bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Augusto Del Noce: Toward an Education of Limits
Authors: Carlin Matthew
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Augusto Del Noce is widely regarded in his home country of Italy as one of the most important political philosophers of the second half of the twentieth century. Del Noce's work covers a range of topics including modernity, technology, contemporary Catholicism, secularism, eroticism, communism, fascism, and progressivism. Although Del Noce holds a distinguished place within Italian philosophical and intellectual circles, his work has largely remained unknown across most of Europe and in the English‐speaking world. As Del Noce's writings have begun to be translated into English in recent years, however, a new and expanded engagement with his work has taken place. While new analyses of Del Noce's thought have slowly appeared in a variety of academic disciplines, no work has yet examined Del Noce's significance for the field of education. In this essay Matthew Carlin rectifies this oversight by examining a wide range of Del Noce's writing, paying particular attention to how his historico‐political analysis of the emergence of modern progressivism necessitates the creation of a new education of limits for the twenty‐first century.
Transnational life and cross‐border immobility in pandemic times
Authors: Skovgaard‐Smith Irene
Published: December 2021

The COVID‐19 pandemic dramatically disrupted and reconfigured the cross‐border movements of people. Based on an anthropological study of the experiences of transnational migrants during the pandemic (May 2020–May 2021), this article explores stories of how cross‐border immobility impacts transnational life and sense of belonging. The stories reveal the emotional toll of prolonged family separation across geographical distances when loved ones are no longer ‘just one flight away’ and give voice to experiences of being ‘trapped’, ‘stuck’ or ‘stranded’ in a state of transnational limbo. Running through the stories are intensified experiences of foreignness, non‐belonging, precariousness and discrimination. Some also felt abandoned by their country of origin as border closures left them ‘locked out’ and ‘blowing in the wind’, fostering an experience akin to exile.
Prevalence of fluid overload in an urbanUShemodialysis population: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Moissl Ulrich , Fuentes Lemuel Rivera , Hakim Mohamad I. , Hassler Manuel , Kothari Dewangi A. , Rosales Laura , Zhu Fansan , Raimann Jochen G. , Thijssen Stephan , Kotanko Peter
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Inadequate fluid status remains a key driver of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. Quantification of fluid overload (FO) using bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) has become standard in many countries. To date, no BIS device has been approved in the United States for fluid status assessment in kidney patients. Therefore, no previous quantification of fluid status in US kidney patients using BIS has been reported. Our aim was to conduct a cross‐sectional BIS‐based assessment of fluid status in an urban US HD population.

Methods

We determined fluid status in chronic HD patients using whole body BIS (Body Composition Monitor, BCM). The BCM reports FO in liters; negative FO denotes fluid depletion. Measurements were performed before dialysis. Post‐HD FO was estimated by subtracting the intradialytic weight loss from the pre‐HD FO.

Findings

We studied 170 urban HD patients (age 61 ± 14 years, 60% male). Pre‐ and post‐HD FO (mean ± SD), were 2.2 ± 2.4 and −0.2 ± 2.7 L, respectively. Pre‐HD, 43% of patients were fluid overloaded, 53% normally hydrated, and 4% fluid depleted. Post‐HD, 12% were fluid overloaded, 55% normohydrated and 32% fluid depleted. Only 48% of fluid overloaded patients were hypertensive, while 38% were normotensive and 14% hypotensive. Fluid status did not differ significantly between African Americans (N = 90) and Caucasians (N = 61).

Discussion

While about half of the patients had normal fluid status pre‐HD, a considerable proportion of patients was either fluid overloaded or depleted, indicating the need for tools to objectively quantify fluid status.
Prognostication in Japanese patients with bacillus Calmette‐Guérin‐unresponsive non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer undergoing early radical cystectomy
Authors: Nishimura Nobutaka , Miyake Makito , Iida Kota , Miyamoto Tatsuki , Tomida Ryotaro , Numakura Kazuyuki , Inokuchi Junichi , Yoneyama Takahiro , Matsumura Yoshiaki , Yajima Shugo , Masuda Hitoshi , Terada Naoki , Taoka Rikiya , Kobayashi Takashi , Kojima Takahiro , Matsui Yoshiyuki , Nishiyama Naotaka , Kitamura Hiroshi , Nishiyama Hiroyuki , Fujimoto Kiyohide
Published: December 2021

Objectives

The US Food and Drug Administration recently defined the clinical term “bacillus Calmette‐Guérin‐unresponsive non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer” as a disease state resistant to adequate bacillus Calmette‐Guérin therapy. There is a significant lack of prognostication for this disease even in patients who have undergone early radical cystectomy. This study aimed to identify the clinical outcomes and prognostic factors in Japanese patients with bacillus Calmette‐Guérin‐unresponsive non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer who underwent early radical cystectomy.

Methods

Data from a large‐scale multicenter retrospective study included 2879 patients with highest‐risk or high‐risk non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer who received intravesical bacillus Calmette‐Guérin induction therapy between January 2000 and December 2019. A total of 141 patients (4.3%) met the criteria for bacillus Calmette‐Guérin‐unresponsive disease, of whom 47 (33.3%) underwent early radical cystectomy. Prognostic factors for three clinical endpoints, namely, unresectable lesion‐free survival, cancer‐specific survival, and overall survival, were identified.

