bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design of a combined self-stabilizing electrodynamic passive magnetic bearing support for the automotive turbocharger rotor
Authors: Szolc Tomasz , Falkowski Krzysztof , Kurnyta-Mazurek Paulina
Published: June 2020

The purpose of this study is to create a concept for what would be a structurally simple and operationally robust support for the automotive turbocharger rotor in electrodynamic passive magnetic bearings. Because this kind of magnetic suspension—in its fundamental version—is dynamically unstable, to avoid the disadvantages contained therein, what is being proposed is the addition of external damping through the employment of the newly designed combined self-stabilizing electrodynamic passive magnetic bearing. The electromagnetic stiffness and damping characteristics of combined electrodynamic passive magnetic bearings have been determined for various shaft rotational speeds by means of the advanced 3D finite element method. In this study, a dynamic interaction between the turbocharger rotor shaft and the passive magnetic suspension is proposed as a support for both the fundamental electrodynamic passive magnetic bearings and the suggested combined self-stabilizing passive magnetic bearings. Here, the main attention is focused on the asymptotic stability of both the rotor shaft suspension variants. The additional damping magnitudes required to stabilize the most sensitive lateral eigenmodes of the object under consideration have been determined by means of the Routh–Hurwitz stability criterion.
The Differential Effect of Anxiety and ADHD Symptoms on Inhibitory Control and Sustained Attention for Threat Stimuli: A Go/No-Go Eye-Movement Study
Authors: Manoli Athina , Liversedge Simon P. , Sonuga-Barke Edmund J. S. , Hadwin Julie A.
Published: June 2020

Objective: This study examined the synergistic effects of ADHD and anxiety symptoms on attention and inhibitory control depending on the emotional content of the stimuli. Method: Fifty-four typically developing individuals (27 children/adolescents and 27 adults) completed an eye-movement based emotional Go/No-Go task, using centrally presented (happy, angry) faces and neutral/symbolic stimuli. Sustained attention was measured through saccade latencies and saccadic omission errors (Go trials), and inhibitory control through saccadic commission errors (No-Go trials). ADHD and anxiety were assessed dimensionally. Results: Elevated ADHD symptoms were associated with more commission errors and slower saccade latencies for angry (vs. happy) faces. In contrast, angry faces were linked to faster saccade onsets when anxiety symptoms were high, and this effect prevailed when both anxiety and ADHD symptoms were high. Conclusion: Social threat impacted performance in individuals with sub-clinical anxiety and ADHD differently. The effects of anxiety on threat processing prevailed when both symptoms were high.
Buckling of laminated glass plates using the effective thickness concept
Authors: Aenlle-López Manuel , Pelayo Fernandez , Calvente Miguel M , Lamela-Rey Maria J
Published: June 2020

The critical buckling loads of laminated glass panels are time and temperature dependent because the mechanical behavior of these elements is governed by the material properties of the interlayers, which exhibit a viscoelastic behavior. Although structural stability is one of the design requirements in laminated glass panels, the literature about buckling of these elements is sparse. The finite element method can be used to calculate the response of laminated glass plates, but the classical eigenvalue buckling analysis implemented in these programs does not consider the time and temperature dependency of the interlayers. In this paper, a simplified analytical method to calculate the buckling critical load of rectangular laminated glass plates is presented, where the equations corresponding to linear-elastic monolithic thin plates are modified with an effective stiffness [Formula: see text] dependent on the geometry, material properties, and boundary conditions of the plate. The analytical equations are validated by numerical simulations on simply-supported laminated glass plates subject to uniaxial, biaxial, and in-plane shear, the maximum discrepancies being less than 10% for all the cases studied in the paper.
Optical coherence tomography angiography in quiescent choroidal neovascularization associated with choroidal nevus: 5 years follow-up
Authors: Cennamo Gilda , Montorio Daniela , Fossataro Federica , Clemente Lidia , Carandente Raffaella , Tranfa Fausto
Published: June 2020

Purpose:

To report a case of quiescent choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with choroidal nevus using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) during 5 years follow-up.

Methods:

Observational case report.

Results:

A 53-year old woman was referred our department with diagnosis of choroidal nevus. At 1 year follow-up, fundus autofluorescence revealed hyper/hypoautofluorescent area, infrared image showed hyperreflective area and enhanced depth imaging OCT presented a shallow pigment epithelium detachment without exudation or hemorrhage. Fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography suspected the presence of CNV. Finally, OCTA confirmed a quiescent CNV with an increased flow area of the vascular lesion without any changes in best-corrected visual acuity. At 20 months and 5 years follow-up, the CNV remained quiescent showing no clinical activity on structural SD-OCT and no changes in CNV morphology on OCTA.

