bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Numerical investigation of a friction test to determine the friction coefficients for the clinching process
Authors: Bielak Ch R , Böhnke M , Bobbert M , Meschut G
Published: April 2022

Clinching as a mechanical joining process has become established in many areas of car body. In order to predict relevant properties of clinched joints and to ensure the reliability of the process, it is numerically simulated during the product development process. The prediction accuracy of the simulated process depends on the implemented friction model. Therefore, a new method for determining friction coefficients in sheet metal materials was developed and tested. The aim of this study is the numerical investigation of this experimental method by means of FE simulation. The experimental setup is modelled in a 3D numerical simulation taking into account the process parameters varying in the experiment, such as geometric properties, contact pressure and contact velocity. Furthermore, the contact description of the model is calibrated via the experimentally determined friction coefficients according to clinch-relevant parameter space. It is shown that the assumptions made in the determination of the experimental data in preliminary work are valid. In addition, it is investigated to what extent the standard Coulomb friction model in the FEM can reproduce the results of the experimental method.
Consumer parenting, cultural processes, and the reproduction of class inequality
Authors: Cabrera Sergio A.
Published: April 2022

This article examines the cultural processes a group of middle-class parents engage in to manage tensions between their classed sense of proper consumer-parenting and their children’s consumer interests and desires. Based on analysis of qualitative data from interviews with parents with young children living in a middle-class neighborhood in Austin, Texas, I highlight the cultural practices through which parents acquiesce to their children’s desires without compromising their own classed consumer norms. Specifically, in this article I highlight the cultural processes through which middle-class parents (1) draw distinctions between spending on objects and spending on experiences, and (2) engage in intra-group “circuits of commerce” through which class actors confer positive shared meanings and moral understandings to otherwise excessive or “bad” consumer spending. Examining the ways in which parents were able to provide many of the “cheap” consumer goods their children desire without compromising their classed consumer norms provides insights into class boundaries in contemporary U.S. society as well as the role of consumerism and consumer culture in the reproduction of class inequalities.
The casual within the formal: A model and measure of informal learning in higher education
Authors: Decius Julian , Dannowsky Janika , Schaper Niclas
Published: April 2022

Research and practice have recognized the importance of informal learning—a specific type of active learning—for higher education contexts. University students learn not only in formally organized courses, but also in a self-directed and intentional way from fellow students, through trial and error, and by reflection. However, there has been a lack of valid measures to operationalize students’ informal learning. In this study, we thus develop the Informal Student Learning (ISL) scale for higher education, building on the Octagon Model of Informal Workplace Learning and the model’s associated measure from the vocational learning context. Our scale contains eight components with three items each. Using three samples of university students ( N = 545, N = 818, N = 310), we examined the model structure of ISL and the scale’s validity in an international context. The results show that the conceptual structure of informal workplace learning and informal student learning is similar for intent to learn and reflection, but different for experience/action and feedback. Examining validity, we found evidence for concurrent validity in terms of study-related self-efficacy and academic performance, and for convergent and discriminant validity indicators of the eight ISL components. The scale has configural and metric measurement invariance for age, gender, and academic achievement, and additionally scalar invariance for age. Potential applications of the new measure in the context of active learning for research, for lecturers, and for students are discussed.
Faceless power and voiceless resistance: How a Chinese context challenges a western theory of power
Authors: Liang Xiaoyan , St John Jeremy
Published: April 2022

This article examines the applicability to the Chinese context of a western power typology by Fleming and Spicer. In particular, we extend this power framework to exploring the relationship between language policies and organizational power. Drawing from 30 interviews in addition to 6-months of participant observation in a multinational corporation’s subsidiary in China, we question the separability of the different faces of power, and observe the absence of certain corresponding forms of resistance – most notably that of voice. We found Fleming and Spicer’s faces of power to prioritize individualistic and active as opposed to more collectivist and passive dynamics, potentially indicating cultural bias. Drawing on defaced account of the structures of power, we highlight the absence of an adequate emphasis on sociocultural and historical context in power discourse and expand the traditional conceptualization of power to a more multifactorial understanding of the interaction between faced and defaced structures of power as influenced by the historical, economic, socio-cultural and organizational reality of our lived experiences.
A comparative analysis of matrix reordering algorithms regarding canonical data patterns
Authors: Peron Baroni Matheus , Guimarães da Silva Celmar
Published: April 2022

