bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and Validation of a Descriptive Cognitive Model for Predicting Usability Issues in a Low-Code Development Platform
Authors: Silva Carlos , Vieira Joana , Campos José C. , Couto Rui , Ribeiro António N.
Published: May 2020

Objective

The aim of the study was the development and evaluation of a Descriptive Cognitive Model (DCM) for the identification of three types of usability issues in a low-code development platform (LCDP).

Background

LCDPs raise the level of abstraction of software development by freeing end-users from implementation details. An effective LCDP requires an understanding of how its users conceptualize programming. It is necessary to identify the gap between the LCDP end-users’ conceptualization of programming and the actions required by the platform. It is also relevant to evaluate how the conceptualization of the programming tasks varies according to the end-users’ skills.

Method

DCMs are widely used in the description and analysis of the interaction between users and systems. We propose a DCM which we called PRECOG that combines task decomposition methods with knowledge-based descriptions and criticality analysis. This DCM was validated using empirical techniques to provide the best insight regarding the users’ interaction performance. Twenty programmers (10 experts, 10 novices) were observed using an LCDP and their interactions were analyzed according to our DCM.

Results

The DCM correctly identified several problems felt by first-time platform users. The patterns of issues observed were qualitatively different between groups. Experts mainly faced interaction-related problems, while novices faced problems attributable to a lack of programming skills.

Conclusion

By applying the proposed DCM we were able to predict three types of interaction problems felt by first-time users of the LCDP.

Application

The method is applicable when it is relevant to identify possible interaction problems, resulting from the users’ background knowledge being insufficient to guarantee a successful completion of the task at hand.
Transitioning from Relief to Development: Challenges and Opportunities: The Case of GOAL Zimbabwe in Buhera District
Authors: Mafuta Wonder , Kamuzhanje Joseph
Published: May 2020

Between 2000 and 2008, Zimbabwe experienced debilitating economic, political and social problems. The crises were characterised by political unrest, economic downturn, hyperinflation, food insecurity, breakdown in the provision of basic social services and the intensification of the effects of global warming and climate change. The period saw the entry of many international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including GOAL Zimbabwe, which came to deal with the unfolding humanitarian crisis. Key informant interviews were conducted with 21 interviewees from GOAL, Buhera Rural District Council officials, Agritex officers and project beneficiaries. Atlas Ti was used to analyse the data into key themes. In 2010, GOAL Zimbabwe chose to stay and reincarnate itself and went through a very difficult process from being a relief to a development organisation. Results show the process on which GOAL embarked in transitioning from relief to recovery. The evidence coming out of the discussions indicates that with the right levels of support from development partners and commitment by communities, it is possible for both organisations and communities to transition from a humanitarian and relief mindset to a development paradigm.
Do Russian Police Fabricate Drug Offenses? Evidence From Seized Heroin’s Weight Distribution
Authors: Knorre Alex
Published: May 2020

Current Russian drug policy is punitive toward people who use drugs. Moreover, criminal justice in Russia is driven by strong organizational incentives to increase performance indicators of police such as clearance rate. Taken together, these might lead to the use of extrajudicial and illegal police practices, as documented by several qualitative studies. In this article, we explore quantitative evidence of such practices, namely, weight anomalies of the seized heroin that result from minimum threshold amounts established by the law. We find significant discontinuities in the weight distribution of seized heroin near minimum threshold amounts. Placebo tests rule out alternative explanations of the discontinuity and show that the most likely source of the revealed discontinuities is police manipulations with seized heroin.
Speed Up, Size Down: How Animated Movement Speed in Product Videos Influences Size Assessment and Product Evaluation
Authors: Jia He (Michael) , Kim B. Kyu , Ge Lin
Published: May 2020

Digital ads often display video content in which immobile products are presented as if they are moving spontaneously. Six studies demonstrate a speed-based scaling effect, such that consumers estimate the size of an immobile product to be smaller when it is animated to move faster in videos, due to the inverse size–speed association they have learned from the domain of animate agents (e.g., animals, humans). Supporting a cross-domain knowledge transfer model of learned size–speed association, this speed-based scaling effect is (1) reduced when consumers perceive a product’s movement pattern as less similar to animate agents’ movement patterns, (2) reversed when a positive size–speed association in the base domain of animate agents is made accessible, (3) attenuated for consumers who have more knowledge about the target product domain, and (4) mitigated when explicit product size information is highlighted. Furthermore, by decreasing assessed product size, fast animated movement speed can either positively or negatively influence willingness to pay, depending on consumers’ size preferences.
Contested Borders and Borderlands in Northeast India: (IL)Legitimate Claims of Naga Identity Assertion
Authors: Kikhi Kedilezo , Lanamai Daveirou
Published: May 2020