Results

The highest‐risk status at induction bacillus Calmette‐Guérin was associated with short unresectable lesion‐free survival (hazard ratio 7.85; P < 0.05), cancer‐specific survival (hazard ratio 12.24; P < 0.05), and overall survival (hazard ratio 9.25; P < 0.01). Moreover, extravesical tumors (pathological T3 or T4) on the radical cystectomy specimens were associated with poor prognosis and were found at a higher rate in patients with the highest‐risk status at induction bacillus Calmette‐Guérin than in those with high‐risk status (35.7% vs 21.2%).

Conclusions

The highest‐risk status among the pre‐bacillus Calmette‐Guérin factors was associated with upstaging to extravesical tumors and poor prognosis despite early radical cystectomy procedures. Appropriate decision‐making and the correct timing of radical cystectomy are vital to avoid treatment delays and improve outcomes.
Investigation of the effect of surface phosphate ester dispersant on viscosity by coarse‐grain modeling of BaTiO slurry
Authors: Nakata Hiroya , Kiguchi Takayoshi , Hino Osamu
Published: December 2021

To understand the role of phosphate ester dispersant, we investigated the rheology of a BaTiO slurry. For the model case, a coarse‐grain molecular dynamics (CGMD) simulation was performed with the butyral polymer didodecyl hydrogen phosphate (DHP) in the toluene/ethanol solvent. By systematically analyzing the effect of DHP from an atomic‐scale first principle and from all‐atom MD to microscale CGMD simulation, we investigated how the adsorption of a DHP dispersant on a BaTiO surface affects the microstructure rheology of a BaTiO slurry. The first‐principle and all‐atom MD simulation suggests that DHP molecules prefer to locate near the BaTiO surface. CGMD simulation shows a reduction in viscosity with an increase in dispersants, suggesting that the dispersant population near the BaTiO surface plays a key role in controlling the rheology of the BaTiO slurry. In this study, we propose an approach for understanding the BaTiO slurry with molecular‐level simulations, which would be a useful tool for efficient optimization of slurry preparation.
Lead thioarsenate system PbS–As2S3: Glass formation, macroscopic, and electric properties
Authors: Alrifai Bouthayna , Kassem Mohammad , Bokova Maria , Fourmentin Marc , Poupin Christophe , Toufaily Joumana , Bychkov Eugene
Published: December 2021

Lead thioarsenate glasses are promising materials for a number of potential applications in far infrared optics, chemical sensing, nonlinear photonics, etc. Electronic properties of the PbS–As2S3 glasses were studied in the past, however, the relationship between the glass and crystal characteristics have not been established. Here we compare the glass‐forming domain in the pseudo‐binary system obtained by usual melt–quenching and mechanical milling. Macroscopic and electrical glass properties are analyzed in comparison with their crystalline counterparts: PbAs2S4, Pb5As9S18, and Pb2As2S5, and the annealed glasses yielding glassy/crystalline alloys. Although the primary crystallization phases in glasses are consistent with the phase diagram, the lead local environment seems to be different in glasses and crystals, reflected by their properties and preliminary high‐energy X‐ray diffraction results.
Effect of dental screening on cardiovascular risk: A nationwide cohort study
Authors: Kim Keun‐Suh , Kim Tackeun , Kang Si‐Hyuck , Lee Jae Ryun , Lee Hyo‐Jung , Lee Hyejin
Published: December 2021

Aim

To evaluate the effect of dental screening on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) using data from a nationwide population‐based cohort.

Materials and Methods

This retrospective cohort study extracted data of 478,245 individuals aged 40–79 years who participated in a health screening programme during 2002–2003 from the National Health Insurance Service–National Health Screening Cohort. Based on screening experience, participants were classified into the non‐screening, general screening only, and dental screening groups. Using Cox proportional hazard models, hazard ratios (HRs) were determined for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during each group's 11‐year follow‐up period.

Results

The risk of MACE in the dental screening group was 10% lower than that in the non‐screening group (adjusted HR, 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87–0.93; p < .001) and 9% lower than that in the general screening only group (adjusted HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.89–0.94; p < .001).

Conclusions

Dental screening was associated with a lower MACE risk; however, decreases in CVD‐related healthcare utilization and costs were not clinically significant. The association could be attributed to healthy habits of participants in the dental screening group; nevertheless, it is conceivable that the improvement of oral health through dental screening influenced CVD prevention.
Leadership of PhD‐prepared nurses working in hospitals and its influence on career development: A qualitative study
Authors: van Dongen Lisa J. C. , Hafsteinsdóttir Thóra B.
Published: December 2021

Aims and objectives

To explore leadership experiences and the influence of leadership on career development of PhD‐prepared nurses working in hospitals.

Background

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) represents the highest level of education for a career in research and scholarship. PhD‐prepared nurses have an important role in advancing the nursing discipline by conducting and implementing research finding. Given the rapidly changing health care environment, there is a clear need for PhD‐prepared nurses with strong leadership competences. Currently, there is a dearth of studies exploring leadership of PhD‐prepared nurses working in hospitals.

