria , Koumanidou Chrysoula , Alexopoulou Eftymia , Gourgiotis Dimitrios , Garoufi Anastasia
Published: November 2020

Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) has been proposed as an early marker of subclinical atherosclerosis in high risk children. Children with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia have greater cIMT than matched healthy controls or their unaffected siblings. Statin therapy may delay the progression of cIMT, although long-term studies in children are scarce. We evaluated the effect of atorvastatin treatment on cIMT in children with dyslipidemia. We studied 81 children/adolescents, 27 with severe dyslipidemia (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C] ≥190 mg/dL) and 54 sex- and age-matched healthy controls; LDL-C ≤ 130 mg/dL and lipoprotein (a), Lp(a), ≤30 mg/dL. In the children with dyslipidemia, cIMT was measured twice, before and on treatment (18.2 ± 7.7 months). Anthropometric data, a full lipid profile, liver, kidney, and thyroid function were evaluated. Males with dyslipidemia had a greater cIMT than male controls after adjustment for other factors ( P = .049). In addition, a nonstatistically significant decrease in cIMT was observed after treatment ( P = .261). Treatment with atorvastatin resulted in a significantly improved lipid profile. Females with dyslipidemia had a significantly thinner cIMT than males. Children with normal and high Lp(a) levels had similar cIMT values. In conclusion, treatment with atorvastatin had a beneficial effect on the lipid profile and cIMT progression in children with severe dyslipidemia.
Assessment of Factors Impacting Long-Term Utilization of Tracheoesophageal Speech Among Laryngectomees
Authors: Boyd Christopher , Houghton James , Harrold Logan , Bond Justin , Garnett James D. , Kraft Shannon
Published: November 2020

Objective(s):

To evaluate complication rate and abandonment rate after tracheoesophageal puncture and to assess factors associated with these outcome measures.

Methods:

Retrospective review of laryngectomy patients seen at a single academic institution between 1/1/2003 and 12/1/2018. Charts reviewed for demographics, medical comorbidities, tumor characteristics, surgical data, adjuvant treatment history, and complications related to laryngectomy or tracheoesophageal puncture. Complications were divided into minor and major.

Results:

A total of 293 laryngectomees met inclusion criteria. Of these, 69 patients (23.5%) underwent tracheoesophageal puncture. Average follow up was 64.6 months (SD 58.3). Overall laryngectomy complication rate was 43.3%. Overall tracheoesophageal puncture complication rate was 73.9%, with 39.1% of patients having major complications and 34.8% having minor complications only. Total abandonment rate for tracheoesophageal puncture was 34.8%. No associations were seen between tracheoesophageal puncture complication or abandonment rates based on age, gender, race, or insurance status. An increased rate of laryngectomy complications was seen after primary tracheoesophageal puncture (76.5% vs 41.3%, P = .005).

Conclusion:

Tracheoesophageal puncture outcomes were similar in patients with varied demographic, medical, and treatment backgrounds. When considering timing, our findings suggest that patients should be counseled on the possibility of increased complication risk after primary tracheoesophageal puncture. In those in whom the surgeon already has concerns about wound healing, it may be prudent to avoid primary tracheoesophageal puncture. The relatively high abandonment rate emphasizes the value of this measure of tracheoesophageal puncture outcome and highlights the need for appropriate patient counseling and prospective studies assessing the decision to abandon.
The spatial turn, reification and relational epistemologies in ‘knowing about’ security and peace
Authors: Brown M Anne
Published: November 2020

How we approach knowing conflict and security makes a difference. This article first considers how reification, instrumental subject/object relations and the drive for certainty and control undermine effective knowledge and practice in questions of conflict and peace. It then turns to what the spatial turn and notions of emplaced security might offer to working against violence. As with any theoretical perspective, the spatial turn can itself be reified, repeating epistemological relations entrenched in much security analysis. The spatial turn and emplaced security explicitly highlight alternative, more relational knowledge practices, however. A relational epistemology approaches knowledge not only as information about a subject out there, but also as a form of practice with others which changes conditions of possibility for co-existence. If pursued, such approaches could help loosen the grip of narrow constructions of security, insecurity, the person, power and agency which dominate security analysis and obstruct understanding and the generation of alternatives in situations of entrenched conflict. An orientation to place could not only enable more nuanced accounts of peace and conflict, but support mutual recognition and exchange across division, assisting an ethic of attention and concrete peace and conflict resolution efforts.
Place, peace and security in Solomon Islands
Authors: Higgins Kate
Published: November 2020