Matrix reordering is an Information Visualization topic that aims to study how to reveal information hidden within matrix-based visualizations, through appropriate reordering of its rows and columns. Considering the plethora of algorithms currently available to perform this task, and the set of matrix patterns presented in the visualization literature, we noted a lack of a comprehensive comparative analysis related to a subset of these patterns, known as canonical data patterns. Thus, this work aimed to perform a broad comparison of 37 state-of-the-art reordering algorithms by measuring the efficiency (execution time) and effectiveness (which combines objective functions as Moore Neighborhood, Minimal Span Loss Function and Circular Correlation, and a qualitative approach by visually assessing the output matrices) of the algorithms. We used as input a large synthetic matrix data set with different canonical data patterns. As a result, it was possible to indicate the most appropriate reordering algorithms for each pattern considered.
Student Satisfaction In Secondary Education: An Empirical Study Of Indian Expatriate Students
Authors: Gokuladas V K , Baby Sam S K
Published: April 2022

Children who live abroad with their parents are exposed to a wide diversity of cultural and educational influences. They face various challenges as they live in a different country and experience a different culture. It is therefore important to understand their perceptions with respect to factors that could potentially enhance their satisfaction with schooling and subsequent positive engagement. The main aim of this paper is to understand what factors lead to school experiences of secondary school expatriate Indian students which in turn could lead to their better engagement. Data were gathered relating to perceptions of 1786 expatriate Indian students experiencing secondary education in the Sultanate of Oman with respect to organizational support, teachers’ support, peer support, school satisfaction and student engagement. Correlation and regression analyses carried out on this data revealed that variables including organizational support, teachers’ support, and peer support were highly significant in predicting school satisfaction of these students. It was also revealed that there exists a highly significant relationship between school satisfaction and student engagement which is not moderated by the location – rural or urban – of the school.
Synthesize and characterization of sustainable natural fibers/ conductive polymer composites
Authors: Yazıcı Pelin , Alkhateab Baidaa , Sezer Esma , Koçak Dilara , Ustamehmetoğlu Belkıs
Published: April 2022

This work aims to obtain reinforced composites of natural fibers that obtained from their agricultural wastes of and conductive polymers to develop an innovation and alternative materials. By the use of natural fibers contributes to the recycle of agricultural wastes, sustainability and further the resulting composite becomes alternative to the metals. Here, flexible conductive composites were obtained from artichoke(A), banana(B) and luffa(L) stem waste fibers(F) by the in-situ polymerization of 3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene (EDOT), pyrrole, and carbazole in the presence of cerium ammonium nitrate, iron nitrate, and iron chloride. Fibers were coated with the conductive polymers mentioned above by the in-situ chemical(C) polymerization and optimum coating conditions were investigated. Effect of EDOT concentration, oxidant concentration was performed to determine the optimum conditions for AF/PEDOT(C). FT-IR, SEM, thermal analysis supported the formation of composite and from the mechanical measurements, modulus of AF/PEDOT(C) was obtained. The highest conductivity of 12.8 S/cm was obtained from AF/PEDOT(C) composite using FeCl3 as an oxidant. Further polymerization of EDOT by electrochemical(E) method was continued on the AF/PEDOT(C) and the electroactivity of resulting electrochemical composite, AF/PEDOT(C)/PEDOT(E) was characterized accordingly. Detailed characterization showed that to use of this composite as a capacitor, one should use 0.03 M EDOT and 0.9 M FeCl3 for chemical polymerization and then continued by electropolymerization by applying 10 cycles in 0.03 M EDOT. All results showed that AF waste could be converted to the valuable AF/PEDOT(C)/PEDOT(E) conductive composites which is potentially suitable material for several electronic applications as charge storage, biosensor, electronic devices.
Development of knitted reinforced structures with self-diagnostic function for composite applications
Authors: Abbas Adeel , Asim Ahmad , Zahid Asim , Anas Sohaib , Basra Sikander A , Azam Zeeshan
Published: April 2022

The research aims the development of knitted reinforcement structures for inducing self-diagnostic properties into knitted reinforced composites for structural health monitoring. Conductive carbon fiber was used in knitted inlaid structures as inlay yarns, and l × 1 Rib knitted base fabric of polyester filament yarn was used for knitting. The reinforcement’s conductive nature induced self-diagnostic properties into composites using correlation of mechanical damages and changes in electrical resistance values. Single and double stimuli layers and inlay patterns of 3 × 1, 6 × 1 and 9 × 1 was used to check their impact on self-diagnostic properties. Mechanical testing and real-time electrical resistance monitoring proved knitted structures as a solution to induce self-diagnostic properties into composite materials. Composites having double stimuli (conductive) layers exhibited better self-diagnostic properties than single stimuli layer composites, and the self-diagnostic properties also improved as the inlay pattern of reinforcement moved from 9 × 1 to 6 × 1 and 3 × 1 inlay. Such knitted reinforced self-diagnostic composites could be practically used in structural health monitoring applications, e.g., complicated structures of large buildings infrastructures and machinery which require record of each minor happening with structures to keep smooth and successful running of the system.
Preclinical and clinical studies of bintrafusp alfa, a novel bifunctional anti-PD-L1/TGFβRII agent: Current status
Authors: Gameiro Sofia R , Strauss Julius , Gulley James L , Schlom Jeffrey
Published: April 2022