Design

A descriptive qualitative study.

Method

A purposive sample with PhD‐prepared nurses employed at clinical departments was used. Twelve interviews were conducted with participants from seven hospitals. Perceptions towards leadership, leadership experiences, leadership barriers and the influence of leadership on career development were discussed. Interviews were thematically analysed. Reporting followed the COREQ guidelines.

Results

Three themes addressing leadership experiences were found: (1) “Leadership is needed for career development” describes how participants took initiative and received support from colleagues and mentors; (2) “Practicing leadership behaviours” describes leadership behaviours and feelings associated with leadership and (3) “Leadership influenced by the hospital setting” describes the working environment including struggling nursing research cultures and infrastructures with limited positions, managerial support and opportunities for collaboration.

Conclusion

Although participants showed leadership to advance their careers, barriers related to working environment were found. Stakeholders should invest into opportunities to develop and utilise leadership competences and development of strong nursing research cultures and infrastructures with sustainable career frameworks and positions.

Relevance for clinical practice

There is a need for ongoing efforts to build strong leadership competences as well as nursing research cultures and infrastructures with career pathways and suitable positions for PhD‐prepared nurses within hospitals to empower them to strengthen nursing.
Home‐based nursing care competencies: A scoping review
Authors: Rusli Khairul Dzakirin Bin , Tan Apphia Jia Qi , Ong Shu Fen , Speed Shaun , Lau Ying , Liaw Sok Ying
Published: December 2021

Aims and objectives

To identify and consolidate the available evidence about nursing‐related competencies for home‐based care.

Background

Over recent years, the demand for home‐based nursing care has increased because of the need to meet the increasing need for chronic disease care to be delivered in patients' homes. However, knowledge is lacking about the expected competencies for home‐based care nurses.

Design

A scoping review was conducted in accordance with Arksey and O'Malley's six‐step scoping review framework and the PRISMA‐ScR guidelines. The review identified literature using five electronic databases (CINAHL, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and Scopus) and a hand search for grey literature in relevant home‐based care journals and online searches. Key search terms and inclusion and exclusion criteria were used as strategies to identify relevant articles.

Results

Sixty‐four articles were eligible for inclusion. Mapping and narrative synthesis of 116 elements related to home‐based nursing care competencies identified the following 10 competencies: (1) care assessments; (2) performance of nursing procedures; (3) management of health conditions; (4) critical thinking and problem‐solving skills; (5) interpersonal relationships and communication; (6) interdisciplinary collaboration; (7) leadership and resource management; (8) professional development; (9) technological literacy; (10) quality and safety.

Conclusion and relevance to clinical practice

This review provides insight into current knowledge about home‐based nursing care competencies. These competencies could be used to evaluate nurses’ competence level for home‐based care or for development of appropriate professional education. The review also outlines the scope of nursing practice in home‐based care, which provides support for some form of standardisation of home‐based nursing care expectations across various stakeholders.
Mental health at the COVID‐19 frontline: An assessment of distress, fear, and coping among staff and attendees at screening clinics of rural/regional settings of Victoria, Australia
Authors: Rahman Muhammad Aziz , Ford Dale , Sousa Grace , Hedley Lorraine , Greenstock Louise , Cross Wendy M. , Brumby Susan
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Research examining psychological well‐being associated with COVID‐19 in rural/regional Australia is limited. This study aimed to assess the extent of psychological distress, fear of COVID‐19, and coping strategies among the attendees in COVID‐19 screening clinics at 2 rural Victorian settings.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted during July 2020 to February 2021 inclusive. Participants were invited to fill in an online questionnaire. Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K‐10), Fear of COVID‐19 Scale, and Brief Resilient Coping Scale were used to assess psychological distress, fear of COVID‐19, and coping, respectively.

Findings

Among 702 total participants, 69% were females and mean age (±SD) was 49 (±15.8) years. One in 5 participants (156, 22%) experienced high to very high psychological distress, 1 in 10 (72, 10%) experienced high fear, and more than half (397, 57%) had medium to high resilient coping. Participants with mental health issues had higher distress (AOR 10.4, 95% CI: 6.25‐17.2) and fear (2.56, 1.41‐4.66). Higher distress was also associated with having comorbidities, increased smoking (5.71, 1.04‐31.4), and alcohol drinking (2.03, 1.21‐3.40). Higher fear was associated with negative financial impact, drinking alcohol (2.15, 1.06‐4.37), and increased alcohol drinking. Medium to high resilient coping was associated with being ≥60 years old (1.84, 1.04‐3.24) and completing Bachelor and above levels of education.