This article examines the relationship between place and peace and security in Solomon Islands. Place is understood not only as a geographical location, but as a social, material and symbolic arena where constructions of what constitutes peace and security are continually remade. Place-based constructions of peace and security challenge pervasive spatial assumptions which underpin dominate security discourses about post-conflict Solomon Islands, assumptions which view security as a public good delivered by centralised state institutions to the peripheries. Employing a case study of one particular place, the Gela Group of Islands, this article describes place-based practices, processes, institutions and ideals of peace in contrast to a state ideal of security and argues that far from existing in separate spaces, both place-based and state-based forms of security are in constant interaction and shape each other over time. This article suggests that a way forward in increasing peace and security outcomes in Solomon Islands is to focus on the relationship between place-based forms of security and the state. Doing so acknowledges the political, relational and spiritual worlds of people of place, worlds which fundamentally shape peace and livelihood outcomes, and which require a different understanding of the spatial make-up of the state.
Going Off the Grid: Assessing Sentencing Departures for Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offenses
Authors: Cole Katrina , Rydberg Jason , Cassidy Michael
Published: November 2020

This research examines factors associated with departures from sentencing guidelines for a sample of individuals convicted of sexual offenses in Pennsylvania between 2004 and 2015 ( N = 26,093). We contribute to the literature on the sentencing of these cases by considering whether the impact of individual and contextual factors is conditioned by the type of sexual offense being sentenced (e.g., assaultive, child pornography, failure to comply with registration). Bayesian multilevel multinomial logit models suggested a number of legal, extralegal, and contextual correlates of departure likelihood, and indicated that the effects of offense severity, prior record, a previous sex offense conviction, multiple concurrent convictions, and court size vary across different subsets of sexual convictions.
External Human–Machine Interfaces Can Be Misleading: An Examination of Trust Development and Misuse in a CAVE-Based Pedestrian Simulation Environment
Authors: Kaleefathullah Anees Ahamed , Merat Natasha , Lee Yee Mun , Eisma Yke Bauke , Madigan Ruth , Garcia Jorge , Winter Joost de
Published: November 2020

Objective

To investigate pedestrians’ misuse of an automated vehicle (AV) equipped with an external human–machine interface (eHMI). Misuse occurs when a pedestrian enters the road because of uncritically following the eHMI’s message.

Background

Human factors research indicates that automation misuse is a concern. However, there is no consensus regarding misuse of eHMIs.

Methods

Sixty participants each experienced 50 crossing trials in a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) simulator. The three independent variables were as follows: (1) behavior of the approaching AV (within-subject: yielding at 33 or 43 m distance, no yielding), (2) eHMI presence (within-subject: eHMI on upon yielding, off), and (3) eHMI onset timing (between-subjects: eHMI turned on 1 s before or 1 s after the vehicle started to decelerate). Two failure trials were included where the eHMI turned on, yet the AV did not yield. Dependent measures were the moment of entering the road and perceived risk, comprehension, and trust.

Results

Trust was higher with eHMI than without, and the −1 Group crossed earlier than the +1 Group. In the failure trials, perceived risk increased to high levels, whereas trust and comprehension decreased. Thirty-five percent of the participants in the −1 and +1 Groups walked onto the road when the eHMI failed for the first time, but there were no significant differences between the two groups.

Conclusion

eHMIs that provide anticipatory information stimulate early crossing. eHMIs may cause people to over-rely on the eHMI and under-rely on the vehicle-intrinsic cues.

Application

eHMI have adverse consequences, and education of eHMI capability is required.
Impact of COVID-19 on Select Private Consumption Demand in Urban India: A Primary Survey Findings
Authors: Mishra Preksha , Dhanerwal Deeksha
Published: November 2020

The paper focusses on one of the aspects of the Covid-19 induced economic crisis in India .i.e., the consumption demand for non-essential commodities which is an important component of the overall aggregate demand. As the number of Covid-19 positive cases are swelling up and lockdown is being phased out, this study, based on the primary survey of 900 plus individuals across various states, age, income and occupation groups in urban areas, has attempted to ascertain the consumer sentiment so as to predict the changes in private consumer spending during the current financial year on various items once the lockdown is completely lifted. These items include those that were ‘planned’ for during the year (for instance, electronics, real estate, automobiles, domestic travel) as well as ‘discretionary’ spending on retail and e-commerce, wellness and hospitality services. The survey responses have been used to determine the timeframe of recovery for each sector through econometric analysis of the deferment in the expenditures for each sector.
Efficiency of Price Movements in Futures Markets
Authors: Wanliss James
Published: November 2020

We study behaviour in the E-mini S&P (ES) commodity futures data market to test for violation of the efficient market hypothesis (EMH), and test for market inefficiency. We demonstrate that, on long timescales, a single scaling determines dynamics. ES returns behave in a more general manner than random walks. We find that deviations from the EMH, and the associated heavy-tailed distributions, are more common than expected, and price returns can be fitted with an alpha-stable Lévy distribution. Our results indicate that while the ES futures market operates close to the state predicted by the EMH, the observed transient deviations from this state fail to have a statistical origin consistent with a purely random geometric Brownian motion, and are better described by the fractal market hypothesis.
Non-binding and therefore irrelevant? The Global Compact for Migration
Authors: Höflinger Tim
Published: November 2020

