bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Numerical Study on Hurricane Patricia (2015). Part I: Control Simulation and the Roles of Surface and Boundary Layer Processes
Authors: Zhu Yiting , Wang Yuqing
Published: December 2024

Hurricane Patricia (2015) formed over the eastern North Pacific and is the most intense tropical cyclone (TC) on record with a maximum sustained wind speed of 95 m s−1, which presented a great forecasting challenge due to its unprecedented rapid intensification, record-breaking lifetime maximum intensity, and subsequent rapid weakening. The intensity and structure changes in Patricia were successfully simulated in a control experiment using a two-way interactive, quadruply nested version of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with both initial and lateral boundary conditions from the Global Forecast System Final Analysis data. The successful simulation resulted from the inclusion of dissipative heating, realistic horizontal mixing length, and sea-spray-mediated heat flux. The relative contributions of these processes were assessed based on a series of ensemble-based sensitivity experiments and energetic diagnostics. Results show that dissipative heating and reduced horizontal mixing length had the most significant impacts on the intensification rate of Patricia after it reached an intensity of category 3, contributing 25.8% and 28.9% to the intensification rate and 11.7% and 14.1% to the lifetime maximum intensity, respectively. The contribution by spray-mediated heat flux increased significantly with wind speed, contributing up to 20.1% to the intensification rate and 20% to the surface energy flux under the eyewall at the wind speed of 90 m s−1. An alternative surface drag coefficient scheme and a constant surface roughness for moisture and heat were also tested and discussed via sensitivity experiments. The study provides insights into the physical processes key to successful simulations and forecasts of extremely strong TCs.
Pre-immunization of diet-induced obese male mice with inactivated pathogens increases power in a liraglutide intervention study
Authors: Falkenberg Caroline , Sørensen Dorte B , Hansen Camilla HF , Toft Martin F , Hansen Axel K
Published: December 2024

Pre-immunization with inactivated antigens has been developed as an alternative to the use of ‘dirty’ mice, which in contrast to specific pathogen free (SPF) mice, harbour a range of pathogens. Within certain research areas, such mice are considered better models for humans than SPF mice, as they have an immune system that better mirrors human immunity. We inactivated murine adenovirus type 1 (FL), minute virus of mice, mouse hepatitis virus (A59), respirovirus muris (Sendai), Theiler’s encephalomyelitis virus (GD7) and Mycoplasma pulmonis by ultraviolet irradiation. We show that pre-immunization with these inactivated pathogens combined with adjuvant prior to the dietary induction of obesity in C57BL/6NTac mice substantially reduced the group sizes needed for showing an effect of the GLP-1 receptor analogue, liraglutide. Nesting, open field and novel object behaviours of the mice were unaffected. We conclude that pre-immunization with inactivated pathogens may be a simple tool to increase power in this type of intervention study on the DIO mouse model.
Development of guidance on radiological protection aspects of imaging in radiotherapy
Authors: Martin C.J.
Published: December 2024

Radiation therapy has the capability to conform radiation fields delivered to tumours much more accurately because of developments in therapy equipment in recent decades. This can help to reduce doses to normal tissues considerably. Successful delivery requires the patient to be in the same position on the couch as in the treatment plan. Therefore, images are taken at regular intervals, frequently at every treatment fraction and compared with images used for planning, and this is referred to as image guided radiation therapy (IGRT). If more imaging with x rays is carried out, this exposes patients to additional doses to tissues surrounding the tumour that carry a risk of inducing secondary cancers. The reductions in high dose treatment margins that can be achieved with IGRT need to be balanced against risks from greater imaging doses. ICRP Task Group 116 is preparing guidance on IGRT, and has used the ICRP mentorship programme to undertake surveys of imaging practices and to trial ways for measuring cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) doses that could be widely applied. Results from the projects are feeding into development of the report with recommendations to facilitate improvements in the application and optimisation of radiological protection in the use of imaging in radiotherapy.
The Review of the ICRP System of Radiological Protection – practical feedback from members of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society
Authors: Watson D. , Le Vert B.
Published: December 2024