Conclusion

People who had pre‐existing mental health issues, comorbidities, smoked, and consumed alcohol were identified as high‐risk groups for poorer psychological well‐being in rural/regional Victoria. Specific interventions to support the mental well‐being of these vulnerable populations, along with engaging health care providers, should be considered.
A reflective account of using child‐led interviews as a means to promote discussions about reading
Authors: Webber Charlotte , Wilkinson Katherine , Andries Valentina , McGeown Sarah
Published: December 2021

This article provides a reflective account of the participatory methodology employed in the Growing up a Reader research study. The aim of the Growing up a Reader study was to explore children's (age 9–11) perceptions of a ‘reader’ and their reasons for reading different text types. This involved training 12 primary school children as student interviewers. Students were interviewed by the adult research team and then interviewed peers themselves (n = 21). For the purpose of this reflection, a data‐driven inductive thematic analysis of the interviews was conducted and comparisons were drawn between those led by children and those led by adults. Child‐led interviews were more likely to lead to natural discussions about reading as students engaged in the co‐creation of knowledge surrounding their shared reading experiences. Child‐led interviews also featured creative communication styles and reflexive use of language to understand each other's reading experiences. Reflections upon child‐led interviews as a tool for deepening understanding of children's literary experiences are made in order to provide methodological insights relevant for both researchers and practitioners seeking to use participatory methods to collaborate with children. Limitations regarding training and support, and ethical and epistemological considerations regarding adult input are also discussed.
Construction site information decentralized management using blockchain and smart contracts
Authors: Zhang Yang , Wang Tengyu , Yuen Ka‐Veng
Published: December 2021

The digital management of engineering construction is one of the primary tasks of smart construction sites. In the current practice of construction site information management, there are a series of fraudulent behaviors such as engineering data being forged and modified and this seriously interferes with the safety supervision of engineering projects. In order to improve the security and traceability of multi‐type engineering data, this paper presents a framework of system for construction site information management using blockchain and smart contracts. In this method, multiple independent smart contracts are developed for different data types. It ensures that the system can dynamically deploy new smart contracts without interrupting service, facilitating the expansion of scenario services. More importantly, the data analysis function is extended to the terminal, which allows the integration of different data analysis algorithms such as deep learning into information management. The design breaks the restriction that only rule‐based data analysis can be performed. Meanwhile, the distributed federation architecture ensures that the data cannot be tampered with. Finally, the three most common types of data (namely text, time‐series, and image) were used to verify the security and stability of the management system.
Gender Differences in Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients with Advanced Hip Involvement: Results from A Matched Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Li Liang‐liang , Fu Jun , Xu Chi , Ni Ming , Chai Wei , Hao Li‐bo , Zhou Yong‐gang , Chen Ji‐ying
Published: December 2021

Objective

To determine the gender differences in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients with advanced hip involvement.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the 373 consecutive AS patients with advanced hip involvement from 2012 to 2017 and divided them into two groups by sex with 340 men and 33 women. Research data on hip involvement in the patients were obtained from medical records and radiographs. The severity of radiographic hip involvement was evaluated by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Radiology Hip Index (BASRI‐hip) scoring system. The data on clinical characteristics, radiographic hip involvement, and laboratory values were compared between the two groups. The comparison was performed again between the two groups after adjusting for the onset age and disease duration by propensity score matching (PSM).

Results

Men underwent total hip arthroplasty earlier than women in the patients, with a median age of 31 years (range, 19–67 years) vs 36 years (range, 23–67 years), respectively (P < 0.05). Hip involvement was found to be younger in men than that in women, with a median age of 18 years (range, 7–56 years) vs 23 years (range, 5–55 years) (P < 0.05), and men with bilateral onset in hips had a higher frequency than women with that (66.2% vs 39.4%) (P < 0.05). There was no gender difference in the proportion of bilateral advanced hip involvement (85.3% vs 72.7%) (P > 0.05). The proportion of the patients who had spinal involvement (89.1% vs 69.7%), flexion contracture in the hip (43.8% vs 24.2%), hip range of motion =0° (53.5% vs 30.3%), and an elevated level of C‐reactive protein (CRP) (69.1% vs 51.5%) was significantly higher in men than that in women (P < 0.05). After adjusting for the onset age and disease duration by PSM (1:1), men with bilateral onset in hips still had a higher frequency than women with that (76.7% vs 40.0%), and the proportion of the patients who had spinal involvement (90.0% vs 66.7%) and an elevated level of CRP (80.0% vs 53.3%) was significantly higher in men than that in women (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The disease pattern of hip involvement in AS has gender differences, with bilateral onset being the dominant pattern in men and unilateral onset being more common in women. However, the frequency of bilateral advanced hip involvement has no gender difference eventually. The higher prevalence of spinal involvement in men with AS may be responsible for the more severe functional impairment compared with women.
Diffusion of Complex Governance Arrangements: State Approaches to Addressing Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Fay Daniel L. , Polischuk Luciana
Published: December 2021

In the 1970s, many viewed domestic violence as a private concern. Since then, every state has adopted a domestic violence coalition to address intimate partner violence (IPV) through government intervention. States vary, however, in the structure of the coalitions, participation in federal programs, and the comprehensiveness of IPV services offered. Using the theoretical lenses of policy diffusion and policy drift, this study assesses the development of IPV coalitions from 1976 to 2018, paying particular attention to institutional structures, intergovernmental resources, and strategic service priorities. We find evidence of policy drift and multidirectional policy diffusion in state IPV institutional structures, service delivery, federal program participation, and strategic priorities of these activities. Federal grant programs increase the likelihood of program emulation among states and may encourage innovation within existing institutional and policy structures for the development of comprehensive services and a preventive approach to IPV that best serve vulnerable groups.
Fear, changes in routine and dental care for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder in the COVID‐19 pandemic: A survey with Brazilian parents
Authors: Azevedo Machado Bárbara , Silva Moro Juliana , Massignam Carla , Cardoso Mariane , Bolan Michele
Published: December 2021

Aims

This study aimed to report the perception of parents of children/adolescents with autism regarding the parents’ fear of the pandemic by COVID‐19. Also, to report children's fear about the use of individual protective equipment (IPE) in dental appointments, and the impact on the daily routine during the pandemic.