One of the most debated and criticized characteristics of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) is its legally non-binding form. This article analyzes the GCM’s legal form, mechanisms of effectiveness, and legitimacy and finds that while the legal form of the GCM is important, the available mechanisms of effectiveness and legitimacy are equally or, perhaps, more important factors to determine the compact’s relevance and future impact. Although non-binding, the GCM does possess the relevance, capacities, and legitimacy to become a normative force in the field of international migration governance. Compliance with its outlined commitments will, however, be strongly dependent on the political will of the participating states. Perhaps its key function will be to fill the existing gaps in hard law in global migration governance by fostering cooperation and consolidating international obligations, standards, and stakeholders of a crosscutting topic into one instrument.
Norwegian Asylum Policy and Response to the 2015 Refugee Crisis
Authors: Parveen Sumbul
Published: November 2020

In recent years, Norway has emerged as an important destination of asylum for refugees. During the refugee crisis of 2015, Norway, with a total population of slightly above 5 million, received more than 31,000 applications for asylum. This was close to the total number of asylum seekers it had received in the last three years. This article discusses Norway’s history as an asylum destination as well as policies for the protection and integration of refugees. It focuses on how the refugee crisis of 2015 unfolded in Norway. The domestic political discourse and the response of civil society organizations are analysed. The article also looks at the changes introduced in the asylum policy and the role of the European Union in determining Norway’s response to the crisis.
Interests Under Construction: Views on Migration from the European Union’s Southern External Border
Authors: McAdam Mark , Otto Laura
Published: November 2020

What do people think about unauthorised migrants reaching their shores? This article examines ethnographically what and how Maltese citizens think about recent migrant arrivals from northern Africa. This case study adds to research on public opinion formation in migrant-receiving societies in the European Union, offering perspectives from a small state tasked with enforcing the European Union’s external border in which migration is viewed critically. Embedding our research within constructivist institutionalism – which assumes that self-interest is not pre-determined but rather constructed – we are the first authors to take up Colin Hay’s call for ethnographic analysis in this field. We suggest that criticism of migration to Malta was grounded in fears and beliefs associated with unorderliness of migration management, perceived unfairness of EU requirements, uncertainty of the future, and a loss of control of being able to determine one’s own cultural identity.
The Best Disparity, or Lack Thereof, That Money Can Buy
Authors: Atkinson Christopher L. , McCue Cliff , Saginor Jesse
Published: November 2020

This research examines the complex interactions underlying disparity studies. While communities do frequently encounter disparity in public procurement, the commissioning of a disparity study may not ultimately solve the pressing challenges that hinder access to public contracts. Instead, disparity studies promise a politically palatable “quick fix” for a societal problem. In doing so, disparity studies may satisfy a legal basis, but their content and recommendations may fail to achieve their intended rationale. This failure ultimately raises serious questions about the legal merit of these studies and their methods, the growth of a cottage industry, and the benefit of the study for underserved groups. The greatest failure is that disparity studies may ultimately exacerbate, rather than resolve, a government’s ability to reduce chronic, and often historical, challenges to inclusion.
Nodes of knowledge, managing transfer: Shipbuilding and repair during the transformation from sail to steam
Authors: Brandon Pepijn , Dondorp Marten
Published: November 2020

The core theme of the special issue in which this article appears is the inherent impossibility of confining the knowledge required to build and sustain the instruments of travel to a single space or institution. This is certainly true for the ships that built empires – the large sailing and later steam ships produced by navies and companies in the process of European expansion. Ships traveled between polities and required repairs overseas, taking the construction knowledge and practices with them. Skilled laborers – experienced shipwrights and increasingly also trained engineers – helped to transfer shipbuilding practices across oceans, and to adapt these practices to local conditions based on forms of “blended know-how.” This article explores how the circulation of shipbuilding knowledge and practices within and between maritime empires changed with the increasing pace of industrialization. It does so on the basis of three moments: the Dutch East India Company’s shipbuilding activities in Asia in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; the interaction between private industry and the Dutch state in advancing machine-manufacturing in both the Netherlands and on Java in the 1830s and 1840s; and the aid provided by Dutch engineers in laying the groundwork for Japanese industrial warship-construction in the second half of the nineteenth century. Such transfers put high demands on the capacities of states and naval administrators in controlling the flows of necessary resources and skilled labor, requiring complex arrangements between states and private capital. Industrialization did not change this basic fact, but it did change the nature of these arrangements. Although shipbuilding knowledge always remained practice-driven, highly mobile and susceptible to local adaptation, the increasing technological demands created by the transition from sail to steam and wood to iron, combined with the extension of the power of states and transnationally operating manufacturing companies, considerably changed the institutional embeddings and societal consequences of its circulation.
Comorbid anxiety and depression psychopathology in university students: a network approach
Authors: Makhubela Malose
Published: November 2020