The Australasian Radiation Protection Society (ARPS) has surveyed members for their personal and practical comments on the upcoming review of the ICRP system of radiological protection. A summary of the feedback was collated and formed the basis of ARPS contributions to the International Radiation Protection Association's (IRPA's) formal submission to the review. The comments from members ranged from detailed examples of where the current ICRP system fails to provide clear direction for applying a practical and risk-based system of management, through to broader themes that ARPS believes need significant work. As practitioners, ARPS has provided positive suggestions for changes and improvements pertinent to the future of applied radiation protection.
Experiences of one mentee – the ICRP Mentorship Program and beyond
Authors: Leblanc J. , Randhawa a , Ghazi S. , Bouffler S.
Published: December 2024

Mentoring is a powerful way to help people grow personally and professionally – to guide them throughout their careers. Mentoring provides insights to support another person's understanding of a specific area in career or life. The same can be said about research collaboration – it not only benefits the scientific community or research group, but it benefits tremendously the individual researcher. As an early career scientist, I have the privilege of being a mentee in the new International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Mentorship Program and member of Task Group 111: Factors Governing the Individual Response of Humans to Ionising Radiation (TG 111). In this article, I will expand on the presentation that I provided during the “Involving Young Professionals” session during the ICRP 2021+1 Symposium in Vancouver. I will describe the ICRP Mentorship Programme and briefly describe some of the work that I am conducting for TG 111.
Lifetime of dicentric chromosomes for biodosimetry applications
Authors: Dutil Y. , Fréchette N. , Gagnon Ir M.B.
Published: December 2024

In this study, data on the evolution of dicentric chromosomes population over time following a whole body exposure has been gathered and normalised starting from a scientific literature review. A decay curve has been established and finds applications in dose assessments based on dicentric chromosome frequencies inferred for a specified time following acute exposure. Further analysis has been done to characterise the observed variability between cases, which is an important factor to consider for error propagation. Adequate knowledge of the uncertainties is needed for appropriate interpretation, particularly when biodosimetry results may be correlated with other sources of information such as a physical dose reconstruction. It is also important for legal purposes in a worker compensation scheme.
Equivalent dose reading for unregistered TLD card with calibration curve
Authors: Yessi W. , Satoto B. , Darmini D.
Published: December 2024

The equivalent dose of body surface can be calculated using a thermoluminescence dosimeter (TLD). The TLD must be calibrated during the initial testing process using the TLD Reader and this process will zero the dose which means the equivalent dose in it will be erased. This study is to read doses for TLD that have not been registered/calibrated in TLD Reader. The sample is 40 calibration cards of TLD Harshaw's shared in 5 sets testing with different dose, so every sets consists of 8 calibration cards. The calibration card was irradiated with 137Cs source at a dose of 2 mSv, 3 mSv, 5 mSv, 7.5 mSv, and 10 mSv. The calibration curve was created by comparing the irradiation dose with the response calibration readings of the TLD Reader. The best calibration curve is the calibration curve on the polynomial/ quadratic model with R2 = 0.9968 its mean pass the reference that good calibration curve have value of R2 ≥. 0.990. The standard deviation of the dose measurement results at −3.87% to 21.98%, which means that the value is still in the range of −30% to 50% or not to exceed −30% to 50%. Equivalent dose in uncalibrated TLD can read using a polynomial calibration curve formula as evidenced by the value of R2 ≥ 0.990 and a standard deviation that does not exceed −30% to 50%.
Developing the system of radiological protection to enhance its contribution to sustainable development
Authors: Mayall A.
Published: December 2024

The ICRP stated in 2007 that the primary aim of its recommendations is to contribute to an appropriate level of protection for people and the environment from the detrimental effects of radiation exposure without unduly limiting the desirable human actions which lead to such exposure. We face climate, humanitarian, biodiversity, health, pollution, and other crises. This rapidly changing context has potential implications for: the radiological protection system; views on what constitutes desirable human actions; and for how societies view the risks and benefits of technologies. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an ideal framework for facilitating a balanced approach to socio-economic development, good health and wellbeing and environmental protection. The SDGs could be used to guide the development and application of the radiological protection system to ensure that it is fit for the 21st century. This paper considers the fundamental purposes of sustainable development and radiological protection and their underpinning values and principles. It considers how radiological protection contributes to sustainable development and how this might be enhanced; and whether the primary aim of radiological protection should be amended to make its contribution to sustainable development explicit.
A comprehensive biokinetic model for the dose to embryo and fetus due to radon intakes by the mother – Part I: the state of the art
Authors: Degenhardt Ä.L. , Giussani A. , Madas B.G.
Published: December 2024