Borders are not to be understood merely as lines where one society or state ends and another begins, but they reflect of how societies get constituted and configured through them. Societies do not constitute borders, but borders constitute societies. The article revisits the northeast as a ‘borderland’, as a land with many visible and invisible borders. It is an attempt to probe into the complexities of ethnic boundaries by the enforcement of arbitrary dividing lines without cognisance of the local context. The article also endeavours to set a discourse on the proposed Naga ‘Framework Agreement’ (FA) which requires a deep-seated understanding of its historicity and unique cultural identity. It intends to question the possibility of Nagas nurturing a common supra-national or transnational structure that offers an accepted platform to their life patterns and customs. Very crucially, the article also attempts to explore the several nuanced exemplary models seen elsewhere, amongst those geographically bordering people with analogous but delicately diverse cultures.
Devising a Tier-based Skin Sensitisation Screening Strategy for Personal Care and Cosmetic Products
Authors: Fung Ernest S. , Towle Kevin M. , Monnot Andrew D.
Published: May 2020

Concerns regarding the use of potential skin sensitisers in personal care and cosmetic products continue to grow. The goal of this study was to develop a proof-of-concept tier-based screening strategy for the assessment of skin sensitisation potential by using non-animal methodologies. As a case example, this screening framework was applied to three WEN® by Chaz Dean cleansing conditioners. The first tier of testing utilised the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship Toolbox profiler to evaluate the skin sensitisation potential of individual ingredients within the formulation; a literature review was performed on the substances that generated in silico alerts. Tier 2 testing utilised the OECD in chemico Test Guideline (TG) 442C to evaluate these substances. Tier 3 testing adapted OECD TG442C to evaluate the formulated product. The literature review on the four substances that generated in silico alerts revealed that they were not sensitising at the concentrations reported in the formulated products. Tier 2 testing demonstrated that these substances were not sensitising at the concentrations tested. Finally, Tier 3 testing revealed that the evaluated cleansing conditioners had low mean percentage peptide depletion at the concentrations tested. Together, the results obtained suggest that the products tested are unlikely to induce skin sensitisation under the given experimental conditions. These findings are in agreement with other in vitro and clinical studies. The proposed tier-based testing approach may be used as a conceptual framework for the prospective safety screening of other personal care and cosmetic products. However, to establish the validity of the proposed testing strategy, further studies must be performed, including comparisons with established models.
Genome-wide transcriptomic analysis of microglia reveals impaired responses in aged mice after cerebral ischemia
Authors: Shi Ligen , Rocha Marcelo , Zhang Wenting , Jiang Ming , Li Sicheng , Ye Qing , Hassan Sulaiman H , Liu Liqiang , Adair Maya N , Xu Jing , Luo Jianhua , Hu Xiaoming , Wechsler Lawrence R , Chen Jun , Shi Yejie
Published: May 2020

Senescence-associated alterations in microglia may have profound impact on cerebral homeostasis and stroke outcomes. However, the lack of a transcriptome-wide comparison between young and aged microglia in the context of ischemia limits our understanding of aging-related mechanisms. Herein, we performed RNA sequencing analysis of microglia purified from cerebral hemispheres of young adult (10-week-old) and aged (18-month-old) mice five days after distal middle cerebral artery occlusion or after sham operation. Considerable transcriptional differences were observed between young and aged microglia in healthy brains, indicating heightened chronic inflammation in aged microglia. Following stroke, the overall transcriptional activation was more robust (>13-fold in the number of genes upregulated) in young microglia than in aged microglia. Gene clusters with functional implications in immune inflammatory responses, immune cell chemotaxis, tissue remodeling, and cell-cell interactions were markedly activated in microglia of young but not aged stroke mice. Consistent with the genomic profiling predictions, post-stroke cerebral infiltration of peripheral immune cells was markedly decreased in aged mice compared to young mice. Moreover, post-ischemic aged microglia demonstrated reduced interaction with neighboring neurons and diminished polarity toward the infarct lesion. These alterations in microglial gene response and behavior may contribute to aging-driven vulnerability and poorer recovery after ischemic stroke.
Health Opportunity Costs: Assessing the Implications of Uncertainty Using Elicitation Methods with Experts
Authors: Soares Marta O. , Sculpher Mark J. , Claxton Karl
Published: May 2020

Well-established methods of economic evaluation are used in many countries to inform decisions about the funding of new medical interventions. To guide such decisions, it is important to consider what health gains would be expected from the same level of investment elsewhere in the health care system. Recent research in the United Kingdom has evaluated the evidence available and the methods required to estimate the health effects of changes in health care expenditure within the National Health Service. Because of the absence of sufficiently broad-ranging data, assumptions were required in the previously mentioned work to estimate health effects in terms of a broader measure of health (quality-adjusted life-years), which is more relevant for policy. These assumptions constitute important sources of uncertainty. This work presents an application of the structured elicitation of the judgments of key individuals about these uncertain quantities. This article describes the design and conduct of the exercise, including the quantities elicited, the individual (rather than consensus) approach used, how uncertainty in knowledge was elicited (mode and bounds of an 80% credible interval), and methods to generate group estimates. It also reports on a successful application involving 28 clinical experts and 25 individuals with policy responsibilities. Although, as expected, most experts found replying to the questions challenging, they were able to express their beliefs quantitatively. Consistent across the uncertainties elicited, experts’ judgments suggest that the quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) impacts of changes in expenditure from earlier work using assumptions are likely to have been underestimated and the “central” estimate of health opportunity cost from that work (£12,936 per QALY) to have been overestimated.
Overreporting of the disc herniation in lumbar spine MRI scans performed for patients with spondylolisthesis
Authors: Semaan Hassan , Curnutte Bryan , Cooper Maxwell , Obri Joud , Elsamaloty Mazzin , Obri Tawfik , Elgafy Hossein
Published: May 2020