Depression in university students is known to commonly co-occur with other mental disorders, especially anxiety. It is, however, not known how this comorbidity affects the psychopathology of depression in university students. Compared to commonly used methods, the clinical network approach provides a better framework for understanding comorbidity. Accordingly, regularized partial correlation network models were used in this study to (1) examine the severity structure of individual depressive symptoms by the level of comorbid anxiety, and (2) explore the gender differences among these symptoms in university students ( N = 919; Mage = 21 years., SD = 2.99; 72% = Female). Anhedonia, hopelessness, worthlessness, self-blame, and loneliness were the most central symptoms of depression in this study. The Network Comparison Test revealed no statistically significant global structure and strength of the depressive symptom network by comorbid anxiety level and gender. Implications of the results and network framework with regard to developing alternative treatment options, and the optimization of clinical care and assessment of depression are discussed.
Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress in china during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review with meta-analysis
Authors: Bareeqa Syeda Beenish , Ahmed Syed Ijlal , Samar Syeda Sana , Yasin Waqas , Zehra Sani , Monese George M , Gouthro Robert V
Published: November 2020

Background

The novel coronavirus disease which is believed to have initially originated in Wuhan city of China at the end of 2019 was declared as pandemic by March 2020 by WHO. This pandemic significantly impacted the mental health of communities around the globe. This project draws data from available research to quantify COVID-19 mental health issues and its prevalence in China during the early period of the COVID-19 crisis. It is believed that this pooling of data will give fair estimate of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health.

Methods

We conducted this study in accordance with PRISMA guidelines 2009. The protocol for this review is registered and published in PROSPERO (CRD42020182893). The databases used were Pubmed, Medline, Google scholar and Scopus. The studies were extracted according to pre-defined eligibility criteria and risk of bias assessment was conducted. The Meta-analysis was done using OpenMeta [analyst].

Results

Total of 62382 participants in nineteen studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Stress was the most prevalent (48.1%) mental health consequence of Covid-19 pandemic, followed by depression (26.9%) and anxiety (21.8%). After performing subgroup analysis, prevalence of depression and anxiety in both females and frontline health care workers were high as compared to the prevalence in general Chinese population.

Conclusion

The prevalence of depression and anxiety is moderately high whereas pooled prevalence of stress was found to be very high in Chinese people during this Covid-19 crisis.
Attachment to God: Narratives of Roman Catholic Priests
Authors: Rajagopalreddy D , Varghese Kelamparampil
Published: November 2020

This narrative analysis was aimed at exploring the attachment to God narratives of 28 middle-aged Roman Catholic Religious priests rendering their service in various settings in South India. The study found that majority of the Roman Catholic priests had developed representations of a secure attachment to God. Twenty-six priests had developed representations of a secure attachment to God, and two priests of an insecure attachment to God. The Majority of the Roman Catholic priests had developed representations of a secure attachment to more than one spiritual attachment figures. Along with God, most priests had also developed representations of a secure attachment to the Virgin Mary. All the major themes related to attachment to God were found in the narratives of the Roman Catholic Priests.
Teaching International Development Locally: Using Museum Collections to Ground Students’ Learning
Authors: Noy Shiri , Hancock Megan
Published: November 2020

Sociologists consistently try to activate students’ sociological imagination even as they focus on teaching substantive and methodological information and skills. Teaching international development and other global topics pose particular challenges for engaging students actively in the local context while teaching about global and macro processes and outcomes. In this article, we connect international development and object-based learning at a university museum to describe a semester-long project of object analysis of Kuna textiles, the mola, in a topical seminar course on the sociology of international development. We detail how the approach can be adapted to local and online museum collections. Using student reflections, open-ended questionnaires, discussions, and student projects and analyses, we demonstrate how this active learning approach can provide important grounding and skills for a sociological approach to international development.
Practising Idolatry in 1 Peter
Authors: du Toit Sean
Published: November 2020

Did some early Christian groups worship the emperor or other Graeco-Roman gods? In his essay ‘Going All the Way? Honouring the Emperor and Sacrificing Wives and Slaves in 1 Peter 2.13-3.6’, Warren Carter has proposed a provocative reading of 1 Pet. 2.13–3.6, arguing that this author exhorts the audience to participate in cultic sacrifices to the emperor as part of a strategy to overcome the social-prejudice currently faced by the audience. In this article I offer an analysis of Carter’s position, as well as offer a detailed response to his argument. I begin by responding to his suggestions regarding Paul, the Apocalypse of John and the Governor Pliny. This is followed by a detailed look at two specific strands of evidence in 1 Pet. 1.18 and 4.3 and the audience’s experience of suffering, which indicate that Carter’s thesis is mistaken.
Political discussion as a propaganda spectacle: propaganda talk shows on contemporary Russian television
Authors: Gulenko Petr
Published: November 2020