RadoNorm is a European project that aims to support the European Union Member States, Associated Countries, and the European Commission to implement the Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM regarding radon and NORM risk management, ensuring effective radiation protection based on most recent scientific studies and societal aspects. The Work Package 3 is focused on dosimetry and its subtask 3.3.1 targets on the design of a comprehensive model for the dose to embryo and fetus following radon intakes by the mother. The first part of the subtask consisted in gathering information on the state of the art on biokinetic models for embryo and fetus, and searching for animal and human data that could be useful to build a specific biokinetic model. This paper reports on the literature review on the identified data that are relevant to perform the task. Publications of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission were reviewed with regard to how doses from radon and radon progeny to the embryo and fetus have been calculated so far. Currently, a general approach for the calculation of the concentration of a radionuclide in embryonic and fetal tissues ( C F) is based on the ratio to the concentration of that radionuclide in the mother's body ( C F) as given in Publication 88 of the ICRP. However, no biokinetic model specific for radon and radon progeny is presented there. The challenging task of defining a specific biokinetic model for radon faces the lack of experimental data and the scarcity of recent works, especially regarding transfer of radionuclides through the placenta. Nevertheless, some results of animal studies on radon, radon progeny, and other noble gases can be used as a starting point to build the biokinetic model as well as some recent assumptions considering the concentration of radon in the fetus following intakes by the mother as being the same as in the mother's muscle, because fetal tissues do not contain much fat. Using the most recent adult model describing the biokinetics of radon in the mother and assuming the hypothesis of radon concentration in fetus being the same as in the mother's muscle are reasonable approaches to the biokinetic model. Animal studies provide useful information for a more realistic modelling of radon progeny biokinetics, with regard to lead and bismuth placental transfer and direct translocation of lead from maternal skeleton to fetal tissues.
False consciousness, hermeneutical injustice, and ideological power
Authors: Stahl Titus
Published: December 2024

Theories of ideology explain the stability of unjust social institutions by reference to the ways in which social power undermines the epistemic agency of those subordinated by them. The historically dominant model of ideology understands it as ‘false consciousness’, that is, as a set of socially distorted beliefs. The false consciousness model of ideology is, however, unsatisfactory in various respects. I argue that this, in part, explains why theorists have more recently turned to a competing model that understands the epistemic constraints caused by relations of social power in terms of hermeneutical injustices. While Fricker’s theory of hermeneutical injustice avoids some implausible assumptions of false consciousness theories, it lacks, however, a plausible account of how social power can distort hermeneutical resources. I argue that there is a competing model of ideology in the Marxist tradition, according to which ideologies arise from distortions of concepts that are internal to social practices; this model takes up the insights from theories of hermeneutical injustices, and supplements them with a convincing ‘materialist’ explanation of how power, practices, and discourse are linked.
The power of bias: political bias outweighs morality in assessments of in-party corruption / La fuerza del sesgo: el sesgo político pesa más que la moralidad en las evaluaciones de la corrupción en los partidos políticos afines
Authors: D’Ottone Silvana , Carvacho Héctor
Published: December 2024

Political bias has been identified as a driver of leniency towards corrupt politicians. Yet, evidence suggests that a number of contextual factors can moderate its influence on corruption assessments. The interplay between individual variables, particularly individual moral standards, and political bias over corruption evaluations, however, is yet to be addressed. We explore this using two measures that operationalize bias and moral standards in political settings: partisan moral reasoning (PMR), measuring leniency towards in-party (vs. out-party) transgressions, and tight moral reasoning (TMR), a measure of broader rejection of political transgressions regardless of the perpetrator’s affiliation. Contrary to our expectations that high PMR and low TMR would jointly drive favourable attitudes towards politicians accused of corruption, we found that low and high TMR respondents only diverge at low levels of PMR. Results suggest that the counterbalancing effect of morality on tolerance towards corruption is outweighed by the overpowering influence of political bias.
Precipitation of Sr-rich and Fe-rich intermetallic compounds in Al alloys
Authors: Sahin Ufuk , Campbell John , Brown David N , Griffiths William D
Published: December 2024