Background

Spondylolisthesis is often misdiagnosed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the slip may reduce to a normal alignment when the patient lies supine. Often, disc herniation is reported at the level of spondylolisthesis.

Purpose

To determine the incidence rates of disc herniation at the level of spondylolisthesis.

Material and Methods

This is a retrospective study included 258 consecutive patients with spondylolisthesis who had lumbar spine MRI. The archived reports were collectively put in Group 1. A musculoskeletal radiologist and a spine surgeon reviewed the imaging studies together. Their readings were referred to as Group 2. The findings of both groups were compared to evaluate whether disc herniation was overreported.

Results

Group 1 reported findings of true disc herniation in 112 (41.6%) cases and pseudo disc herniation or no findings of disc herniation at the level of spondylolisthesis in 157 (58.4%) cases. Group 2 reported findings of a true disc herniation in 25 (9.3%) cases and pseudo disc herniation or no findings of disc herniation in the remaining 244 (90.7%) cases. There was a statistically significant difference in the reporting rates between these two groups ( P < 0.02). The most overreported finding was the disc bulging ( P < 0.01).

Conclusion

The current study showed overreporting of disc herniation in lumbar spine MRI scans performed for patients with established spondylolisthesis. The majority of disc pathology at the level of spondylolisthesis are pseudo disc rather than a true disc herniation. An accurate diagnosis is vital in planning surgical intervention.
Finalization of autologous stem cell transplant in complex and multirelapsed follicular lymphoma
Authors: Carella Matteo , Stefoni Vittorio , Pellegrini Cinzia , Argnani Lisa , Cavo Michele , Zinzani Pier Luigi
Published: May 2020

Background:

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is characterized by frequent relapses and need for multitude lines of therapy, which includes different immunochemotherapy regimens, novel monoclonal antibodies, novel drugs, and autologous or allogenic stem cell transplant. Early use of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) improves prognosis in patients with FL who may be candidates for an aggressive approach.

Case presentation:

We report the case of a 49-year-old woman with thrombophilia with relapsed/refractory grade 3A FL, heavily pretreated, who achieved third complete remission after high-dose chemotherapy and ASCT, despite experiencing life-threatening adverse events during her treatment history.

Conclusions:

Stem cell transplantation has emerged as the standard of care for young patients with FL but may be effective also in complex and multirelapsed clinical cases.
Older workers: Past, present and future
Authors: Caines Valerie Dawn , Crane Monique F , Noone Jack , Griffin Barbara , Datta Shiksha , Earl Joanne Kaa
Published: May 2020

In this article, we focus on the ever-growing numbers of older workers and considerations for workplace practices and policies that make the most from the qualities older workers bring. To begin, we explore the socio-political context examining employment trends for older workers and highlight policies and trends that inform workforce planning. We then extend the discussion of older workers from the perspective of person–environment (P-E) fit, entrepreneurship, resilience and cognitive functioning. Each of these perspectives have received increased research and practitioner attention over the past two decades. They present opportunities to increase our understanding of older people in a workplace context and how to support older workers in a socio-political environment focused on career longevity. We argue that a new national strategy is needed to guide future initiatives and policy development. We propose future research directions and practitioner intervention prospects.

JEL Classification: M54
Lahore as a Centre of Commerce: 1580–1707
Authors: Mir Naseer Ahmad
Published: May 2020

The Mughal Era witnessed a ceaseless movement of people, money and resources, which paved the way for a strong interaction between different provinces of that time. The desire to oversee a solid political domain by the Mughals brought forth a progression of urban focuses in various parts of the realm for their productive control. Urban Centres performed a distinctive sort of function by becoming either administrative, commercial or religious centres. Among these, Lahore was one which gloated the economy of Mughal Empire through its inland and overseas exchange. In the present article, an attempt has been made to assess the geographical location of Lahore, with its water and land transport facilities as a supporting factor for trade and to know the commodities of which there was a great demand, both inside and outside of the Mughal Empire. This article highlights the attributes of power in Mughal India; the interdependence of trade and politics; the impact on other towns of Lahore suba as well as on other subas of empire also. Furthermore, to examine the overall commerce of Lahore Suba (reflected from travelogues) is the part of paper.
Low-Grade Intraventricular Hemorrhage and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 24-42 Months of Age
Authors: Scott Theresa E. , Aboudi David , Kase Jordan S.
Published: May 2020