This article explores the mechanisms used by the creators of Russian political talk shows to turn public discussion into a propaganda display. Analysis of three popular shows demonstrates that informational selectiveness combined with an illusion of equal representation among guests with opposing views are the main mechanisms in the process of pre-production. The roles chosen by talk show hosts demonstrate the various communicative techniques used to achieve propaganda objectives, while the major propagandistic tool is discrediting opponents of the Russian authorities. The reactions of the audience are framed to create a fictitious background of ‘nationwide support’ for the propaganda discourse.
Liberalism, legal revolution and Carl Schmitt
Authors: Schupmann Benjamin A.
Published: November 2020

This article reflects on William E Scheuerman’s The End of Law and the value of the liberal rule of law. It puts Scheuerman’s concerns about Schmitt’s attacks on the liberal rule of law in dialogue with Schmitt’s theory of ‘legal revolution’. It argues that, although Schmitt was neither a liberal nor a democrat, his work on legal revolution can help liberals respond to populist attacks on liberal constitutional essentials.
The Sine Qua Non of Carl Schmitt’s political thinking: The issue of interstate relations
Authors: Kökerer Can Mert
Published: November 2020

This article demonstrates the pre-eminent place the issue of interstate relations occupies in Carl Schmitt’s political thinking between the early 1920s and early 1940s. First, I discuss how Schmitt’s understanding of interstate relations develops from 1923 until the Nazi’s taking power. By focusing on his critique of imperialism and universalism in international law during this period, I reveal that his engagement with the Monroe Doctrine, the Covenant of the League of Nations and the Kellogg–Briand Pact results in a change in his views in Roman Catholicism and Political Form in which he talks about the possibility of a world state in the form of a League of Nations with supra-state and supra-sovereignty powers. Second, I show to what extent the novel international circumstances created by the emergence of the Nazi rule leads him to elaborate the concepts of the Reich and the Groβraum in addition to his continuing engagement with the concepts of imperialism and universalism. By accentuating the development of his interest in the concepts of imperialism, universalism, the Reich and the Groβraum, I argue that the question of interstate relations is the sine qua non of Schmitt’s political thinking. I conclude by asserting that studying Schmitt’s political thinking in its connection with his interest in interstate relations provides a promising path for leftist political theorists to understand, explain and reimagine the contemporary global order.
Whither Globalization? An Interview with Roland Robertson
Authors: Featherstone Mike
Published: November 2020

In this interview to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Theory, Culture & Society special issue on Global Culture, Roland Robertson reflects on his long involvement as one of the major theorists of globalization. He recounts how in his early years as a sociologist there was strong resistance to thinking beyond the nation-state society. He comments on the emergence of the field of transdisciplinary global studies, the concern with global culture and his own attempts to extend the concept of globalization by developing the term glocalization. He also discusses the present Covid-19 pandemic and ends with a number of reflections on global history.
Moral Universalism at a Time of Political Regression: A Conversation with Jürgen Habermas about the Present and His Life’s Work
Authors: Czingon Claudia , Diefenbach Aletta , Kempf Victor
Published: November 2020

In the present interview, Jürgen Habermas answers questions about his wide-ranging work in philosophy and social theory, as well as concerning current social and political developments to whose understanding he has made important theoretical contributions. Among the aspects of his work addressed are his conception of communicative rationality as a countervailing force to the colonization of the lifeworld by capitalism and his understanding of philosophy after Hegel as postmetaphysical thinking, for which he has recently provided a comprehensive historical grounding. The scope and relevance of his ideas can be seen from his reflections on current issues, ranging from the prospects of translational democracy at a time of resurgent nationalism and populism, to political developments in Germany since reunification, to the role of religion in the public sphere and the impact of the new social media on democratic discourse.
Fictionality in New Materialism: (Re)Inventing Matter
Authors: Skiveren Tobias
Published: November 2020

Throughout the last decade, calls for a return to materiality have reverberated within the humanities and social sciences. Few, however, have noticed that this return has also entailed a return to fiction, as the new theoretical writings on matter regularly include elements of storytelling, fabulation or other genres of invention. This article asks why this alliance between new materialism and fiction has come about: Why do scholars united by a common interest in ‘getting real’ consistently utilize a type of discourse defined precisely by not committing itself to reality? Examining works by Jane Bennett, Dominic Pettman, Stacy Alaimo, Astrida Neimanis, Donna Haraway, and Rebekah Sheldon, the article explores this question by tracing three modes of fictionality in new materialism distinguished by inventing non/human entanglements, scientific knowledge, and future societies respectively. Ultimately, the article argues that fictionality is a particularly attractive tool for attempts to transcend anthropocentric regimes of truth.
Examining peer support arrangements for students with visual impairment
Authors: Tuttle Michael , Carter Erik W.
Published: November 2020