Bintrafusp alfa (anti-PD-L1/TGFβRII) is a first-in-class bifunctional agent designed to act both as a checkpoint inhibitor and as a “trap” for TGFβ in the tumor microenvironment (TME). This article is designed to review the preclinical studies interrogating the mode of action of bintrafusp alfa and to present a comprehensive overview of recent bintrafusp alfa clinical studies. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that bintrafusp alfa immune-mediating and antitumor activity can be enhanced by combining it with a human papillomavirus (HPV) therapeutic cancer vaccine, a tumor-targeting interleukin 12 (IL-12) immunocytokine and/or an IL-15 superagonist. The importance of TGFβ in HPV-associated malignancies is also reviewed. The clinical studies reviewed span extended phase I cohorts in patients with a spectrum of malignancies, two randomized phase II studies in lung and one in biliary tract cancers in which bintrafusp alfa did not demonstrate superiority over standard-of-care therapies, and provocative results in patients with HPV-associated malignancies, where as a monotherapy, bintrafusp alfa has shown response rates of 35%, compared to overall response rate (ORR) of 12–24% seen with other Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved or standard-of-care agents. This article also reviews preliminary phase II study results of patients with HPV+ malignancies employing bintrafusp alfa in combination with an HPV therapeutic vaccine and a tumor-targeting IL-12 immunocytokine in which the combination therapy outperforms standard-of-care therapies in both checkpoint naïve and checkpoint refractory patients. This review thus provides an example of the importance of conducting clinical studies in an appropriate patient population – in this case, exemplified by the role of TGFβ in HPV-associated malignancies. This review also provides preclinical and preliminary clinical study results of the combined use of multiple immune-modulating agents, each designed to engage different immune components and tumor cells in the TME.
Hyperinflammation, apoptosis, and organ damage
Authors: Kuypers Frans A
Published: April 2022

The cytokine storm (CS) in hyperinflammation is characterized by high levels of cytokines, extreme activation of innate as well as adaptive immune cells and initiation of apoptosis. High levels of apoptotic cells overwhelm the proper recognition and removal system of these cells. Phosphatidylserine on the apoptotic cell surface, which normally provides a recognition signal for removal, becomes a target for hemostatic proteins and secretory phospholipase A2. The dysregulation of these normal pathways in hemostasis and the inflammasome result in a prothrombotic state, cellular death, and end-organ damage. In this review, we provide the argument that this imbalance in recognition and removal is a common denominator regardless of the inflammatory trigger. The complex reaction of the immune defense system in hyperinflammation leads to self-inflicted damage. This common endpoint may provide additional options to monitor the progression of the inflammatory syndrome, predict severity, and may add to possible treatment strategies.
The potential role of complement alternative pathway activation in hypertensive renal damage
Authors: Wang Chongjian , Wang Zhiyu , Zhang Wen
Published: April 2022

Hypertensive renal damage is a common secondary kidney disease caused by poor control of blood pressure. Recent evidence has revealed abnormal activation of the complement alternative pathway (AP) in hypertensive patients and animal models and that this phenomenon is related to hypertensive renal damage. Conditions in the setting of hypertension, including high renin concentration, reduced binding of factor H to the glomerular basement membrane, and abnormal local synthesis of complement proteins, potentially promote the AP activation in the kidney. The products of the AP activation promote the phenotypic transition of mesangial cells and tubular cells, attack endothelial cells and recruit immunocytes to worsen hypertensive renal damage. The effects of complement inhibition on hypertensive renal damage are contradictory. Although clinical data support the use of C5 monoclonal antibody in malignant hypertension, pharmacological inhibition in hypertensive animals provides little benefit to kidney function. Therefore, the role of the complement AP in the pathogenesis of hypertensive renal damage and the value of complement inhibition in hypertensive renal damage treatment must be further explored.
Does Deep Brain Stimulation Work in Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome? Well…it Depends
Authors: Aungaroon Gewalin
Published: April 2022

[Box: see text]
Anticancer L-Asparaginase and Phytoactive Compounds From Plant Solanum nigrum Against MDR (Methicillindrug resistant) Staphylococcus aureus and Fungal Isolates
Authors: Aisha Ambreen , Zahra Saba , Tahir Imtiaz M. , Hussain Asim , Bano Naheed , Roobi Alishbah , Afsheen Nadia , Saleem Yasir
Published: April 2022