Conclusion:

This case shows the features of quiescent CNV secondary to choroidal nevus after long-term follow-up. OCTA represents a valid imaging technique that allows to identify the CNV and to monitor its progression over time.
Hip abductor tendon tears: where are we now?
Authors: Zhu Mark F , Musson David S , Cornish Jillian , Young Simon W , Munro Jacob T
Published: June 2020

Hip abductor tendon tear is a difficult problem to manage. The hip abductor mechanism is made up of the gluteus medius and minimus muscles, both of which contribute to stabilising the pelvis through the gait cycle. Tears of these tendons are likely due to iatrogenic injury during arthroplasty and chronic degenerative tendinopathy. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging have provided limited clues regarding the pattern of disease and further work is required to clarify both the macro and microscopic pattern of disease. While surgery has been attempted over the last 2 decades, the outcomes are variable and the lack of high-quality studies have limited the uptake of surgical repair. Hip abductor tendon tears share many features with rotator cuff tears, hence, innovations in surgical techniques, materials and biologics may apply to both pathologies.
PSI-MOUSE: Predicting Mouse Pseudouridine Sites From Sequence and Genome-Derived Features
Authors: Song Bowen , Chen Kunqi , Tang Yujiao , Ma Jialin , Meng Jia , Wei Zhen
Published: June 2020

Pseudouridine (Ψ) is the first discovered and the most prevalent posttranscriptional modification, which has been widely studied during the past decades. Pseudouridine was observed in almost all kinds of RNAs and shown to have important biological functions. Currently, the time-consuming and high-cost procedures of experimental approaches limit its uses in real-life Ψ site detection. Alternatively, by taking advantage of the explosive growth of Ψ sequencing data, the computational methods may provide a more cost-effective avenue. To date, the existing mouse Ψ site predictors were all developed based on sequence-derived features, and their performance can be further improved by adding the domain knowledge derived feature. Therefore, it is highly desirable to propose a genomic feature-based computational method to increase the accuracy and efficiency of the identification of Ψ RNA modification in the mouse transcriptome. In our study, a predictive framework PSI-MOUSE was built. Besides the conventional sequence-based features, PSI-MOUSE first introduced 38 additional genomic features derived from the mouse genome, which achieved a satisfactory improvement in the prediction performance, compared with other existing models. Moreover, PSI-MOUSE also features in automatically annotating the putative Ψ sites with diverse types of posttranscriptional regulations (RNA-binding protein [RBP]-binding regions, miRNA-RNA interactions, and splicing sites), which can serve as a useful research tool for the study of Ψ RNA modification in the mouse genome. Finally, 3282 experimentally validated mouse Ψ sites were also collected in a database with customized query functions. For the convenience of academic users, a website was built to provide a user-friendly interface for the query and analysis on the database. The website is freely accessible at www.xjtlu.edu.cn/biologicalsciences/psimouse and http://psimouse.rnamd.com . We introduced the genome-derived features to mouse for the first time, and we achieved a good performance in mouse Ψ site prediction. Compared with the existing state-of-art methods, our newly developed approach PSI-MOUSE obtained a substantial improvement in prediction accuracy, marking the reliable contributions of genomic features for the prediction of RNA modifications in a species other than human.
The Development of a New Care Service Landscape in Norway
Authors: Sogstad Maren , Hellesø Ragnhild , Skinner Marianne Sundlisæter
Published: June 2020

Demographic changes, as well as the transfer of medical and caring tasks from specialist to primary care in Norwegian municipalities, have led to changes in care service delivery. So far, we have limited knowledge of how this affects the design of the care services. Based on a semi-structured questionnaire survey, this article presents the development of a new care service landscape in Norway, where municipalities increasingly set up specialized care services for different patient groups and their care needs. This leads to a continuum of care service models from a generalist approach to highly specialized care services. Larger municipalities typically have a higher degree of specialization, indicating that volume is an important prerequisite for specialization. Similarly, a higher degree of specialization corresponds to higher formal competencies in the workforce. To understand the development of the services and the impact on care service delivery, further research is required.
Can Users Search Trends Predict People Scares or Disease Breakout? An Examination of Infectious Skin Diseases in the United States
Authors: Obeidat Rand , Alsmadi Izzat , Bani Bakr Qanita , Obeidat Laith
Published: June 2020

Background:

In health and medicine, people heavily use the Internet to search for information about symptoms, diseases, and treatments. As such, the Internet information can simulate expert medical doctors, pharmacists, and other health care providers.

Aim:

This article aims to evaluate a dataset of search terms to determine whether search queries and terms can be used to reliably predict skin disease breakouts. Furthermore, the authors propose and evaluate a model to decide when to declare a particular month as Epidemic at the US national level.

Methods:

A Model was designed to distinguish a breakout in skin diseases based on the number of monthly discovered cases. To apply this model, the authors correlated Google Trends of popular search terms with monthly reported Rubella and Measles cases from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Regressions and decision trees were used to determine the impact of different terms to trigger the occurrence of epidemic classes.