Infants with high-grade (III-IV) intraventricular hemorrhage have been reported to have worse neurodevelopmental outcomes than those without, but outcomes of infants with low-grade (I-II) intraventricular hemorrhage are mixed. We sought to compare neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants with low-grade intraventricular hemorrhage to those with no intraventricular hemorrhage. This is a retrospective cohort study of very preterm (≤32 weeks’ gestation) infants evaluated between 24 and 42 months chronologic age using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 3rd edition, to determine neurodevelopmental outcomes. Linear regression was used to control for potential confounders. There was no difference in outcome scores between groups when controlling for confounding variables. Infants with low-grade intraventricular hemorrhage, however, had higher rates of enrollment in early intervention services (64% vs 49%, P = .023). Low-grade intraventricular hemorrhage itself may not significantly increase the risk of neurodevelopmental impairment through the first 3 years of life considering other conditions of prematurity.
Corporate Political Activity and Sensitivity to Social Attacks: The Case of Family-Managed Firms
Authors: Combs James G. , Gentry Richard J. , Lux Sean , Jaskiewicz Peter , Crook T. Russell
Published: May 2020

Family-managed firms take actions to protect their reputations. We theorize that one such action involves avoiding corporate political activity (CPA) that expose firms to social attack, especially when also invested in corporate social responsibility. Because large firms are frequent targets for social attack, the same sensitivity that encourages most family managers to avoid CPA encourages it among the largest as a buffer. Supportive analysis of Standard and Poor’s 500 firms shows that family-managed firms spend, on average, 86% less on CPA, even less when invested in substantive corporate social responsibility. The largest invest as much or more in CPA as nonfamily peers.
Designing public agencies for 21st century water–energy–food nexus complexity: The case of Natural Resources Wales
Authors: Kirsop-Taylor Nick A , Hejnowicz Adam P
Published: May 2020

Public environmental organisations face a Herculean task: to be responsive to public and executive expectations for decentralisation, integration, increasing accountabilities and efficiency savings plus, contemporaneously, managing increasingly complex nature–society systems as exemplified by the water–energy–food nexus. The public-agency innovation literatures and contingency theory offer partial explanations for this challenge. However, this article, which sits at the intersection of public administration and organisational theory, proposes a new analytical framework for framing public-agency responses to nexus complexity. It first outlines the framework and then tests it on the case of Natural Resources Wales, the Welsh national natural environment agency. This case identifies six distinct innovations that have adopted to meet complex nexus pressures. This leads us to characterise the case as an example of a multi-scalar, hybrid, adhocratic organisation designed to meet nexus challenges. These findings have wider impact for the international community of public agencies with socio-environmental remits facing similar nexus pressures and challenges in the 21st century.
Atypical presentation of genital molluscum contagiosum mimicking genital warts
Authors: Kumar Sheetanshu , Aggarwal Divya , Chatterjee Debajyoti , Vinay Keshavamurthy
Published: May 2020

A man in his 20s with a history of unprotected sex with a commercial sex worker three months before presented with a solitary slowly-growing, well-defined, non-tender, oval, verrucous lesion on the mucosal aspect of his prepuce. Dermoscopy revealed a polylobular, pinkish-white, amorphous structure in the centre with a surrounding crown of vessels that did not cross the centre of the lobules, and histopathology showed keratinocytes containing intracytoplasmic faintly granular eosinophilic inclusions and peripherally-pushed nuclei. A diagnosis of agminated genital molluscum contagiosum was reached on the basis of the above findings. Molluscum contagiosum can present with several atypical morphologies mimicking other dermatoses. Agminated molluscum contagiosum can closely mimic a genital wart especially if it is involving the ano-genital region. Awareness among clinicians regarding the atypical presentations of molluscum contagiosum is imperative for early diagnosis and management of this infectious condition.
The slippery and the sane: Decolonizing psychology through a study of the Indian girl-child
Authors: Dhar Ayurdhi
Published: May 2020

This article makes a case against the export of psychological intervention, as developed and practiced in the Global North, to the Indian sub-continent. It is based on the premise that differences between these places are not only sociological and cultural but also at the level of the structure of subjectivity. Leaning on my theoretical understanding of the Indian female subject’s constitution and my empirical work on participants in rural Uttarakhand, India, I posit that our call for decolonization cannot be partial.
Access to library services and facilities by persons with disability: Insights from academic libraries in Ghana
Authors: Ayoung Daniel Azerikatoa , Baada Frederic Naazi-Ale , Baayel Patrick
Published: May 2020