Methods and Results

A cross‐sectional study through an open online survey was addressed to parents of children/adolescents autistic, aged between 3 and 18 years. The questionnaire had questions regarding the parents’ fear of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the parents’ perception about the children/adolescents’ fear of the use of IPEs at dental care, and the impact of the daily routine during the pandemic and social impact after the pandemic. Parents' reports on the degree of ASD (mild, moderate, and severe) of the child/adolescent. A total of 1001 responses were obtained. 50.35% of parents had high fear of the pandemic by COVID‐19, 59.34% believe that children/teenagers will be afraid of the dentist's IPE and 61.64% responded that the COVID‐19 pandemic had a high impact on the daily routine of children/adolescents with ASD.

Conclusions

Most parents reported fear of the pandemic by COVID‐19, that children/adolescents with autism may be afraid of IPE and had a high impact on their daily routine during the pandemic.
Multi‐year field evaluation of nicotianamine biofortified bread wheat
Authors: Beasley Jesse T. , Bonneau Julien P. , Moreno‐Moyano Laura T. , Callahan Damien L. , Howell Kate S. , Tako Elad , Taylor Julian , Glahn Raymond P. , Appels Rudi , Johnson Alexander A. T.
Published: December 2021

Conventional breeding efforts for iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) biofortification of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) have been hindered by a lack of genetic variation for these traits and a negative correlation between grain Fe and Zn concentrations and yield. We have employed genetic engineering to constitutively express (CE) the rice (Oryza sativa) nicotianamine synthase 2 (OsNAS2) gene and upregulate biosynthesis of two metal chelators – nicotianamine (NA) and 2′‐deoxymugineic acid (DMA) – in bread wheat, resulting in increased Fe and Zn concentrations in wholemeal and white flour. Here we describe multi‐location confined field trial (CFT) evaluation of a low‐copy transgenic CE‐OsNAS2 wheat event (CE‐1) over 3 years and demonstrate higher concentrations of NA, DMA, Fe, and Zn in CE‐1 wholemeal flour, white flour, and white bread and higher Fe bioavailability in CE‐1 white flour relative to a null segregant (NS) control. Multi‐environment models of agronomic and grain nutrition traits revealed a negative correlation between grain yield and grain Fe, Zn, and total protein concentrations, yet no correlation between grain yield and grain NA and DMA concentrations. White flour Fe bioavailability was positively correlated with white flour NA concentration, suggesting that NA‐chelated Fe should be targeted in wheat Fe biofortification efforts.
Use of subdermal hyaluronic acid injections and a free labial mucocutaneous graft for the repair of feline eyelid agenesis
Authors: Caruso Kelly A , Reynolds Benjamin D , Whittaker Cameron J , Smith Jeffrey S , Irving William M , McCarthy Paul G , Hamzianpour Negar , Boo Gladys
Published: December 2021

Objective

To describe a technique to repair feline eyelid agenesis using a hyaluronic acid (HA) subdermal filler injection to allow for acute soft tissue expansion, followed by a free labial mucocutaneous graft.

Materials and methods

Thirty‐nine colobomatous eyelids in 24 feline patients with secondary keratitis were recruited to the study group.

Results

Keratitis and trichiasis were markedly resolved in 27/39 (69.2%) eyelids after a single procedure. Post‐operative HA subdermal filler injections were required to resolve 5/39 (12.8%) eyelids that had mild post‐operative trichiasis, and 1/39 (2.5%) eyelids that had post‐operative lateral canthal collapse. Complications occurred in 6/39 (15.4%) cases, consisting of distal graft necrosis (n = 2 eyes), suture rubbing the cornea (n = 2 eyes), moderate trichiasis (n = 1 eye) and graft adherence to the episclera (n = 1 eye).

Conclusion

The technique was successful in enhancing corneal protection, cosmesis and eyelid function and should be considered as a surgical option for any degree of eyelid agenesis in feline patients.
COVID‐19 convalescent plasma: Evolving strategies for serological screening in France
Authors: Gallian Pierre , Le Cam Sophie , Brisbarre Nadège , Pastorino Boris , Amroun Abdennour , Malard Lucile , de Lamballerie Xavier , Bliem Cathy , Richard Pascale , Morel Pascal , Tiberghien Pierre
Published: December 2021