Results:

Results showed that the volume of search keywords for Rubella and Measles rises when the volume of those reported diseases rises. Results also implied that the overall process was successful and should be repeated with other diseases. Such process can trigger different actions or activities to be taken when a certain month is declared as “Epidemic.” Furthermore, this research has shown great interest for vaccination against Measles and Rubella.

Conclusions:

The findings suggest that the search queries and keyword trends can be truly reliable to be used for the prediction of disease outbreaks and some other related knowledge extraction applications. Also search-term surveillance can provide an additional tool for infectious disease surveillance. Future research needs to re-apply the model used in this article, and researchers need to question whether characterizing the epidemiology of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic waves in United States can be done through search queries and keyword trends.
Using a coupled FEM-DEM method to study the nonlinear phenomena of third-body behavior
Authors: Yan Xiaoyu , Wang Wei , Liu Xiaojun , Zhu Guiqin , Zhu Lihong
Published: June 2020

Third-body lubrication is widely applied in the design of mechanical frictional pair, but the relation between the lubrication performance and third-body rheology is hardly focused on. In this paper, the behavior of two plates shearing granular third-body is modeled by a coupled FEM-DEM method to study the nonlinear phenomena during this process. The upper plate is modeled by FEM, while the third-body and lower plate are modeled by DEM. During the simulation, the upper plate compresses the granular third-body at a certain pressure. Then, the lower plate shears at a constant speed. The fluctuations of friction force and dilatancy phenomenon of clearance between two plates, which show strong nonlinearity over time, are studied over different external loads, shearing speeds, and elastic moduli. The nonlinear distributions of averaged stress and velocity across the height of third-body are also studied to further reveal the relation between the nonlinear phenomena and the discreteness of third-body. The perspective of the paper is that the coupled FEM-DEM method can elucidate the nonlinear nature of third-body by efficiently processing both the third-body rheology and first-body deformation.
Views of advance care planning in caregivers of older hospitalised patients following an emergency admission: A qualitative study
Authors: Bielinska Anna-Maria , Archer Stephanie , Soosaipillai Gehan , Riley Julia , Darzi Lord Ara , Urch Catherine
Published: June 2020

This study explores the views of advance care planning in caregivers of older hospitalised patients following an emergency admission. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight carers, mostly with a personal relationship to the older patient. Thematic analysis generated three themes: (1) working with uncertainty – it all sounds very fine. . . what is the reality?, (2) supporting the older person – you have to look at it on an individual basis and (3) enabling the process – when you do it properly. The belief that advance care planning can support older individuals and scepticism whether advance care planning can be enabled among social and healthcare challenges are discussed.
The interplay of oral corrective feedback and L2 willingness to communicate across proficiency levels
Authors: Zare Mostafa , Shooshtari Zohreh Gooniband , Jalilifar Alireza
Published: June 2020

This study aims to explore the impact of oral corrective feedback types on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ willingness to communicate across proficiency levels. It also investigates how EFL learners view different types of feedback in relation to their willingness to communicate. Sixty Iranian EFL learners were tracked in four proficiency levels. Initially, the participants filled in a questionnaire to measure their attitudes to oral CF and their willingness to communicate. Subsequent to the teachers’ employment of explicit correction, recasts, and prompts, the learners’ willingness to communicate was measured anew. A semi-structured interview was also conducted. The results revealed learners’ high preference for prompts. A two-way mixed between-within ANOVA demonstrated a significant effect for both oral corrective feedback and proficiency level on willingness to communicate. Furthermore, elicitative types of feedback were ranked as the most contributory feedback type to L2 willingness to communicate.
Interviewing academic elites: a discourse analysis of shifting power relations
Authors: Perera Kaushalya
Published: June 2020

In interviews with privileged individuals such as academics, power relations become particularly salient and explicit. Investigating how shifts in power relations are manifested in the interview allows us to understand the workings of power in academia as well as in the research process. This article presents a close analysis of selected segments of interviews with academics in elite positions to illustrate this. Comparisons between collaborative and non-cooperative interaction in the interview show interactional features that characterise such dynamics. By providing a reflexive and detailed analysis of interview episodes that characterise both cooperation and a refusal to cooperate, the article illustrates the significance of understanding discursive and contextual factors that are relevant to the management of interviews.
Neon visions: from techno-optimism to urban vice
Authors: Kane Carolyn L
Published: June 2020