A group of the academic library’s vast untapped clientele to whom more attention is now being paid is persons with disability. Drawing from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ checklist on what constitutes disability-friendly libraries, this study sought to ascertain if academic libraries in the Upper East Region of Ghana have made provisions for persons with disability. The research adopted a qualitative approach. The data used for the analysis is drawn from interviews with respondents, the majority of whom were visually or mobility-impaired, who were purposively selected from 11 tertiary institutions. The findings reveal that academic libraries in the Upper East Region have yet to implement the stipulated regulations of the ratified Persons with Disability Act of Ghana. The majority of libraries are inaccessible to persons with disability beyond the main entrance of the libraries. The biggest challenge is the absence of diverse media information for persons with visual and hearing impairments. Also, the findings reveal that library staff lack adequate knowledge of issues relating to persons with disability and their right to access information. The study highlights the challenges which hinder persons with disability from accessing quality information from libraries. The study, therefore, recommends that relevant state institutions be empowered to implement the ratified Persons with Disability Act in Ghana and increase education among stakeholders on the need to improve access to information for persons with disability. Also, there should be increased investment and allocation of funds to libraries to provide for the information needs of persons with disability.
A Bayesian approach for analyzing partly interval-censored data under the proportional hazards model
Authors: Pan Chun , Cai Bo , Wang Lianming
Published: May 2020

Partly interval-censored time-to-event data often occur in biomedical studies of diseases where periodic medical examinations for symptoms of interest are necessary. Recent decades have seen blooming methods and R packages for interval-censored data; however, the research effort for partly interval-censored data is limited. We propose an efficient and easy-to-implement Bayesian semiparametric method for analyzing partly interval-censored data under the proportional hazards model. Two simulation studies are conducted to compare the performance of the proposed method with two main Bayesian methods currently available in the literature and the classic Cox proportional hazards model. The proposed method is applied to a partly interval-censored progression-free survival data from a metastatic colorectal cancer trial.
Music-based discharge, healthy music use, and unhealthy music use explain adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies in adults hospitalized with cancer: A cross-sectional investigation
Authors: Silverman Michael J
Published: May 2020

Background:

Although people self-administer music for affect enhancement and self-regulation, there is a dearth of empirical inquiry investigating whether music-based regulatory factors and healthy and unhealthy music use explain coping strategies in adults hospitalized with cancer.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to determine whether music-based affect regulation and healthy and unhealthy music use explain coping strategies in adults hospitalized with cancer.

Method:

Participants ( N = 139) were adults hospitalized on oncology units at a large teaching hospital. Participants completed the Brief Music in Mood Regulation scale, the Healthy-Unhealthy Music Scale, and the Brief COPE. Correlational and ensuing multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine whether music-based affect regulation factors and healthy and unhealthy music use explained coping strategies.

Results:

Regression results indicated that discharge explained humor and religion. Unhealthy music use explained self-distraction, denial, behavioral disengagement, venting, and self-blame. Healthy music use explained active coping, instrumental support, positive reframing, planning, and acceptance.

Conclusions:

Music use can explain both adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies for adults with cancer. Education may enable people with cancer to make effective self-administered music listening choices that augment mood, quality of life, and recovery. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided.
The Effects of Situation Variability in a Simulation-Based Training for Implicit Innovation Knowledge
Authors: Van Lysebetten Saar , Anseel Frederik , Sanchez Diana R.
Published: May 2020

Background. During the last decades, the use of simulations for training purposes has sparked wide interest. However, it is unclear how training format characteristics may affect learning, resulting in a lack of evidence-based guidelines for training developers and organizations.

Aim. We explore to what extent variation in the situations presented during a simulation training may improve learning outcomes. We test this research question in the context of a simulation-based training for improving innovation knowledge.

Methods. A sample of 131 business students was invited to participate in a study with a pretest and two posttests (within 48 hours after and 4 weeks later) and three conditions: a control group without training, an experimental training group with low situational variation, and an experimental training group with high situational variation.

Results and Conclusion. Compared to the control group, high but not low situational variation improved innovation knowledge. Participants’ prior innovation knowledge did not moderate the results. Hence, our findings indicate that ideally a simulation training includes multiple situations that offer learners various opportunities to practice innovation challenges.
Prediction of building vibration induced by metro trains running in a curved tunnel
Authors: Ma Meng , Xu Lihui , Du Linlin , Wu Zongzhen , Tan Xinyu
Published: May 2020