Students with visual impairment (VI) often have limited social interactions in inclusive classroom settings. This study used a multiple-probe-across-participants design to evaluate the impact of peer support arrangements on the social interactions of three students with VI in general education classes. Students experienced higher levels of peer interaction while participating in peer support arrangements while maintaining high levels of academic engagement during the intervention. Most students and teachers reported that peer support arrangements provided positive experiences, resulted in multiple benefits, and could be implemented feasibly and acceptably in inclusive classrooms. We offer recommendations for research and practice aimed at enhancing the quality of inclusive experiences for students with VI.
A preliminary investigation of the well-being of visually impaired ex-service personnel in the United Kingdom
Authors: Godier-McBard Lauren R , Castle Claire L , Heinze Nikki , Hussain Syeda F , Borowski Shelby , Vogt Dawne S , Gomes Renata SM , Fossey Matt
Published: November 2020

Research has shown that visual impairment may impact daily functioning, health, and well-being negatively for adults of all ages. Ex-service personnel (‘veterans’) too may be at risk of poor health and well-being outcomes associated with post-military life, and this may be exacerbated by the presence of visual impairment. Despite this, research considering the experience of blind veterans has been limited and has not yet assessed well-being for these individuals across a broad spectrum of life domains. Rather, it has highlighted poor mental health and psychological well-being in working-age visually impaired veterans. However, the experiences of older visually impaired veterans (who make up the majority of visually impaired veterans in the United Kingdom) have been poorly represented in the literature. This pilot study aimed to provide a preliminary assessment of holistic well-being in an adult sample of 97 UK blind veterans, predominantly composed of older age veterans (majority over 80 years). Cross-sectional well-being data were collected using a validated measure of well-being (the Well-Being Inventory [WBI]). Results suggest that members of Blind Veterans UK are functioning well and are satisfied across four life domains (vocation, finances, health, and social relationships). Lower health satisfaction was identified, particularly in blind veterans with comorbid mental health conditions. Results are discussed in relation to the older age of the sample, the limitations of face-to-face survey administration, and the applicability of the WBI finance domain in this age cohort. Recommendations are made for future research in this population.
Rethinking the roles and skills of information professionals in the 4th Industrial Revolution
Authors: Ayinde Lateef , Kirkwood Hal
Published: November 2020

With the development of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4th IR), its emerging technologies and skills; there is a mismatch between 4th IR, and the skills needed by information professionals to survive. This paper bridges the gap based on the skills needed to survive and provide possible solutions to challenges faced by information professionals, which will in turn help to reduce the number of unemployed, semi-employed, non-employed, and provide economic empowerment among information professionals in this new revolution. Information professionals should adopt the missing middle model/techniques in organization which asserts that robots, by and large, will not be taking our jobs; instead, human Machine collaboration will reconfigure some of our work, making and make human skills more unique and important than ever.
An evaluation of hard-shell venous reservoir integrated pressure relief valve pressure mitigation performance
Authors: Saczkowski Richard , Zulauf Fabio , Spada Saverio
Published: November 2020

Introduction:

Vacuum assisted venous drainage (VAVD) requires the sealing of the hard-shell venous reservoir, thereby creating circumstances where reservoir pressurization may occur. Manufacturers utilize integrated pressure relief valves (IPRV) to mitigate pressurization risk; however, accidents have been reported even with these devices. We have undertaken a performance evaluation of IPRV’s in a large number of hard-shell venous reservoirs.

Methods:

Reservoirs were sealed and gas insufflated while measuring reservoir internal pressure. Linear regression models were developed to depict the association between internal pressure and gas inflow rate. External secondary one-way valves (ESOV) were assessed for pressure mitigation performance. An assisted venous drainage survey was circulated to Canadian Clinical Perfusionists.

Results:

The reservoirs tested were adult ( n = 9, 64%) and pediatric ( n = 5, 36%) designs. Significant variability ( p < 0.001) in internal reservoir pressures (range: 0.04–161.41 mmHg) was observed across the titrated gas inflow rate (0.5–10.0 l/min). The regression models demonstrate excellent predictive performance (SE: 0.008–0.309). ESOV’s reduce the reservoir pressure below that of the IPRV; however, they cannot eliminate reservoir pressurization. The survey showed a majority (91%) of respondents use VAVD, and reservoir pressurization events occur regularly (18%).

Conclusions:

Significant variability among reservoir’s IPRV to mitigate reservoir pressurization exists. The predictive models are extremely accurate at estimating the internal pressure. ESOV performance limitations moderate their utility as a backup pressure mitigation technique. A significant number of reservoir pressurization events are occurring with the use of VAVD. As a result, standardized communication from manufacturers on the purpose and performance of IPRV is recommended in order to delineate the limitations of these devices.
Cerebral oxygen extraction fraction (OEF): Comparison of challenge-free gradient echo QSM+qBOLD (QQ) with 15O PET in healthy adults
Authors: Cho Junghun , Lee John , An Hongyu , Goyal Manu S , Su Yi , Wang Yi
Published: November 2020