In the first quarter of the 20th century, luminous neon signs paved the way for the multiscreen aesthetics now punctuating major intersections in metropolises around the world. And yet, these epicenters of spectacle currently bear little or no neon themselves. This article draws from visual studies and histories of electricity to chart a unique material history of neon from novelty to norm, to obsolescence. The article begins with neon’s introduction in France in 1910, followed by its travels across the Atlantic in 1923, when novel neon quickly became definitive of a new urban aesthetic. The best illustration of this is 1940s Las Vegas, where neon flourished as a symbol of glamour and modern progress until, less than a decade later, it lost ground to cheaper and more efficient backlit plastic, fluorescent, and eventually, LED lighting systems. By the 1960s, neon was abandoned to inner cities, noire film, and New Wave journalism, and yet, we still refer to the mega-screen spectacles in numerous cities around the world as bearing this same ‘neon aesthetic’. This article charts this visual journey, demonstrating how neon holds a special significance to urban visual cultures that extends beyond survey histories of electricity and basic light and color theories heralded in traditional visual communications courses.
Self-efficacy, recovery and psychological wellbeing one to five years after heart transplantation: a Swedish cross-sectional study
Authors: Almgren Matilda , Lundqvist Pia , Lennerling Annette , Forsberg Anna
Published: June 2020

Background

Self-efficacy refers to a person´s confidence in carrying out treatment-related activities and constitutes the foundation of self-management as well as long-term follow-up after heart transplantation. Exploring the heart recipients´ experiences by means of self-report instruments provides healthcare professionals with valuable information on how to supply self-management support after heart transplantation.

Aims

The aim was to explore self-efficacy in relation to the self-reported level of recovery and psychological wellbeing, among adult heart recipients, one to 5 years after transplantation.

Methods

This cross-sectional study includes 79 heart recipients, due for follow-up one to 5 years after transplantation. Three different self-assessment instruments were employed: the self-efficacy for managing chronic disease 6-item scale; the postoperative recovery profile; and the psychological general wellbeing instrument.

Results

The reported level of self-efficacy was high (median 8.3, maximum score 10). Significantly higher self-efficacy was seen among those who had returned to work (P = 0.003) and those without pre-transplant mechanical circulatory support (P = 0.033). In total, 65.5% (n = 52) reported being reasonably recovered, while 18.8% (n = 12) were not recovered. The median total psychological general wellbeing score was 108 (P25 = 24, P75 = 117), suggesting overall good psychological wellbeing in the whole group of heart recipients.

Conclusion

The heart transplant recipients in our study had an overall high level of self-efficacy. Low self-efficacy was found among those with a low self-reported level of recovery, pre-transplant treatment with mechanical circulatory support or who had not returned to work. This is important information for transplant professionals when helping heart recipients to balance their expectations about recovery.
Scientific Memes: Using the Language of Social Media to Improve Scientific Literacy and Communication in Lifespan Development
Authors: Riser Diana K. , Clarke Stephanie D. , Stallworth Allison N.
Published: June 2020

Social media is riddled with memes (i.e., captioned images intended to convey cultural ideas or beliefs) that often promote maladaptive and unsupported beliefs about human development and parenting. This paper presents a scientific writing assignment designed to help spread accurate information on human development beyond the classroom through creation and sharing of original material on social media. Students were tasked with identifying applicable themes of the course, transforming these themes into scientific memes with supporting research articles, posting these materials to social media, and reflecting on their experiences. This assignment helps students develop critical thinking and scientific literacy, as well as their ability to apply course concepts to everyday life and share those applications with others. Student outcomes from several sections of Lifespan Development—those with the scientific meme assignment versus those with a traditional writing assignment—were analyzed for differences in quantitative measures of student success (i.e., grades). Students’ written reflections were also assessed for common themes. Findings suggest advantages of social media assignments with regard to students’ sense of purpose, experience with scholarly discourse, and student growth, and may inspire creation of additional innovative assignments that promote student learning and application.
Gender-Based Violence, Perspectives in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Tsapalas Daphne , Parker Morgan , Ferrer Lilian , Bernales Margartia
Published: June 2020

Introduction:

To address the phenomenon of gender-based violence in Latin America and the Caribbean is an issue of epic proportion that reflects the unequal power dynamics created within the binary gender system and is often perpetrated by those with more physical, cultural, or social power and inflicted upon those without.

Method:

Each database was comprehensively searched for MeSH keyword combinations of gender violence (violence against women) or (gender-based violence) with the region of interest (Latin America and the Caribbean) in addition to a third word or phrase regarding health care (health care training, training, health care curricula, curricula, health care professionals).

Results:

After completing this scope review, we have found a widespread call for more comprehensive preparation for health care professionals involved in identifying and addressing gender-based violence.