L-asparaginase is used in chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia and other cancers. L-asparaginase derived from bacterial source triggers immune responses. The current study investigates Solanum nigrum as a novel and latent source of L-asparaginase to minimize immunological reactions. The antitumor activity of SN methanol extract was determined using the potato disc assay. InterPro Chimera and InterPro were used to predict the amino acid sequence of L-asparaginase and its anticancer activity. Purification of the enzyme was carried out to homogeneity of 1.51-fold with a recovery of 61.99%. At optimal conditions of 36.5°C, pH 8.6, and 8.5 g/mL substrate, fruit (crude extract) revealed an L-asparaginase titer of 48.23 U/mL. The molecular weight of the enzyme was calculated to be 32 ± 5 kDa using SDS PAGE. The fruit’s total flavonoids and phenolic contents are 0.42 ± .030 g/mL and 94 ± 1.9 mg CAE, respectively. Anti-tumorigenic efficacy was determined to be 66% against Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Additionally, the extract possesses potent antifungal and antibacterial properties. Molecular docking provided the structural motifs and underlying interactions between L-asparaginase, N-acetylglucosamine, murine, and chitin. SN contains high levels of the enzyme L-asparaginase and phytochemicals, making it a potential source of anticancer drugs.
Coupled dynamics characteristics analysis of the marine multi-gearbox system under multi-source excitation
Authors: Gong Jingyi , Liu Geng , Yuan Bing , Liu Lan , Yang Long , Wu Fukang
Published: April 2022

The marine multi-gearbox system has the characteristics of multi-source excitation and multi-gearbox coupled. The interaction among gearboxes is inevitable. To reveal the coupled mechanism, a coupled dynamic model of multi-gearbox system is proposed in this paper by the generalized finite element method and the substructure method. The dynamic model of each gearbox in the multi-gearbox system is also established. Under the same working conditions, the dynamic response of single gearbox and multi-gearbox system are obtained. The results show that the adjacent gear pairs of adjacent gearboxes are more affected by the coupled effect at low rotational speed. Compared with single gearbox, the RMS curve of multi-gearbox system of meshing forces generates some new resonance peaks, which are caused by the new modes excited by the mesh frequencies of adjacent gearboxes. The dynamic response of gear pairs which are greatly affected by coupled effect are more sensitive to the change of stiffness of couplings. Reducing the stiffness of the couplings can weaken the coupled effect of the system, and vice versa. The change of housing stiffness does not influence the coupled effect of the multi-gearbox system, and the new modes and resonance peaks generated by the coupled effect have not changed significantly.
A research design for promoting and examining content knowledge and argumentation skills in socio-economic contexts in German-speaking countries
Authors: Ackermann Nicole , Siegfried Christin
Published: April 2022

Economic education is an essential prerequisite for coping with economic-characterised problems in various life spheres, especially with socio-economic problems in the societal sphere. Making informed and reasoned decisions on socio-economic problems requires domain-specific content knowledge and domain-specific argumentation skills. Economic education is anchored in many framework curricula at secondary school level in German-speaking countries. Yet, despite its curricular and practical relevance, empirical studies in the economic domain that address both students’ content knowledge and argumentation skills are rare. This article outlines a research design for a proposed intervention study that aims to promote and examine content knowledge and argumentation skills in socio-economic contexts. The research design is built on three core elements: (1) a workshop on teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, (2) a problem-oriented teaching/learning setting with authentic socio-economic problems and (3) instruments and frameworks to assess students’ competence. The research design serves as a starting point for an internationally comparable research programme, primarily applicable for grammar schools in German-speaking countries.
Radical citizenship education
Authors: Leighton Ralph
Published: April 2022

All education is political; the radical approach to Citizenship Education promotes social justice and critical active participation. In synthesizing a pedagogy of discomfort and the principles of subversive teaching, this is predicated on the notion that authority should be accountable, that people should be able and enabled to take decision makers to task, that those decision makers are the servants of the people. This article is based on research conducted and published during 16 years as subject leader for Citizenship Education on a pre-service qualifying programme for specialist teachers. It is adapted from the commentary submitted as part of my PhD by publication. The proposed ‘Radical Citizenship Education’ aims to enable people to question and, if they wish, to change social circumstances rather than to stoically accept the status quo. Couched within a framework which owes as much to Postman and Weingartner as it does to Marxism, studies are summarized largely chronologically to explain and contextualize the data collected. The influence of many other thinkers and writers is acknowledged, from the 19th Century to the 21st, in the continued belief that the purpose of Citizenship Education should not be to protect the civic landscape, but to change it.
The Berrettini palmar neural communicating branch: a study of 27 cadaveric specimens and determination of a high-risk surgical zone
Authors: Marton Akos , Ahmed Shahzaib , Jarvis Gavin E. , Brassett Cecilia , Grant Ian , Gaunt Michael E.
Published: April 2022