We aimed to validate oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) estimations by quantitative susceptibility mapping plus quantitative blood oxygen-level dependence (QSM+qBOLD, or QQ) using 15O-PET. In ten healthy adult brains, PET and MRI were acquired simultaneously on a PET/MR scanner. PET was acquired using C[15O], O[15O], and H2[15O]. Image-derived arterial input functions and standard models of oxygen metabolism provided quantification of PET. MRI included T1-weighted imaging, time-of-flight angiography, and multi-echo gradient-echo imaging that was processed for QQ. Region of interest (ROI) analyses compared PET OEF and QQ OEF. In ROI analyses, the averaged OEF differences between PET and QQ were generally small and statistically insignificant. For whole brains, the average and standard deviation of OEF was 32.8 ± 6.7% for PET; OEF was 34.2 ± 2.6% for QQ. Bland-Altman plots quantified agreement between PET OEF and QQ OEF. The interval between the 95% limits of agreement was 16.9 ± 4.0% for whole brains. Our validation study suggests that respiratory challenge-free QQ-OEF mapping may be useful for non-invasive clinical assessment of regional OEF impairment.
A hip–knee–ankle exoskeleton emulator for studying gait assistance
Authors: Bryan Gwendolyn M , Franks Patrick W , Klein Stefan C , Peuchen Robert J , Collins Steven H
Published: November 2020

Lower-limb exoskeletons could improve the mobility of people with disabilities, older adults, workers, first responders, and military personnel. Despite recent advances, few products are commercially available and exoskeleton research is still often limited by hardware constraints. Many promising multi-joint assistance strategies, especially those with high-torque and high-power components, have yet to be tested because they are beyond the capabilities of current devices. To study these untested assistance strategies, we present a hip–knee–ankle exoskeleton emulator that can apply high torques and powers that match or exceed those observed in uphill running. The system has powerful off-board motors that actuate a 13.5 kg exoskeleton end effector worn by the user. It can apply up to 200 Nm of torque in hip flexion, hip extension, and ankle plantarflexion, 250 Nm of torque in knee extension, and 140 Nm of torque in knee flexion, with over 4.5 kW of power at each joint and a closed-loop torque bandwidth of at least 18 Hz in each direction of actuation. The exoskeleton is compliant in unactuated directions, adjustable for a wide range of users and comfortable during walking and running. When paired with human-in-the-loop optimization, we expect that this system will identify new assistance strategies to improve human mobility. A complete computer-aided design (CAD) model of the exoskeleton and a bill of materials are included and available for download.
Reasons for failure to perform interventional pain procedures in cancer patients: an analysis of pain clinic consultations
Authors: Kim Ki Wook , Kim Shin Hyung , Won Ji Yeon , Jang Hun , Park Sang Jun
Published: November 2020

Background

Interventional pain procedures (IPPs) may be necessary for some cancer patients when conservative treatment fails. However, many IPPs are often delayed or cancelled for cancer patients who are referred to the pain clinic.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the reasons for such cancellations to identify clinically avoidable causes of the delay in IPP.

Results

We enrolled 350 cancer patients who were referred to our pain clinic for an IPP between March 2016 and February 2018. There were 213 (60.9%) cases that were cancelled, among which 115 (54%) cases were potentially avoidable and 98 (46%) were unavoidable. The most common reasons for cancellation were patient-derived factors, which accounted for 85 (39.9%) cases. Patient refusal was a common reason for cancellation, with 33 (15.5%) cases attributed to this cause. The primary avoidable causes of cancellation were a recommendation that the patient continue with their current pharmacological pain treatment, conflict with another planned treatment, and pain characteristics that were not suitable for an IPP. Together, these accounted for 76.5% of all avoidable cancellations.

Conclusions

Comprehensive and accurate pain assessments before IPP may result in more favorable outcomes for the efficient use of medical resource and effective pain relief in cancer patients.
Retrospective survival analysis in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Pretta Andrea , Ziranu Pina , Puzzoni Marco , Lai Eleonora , Orsi Giulia , Liscia Nicole , Molinaro Eleonora , Mariani Stefano , Riggi Laura , Rovesti Giulia , Dubois Marco , Migliari Marco , Persano Mara , Saba Giorgio , Impera Valentino , Musio Francesca , Batzella Erich , Demurtas Laura , Pusceddu Valeria , Astara Giorgio , Faloppi Luca , Casadei Gardini Andrea , Andrikou Kalliopi , Cascinu Stefano , Scartozzi Mario
Published: November 2020

Introduction:

The association between pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) has long been evaluated and the role of antidiabetic medications such as metformin has also been investigated. The objective of this study was to examine the association between insulin use and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced PDAC and DM2.