Conclusions:

Though some research has been conducted documenting the ways in which gender-based violence is managed or not managed by health care providers, Latin America and the Caribbean in particular represent a gap in research on health care tools and their effectiveness in these situations. There is a distinct need for the creation of context-specific protocols for vulnerable and underrepresented groups.
Design of a sensor based on neural networks to determine sludge level of industrial thickeners
Authors: Leiva Mauricio A , Acuña Claudio A , Leiva Claudio A
Published: June 2020

In copper mining, there are two main separation processes: leaching for oxidized minerals and flotation for sulfide minerals. In Chile, the increase of sulfide minerals in the deposits and the decrease of oxidized minerals have led to an increase in the investigation of flotation processes and the optimization of their associated operations. One of the concentration processes is the use of thickeners, whose main objective is to treat the tailings that leave the plants in pulp form with approximately 30% solids and obtain a pulp with a concentration greater than 50% with clear water flow. The recovery of water is the main goal, so knowing the concentration profiles of solids and sedimentation is crucial. However, the characteristics of the pulp and the operation of the thickeners are complex because a great variety of forms can be found in the concentration profile of said pulp. This limits conventional measurement techniques and makes it difficult to apply deterministic models to the solids profile, given the high nonlinearities and variability of the system. In this article, a solution is proposed by developing a sensor that allows the online estimation of sludge level and concentration of solids, based on a model of neural networks (with the model of Maxwell for dispersions), allowing to measure the solids profile regardless of the operating conditions. The structure selected has nine inputs with a hidden layer, two neurons, and two outputs being trained with tailings from Chuquicamata, obtaining the information from a 50 L pilot with 10-electrode bar of 60 cm of length, resulting in an estimation error of 0.8 cm with a network of 26 parameters.
Redundancy management strategy for electro-hydraulic actuators based on intelligent algorithms
Authors: Li Wending , Shi Guanglin
Published: June 2020

This paper explores three methods for electro-hydraulic actuator redundancy management strategies based on fuzzy aggregation, Mamdani’s fuzzy logic rules, and fuzzy neural network theory. These intelligent management schemes and implementation strategies are studied for a designed hardware-independent redundancy loop. Fault identification and isolation and system reconstruction are performed by combining fuzzy clustering with Mamdani’s fuzzy control, a fuzzy neural network, and redundancy management. Simulation analyses of the three algorithms are performed and loop simulation models are established based on the analysis algorithm. The methods proposed in this paper can solve the problem of misjudgment encountered in traditional methods and can also avoid uncertain states in the system.
Optimization study on blasting scheme of metro stations subsurface excavating oblique through pile foundations of existing elevated light rail lines
Authors: Liu Shijia , Su Huifeng , Si Xianchao
Published: June 2020

Based on the project of digging through the pile foundation of adjacent Qingdao Metro Line 11 at Zhangcun Station of line 4, orthogonal simulation research was carried out, and the influence of different underground running length of adjacent bridge pile was analyzed. Research findings were as follows: (1) The maximum vibration speed generated by the original solution bridge pile is 0.69 cm/s, which is too safe. After the optimization of the scheme, although the maximum vibration velocity generated by the bridge piles is 1.02 cm/s, an increase of 10 m in the blasting section can effectively speed up the construction schedule. (2) Combined with the field monitoring data, it was found that the monitoring data of the optimized scheme was consistent with the simulated data, which verified the accuracy of the simulation, and the new scheme reduced the construction budget by about 15%. (3) The vibration velocity attenuation degree of the rock layer is mainly composed of silty clay > coarse sand > micro weathered granite. (4) Through this optimization simulation, using Ansys/LS-DYNA to modify the K file to apply blasting parameters and initiation points, to obtain an efficient plan and improve the tunnel construction efficiency.
Analysis and experiments with a 3D printed walking robot to improve climbing obstacle
Authors: Chavdarov Ivan , Krastev Aleksandar , Naydenov Bozhidar , Pavlova Galia
Published: June 2020

The purpose of this work is to investigate the possibilities of climbing higher obstacles while maintaining the overall dimensions of a walking robot through design improvements and experiments. An original concept for the design of a walking robot with a minimum number of motors is presented. Geometric and force constraints for overcoming an obstacle and the conditions for maintaining static stability are determined. Experiments for overcoming a vertical obstacle are conducted with a 3D printed model. The 3D printed robot feet with different shapes and materials are used. The results of the experiments are presented graphically as a percentage of success against a baseline model. In this study, a dimensionless index to compare the height of the overcome obstacle and the dimensions of the robot is introduced. It allows to objectively compare the possibilities of overcoming obstacles between various types of mobile robots. Conclusions and guidelines for design improvements are made.
Neurological manifestations and implications of COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Tsivgoulis Georgios , Palaiodimou Lina , Katsanos Aristeidis H. , Caso Valeria , Köhrmann Martin , Molina Carlos , Cordonnier Charlotte , Fischer Urs , Kelly Peter , Sharma Vijay K. , Chan Amanda C. , Zand Ramin , Sarraj Amrou , Schellinger Peter D. , Voumvourakis Konstantinos I. , Grigoriadis Nikolaos , Alexandrov Andrei V. , Tsiodras Sotirios
Published: June 2020