In this cadaveric study, we analysed digital images of dissected palms to define the location and length of superficial connections between the median and the ulnar nerves (Berrettini communicating branches). We found the connections present in 12 of 27 hands. We used a coordinate model to define their location relative to seven specified landmarks. The model revealed that the Berrettini communicating branches were positioned consistently, and we defined a high-risk zone in the palm that fully contained seven of the 12 connections, while others had minor projections outside the zone. We conclude that awareness of this high-risk zone in the palm can be of some help to reduce the risk of iatrogenic nerve injury, however, any operation in the palm must always be done with great care to visualize and protect any possible anatomically unusual structures.
Comparison of conventional and transtrapezial palmar approaches for screw fixation of scaphoid waist fractures: a clinical study
Authors: Tsumura Takuya , Matsumoto Taiichi , Imanaka Toshihide , Kishimoto Katsuma , Ito Hiromu
Published: April 2022

We investigated two palmar approaches for screw fixation of acute scaphoid waist fractures: the conventional percutaneous or transtrapezial approach. Thirty cases who underwent operation from 2013 to 2021 were reviewed (conventional group, 15; transtrapezial approach group, 15). Cross-sections were constructed along the long axis of the scaphoid on postoperative computed tomography to evaluate the screw position, relative to the centre point in the distal-third, midwaist and proximal-third of the bone. The screw could be inserted centrally in the proximal and distal regions using the transtrapezial approach. In the conventional approach, the screw was inserted radially in the distal region, but tended to be positioned centrally in the midwaist and proximal regions. As central placement of the screw in the proximal fragment offers a biomechanical advantage, both approaches can be options for some fracture patterns, while for others, the fracture pattern could influence which approach is better.

Level of evidence: IV
Reliability and validity of velocity measures and regression methods to predict maximal strength ability in the back-squat using a novel linear position transducer
Authors: Kilgallon Jonathan , Cushion Emily , Joffe Shaun , Tallent Jamie
Published: April 2022

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of load-velocity profiles (LVPs) and validity of 1-repetition maximum (1-RM) prediction methods in the back-squat using the novel Vitruve linear position transducer (LPT). Twenty-five men completed a back-squat 1-RM assessment followed by 2 LVP trials using five incremental loads (20%–40%–60%–80%–90% 1-RM). Mean propulsive velocity (MPV), mean velocity (MV) and peak velocity (PV) were measured via a (LPT). Linear and polynomial regression models were applied to the data. The reliability and validity criteria were defined a priori as intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) or Pearson correlation coefficient ( r) > 0.70, coefficient of variation (CV) ≤10%, and effect size ( ES) <0.60. Bland-Altman analysis and heteroscedasticity of errors ( r2) were also assessed. The main findings indicated MPV, MV and PV were reliable across 20%–90% 1-RM (CV < 8.8%). The secondary findings inferred all prediction models had acceptable reliability (CV < 8.0%). While the MPV linear and MV linear models demonstrated the best estimation of 1-RM (CV < 5.9%), all prediction models displayed unacceptable validity and a tendency to overestimate or underestimate 1-RM. Mean systematic bias (−7.29 to 2.83 kg) was detected for all prediction models, along with little to no heteroscedasticity of errors for linear ( r2 < 0.04) and polynomial models ( r2 < 0.08). Furthermore, all 1-RM estimations were significantly different from each other ( p < 0.03). Concludingly, MPV, MV and PV can provide reliable LVPs and repeatable 1-RM predictions. However, prediction methods may not be sensitive enough to replace direct assessment of 1-RM. Polynomial regression is not suitable for 1-RM prediction.
Essential thrombocythemia with CALR mutation and recurrent stroke: two case reports and literature review
Authors: Chen Rong , Shi Xiaodan , Wang Luojun , Wang Xuan , Wei Jingya , Kang Xiaogang , Du Fang , Gao Shan , Yang Fang , Jiang Wen
Published: April 2022

Cerebrovascular events, especially ischemic stroke, are common complications of essential thrombocythemia (ET). Compared to JAK2V617 F mutation, CALR mutation is considered as a lower risk factor of thrombosis in ET. Until now stroke in ET with CALR mutation has rarely been reported. We retrospectively investigated patients diagnosed with stroke and ET in Xijing hospital of Air Force Medical University, from 2015 to 2021. Clinical characteristics (including medical history, physical and auxiliary examination and prognosis) were recorded and associated literature was reviewed. Among the 19 patients diagnosed with both stroke and ET we retrieved, two cases were positive for CALR mutation. In case 1, a 71-year-old man developed the first ischemic event under the treatment of anagrelide, followed by a hemorrhagic stroke after receiving aspirin and clopidogrel for 4 months. Ischemic stroke reccurred and the neurological function deteriorated progressively. In case 2, a 44-year-old man presented with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy due to serious myocardial infarction and subsequent brain imaging indicated three times of ischemic stroke events. The patient gradually got improved through cytoreductive and antiplatelet therapy and rehabilitation. Literature review showed that cerebrovascular event is the most serious neurological complication of ET and may be the presenting symptom. Most of reported cases with ET accompanied by stroke were positive for JAK2 V617 F mutation, but with rare CALR mutation. ET with CALR mutation can cause both hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke. Identification of such rare causes of stroke is of great importance to provide precise and individualized prevention and therapy.
Outcomes in Pump- and CGM-Baseline Use Subgroups in the International Diabetes Closed-Loop Trial
Authors: Ekhlaspour Laya , Raghinaru Dan , Forlenza Gregory P. , Isganaitis Elvira , Kudva Yogish C. , Lam David W. , Levister Camilla , O’Malley Grenye , Church Mei Mei , Lum John W. , Buckingham Bruce , Brown Sue A.
Published: April 2022

Background:

We investigated the potential benefits of automated insulin delivery (AID) among individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in sub-populations of baseline device use determined by continuous glucose monitor (CGM) use status and insulin delivery via multiple daily injections (MDI) or insulin pump.