Curved metro lines currently account for a significant proportion of total route mileage. However, the existing prediction model of environmental vibration only considered the vibration induced by trains running in a straight tunnel. In the present study, a numerical model was proposed to predict the environmental vibration induced by trains running in a curved tunnel. The model was divided into two parts: a train–track coupled model and a tunnel–soil–building finite element model. In the first part, a novel three-dimensional train–curved track coupled model was established and solved in the frequency domain based on the periodic theory. Both vertical and horizontal train loads were calculated by this model. Then, an in situ measurement was performed in the curved tunnel of an operating metro line, and the tunnel vibration responses were obtained and used to calibrate the train–track model. Finally, a case study was selected from Beijing metro line 16, where it is needed to predict and evaluate the environmental impact of vibration from a curved metro line being planned for construction beneath an office building. A three-dimensional tunnel–soil–building finite element model was built, and the building vibrations in vertical and horizontal directions were predicted. The results show that the floor vibrations have peak values of approximately 5.29 and 27.8 Hz, which are exacerbated by the building local mode and the spacing of the rail supports. Below the third floor, the vertical vibration response exceeded the vibration control limit recommended by Chinese national standards. Track solutions for vibration control must be implemented to mitigate the environmental vibrations.
Thermal stability and flammability characteristics of phenolic syntactic foam core sandwich composites
Authors: Kumar SJ Amith , Kumar SJ Ajith , Nagaraja Bharath K
Published: May 2020

Polymeric foam core sandwich composites are the nascent materials used in marine and aerospace structural applications for its low-density characteristics. A special class of foam called syntactic foam is one of the promising core material having high specific properties. However, these polymeric foam core sandwich composite structures may encounter problems in correlation with temperature and fire. Damages that happen due to the variation in temperature and by the catch of fire are sometimes imperceptible which may lead to the deterioration of load carrying ability or catastrophic failure of these composite structures. Present investigation is focused on the possibilities of reducing the extent of damages due to variation in temperature and by the catch of fire by enhancing its thermal stability and flame resistance characteristics. This was achieved from the development of syntactic foam by embedding hollow micro-spherical particles in phenolic resin for fire containment or fire isolation. Result of the experimentation reveals that the phenolic syntactic foam core was thermally more stable than glass/epoxy face skins up to a temperature of 450°C. The minimum concentration of oxygen required for burning was found to be 30%, in which phenolic syntactic foam core helps in flame isolation, whereas E-glass/epoxy face skins contribute to flame spread in the event of burning of sandwich composites. Improved thermal stability and fire resistance characteristics of developed sandwich composites are attributed to the phenolic syntactic foam core and by its orientation.
Receipt of Substance Use Counseling Among Ambulatory Patients Prescribed Opioids in the United States
Authors: Evoy Kirk E , Leonard Charles E , Covvey Jordan R , Ochs Leslie , Peckham Alyssa M , Soprano Samantha , Reveles Kelly R
Published: May 2020

Background:

As opioid-related overdose deaths climb in the U.S., risk reduction measures are increasingly important. One such measure recommended involves provision of proactive substance use counseling regarding the risks of opioid analgesics. This is particularly important in patients at increased risk of overdose, such as those with substance use disorders (SUD) or those receiving concomitant medications that further increase the overdose risk (eg, benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids, or Z-hypnotics). However, previous research regarding the likelihood that such counseling is provided during outpatient prescriber visits is lacking.

Objectives:

To determine the percentage of U.S. ambulatory care visits in which patients taking prescription opioids received substance use counseling, and whether counseling was more common in patients with concomitant GABAergic medication(s) (benzodiazepine, gabapentinoid or Z-hypnotic) or substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis.

Methods:

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of all patients aged ⩾18 years identified as having a prescription opioid on their medication list within the 2014-2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data.

Results:

Among 162.7 million visits in which patients were taking opioid medication(s), substance use counseling was provided in 2.4%. During visits for patients receiving opioid(s) plus GABAergic(s), substance use counseling was marginally more common (3.1% versus 2.0%, P < .0001). Substance use counseling was also more common among visits for patients taking opioid(s) with SUD (18.9% versus 1.5%, P < .0001). Among visits in which a patient was diagnosed with SUD and taking opioid(s) plus GABAergic(s), counseling was more common (23.1% versus 1.4%, P < .0001) compared to patients taking opioid(s) plus GABAergic(s) without SUD.

Conclusions:

Among national ambulatory care visits in the United States, substance use counseling is provided infrequently for patients taking opioids, even when significant risk factors are present. Increasing patient education may help reduce opioid-related overdose mortality.
Evaluation of Indoor Tanning Facilities in American Fitness Centers
Authors: Huang Christina M. , Kirchhof Mark G.
Published: May 2020

Background

Indoor tanning (IT) in fitness facilities encourages a misleading positive relationship between tanning and health. While IT in Canadian fitness facilities has been studied, American literature regarding this topic is lacking.

Objectives

The objective of this study is to evaluate availability, cost, reported risks, and adherence to legislation of IT in American fitness clubs.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study utilizing a telephone questionnaire to survey gyms across all 50 states. The key term “fitness club” was searched in the Yellow Pages and 20 facilities from each state were randomly included into the study. Data were described descriptively and Pearson χ2 tests were used to compare IT prevalence and rates of noncompliance between population groups. Regression analysis examined potential relationship between cost and prevalence of IT.