Quantitation of anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) neutralizing antibodies (Nabs) is a key parameter in determining the effective dose for treatment with COVID‐19 convalescent plasma (CCP). Interpretation of results from clinical trials conducted worldwide requires comparison of Nabs titres obtained from different methods. As virus neutralization tests (VNTs) are not standardized scalable or commercially available, strategies based on intensity of ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay) or chemiluminescent binding serological tests were implemented to allow comparisons and establish criteria for determining ‘high‐titres’ of anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies (Abs). To this end, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has proposed criteria to define high‐titre plasmas using different serological assays, including the one used in France for the CCP SARS‐CoV‐2 Abs screening (Euroimmun anti‐S1 IgG). A retrospective study revealed that when using the FDA criteria (ELISA signal‐to‐cut‐off [S/C ratio] ≥3.5), 91% of CCP had Nabs titres ≥40 as assessed with an in‐house VNT. French strategy to ensure sufficient stocks of CCP of increasing titre has evolved over time. Recently, we improved our strategy by collecting only plasma from vaccinated convalescent donors as we confirmed that the mean IgG antibody level (ELISA S/C ratio) was significantly higher in plasma from vaccinated convalescent donors compared to donations from unvaccinated convalescent donors: 9.31 (CI 95%: 8.46–10.16) versus 3.22 (CI 95%: 3.05–3.39) (p < 0.001).
Refraction of Flexural Waves by Ultra-Broadband Achromatic Meta-Slab With Wavelength-Dependent Phase Shifts
Authors: Liu Feng , Yang Zhichun , Shi Pengtao , Shen Yizhou , Cao Liyun , Xu Yanlong
Published: December 2021

Great progress has been made in modulating flexural waves by elastic metasurfaces. Most of the proposed elastic metasurfaces suffer from chromatic aberration, limited in a narrow bandwidth around the designed frequency. In this paper, overcoming the chromatic aberration, an ultra-broadband achromatic meta-slab (UAM) with subunits of gradient thickness is proposed to realize the refraction angle unchanged with the incident frequency. Based on the phase compensation principle, wavelength-dependent phase shifts for the UAM that realize achromaticity are obtained. In order to verify the effectiveness of the theoretical design, the transmitted wavefields are solved according to the phased array theory, and the results correspond with those obtained by the finite element (FE) simulations and experiments, which show that the refraction angle is unchanged for incident frequencies from 2 kHz to 8 kHz. Besides, the UAM is extended into a periodic meta-slab, and multifrequency achromaticity is realized. Our designed meta-slabs overcome the chromatic aberration by simple configurations, which have significance in the applications of vibration control, vibrational energy harvesting, and health monitoring.
HyBoDT: Hybrid Bounded Distance Transforms of Trimmed NURBS Models
Authors: Balu Aditya , Ghadai Sambit , Rauf Bingol Onur , Krishnamurthy Adarsh
Published: December 2021

Distance field representation of objects in 3D space has several applications such as shape manipulation, graphics rendering, path planning, etc. Distance transforms (DTs) are discrete representations of distance fields in a regular voxel grid. The two main limitations of using distance transforms are that they are compute-intensive, and there are errors introduced while representing the object using DTs. In this work, we develop a hybrid graphics processing unit (GPU)-accelerated marching wavefront method for computing DTs of models composed of trimmed non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) surfaces with theoretical bounds. Our hybrid marching approach eliminates the error due to calculating approximate distances by marching. We also calculate the bounds on the error introduced due to the tessellation of the trimmed NURBS surfaces and calculate the propagation of these bounds in computing the DT. Finally, we present computation times for both 2D and 3D GPU DTs of test objects. We show that our GPU-accelerated approach is significantly faster than existing CPU-based methods.
Penetration of Energized Metal Fragments to Porcine Thoracic Tissues
Authors: Nguyen Thuy-Tien N. , Breeze John , Masouros Spyros D.
Published: December 2021

Energized fragments from explosive devices have been the most common mechanism of injury to both military personnel and civilians in recent conflicts and terrorist attacks. Fragments that penetrate into the thoracic cavity are strongly associated with death due to the inherent vulnerability of the underlying structures. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of fragment-simulating projectiles (FSPs) to tissues of the thorax in order to identify the thresholds of impact velocity for perforation through these tissues and the resultant residual velocity of the FSPs. A gas-gun system was used to launch 0.78-g cylindrical and 1.13-g spherical FSPs at intact porcine thoracic tissues from different impact locations. The sternum and rib bones were the most resistant to perforation, followed by the scapula and intercostal muscle. For both FSPs, residual velocity following perforation was linearly proportional to impact velocity. These findings can be used in the development of numerical tools for predicting the medical outcome of explosive events, which in turn can inform the design of public infrastructure, of personal protection, and of medical emergency response.
Development of Glycerin/Chitosan-Based Fluids for Stationary and Mobile Hydraulic Drives
Authors: Otten Malte , Bulutcu Deniz , Frerichs Ludger
Published: December 2021

A hydraulic fluid based on water, glycerol and the thickener chitosan was developed in preliminary tests at Technische Universität Braunschweig. In terms of fluid properties, the fluid is comparable to those of conventional fluids. Due to the promising properties of the fluid, further development of the fluid is now being worked on. The focus is on further development for practical use in mobile hydraulic systems, e.g. in agricultural and forestry machinery. The aim here is to optimize various fluid variants for different applications and to define the possible range of uses in general. This paper presents interim results from the development of the fluids and the investigations of the fluids in a wide range of laboratory tests and endurance tests in a hydraulic test bench.
Leveraging Flow Regeneration in Individual Energy-Efficient Hydraulic Drives
Authors: Padovani Damiano
Published: December 2021