Materials and Methods:

In a six-month randomized, multicenter trial, 168 individuals were assigned to closed-loop control (CLC, Control-IQ, Tandem Diabetes Care), or sensor-augmented pump (SAP) therapy. The trial included a two- to eight-week run-in phase to train participants on study devices. The participants were stratified into four subgroups: insulin pump and CGM (pump+CGM), pump-only, MDI and CGM (MDI+CGM), and MDI users without CGM (MDI-only) users. We compared glycemic outcomes among four subgroups.

Results:

At baseline, 61% were pump+CGM users, 18% pump-only users, 10% MDI+CGM users, and 11% MDI-only users. Mean time in range 70-180 mg/dL (TIR) improved from baseline in the four subgroups using CLC: pump+CGM, 62% to 73%; pump-only, 61% to 70%; MDI+CGM, 54% to 68%; and MDI-only, 61% to 69%. The reduction in time below 70 mg/dL from baseline was comparable among the four subgroups. No interaction effect was detected with baseline device use for TIR ( P = .67) or time below ( P = .77). On the System Usability Questionnaire, scores were high at 26 weeks for all subgroups: pump+CGM: 87.2 ± 12.1, pump-only: 89.4 ± 8.2, MDI+CGM 87.2 ± 9.3, MDI: 78.1 ± 15.

Conclusions:

There was a consistent benefit in patients with T1D when using CLC, regardless of baseline insulin delivery modality or CGM use. These data suggest that this CLC system can be considered across a wide range of patients.
Dietary diversity score and associated factors among high school adolescent girls in a selected school of Yeka Sub-city, Addis Ababa
Authors: Worku Lelisa , Mamo Konjit , Bekele Teshome , Atlaw Daniel
Published: April 2022

Introduction:

Adequate dietary intake is critical for modification of eating behavior and provides nutrients required for growth particularly among adolescents. The evidence revealed the variation and unrelated data on the prevalence of dietary diversity among adolescent girls in Ethiopia.

Objective:

To assess the magnitude of dietary diversity and associated factors among high school adolescent girls at the selected school of Yeka Sub-city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 2021.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted in high schools of the Yeka sub-city. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS and the characteristics of the study participants were reported using descriptive statistics. A logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with dietary diversity.

Result:

The mean score of dietary diversity was 4.9 ± 1.47 with a response rate of 97.2% among a proposed number of participants. The dietary diversity score is high in 56.7% and low among 43.3% of adolescents. Stayed a long time on social media (adjusted odds ratio = 2.6), school type (adjusted odds ratio = 6.5), educational status of mother (adjusted odds ratio = 8.7), consuming more sweet food (adjusted odds ratio = 3.6), occupation of the mother (adjusted odds ratio = 2.3), household security (adjusted odds ratio = 2.3), and fear of obese/worried about shape (adjusted odds ratio = 5.0) were statistically associated with low dietary diversity score.

Conclusion:

The finding of the study revealed that the magnitude of low dietary diversity among adolescent girls was found to be high. Long time social media usage, school type, educational status of the mother, consuming more sweet food, occupation of mother, household food security, and fear of obese/worried about shape were statistically associated with dietary diversity score.
Utilization of cervical cancer screening service and associated factors among women of reproductive age group in Ilu Abba Bor zone, southwestern Ethiopia, 2019: Cross-sectional study
Authors: Dirirsa Dejene Edosa , Asefa Eyosiyas Yeshialem , Awol Salo Mukemil
Published: April 2022

Introduction:

Cervical cancer is one of the severest risks to women’s life. It is the main reason for more than half million of morbidity and 266,000 deaths worldwide annually.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to assess the level of cervical cancer screening service utilization and associated factors among women of the reproductive age group coming for health care service to public health facilities of Ilu Abba Bor zone, southwestern Ethiopia, 2019.

Methods:

An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was employed from 1 May to 30 May 2019. Participants were selected by systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected using a pretested questionnaire and entered into Epi data 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was used to observe the factors associated with cervical cancer screening utilization service. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was used. Variables with a p-value of <0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.