The precipitation of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in an aluminium alloy Al-7Si-0.4Mg (A356) was studied, making additions of Fe, Sr, and Mg. The experiment avoided metallographic techniques, using a novel experimental approach in which the outside surface of the cast metal was studied. Precipitation of IMCs was observed to occur on the surface of oxide bifilms in suspension in the liquid metal, occasionally as a Sr-rich IMC growth from one side and a Fe-rich IMC growth from the other, corroborating the structure of the bifilm as having two wetted outer sides. The bifilms onto which heavy IMCs had precipitated were observed by nanotomography to sediment rapidly, indicating a potential method of cleaning secondary metals from both bifilms and metals like Fe.
Beyond water: 3D laser scanning offers a cutting-edge alternative for upper limb volume assessment
Authors: Marsocci Antonio , Santandrea Sheila , Lanfranchi Elena , Donati Danilo , Tedeschi Roberto
Published: December 2024

Objectives

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and efficiency of a 3D laser scanner as a tool for volumetric measurement of the upper limbs, comparing it with the gold standard method of non-reflux water displacement. The study sought to determine whether the 3D scanner could serve as a reliable and time-efficient alternative in clinical settings, particularly for managing conditions like lymphedema.

Methods

A total of 30 healthy participants (18 women, 12 men) were recruited, and volumetric measurements were taken using both the 3D scanner and water displacement methods. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability were calculated using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), and agreement between the methods was assessed using a Bland-Altman plot. The time required for each measurement and data processing were recorded and compared between the two methods.

Results

The 3D scanner demonstrated excellent inter-rater (ICC = 0.995) and intra-rater (ICC = 0.991) reliability, surpassing the water displacement method (ICC = 0.973 and 0.968, respectively). The Bland-Altman plot showed good agreement between the two methods, with only two measurements outside the 95% confidence limits. However, the 3D scanner required significantly more time for both measurement and data processing (28.55 seconds and 120 seconds, respectively) compared to water displacement (9.64 seconds).

Conclusions

The 3D scanner offers high reliability and precision for upper limb volumetric measurements, potentially improving clinical management of conditions such as lymphedema. Despite longer acquisition times, its accuracy and versatility make it a promising tool for future clinical use, especially in scenarios where precise monitoring is crucial.
Reliability and Optimal Cut-Off Points of the Test for Upper Limb Apraxia (TULIA) for Spanish-Speaking Post-Stroke Patients
Authors: Sánchez-Bermejo Laura , Milla-Ortega Pedro Jesús , Pérez-Mármol José Manuel
Published: December 2024

Objective

To evaluate the reliability, identify the optimal cut-off points, and determine the diagnostic accuracy of the TULIA Apraxia test in a sample of Spanish-speaking post-stroke patients.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Public primary care.

Participants

201 post-stroke patients.

Main Measures

Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Cut-off points were identified for each TULIA Apraxia sub-test and stratified for age (≤65 years, > 65 years) using ROC curve analysis, area under the curve, and Youden index. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values.

Results

Cronbach's alpha of the sub-tests varied from 0.716 (95% CI 0.653–0.772) for pantomime intransitive to 0.824 (95% CI 0.784–0.858) for imitation non-symbolic. Cut-off points ranged from ≤25 to ≤35 points. For individuals aged ≤65 years, the cut-offs that best balanced sensitivity and specificity were ≤25 points for detecting alterations in imitation transitive and ≤33 points for pantomime non-symbolic. For individuals over 65 years, the imitation transitive cut-off (≤26 points) presented the most adjusted balance. The minimum positive predictive value was 0.667 (95% CI 0.542–0.777), indicating that the TULIA Apraxia tests correctly classified more than 67% of patients with apraxia. The minimum negative predictive value was 0.763 (95% CI 0.644–0.859), showing that the test accurately identified more than 76% of patients without apraxia.