The current demand for energy efficiency in hydraulics directs towards the replacement of centralized, valve-controlled actuators with individual, throttleless drives. The resulting solutions often require an undesirable sizing of the key components to expand the system’s operating region. Using flow regeneration (i.e., shortcutting the actuator’s chambers) mitigates this issue. Such an option, already stated for individual drives, lacks an in-depth analysis from the control perspective since the dynamic properties are changed (e.g., the natural frequency is decreased to about 60% of the original value). Therefore, this research paper studies a representative single-pump architecture arranged in a closed-circuit configuration. Linear control techniques are used to understand the system dynamics and design a PI-control algorithm that also adds active damping. The outcomes are validated via high-fidelity simulations referring to a single-boom crane as the study case. The results encompassing diverse scenarios indicate that flow regeneration is only interesting in those applications where the dynamic response is not demanding. In fact, the lower natural frequency reduces the system’s bandwidth to about 69% of the original value and affects the closed-loop position tracking drastically. This poor performance becomes evident when medium-to-high actuation velocity is commanded with respect to the maximum value.
Prediction of Flow Path Pressure Drops in Curved Galleries for Additively Manufactured Hydraulic Manifolds
Authors: Peiris L. D. Hashan , Plummer Andrew , Roesner Jens , Dhokia Vimal , Essink Wesley
Published: December 2021

Hydraulic manifolds are traditionally manufactured using externally drilled intersecting galleries. This results in undesirable artefacts in the flow path such as sharp corners, and dead oil volumes, and requires additional plugs to blank redundant holes. These artefacts affect flow separation, aggravate pressure-drop and reduce hydraulic stiffness. Recent advancements in additive manufacturing (AM) technology have enabled the development of additively manufactured components which provide greater freedom in channel design and routing. Galleries can provide flow paths which are smoothly curved in 3 dimensions. AM manifold geometry can be optimized to reduce size and weight. In this research, analytical expressions are sought to approximate pressure drops in complex curved flow paths, which can subsequently be used for manifold optimization. The curved flow paths are defined by polynomial splines which are then fragmented into a series of segments each defined by a bend angle and bend radius. This paper uses approximations to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) results to form pressure-drop models over a range of segment bend radii and angles. These models are then used to predict the pressure drops for curved galleries used in AM manifolds. The method is applied to four example curved galleries, and provides a reasonably accurate pressure-drop prediction in each case.
Model Updating of a Hydraulic Chain Oscillator
Authors: Treml Paul , Mikota Gudrun , Manhartsgruber Bernhard
Published: December 2021

A hydraulic system in form of a chain oscillator has been set up, measured and described by a mathematical model in the frequency domain. By analysing the hydraulic circuit, it is possible to derive a suitable mathematical model, with the focus on keeping it as simple as possible, but still representing all the important properties. Unknown system parameters are identified with the help of a two-step procedure using a non-linear optimization task. Excited hydraulically, by adjusting the flow rate, the pressures in this setup are measured. From this data, frequency responses between flow rate and the pressures can be calculated, which are used to validate the mathematical model and the identification strategy. Different system configurations were investigated to further confirm the validity of the model and the identification methodology.
Meaningful and Physically Consistent Efficiency Definition for Positive Displacement Pumps - Continuation of the Critical Review of ISO 4391 and ISO 4409
Authors: Schänzle Christian , Pelz Peter F.
Published: December 2021

ISO 4391:1984 gives the common efficiency definition for positive displacement machines. ISO 4409:2019 uses this efficiency definition to specify the procedure for efficiency measurements. If the machine conditions do not correspond with an incompressible flow due to operation at high pressure levels, the compressibility of the fluid and the dead volume of a pump must be taken into account. On this point, ISO 4391:1984 is physically inconsistent.

Achten et. al. address this issue in their paper at FPMC 2019 presenting a critical review of ISO 4409:2007. They introduce new definitions of the overall efficiency as well as the mechanical-hydraulic efficiency. At the same time, they question the validity of the volumetric efficiency definition. Li and Barkei continue on this issue in their paper at FPMC 2020 and give a new efficiency definition based on the introduction of a new quantity Φ which describes the volume specific enthalpy of the conveyed fluid.