Results:

From a total of 259 women involved in the study, about 19 (7.3%) of the study participants had been screened for cervical cancer at least once in the past 3 years during the study period. Educational status: primary (grade 1–8) (adjusted odds ratio = 3; 95% confidence interval = (1.15–7.91)), secondary (grade 9–12) (adjusted odds ratio = 4.21; 95% confidence interval = (1.04–7.46)), and tertiary (grade 12+) (adjusted odds ratio = 6.01; 95% confidence interval = (3.01–11.35)), nulliparous (adjusted odds ratio = 0.256; 95% confidence interval = (0.105–0.642)), and looking for information about cervical cancer (adjusted odds ratio = 3.4; 95% confidence interval = (1.8–6.2)) were significant factors associated with utilization of cervical cancer screening service.

Conclusion:

The study revealed that there was low cervical cancer screening service utilization in the study area. Educational status, parity, and looking for cervical cancer information were independently associated with cervical cancer screening utilization service. There is need to improve women’s education, dissemination of information about importance of cervical cancer screening, and focus on nulliparous women to have good practice of cervical cancer screening.
Tertiary experience of managing young bladder cancer patients
Authors: Brown Andrew , Burton Claudia , Ives Sarah , Elkington Isabel , Hussain Maria , Murigu Alex , Shear Ben , Warren Katherine , Burden Helena
Published: April 2022

Objective:

Bladder cancer is rare in young patients and some authors have concluded that this group have a favourable outcome. We aimed to analyse our experience with such patients.

Patients and Methods:

Patients aged 50 years or younger were identified via a retrospective review of pathology samples between 2016 and 2020. Data regarding demographics, symptoms, stage, grade, size and multifocality at initial transurethral resection, recurrence rate and progression were analysed.

Results:

60 patients with an average age of 42 were identified. The majority of patients presented with intermediate-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Four patients presented with muscle invasive and three with metastatic disease. There were seven deaths. Forty-nine patients with NMIBC were followed-up for an average of 5 years and 2 months. 41% of our cohort did not have a recurrence and only four moved up the risk stratification. No patients under 40 presented with muscle invasive disease and the majority had intermediate risk NMIBC.

Conclusion:

Young patients typically present with intermediate-risk NMIBC which rarely progresses. Very high-risk disease and aggressive variants do occur and may benefit from upfront cystectomy. The rate of muscle-invasive disease increases with age and rarely occurs under 40. Until more data is readily available, the management of this cohort of patients should follow the well-established guidelines.

Level of evidence:

4 (case series)
Scrotal Masson's tumour masquerading as dysplastic polyorchidism – a case report
Authors: Lilis Lydia , Wood Fergus , Dickerson David
Published: April 2022

Summary

This case describes a rare genitourinary presentation of a Masson's tumour, preoperatively assumed to be a dysplastic third testis.
Prospective trial registration and publication rates of randomized clinical trials in digital health: A cross-sectional analysis of global trial registries
Authors: Al-Durra Mustafa , Nolan Robert P , Seto Emily , Cafazzo Joseph A
Published: April 2022

Objectives

We sought to examine the prevalence of prospective registration and publication rates in digital health trials.

Materials and Methods

We included 417 trials that enrolled participants in 2012 and were registered in any of the 17 WHO data provider registries. The evaluation of the prospective trial registration was based on the actual difference between the registration and enrollment dates. We identified existing publications through an automated PubMed search by every trial registration number as well as a pragmatic search in PubMed and Google based on extracted metadata from the trial registries.

Results

The prospective registration and publication rates were at (38.4%) and (65.5%), respectively. We identified a statistically significant ( p < 0.001) “Selective Registration Bias” with 95.7% of trials published within a year after registration, were registered retrospectively. We reported a statistically significant relationship ( p = 0.003) between prospective registration and funding sources, with industry-funded trials having the lowest compliance with prospective registration at (14.3%). The lowest non-publication rates were in the Middle East (26.7%) and Europe (28%), and the highest were in Asia (56.5%) and the U.S. (42.5%). We found statistically significant differences ( p < 0.001) between trial location and funding sources with the highest percentage of industry-funded trials in Asia (17.4%) and the U.S. (3.3%).

Conclusion

The adherence of investigators to the best practices of trial registration and result dissemination is still evolving in digital health trials. Further research is required to identify contributing factors and mitigation strategies to low compliance rate with trial publication and prospective registration in digital health trials.
Current State and General Perceptions of the Use of Extended Reality (XR) Technology at the University of Newcastle: Interviews and Surveys From Staff and Students
Authors: Kluge Murielle G. , Maltby Steven , Keynes Angela , Nalivaiko Eugene , Evans Darrell J. R. , Walker Frederick R.
Published: April 2022