Conclusions

The TULIA Apraxia test is reliable in Spanish-speaking post-stroke patients. Optimal cut-off points, along with their respective sensitivity and specificity values, exhibit adequate test accuracy. Predictive values indicate that the test correctly identifies individuals with and without apraxia.
Imagery Ability, Stress Appraisals, and Perceived Stress: The Feasibility of Layered Stimulus Response Training to Regulate Stress
Authors: Mathieson Charlie , Ginty Annie T. , Williams Sarah E.
Published: December 2024

Mastery and affect imagery ability are associated with facilitative stress appraisals, but there is scant research in non-athlete populations. Study 1 examined relationships between mastery and affect imagery ability with stress appraisals and perceived stress in a non-athlete population. Study 2 investigated the feasibility and acceptability of two-week layered stimulus response training (LSRT) to increase imagery ability, reduce stress, and elicit adaptive stress appraisals. In Study 1, 205 young adults ( Mage = 20.06, SD = 1.42) completed measures of imagery ability, perceived stress, and stress appraisals. In Study 2, 28 participants ( Mage = 21.04, SD = 1.67) completed the measures before and after a two-week LSRT intervention. Mastery and affect imagery ability were associated with challenge (positively) and threat (negatively) appraisals and perceived stress (negatively). LSRT was accepted and feasible with a high accrual, attendance, and engagement. Findings suggest LSRT could be effective for regulating stress in young adults.
Shared visuo-tactile interactive perception for robust object pose estimation
Authors: Murali Prajval Kumar , Porr Bernd , Kaboli Mohsen
Published: December 2024

Shared perception between robotic systems significantly enhances their ability to understand and interact with their environment, leading to improved performance and efficiency in various applications. In this work, we present a novel full-fledged framework for robotic systems to interactively share their visuo-tactile perception for the robust pose estimation of novel objects in dense clutter. This is demonstrated with a two-robot team sharing their visuo-tactile scene representation which then declutters the scene using interactive perception and precisely estimates the 6 Degrees-of-Freedom (DoF) pose and 3 DoF scale of a target unknown object. This is achieved with the Stochastic Translation-Invariant Quaternion Filter (S-TIQF), a novel Bayesian filtering method with robust stochastic optimization for estimating the globally optimal pose of a target object. S-TIQF is also deployed to perform in situ visuo-tactile hand-eye calibration, since shared perception requires accurate extrinsic calibration between the two different sensing modalities, tactile and visual. Finally, we develop a novel active shared visuo-tactile representation and object reconstruction method employing a joint information gain criterion to improve the sample efficiency of the robot actions. To validate the effectiveness of our approach, we perform extensive experiments across standard datasets for pose estimation, as well as real-robot experiments with opaque, transparent and specular objects in randomised clutter settings and comprehensive comparison with other state-of-the-art approaches. Our experiments indicate that our approach outperforms state-of-the-art methods in terms of pose estimation accuracy for dense visual and sparse tactile point clouds.
Modeling of a horizontal axis wind turbine with the QBlade simulator and NACA airfoils
Authors: Salas Gonzales José Luis , Mamani Hilasaca Kent Rodrigo , Hilario Huaccha Alembert Delfin , Kana Hancco Walid Andy , Apaza Gutiérrez Jorge Luis , Butron Fernandez Fredy Alberto , Lopez Tejada Willy Roberto
Published: December 2024

This paper proposes the modeling of a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT), with the QBlade simulator, using the NACA airfoils, for this purpose we use the QBlade simulator, and the NACA airfoils, scaling the geometry, in order to use the wind tunnel of the school of mines of the UNSA, with a diameter of 0.45 m, once designed with these tools, we proceed to the 3D printing of the blades in the school of Architecture of the UNSA, and the model is built, to submit it to the input variables: wind speed, air density, wind angle of attack, and as output variables angular velocity, and torque on the shaft; with these data, the information is analyzed, in order to establish the conclusions, and recommendations: The modeling with the QBlade simulator and the NACA airfoils was satisfactory, so it is recommended to use it in the design of the (HAWT).
Balamuthia Mandrillaris Central Nervous System Vasculitis in an Immunocompetent Child: Case Report
Authors: Aboubechara John Paul , Kantamneni Trishna , Pasao Katrina
Published: December 2024

Balamuthia mandrillaris granulomatous amebic encephalitis is a rare disease that is associated with a high rate of mortality. Delays in diagnosis and treatment are common because of limited information on the organism in addition to its nonspecific clinical presentation. Prior reports have demonstrated that the encephalitis presents as multifocal lesions throughout the central nervous system with enhancement and edema. Here we report a case involving a 4-year-old previously healthy female child with a novel pathologic presentation of B mandrillaris infection, including vasculitis involving multiple large intracranial vessels as well as inflammation of multiple cranial nerves. The infection was ultimately fatal despite early diagnosis and initiation of targeted treatment.
Complications of Intracanal Irrigation During Root Canal Therapy of a Maxillary Canine Tooth in a Cat
Authors: Jordan V. J. , Koh N. Paik
Published: December 2024