The motivation of this paper is to contribute to the ongoing and fruitful discussion. Our approach starts with the most general efficiency definition, namely the isentropic efficiency. Subsequently, we make assumptions concerning the fluid properties with respect to the compressibility of the conveyed fluid. On the basis of the ideal cycle of a positive displacement pump and the p-v diagram, we derive physically consistent and more meaningful representations of the overall, the mechanical-hydraulic and the volumetric efficiency that address the inconsistency of ISO 4391:1984. Furthermore, we compare our findings with the existing results of Achten et. al. and Li and Barkei.
Design and Analysis of a Flow-Control Valve With Controllable Pressure Compensation Capability for Mobile Machinery
Authors: Wang Bo , Li Yunwei , Quan Long , Xia Lianpeng
Published: December 2021

There are the problems in the traditional pressure-compensation flow-control valve, such as low flow control accuracy, small flow control difficulty, and limited flow range. For this, a method of continuous control pressure drop Δprated (i.e. the pressure drop across the main throttling orifice) to control flow-control valve flow is proposed. The precise control of small flow is realized by reducing the pressure drop Δprated and the flow range is amplified by increasing pressure drop Δprated. At the same time, it can also compensate the flow force to improve the flow control accuracy by regulating the pressure drop Δprated. In the research, the flow-control valve with controllable pressure compensation capability (FVCP) was designed firstly and theoretically analyzed. Then the sub-model model of PPRV and the joint simulation model of the FVCP were established and verified through experiments. Finally, the continuous control characteristics of pressure drop Δprated, the flow characteristics, and flow force compensation were studied. The research results demonstrate that, compared with the traditional flow-control valve, the designed FVCP can adjust the compensation pressure difference in the range of 0∼3.4 MPa in real-time. And the flow rate can be altered within the range of 44%∼136% of the rated flow. By adjusting the compensation pressure difference to compensate the flow force, the flow control accuracy of the multi-way valve is improved, and the flow force compensation effect is obvious.
HIL Testbed and Motion Control Strategy for the Hybrid Hydraulic-Electric Architecture (HHEA)
Authors: Chatterjee Arpan , Li Perry Y.
Published: December 2021

The Hybrid Hydraulic-Electric Architecture (HHEA) was proposed in recent years to increase system efficiency of high power mobile machines and to reap the benefits of electrification without the need for large electric machines. It uses a set of common pressure rails to provide the majority of power hydraulically and small electric motors to modulate that power for precise control. This paper presents the development of a Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test-bed for testing motion control strategies for the HHEA. Precise motion control is important for off-road vehicles whose utility requires the machine being dexterous and performing tasks exactly as commanded. Motion control for the HHEA is challenging due to its intrinsic use of discrete pressure rail switches to minimize system efficiency or to keep the system within the torque capabilities of the electric motor. The motion control strategy utilizes two different controllers: a nominal passivity based back-stepping controller used in between pressure rail switches and a transition controller used to handle the event of a pressure rail switch. In this paper, the performance of the nominal control under various nominal and rail switching scenarios is experimentally evaluated on the HIL testbed.
Simulated and Experimental Analysis of a Log Crane With Conventional and Direct Driven Hydraulics
Authors: Shevchuk Dmitrii , Malysheva Iuliia , Alizadeh Marjan , Handroos Heikki
Published: December 2021

The present paper compares the efficiency and dynamic behavior of a log crane while using two alternative transmissions. Firstly, the conventional mobile hydraulic valves with a load-sensing pump is used, and secondly, a novel electric-hydraulic energy converter and a direct driven hydraulic actuator is used. By applying lumped parameter models and the theory of centralized pressure, the hydraulic system models are constructed in MATLAB & Simulink environment. MathWorks Simscape Multibody is used in modeling of the multi-body system of the crane. The results of the simulation models are compared with those measured in the laboratory. Based on the verification results, such modes of operation in which the agreement between simulated results is the closest are selected for further investigation. The effectiveness of the system equipped with an electro-hydraulic converter is compared with that of the conventional system with a load sensing pump. Detailed models for components are given in the paper, and the results are discussed based on what obtained through simulation and experiments. The electric-hydraulic converter used in direct driven circuit is a novel prototype developed at LUT University. It has good power stiffness, and it provides good torque properties in a wide RPM area. The prototype is used in operating the lift or tilt cylinder, which is altered by using fast switching valves. The actual test circuit does not have electric storage. The ability of the converter to recover potential energy from the lifting system inertia is approximated in the efficiency comparisons.
Towards a Standard Taxonomy for Levels of Automation in Heavy-Duty Mobile Machinery
Authors: Machado Tyrone , Ahonen Andrei , Ghabcheloo Reza
Published: December 2021

Automated and autonomous systems change the nature of human interactions and their respective role within the systems. To characterize such changes, several domain specific levels of automation (LOA) taxonomies have been proposed over the years. The SAE J3016 levels for driving automation have been adopted as the de-facto standard in the automotive industry and the broader society. However, the heavy-duty mobile machinery (HDMM) industry does not have a commonly accepted LOA taxonomy, thereby relying on organizational specific LOA taxonomies adapted from SAE J3016. Moreover, HDMM handle and transport external materials in addition to driving tasks. Thus, SAE J3016 inadequately captures the manipulation operations of HDMM. This paper proposes a new LOA taxonomy for HDMM, to accommodate both, the manipulation and driving operations of HDMM. Building on the SAE J3016 taxonomy, the LOA in this paper is proposed as a two-dimensional 6 × 6 matrix, with machine manipulation operations on one dimension, and driving operations on the other. Thus, the LOA matrix could be generalized for HDMM in different application areas. The proposed LOA matrix could also serve as a guide and starting point for future standardized and collaborative discourse in HDMM research, development, and subsequent deployments.