Results

Of the 1000 fitness clubs surveyed, 44.4% (444/1000) offered IT. The overall noncompliance rates for age, rest time, and eye protection were 13.8% (54/390), 26.0% (20/77), and 27.8% (85/225), respectively. The most common risk reported was skin cancer (61.6%), but many facilities were unsure of risks (27.0%) and some described no risk associated with IT (3.2%). The average cost for monthly unlimited tanning was 33 ± 13.96 USD. A state-to-state comparison showed a statistically significant inverse relationship between mean cost and prevalence of IT ( P = .013, [ r]= −0.35).

Conclusion

The prevalence and noncompliance rates of IT in fitness clubs contradict the healthy lifestyles they are working to promote. To limit harms, legislations should be standardized and more strictly enforced. Additionally, public education on IT risks and the use of higher costs may help minimize IT use.
Short-Term Evaluation of the Real-World Efficacy and Safety of Dupilumab for the Treatment of Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis: A Canadian Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Jo Christine E. , Georgakopoulos Jorge R. , Ladda Matthew , Ighani Arvin , Mufti Asfandyar , Drucker Aaron M. , Piguet Vincent , Yeung Jensen
Published: May 2020

Background

Systemic therapy for atopic dermatitis (AD) has been challenging with limited safe and efficacious long-term treatment options. In 2017, dupilumab was approved in the United States, Europe, and Canada as the first targeted therapy for patients with moderate-to-severe AD. Despite promising efficacy and safety results in clinical trials, our understanding of dupilumab in clinical practice remains limited with few studies outside clinical trials in literature.

Objective

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dupilumab in clinical practice and discuss any differences in results between clinical trials and real-world results.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was conducted of consecutive patients receiving dupilumab treatment at two tertiary hospitals in Toronto, Canada, between December 2017 and May 2019. The primary efficacy endpoint was measured by Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) score of 0/1 at 16 weeks and all adverse events (AEs) experienced by patients were recorded.

Results

Of the 93 patients included in the study, 51 (55%) reached IGA 0/1 and 38 (41%) experienced ≥1 AE. There were no severe AEs or discontinuation prior to 16 weeks due to an AE.

Conclusions

These findings suggest a higher IGA-based efficacy profile with no newly identified safety concerns in patients treated with dupilumab at two tertiary hospitals in Toronto, Canada, compared to those in randomized controlled trials.
Histopathological changes in tear-secreting tissues and cornea in a mouse model of autoimmune disease
Authors: Hiraishi Masaya , Masum Md Abdul , Namba Takashi , Otani Yuki , Elewa Yaser HA , Ichii Osamu , Kon Yasuhiro
Published: May 2020

The tear film covers the cornea, and its abnormalities (including immunological) induce dry eye. Using autoimmune disease model mice, BXSB/MpJ- Yaa (BXSB-Yaa), histopathological changes in the eye and tear-secreting tissues were examined using histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy at 8, 20, and 28 weeks for early, middle, and late disease stages. Early and middle stage BXSB-Yaa showed increased serum autoantibody and spleen weight-to-body weight (S/B) ratio, respectively, and higher tear volume than controls, BXSB/MpJ (BXSB), at early stages, which decreased with ageing and negatively correlated with autoimmune disease indices. Smaller Meibomian gland acini, intraorbital lacrimal glands, and Harderian gland acinar cells were seen in late stage BXSB-Yaa than in BXSB; the latter two indices decreased with ageing and negatively correlated with the S/B ratio. Cell infiltration occurred in the middle stage BXSB-Yaa extraorbital lacrimal gland, and acinar cells were smaller than BXSB. The conjunctival goblet cells decreased from early to middle stages in both strains, but in BXSB-Yaa, they increased at late stages with a partial lack of microvilli on the cornea and were inversely altered with anterior epithelium thickness through ageing, suggesting that they compensated for anterior epithelium damage. In conclusion, the tear film was unstable due to an autoimmune disease condition in BXSB-Yaa.

Impact statement

Cornea, an outermost layer of mammalian eye, is protected by tear film and abnormalities of tear film causes dry eye. Dry eye injures the cornea which results lower vision in patients. Several factors cause dry eye, including altered systemic conditions, environment, and immunological abnormality of the patient in autoimmune disease like Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). However, the detailed pathology of autoimmune abnormality-mediated dry eye is unclear. Here we demonstrated that systemic autoimmune abnormality in BXSB-Yaa mice was associated with histological changes in the exocrine glands and cornea of the eyes. We also showed that BXSB-Yaa mice developed mild or early stage dry eye-like disease and explain the existence of a compensatory mechanism associated with the dysfunction of these tissues. Thus, BXSB-Yaa could be a model for SS-like disease-associated dry eye and these data would contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of autoimmune-related dry eye disease.
Combinational Approach of Genetic SHP-1 Suppression and Voluntary Exercise Promotes Corticospinal Tract Sprouting and Motor Recovery Following Brain Injury
Authors: Tanaka Takashi , Ito Tetsufumi , Sumizono Megumi , Ono Munenori , Kato Nobuo , Honma Satoru , Ueno Masaki
Published: May 2020