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, China and rapidly spread worldwide, with a vast majority of confirmed cases presenting with respiratory symptoms. Potential neurological manifestations and their pathophysiological mechanisms have not been thoroughly established. In this narrative review, we sought to present the neurological manifestations associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Case reports, case series, editorials, reviews, case-control and cohort studies were evaluated, and relevant information was abstracted. Various reports of neurological manifestations of previous coronavirus epidemics provide a roadmap regarding potential neurological complications of COVID-19, due to many shared characteristics between these viruses and SARS-CoV-2. Studies from the current pandemic are accumulating and report COVID-19 patients presenting with dizziness, headache, myalgias, hypogeusia and hyposmia, but also with more serious manifestations including polyneuropathy, myositis, cerebrovascular diseases, encephalitis and encephalopathy. However, discrimination between causal relationship and incidental comorbidity is often difficult. Severe COVID-19 shares common risk factors with cerebrovascular diseases, and it is currently unclear whether the infection per se represents an independent stroke risk factor. Regardless of any direct or indirect neurological manifestations, the COVID-19 pandemic has a huge impact on the management of neurological patients, whether infected or not. In particular, the majority of stroke services worldwide have been negatively influenced in terms of care delivery and fear to access healthcare services. The effect on healthcare quality in the field of other neurological diseases is additionally evaluated.
Impact of obesity on male urethral sling outcomes
Authors: Monn M. Francesca , Jarvis Hannah V. , Gardner Thomas A. , Mellon Matthew J.
Published: June 2020

Background:

The impact of obesity on AdVance male urethral sling outcomes has been poorly evaluated. Anecdotally, male urethral sling placement can be more challenging due to body habitus in obese patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of obesity on surgical complexity using operative time as a surrogate and secondarily to evaluate the impact on postoperative pad use.

Methods:

A retrospective cohort analysis was performed using all men who underwent AdVance male urethral sling placement at a single institution between 2013 and 2019. Descriptive statistics comparing obese and non-obese patients were performed.

Results:

A total of 62 patients were identified with median (IQR) follow up of 14 (4–33) months. Of these, 40 were non-obese and 22 (35.5%) were obese. When excluding patients who underwent concurrent surgery, the mean operative times for the non-obese versus obese cohorts were 61.8 min versus 73.7 min ( p = 0.020). No Clavien 3–5 grade complications were noted. At follow up, 47.5% of the non-obese cohort and 63.6% of the obese cohort reported using one or more pads daily ( p = 0.290). Four of the five patients with a history of radiation were among the patients wearing pads following male urethral sling placement.

Conclusion:

Obese men undergoing AdVance male urethral sling placement required increased operative time, potentially related to operative complexity, and a higher proportion of obese compared with non-obese patients required postoperative pads for continued urinary incontinence. Further research is required to better delineate the full impact of obesity on male urethral sling outcomes.
Application of immune checkpoint inhibitors in EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer: from bed to bench
Authors: Jin Rui , Zhao Jing , Xia Lexin , Li Qin , Li Wen , Peng Ling , Xia Yang
Published: June 2020

Targeted therapies are efficient in the context of oncogenic driver mutations. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant lung cancers represent a distinct subset of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with marked sensitivity to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Despite the high response rate to EGFR TKIs in EGFR-mutant lung cancer, resistance and tumor recurrence are unavoidable. Therapeutic options are restricted in patients after exhaustion of targeted therapies. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) represent a novel therapeutic option for advanced NSCLC with significant overall survival benefit in registration trials. No superiority in terms of long-term survival was observed in the EGFR mutation subgroup when ICIs were given as monotherapy in second-line treatment in earlier studies. Thus, the appropriate application of ICIs to patients harboring EGFR mutations remains an important field of ongoing research. Here, we discuss different immune checkpoint blockade strategies, including ICIs alone and in combination with TKIs, chemotherapy, radiation, and antiangiogenic agents in EGFR-mutant NSCLC as first-line and subsequent treatments. We also summarize the evidence concerning the heterogeneous molecular features and immune signatures of EGFR mutations and their associations with ICI therapy outcomes. This study was performed to improve our understanding of the optimal mode of immune-based treatment approaches in EGFR-mutant NSCLC.
Mindful body scans and sonographic biofeedback as preparatory activities to address patient psychological states in hand therapy: A pilot study
Authors: Roll Shawn C , Hardison Mark E , Vigen Cheryl , Black David S
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Translational evidence for mind–body interventions in hand therapy is limited. This pilot study aimed to determine potential benefits of including a mindful body scan or sonographic biofeedback at the outset of a hand therapy session on key psychological states.