This case describes a previously unreported complication of maxillary canine root canal therapy in a cat. A 5-year-old Russian Blue cat was presented with a complicated crown fracture (pulp exposure) of its left maxillary canine tooth (204). To salvage the tooth, root canal therapy was initiated but not completed due to hemorrhage within the canal. The procedure was staged. On recovery from the procedure, unilateral facial swelling and corneal ulceration were observed. This was consistent with retrograde passage of sodium hypochlorite through the nasolacrimal duct, inducing chemical injury to the cornea. The patient was treated with topical antibiotics, ophthalmic lubrication and systemic analgesia. After seven days of treatment, vast improvements to the eye were noted, with a full recovery confirmed at subsequent follow-up. Rather than complete stage two of the root canal therapy, the affected tooth was extracted; due to progression of pathology affecting the periapical bone. Clinicians should be aware of retrograde chemical irrigation as a potential complication when undertaking root canal therapy of maxillary canine teeth in cats. The close association between the maxillary canine tooth root and the nasolacrimal duct in cats needs to be taken into consideration and may require further evaluation prior to undertaking endodontic treatment. Advanced imaging should be considered. Immediate management of chemical corneal injuries should include copious flushing of the corneal surface, followed by swift referral for ophthalmic assessment.
‘POSTED: No Trespassing’: On the Performativity of Property and Gender as Intertwined Social Practices of Power
Authors: Decoster Ariël
Published: December 2024

This article aims to reconsider what property is and how it functions to critically scrutinise it as a matter of power. I rely on gender performativity theory to interpret contemporary research on property as a social practice and offer to think about property as equally performed. I suggest that property, just like gender, functions as a script for interpersonal engagement that determines what one can or cannot do and requires social recognition or enforcement as well as repetitive enactment to produce effect, that is, to operationalise a relationship of power. Reconceptualising property as performance also helps to elucidate how property participates in gendering the social world. Having argued that property and gender constitute intertwined practices of social power, I suggest that to perform property is, at least in some instances, to perform gender and vice versa. As a result, I contend that subversive gender practices can be read as subversive property practices and that property law constitutes a promising site for feminist theorising and reform.
Biomarkers of Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Sahai Anjali , Saxena Khyati
Published: December 2024

Background

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a degenerative brain disease characterised by motor and non-motor symptoms. Motor disabilities, including dystonia and dyskinesia, cause speech and movement difficulties and limit many aspects of life. Factors affecting PD refer to the various internal and external conditions that contribute to the onset, severity and progression of the disease. These factors can be broadly categorised into genetic, environmental and lifestyle-related factors.

The primary objective of this prospective cohort study is to investigate the association between environmental exposures and genetic predisposition and the risk of developing PD. Secondary objectives include examining the relationships between these factors and clinical outcomes in PD, such as disease severity and progression. We have utilised the data from other research studies, which primarily involve recruiting a cohort of individuals at high risk for PD based on their family history and/or environmental exposure history. These research studies also include participants who will undergo clinical evaluations, including neurological examinations and cognitive assessments, and provide biospecimens for genetic analysis. Environmental exposure histories will be obtained through questionnaires and medical records fetched by the authors of these research studies. In all these studies, participants were followed up regularly over several years to monitor the development of PD and to assess disease progression.

Key message

This study provided valuable insights into the role of environmental exposures and genetic predisposition in the development and progression of PD. The results of this study may inform strategies for preventing or delaying the onset of PD in high-risk individuals, as well as guide the development of targeted interventions for those already diagnosed with the disease.
A typological understanding of medical support in sport: What do we know and what’s next?
Authors: AlHashmi Reem , Pocock Molly , Channon Alex , Matthews Christopher R.
Published: December 2024