Background. Brain injury often causes severe motor dysfunction, leading to difficulties with living a self-reliant social life. Injured neural circuits must be reconstructed to restore functions, but the adult brain is limited in its ability to restore neuronal connections. The combination of molecular targeting, which enhances neural plasticity, and rehabilitative motor exercise is an important therapeutic approach to promote neuronal rewiring in the spared circuits and motor recovery. Objective. We tested whether genetic reduction of Src homology 2-containing phosphatase-1 (SHP-1), an inhibitor of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) signaling, has synergistic effects with rehabilitative training to promote reorganization of motor circuits and functional recovery in a mouse model of brain injury. Methods. Rewiring of the corticospinal circuit was examined using neuronal tracers following unilateral cortical injury in control mice and in Shp-1 mutant mice subjected to voluntary exercise. Recovery of motor functions was assessed using motor behavior tests. Results. We found that rehabilitative exercise decreased SHP-1 and increased BDNF and TrkB expression in the contralesional motor cortex after the injury. Genetic reduction of SHP-1 and voluntary exercise significantly increased sprouting of corticospinal tract axons and enhanced motor recovery in the impaired forelimb. Conclusions. Our data demonstrate that combining voluntary exercise and SHP-1 suppression promotes motor recovery and neural circuit reorganization after brain injury.
What Donald Trump’s response to COVID-19 teaches us: It’s time for our romance with leaders to end
Authors: Ladkin Donna
Published: May 2020

This article challenges our collective focus on individual leaders such as Donald Trump especially during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It argues that such attention distracts us from larger systemic dynamics which are contributing to the severity of the pandemic in the US as well as obfuscating the influence of unelected parties whose interests are served by Trump’s actions. In light of these observations, rather than continuing to feed our romance with leaders, leadership scholars are encouraged to (1) expand their inquiries to interrogate the structural and societal forces which contribute to a situation’s outcomes and keep individuals in place as leaders and (2) pay greater attention to the irrational, primal dimensions at play in the relationship between leaders and those they lead.
The appisation of television: TV apps, discoverability and the software, device and platform ecologies of the internet era
Authors: Johnson Catherine
Published: May 2020

This article examines the appisation of television: the emergence of apps as a mainstream means of delivering television services/content through smart TVs, connected devices, smartphones and tablets. Exploring the interrelationships between TV content, discovery and aggregator apps, the article demonstrates how content/software providers, device manufacturers and infrastructural platforms vie to control our access to, and experience of, television in a market underpinned by datafication, commodification and selection. This control is enacted within a multidimensional software, device and platform ecology where discoverability is central because it determines which content, services and apps are most prominent, accessible and easy to find.
Association Between Physical Fitness and Bone Strength and Structure in 3- to 5-Year-Old Children
Authors: Gómez-Bruton Alejandro , Marín-Puyalto Jorge , Muñiz-Pardos Borja , Lozano-Berges Gabriel , Cadenas-Sanchez Cristina , Matute-Llorente Angel , Gómez-Cabello Alba , Moreno Luis A. , Gonzalez-Agüero Alex , Casajus Jose A. , Vicente-Rodríguez Germán
Published: May 2020

Background:

The positive association between physical fitness and bone structure has been widely investigated in children and adolescents, yet no studies have evaluated this influence in young children (ie, preschoolers).

Hypothesis:

Fit children will present improved bone variables when compared with unfit children, and no sex-based differences will emerge in the sample.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study.

Level of Evidence:

Level 3.

Methods:

Handgrip strength, standing long jump (SLJ), speed/agility, balance, and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) were assessed using the Assessing FITness levels in PREschoolers (PREFIT) test battery in 92 children (50 boys; age range, 3-5 years). A peripheral quantitative computed tomography scan was performed at 38% of the length of the nondominant tibia. Cluster analysis from handgrip strength, SLJ, speed/agility, and CRF was developed to identify fitness groups. Bone variables were compared between sexes and between cluster groups. The association between individual physical fitness components and different bone variables was also tested.

Results:

Three cluster groups emerged: fit (high values on all included physical fitness variables), strong (high strength values and low speed/agility and CRF), and unfit (low strength, speed/agility, and CRF). The fit group presented higher values than the strong and unfit groups for total and cortical bone mineral content, cortical area, and polar strength strain index (all P < 0.05). The fit group also presented a higher cortical thickness when compared with the unfit group ( P < 0.05). Handgrip, SLJ, and speed/agility predicted all bone variables except for total and cortical volumetric bone mineral density. No differences were found for bone variables between sexes.

Conclusion:

The results suggest that global fitness in preschoolers is a key determinant for bone structure and strength but not volumetric bone mineral density.

Clinical Relevance:

Physical fitness is a determinant for tibial bone mineral content, structure, and strength in very young children. Performing physical fitness tests could provide useful information related to bone health in preschoolers.