Methods:

We retrospectively collected data from 164 patients, including an exploratory cohort of 96 patients from Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, Italy, and a validation cohort of 68 patients from Medical Oncology of Modena University Hospital. Patients had metastatic disease and received a first-line gemcitabine-based chemotherapy and, subsequently, a second-line fluoropyrimidines-based chemotherapy. We performed univariate analysis to evaluate correlation between long-term diabetes and overall survival. Then we performed multivariate analysis, adjusting for sex, metastatic sites, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status, Ca19.9 levels, N/L ratio, and lactate dehydrogenase levels at diagnosis, to confirm the independence of the variable.

Results:

In the exploratory cohort, DM2 was significantly associated with higher median OS at univariate analysis (16 vs 10 months; p = 0.004). This result was confirmed by validation cohort (11 months vs 6 months; p = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, insulin-treated patients compared with non diabetic patients showed a significantly increased survival of 4.6 months ( p = 0.03).

Conclusions:

Patients with insulin-treated metastatic PDAC showed better OS than non diabetic patients, as demonstrated by both cohorts. The correlation between OS and insulin-treated DM2 should be investigated further through a prospective clinical trial.
Discussing communication issues and needs with adolescents with cancer
Authors: Mascarin Maurizio , Milano Giuseppe M , Bertolotti Marina , Quarello Paola , Spinelli Marco , Tornesello Assunta , Bomben Francesca , Ferrari Andrea
Published: November 2020

Adolescents with cancer face unique medical and psychosocial challenges and it is important for their doctors to understand the psychological manifestations of cancer diagnosis and treatment in this age group. Using patient dialogues, we describe how simultaneous participation of physicians and patients could help to give voice to patient needs, in particular concerning communication.
History and philosophy of geography II: Rediscovering individuals, fostering interdisciplinarity and renegotiating the ‘margins’
Authors: Ferretti Federico
Published: November 2020

Publications in the field of history and philosophy of geography have shown increasing vibrancy and consistent alignments around some key foci. These are, first, a renewed engagement with biographies and autobiographies, which is part of wider rediscoveries of individuals as concrete actors in the construction of knowledge. Second, a draw towards interdisciplinarity in reassessing practices such as exploration, mapping and publishing, in connection with broader trends in intellectual history. Third, a continuing interest in topics coming from the ‘margins’ of mainstream Anglophone scholarship.
Microstructure/geometric imperfection sensitivity on the thermo-mechanical nonlinear stability behavior of functionally graded plates using four variable refined structural kinematics
Authors: Rajput Mohit , Gupta Ankit
Published: November 2020

The present work deals with the nonlinear stability characteristics of geometrically imperfect shear deformable functionally graded plates (FGP) subjected to thermo-mechanical loads. The equilibrium, stability, and compatibility equations are derived using trigonometric shear-strain function based refined shear deformation plate theory. The displacement field used in the present study has been employed for FGP for the first time. The in-plane and transverse displacements consist of bending and shear components, whereas the displacement field contains only four unknowns. Geometric nonlinearity has been incorporated in the formulation in a von-Karman sense. A generalized porosity model has also been developed to accommodate both even and uneven porosity distribution reported in the literature. Various models of geometric imperfection have been modeled using imperfection function. An exact expression for the critical buckling load and critical buckling thermal load of geometrically imperfect porous FGPs for various loading conditions have been developed. After ensuring the excellent accuracy of the developed expression, the influence of geometric imperfection, porosity inclusion, and geometric configuration on the nonlinear stability of FGPs has been discussed extensively. The results presented in this paper will be used as a benchmark for future research.
Low-Power Drone-Mountable Real-Time Artificial Intelligence Framework for Road Asset Classification
Authors: Mohan Shrey , Shoghli Omidreza , Burde Adrian , Tabkhi Hamed
Published: November 2020

With the continuous increase in interstate highway traffic and demand for higher safety standards, there is a growing need for rapidly scalable road inspection. Currently, inspection and condition assessment of roadways involve manual operations which increase labor costs and limit the scalability and inspection coverage. Furthermore, manually inspecting highways adds additional safety risks for highway workers and road inspectors. To address these challenges, we envision a fully automated process of highway inspection. This paper presents a novel low-power drone-mountable real-time artificial intelligence (AI) framework for road asset classification through visual sensing, which is the first step toward a fully automated inspection system. We analyzed a state DOT dataset, consisting of 14 different kinds of defected road assets. To this end, we developed our baseline framework using MobileNet-V2, which is a convolutional neural network (CNN) specially developed for mobile and embedded platforms. Since our target dataset was small and CNNs networks require a huge amount of data, we leveraged transfer learning, by pretraining MobileNet-V2 using the ImageNet dataset and then fine-tuned it on our target dataset. This new framework was ported to embedded platforms Nvidia Jetson Nano with the capability to perform on-board drone processing. Overall, our results demonstrate 81.33% accuracy on the test set while processing 7.4 frames per second and occupying a total power of 1.9 W. It achieved a Power Reduction Factor (PRF) of 21.17 over Nvidia TitanV implementation, with only 8.74% impact on the projected drone flight time.