Extended reality (XR) technology is an emerging teaching tool within the higher education sector. Many institutions are currently running pilot projects, primarily assessing individual XR teaching tools typically being led by innovative/technology-driven teaching staff, which may introduce a self-selection bias and may not represent the general attitudes of the broader staff and student population. We applied a mixed-methods approach to gain insight into end-user acceptability, value areas, barriers, and opportunities for the adoption of XR in teaching at an Australian University. A university-wide online survey and targeted interview sessions with XR technology users show a general readiness for broad adoption of XR technologies in university education. Whilst existing XR teaching applications were described as “successful,” relatively few applications were sustainably integrated into the curriculum. Our data highlights the existing barriers for the successful transition from individual use-cases of XR tools to broader adoption across university institutions.
The Politics of Knowledge of Medicinal Plants in India: Corporations, Collectors and Cultivators as Constituents
Authors: Handa Abhishek
Published: April 2022

This article seeks to understand one of the most important problems in the contemporary discourse of modern development, that of management, control, collection and trade of medicinal plants in India. The tremendous growth in the market for herbal medicines since the 1990s has prompted large-scale industrial production of these medicines by big pharmaceutical corporations. This relies on medicinal plants mostly derived from the wild, and while their market has grown enormously, it has also led to their over-harvesting, without any concomitant efforts at regeneration. This article offers to analyse the political aspect of the existing market supply chain of medicinal plants in India. This study specifically focuses on problematizing the complex power structures in the market supply chain of medicinal plants, with reference to the knowledge of production that guides the corporations. In order to manufacture herbal products on the basis of large-scale centralized production systems, the corporations privilege their ‘knowledge’ of harvesting, production and distribution over that of the collectors. The collectors are usually part of communities that have built up their knowledge of accessibility and medicinal properties of these medicinal plants over centuries of care, experience and innovation. It is when these two knowledge systems clash, in the larger context of political economy of development and the public policies of the state, that the degradation of nature becomes inevitable.
A Study on ‘Dharani Portal’ and Its Transformative Impact in Khammam District, Telangana
Authors: Reddy K. Varun
Published: April 2022

Government of Telangana has passed the landmark Telangana Rights in Land and Pattadar Pass Books (PPB) Act, 2020, in the month of September 2020, giving legal sanctity to the Record of Rights maintained online on Dharani portal. The Act has made sweeping changes in the way registration and mutation being carried out in the state of Telangana. This article tries to capture the transformative impact made with the introduction of the Dharani portal and the changes made in the registration and mutation process. It also tries to make an assessment with respect to how Dharani fares vis-à-vis establishing Conclusive Titling system in the state of Telangana.
Implementation of agrarian reform in North Sumatra, Indonesia: The productiveness of institutional fragmentation
Authors: Lee Zhe Yu
Published: April 2022

Over the past few years, the Government of Indonesia has set out to implement an ambitious goal of formally changing land tenure arrangements on over 20 million hectares of land across the country. In this paper, I analyze the politics surrounding the policy framework’s implementation at the provincial level in North Sumatra. Given variegated meanings of agrarian reform held by different civil society actors as well as the abstract national-level policy framework allowing for multiple types of tenure to be claimed, I show how “ineffective” policy implementation cannot be merely explained by characterizing state institutions as dysfunctional, in part due to how “accurate” claims cannot be ascertained in a self-evident manner. Rather, the invocation and resignification of longstanding commonly accepted communitarian vocabularies provide opportunities for different civil society actors to assert and gain recognition for specific visions of (re)territorializing land and (re)subjectivizing rural populations to challenge longstanding political-economic structures that continue to privilege plantation, mining, and logging interests. As such, contemporary fragmentation of the Indonesian land bureaucracy should not be seen in a negative light. Instead, bureaucratic interactions at the provincial level are decisive modes of articulating and formalizing legitimate visions of land use and rural development as well as defining appropriate economic, environmental, and cultural subjectivities in a non-deterministic manner.
Data Visualization Using R for Researchers Who Do Not Use R
Authors: Nordmann Emily , McAleer Phil , Toivo Wilhelmiina , Paterson Helena , DeBruine Lisa M.
Published: April 2022

In addition to benefiting reproducibility and transparency, one of the advantages of using R is that researchers have a much larger range of fully customizable data visualizations options than are typically available in point-and-click software because of the open-source nature of R. These visualization options not only look attractive but also can increase transparency about the distribution of the underlying data rather than relying on commonly used visualizations of aggregations, such as bar charts of means. In this tutorial, we provide a practical introduction to data visualization using R specifically aimed at researchers who have little to no prior experience of using R. First, we detail the rationale for using R for data visualization and introduce the “grammar of graphics” that underlies data visualization using the ggplot package. The tutorial then walks the reader through how to replicate plots that are commonly available in point-and-click software, such as histograms and box plots, and shows how the code for these “basic” plots can be easily extended to less commonly available options, such as violin box plots. The data set and code used in this tutorial and an interactive version with activity solutions, additional resources, and advanced plotting options are available at https://osf.io/bj83f/ .