This article develops a typological understanding of medical support in sporting contexts. Based on the findings of a narrative literature review of social scientific studies, it outlines how medical support in sport can be usefully framed by four interrelated but conceptually distinct ideal types. These include affiliated, transient, independent and pseudo medical support. This understanding leads to the introduction of several avenues for further investigation, with an emphasis on exploring the boundaries and flexibility within different types of medical support through athletes’ perspectives and experiences, the impact of internet-based pseudo ‘medical’ knowledge and the need for research from without the Western/Global North setting to highlight differences in a currently under-researched area of the field. We welcome scholars to critically engage with our ideas so as to refine, test and reconsider them in light of empirical observations.
Sodium toxicosis in chickens: case series (2014–2023) and literature review
Authors: Gornatti-Churria Carlos Daniel , Poppenga Robert , Jerry Carmen F. , Stoute Simone T.
Published: December 2024

Cases of sodium toxicosis (ST), although reported infrequently, can result in acute morbidity and mortality and extensive losses in affected poultry. We analyzed the clinical, pathologic, and toxicologic findings of 7 diagnosed cases of ST in chicken autopsy submissions at the California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS), University of California–Davis, from 2014 to 2023. We also evaluated the brain sodium concentrations in 10 clinically normal broiler chickens to elucidate potential differences with salt-intoxicated chickens, and reviewed the literature of field cases of ST in chickens and turkeys. Lesions of anasarca described in the 7 ST cases (66 chickens) identified from the CAHFS database included: ascites (62 of 66; 6 of 7 cases); hydropericardium and cardiomegaly (54; 6 of 7); edematous, congested lungs (24; 6 of 7); enlarged, pale kidneys (24; 6 of 7); subcutaneous edema (17; 4 of 7); cystic testes (14; 6 of 7); and cerebral edema (7; 4 of 7). Brain sodium concentrations exceeded 1,800 ppm in only 4 of 24 brains analyzed in our case series. In the feed samples analyzed from 5 ST cases, sodium concentrations exceeded the recommended 2,000 ppm; concentrations detected were 2,500–12,000 ppm. In brains from the 10 clinically normal chickens evaluated, brain sodium concentrations were 1,500–1,700 ppm.
Global optimal actuator placement for adaptive structures: New formulation and benchmarking
Authors: Senatore Gennaro , Virgili Francesco , Blandini Lucio
Published: December 2024

Civil structures are often overdesigned to meet safety and functionality criteria under rare, strong events. Adaptive structures, however, can modify their response through sensing and actuation to satisfy design criteria more efficiently with better material utilization, which results in lower resource consumption and associated environmental impacts. Adaptation is performed through actuators integrated into the structural layout. Several methods exist for optimal actuator placement to control displacements and internal force flow. In discrete systems like trusses and frames, actuator placement is typically a binary assignment. Most existing methods use bilevel and heuristic formulations, leading to suboptimal solutions without proving global optimality. This paper introduces a Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) method that produces global optimum solutions by optimizing both actuator placement and commands. Two objective functions are used: minimizing the number of actuators and minimizing control energy. The optimization considers structural and serviceability limits and control feasibility. An extensive benchmark compares the new formulation’s global optima with solutions from greedy, stochastic, and heuristic methods. Results show that the new method consistently produces higher-quality solutions than all other methods benchmarked in this study.
Factors That Influence MSW Students’ Referral Decisions for Depression: A Factorial Survey
Authors: Murphy Melissa G. , Lacasse Jeffrey R. , Schelbe Lisa
Published: December 2024

Purpose

Depression is one of the most commonly treated conditions in mental health practice. However, outcomes have been poor and social workers face a host of treatment-related dilemmas.

Method

This study used factorial survey methodology to disentangle the effects of client, practice, and respondent characteristics on master's in social work (MSW) students’ antidepressant referral decisions. A total of 426 ( n = 426) MSW students each judged three unique vignette scenarios yielding 1,266 ( n = 1,266) judgments analyzed using multilevel model analyses.

Results

Findings suggest that the decision to refer was most influenced by previous response to antidepressant treatment, symptom profiles with suicidal ideations and anxiety, and recurrent episodes of depression. To a lesser degree, respondents’ personal use of psychotropic medications and beliefs about physician prescribing patterns also influenced antidepressant referral decisions.