Methods

A randomized, repeated-measures, cross-over design was used to evaluate a mindful body scan and sonographic biofeedback at the outset of a hand therapy session. Measures of pain, anxiety, and stress (i.e. salivary cortisol) were obtained from 21 hand therapy patients at the start, after 20 min, and at the end of each of three 60-min treatments. Trends were examined, and mixed-effects regression compared effects across time within and across the sessions for each of the outcome measures.

Results

For all intervention types, anxiety and stress decreased across the treatment session ( p < 0.001); no statistically significant changes were noted in pain. Using either mind–body intervention before standard care resulted in a meaningful decrease and statistical trend toward improvement in stress. The use of a mindful body scan produced an immediate, statistically significant reduction in anxiety (β = − 0.14, p = 0.03), a lowered level that was maintained throughout the therapy session.

Discussion

These data provide preliminary support for integrating mind–body interventions as preparatory activities in hand therapy. Mindful body scans may prepare patients for therapeutic interventions by more quickly reducing anxiety, and the use of either intervention may reduce patient stress more than would occur during a standard care session. These effects should be evaluated in an adequately powered clinical trial.
Engaging with global urban governance in the midst of a crisis
Authors: Acuto Michele
Published: June 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis offers a chance for urban scholars to play an even more explicit role in shaping ‘global urban governance’. Recognizing this international political realm, and the fundamental role that information exchange plays within it, urban studies can help drive a more progressive and inclusive global urban imagination.
Pediatric Kidney Transplant Experience in Ontario: A Review of Division of the Surgical and Medical Management Across Local Tertiary Care Institutions
Authors: Kim Jin K. , Koyle Martin A. , Raveendran Lucshman , Teoh Chia Wei , Chua Michael E. , Ming Jessica M. , Farhat Walid A. , Hebert Diane , Lorenzo Armando J.
Published: June 2020

Background:

Our institution is the largest pediatric kidney transplantation (KT) center in Canada and the referral center for pediatric KT in Ontario. Pediatric KT recipients are referred to our center for KT and transferred back to their local tertiary care institutions for post-transplant care. This investigation assesses whether the current system of transferring patients back to their local tertiary care institutions following KT allows decreased burden and distribution of resources from a single centralized surgical center.

Methods:

A retrospective review of KT performed at our institution between 2000 and 2015 was performed. Patients were divided into those who began their chronic kidney disease (CKD) care at our institution and those who began their care elsewhere. Readmission to our institution within 1 year of KT for surgical and nonsurgical complications was compared. The geographical proximity of patients to our institution and institution of initial CKD care was assessed quantitatively and mapped visually.

Results:

Of 324 patients who underwent KT, 244 (75.3%) began their CKD care at our institution. Those who began their CKD care at other institutions had shorter initial admissions to our institution (17 [14-24] vs 14 [12-17], P < .0001) and were less likely to be readmitted to our institution for nonsurgical concerns at <6 months after transplant ( P < .0001) and 6 to 12 months after transplant ( P < .0001). There were similar readmissions for complications requiring surgical management. The relationship between the center of CKD initiation and readmission remained significant on multivariate analysis. There was a significant difference in distance (km) to our institution between the 2 groups (46 [interquartile range = 24-109] vs 203 [117-406], P < .0001).

Conclusion:

Patients who are geographically distanced from our institution began their CKD care at their closest institution and were managed effectively at those institutions following initial discharge/transfer of care, suggesting that there is an effective distribution of health care resources with regard to CKD and KT care.
Effects of Internal and External Imbalances and the Role of Relative Prices on Economic Growth: Evidence From Turkey
Authors: Civcir Irfan , Yücel M. Emir
Published: June 2020

Balance of payments constrained growth model considers that if a country has a chronic external deficit, economic growth can be constrained. Initial model extended by taking into account the effects of capital flows, external debt sustainability, interest payments, budget deficit or public debt, simultaneous effect of internal and external imbalance, and the role of relative prices. We further incorporate Turkey’s high intensity of imports in the aggregate demand components and estimated the model with system estimator. The new version of the model improves significantly explaining the growth in Turkey. Our results reveal that economic growth in Turkey constrained by internal and external imbalances and relative prices play a significant role. Policies aimed at changing the structure of the imports and exports are the most effective for achieving higher growth. It is also shown that economic growth in Turkey highly depends on external demand when the strong depreciation of the domestic currency also acts as a stimulus to growth.
Profit Efficiency as a Measure of Performance and Frontier Models: A Resource-Based View
Authors: Arbelo Antonio , Arbelo-Pérez Marta , Pérez-Gómez Pilar
Published: June 2020

Although the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm is one of the most accepted theories of strategic management, it has been criticized for its limited empirical support. The RBV basically predicts the relationship between the firm’s resources and its performance. This study argues that it is more appropriate to measure firm performance using profit efficiency than traditional financial or accounting measures and that frontier models have great potential in empirical research on the RBV. To test this idea empirically, we used a stochastic frontier model with random coefficients to evaluate the impact of corporate reputation on profit efficiency. Finally, implications of the aforementioned focal points are discussed.

JEL classification: C11, L25, M10, M20
Prevalence, Extent, and Severity of Oral Health Impacts Among Adults in Rural Karnataka, India
Authors: Bhat M. , Bhat S. , Brondani M. , Mejia G.C. , Pradhan A. , Roberts-Thomson K. , Do L.G.
Published: June 2020

Introduction:

Oral health affects quality of life. Many studies have investigated the factors associated with oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL). Little is known about OHRQoL of adults living in rural and remote areas of India, where many have lower levels of education and limited availability of oral health care services.

Objectives:

To determine the prevalence, extent, and severity of OHRQoL impacts associated with psychosocial factors, functional dentition, and patterns of dental visits among rural Indian adults between the ages of 35 and 54 y.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted with a multistage stratified sampling strategy targeting 35- to 54-year-olds. Interviews and oral examinations were performed to collect data on sociodemographic variables, Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), patterns of dental visits, stress, tobacco and alcohol use, and dentition status. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariable analyses were done to determine the factors associated with prevalence, extent, and severity of OHIP-14 using SAS version 9.3.

Results:

There were 873 participants. Prevalence, extent, and severity of OHIP-14 were 13.4%, 0.5 (0.4-0.7), and 11.8 (11.2-12.5), respectively. The OHIP-14 impacts reported were not severe and mostly affected physical functioning. Levels of education, income, and number of functional teeth (FT) were inversely associated and last dental visit within the previous year was positively associated with prevalence, extent, and severity of OHIP-14. The prevalence of 1 or more oral health impacts was nearly 13% among rural middle-aged adults in India.

Conclusions:

Low socioeconomic conditions, dental visits, and FT ≤19 were positively associated with prevalence, extent, and severity of oral health impacts.

Knowledge Transfer Statement:

This article provides data regarding OHRQoL of people in rural areas of a developing country. The study was intended to determine the factors associated with OHRQoL in rural people who are less educated and living in areas with minimal oral health care facilities. The findings of this study could potentially facilitate further research and health promotional activities for rural people of developing countries.
The Changing Face of US Protestant Overseas Ministries: Trends from 1951 to 2016
Authors: Bok Jared
Published: June 2020

The release of the 22nd edition of the Mission Handbook (2017) has provided rich opportunities for scholars and practitioners to learn more about the current state of global missions from North America. Based on data from all twenty-two of the Handbook’s print editions, this article summarizes broad trends from 1951 to 2016. These include an overall increase in the number of agencies, even as founding rates have been declining; an overall growth in overseas budgets; the increasing prominence of evangelical agencies that are not denominationally affiliated; and a mixed series of patterns among core and peripheral ministry activities.
Gene expression profiling of gray zone lymphoma
Authors: Sarkozy Clémentine , Chong Lauren , Takata Katsuyoshi , Chavez Elizabeth A. , Miyata-Takata Tomoko , Duns Gerben , Telenius Adèle , Boyle Merrill , Slack Graham W. , Laurent Camille , Farinha Pedro , Molina Thierry J. , Copie-Bergman Christiane , Damotte Diane , Salles Gilles A. , Mottok Anja , Savage Kerry J. , Scott David W. , Traverse-Glehen Alexandra , Steidl Christian
Published: June 2020

Gray zone lymphoma (GZL), a B-cell lymphoma with features intermediate between large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) and classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), is a rare and poorly defined entity. Alongside GZL, a subset of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)–positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has been described with polymorphic/GZL-like morphology (polymorphic-EBV-L). To fill the important gap in our understanding of the pathogenic process underlying these entities, we performed a gene expression study of a large international cohort of GZL and polymorphic-EBV-L, combined with cHL and primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) cases. In an unsupervised principal component analysis, GZL cases presented with intermediate scores in a spectrum between cHL and PMBCL, whereas polymorphic-EBV-L clustered distinctly. The main biological pathways underlying the GZL spectrum were related to cell cycle, reflecting tumor cell content, and extracellular matrix signatures related to the cellular tumor microenvironment. Differential expression analysis and phenotypic characterization of the tumor microenvironment highlighted the predominance of regulatory macrophages in GZL compared with cHL and PMBCL. Two distinct subtypes of GZL were distinguishable that were phenotypically reminiscent of PMBCL and DLBCL, and we observed an association of PMBCL-type GZL with clinical presentation in the “thymic” anatomic niche. In summary, gene expression profiling (GEP) enabled us to add precision to the GZL spectrum, describe the biological distinction compared with polymorphic-EBV-L, and distinguish cases with and without thymic involvement as 2 subgroups of GZL, namely PMBCL-like and DLBCL-like GZL.