Discussion

This study illuminates the complex effects of clinical and non-clinical factors on MSW students’ antidepressant referral decisions.
Planning for the Future: Advance Care Planning Knowledge, Discussion and Decision-Making Among Older, Sexual Minority Adults
Authors: Singleton Mekiayla C. , Kozlov Elissa , Friedman M. Reul , Enguidanos Susan M.
Published: December 2024

Background: Prior research has shown that advance care planning (ACP) knowledge and discussion varies among racial and ethnic groups. However, little is known if similar disparities exist within the sexual minority (SM) population. Objectives: To investigate racial disparities in ACP knowledge, discussion, and decision making within the SM population. Methods: Data from an online survey (N = 281) asked Black and White SM adults ages 50+ about their knowledge and actions about future healthcare wishes and their healthcare experiences. A series of multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to examine the association between ACP knowledge, discussion, and medical decision-making and race, while adjusting for other demographic and health-related variables. Results: On average, respondents were 57 years old (SD = 6.04) and just over half identified as being White (52%) and as men (55%). Most participants had heard of ACP (74%) and had an ACP discussion with someone (65%). Sixty-six percent of participants were very comfortable with medical decision-making. White SM adults had higher odds of having ACP knowledge (aOR = 3.56; 95% CI = 1.78, 7.07) and discussions (aOR = 2.43; 95% CI = 1.28, 4.61). While no racial differences were found in comfort with medical decision-making, other sociodemographics were significantly associated with comfort with medical decision-making. Conclusion: Outcomes from this work indicate persistent racial disparities in ACP within the SM population in addition to highlighting other factors that influence ACP. These findings emphasize the need for resources to address this systemic issues and to ensure that SM adults have access to and engage in ACP.
Impact of Electronic Word-of-Mouth Dispersion on Tourists' Purchase Intentions for Local Food Restaurants
Authors: Sun Hongjie , Qiu Meng , Feng Wenting
Published: December 2024

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) dispersion often increases perceived risk and reduces purchase intention; however, a high dispersion of eWOM regarding local food may have different effects on tourists. This study explores how eWOM dispersion influences tourists’ purchase intentions for local food. We find that high eWOM dispersion actually stimulates tourists’ curiosity, thereby enhancing their intention to purchase local food. This effect is moderated by the dimensions of eWOM and regulatory focus. Specifically, high dispersion regarding taste increases purchase intention, whereas high dispersion regarding quality decreases it. For tourists with a promotion focus, high dispersion strengthens purchase intention, but it is vice versa for those with a prevention focus. This study extends the literature on eWOM dispersion in the marketing of local food and reveals the mechanism of curiosity, providing practical guidance for local food restaurants.
Modeling and test verification of variable cross-section contact behavior for spherical rollers during lapping process
Authors: Sun Yongquan , Wei Changxu , Chen Guang , Su Yongxiang , Ding Jiahao , Ren Chengzu
Published: December 2024

Curved surface contact is widely used in the industry of bearing roller machining and shaft-hole connection, but there is no universal model to describe it. In order to study the contact problem between the spherical roller and the lapping sleeve, the existing cylindrical contact models were firstly compared and applied to the contact problem using slicing method, and a hybrid contact model was established. Based on Winkler's elastic foundation theory, a variable cross-section contact model was established and its analytical expression was obtained. Since the new model has no elastic half-space assumption, it can be used to solve conformal contact and non-conformal contact problems. Finally, the finite-element simulation results and the lapping test results show that compared with the hybrid contact model, the variable cross-section contact model can more accurately describe the static contact characteristics between the spherical roller and the lapping sleeve, and can provide a theoretical reference for roller machining and coordinated deformation of shaft-hole.
Modeling impacts of traffic, air pollution, and weather conditions on cardiopulmonary disease mortality
Authors: Cao Cong , Dyrstad Jan Morten , Green Colin P.
Published: December 2024

Aims:

Cardiopulmonary disease (CPD) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Increasing evidence shows that air pollution and exposure to weather conditions have important contributory roles. Understanding the interaction of these factors is difficult due to the complexity of the relationship between CPD, air pollution, and environmental factors.

Methods:

This paper uses regression models and machine learning approaches to explore these relationships, and investigate whether meteorological factors and air pollution have a synergistic effect on CPD. We use daily data from 2009–2018 from four cities representing the heterogenous climate conditions in Norway: the far north, the west coast, mid-Norway, and the south-east.

Results:

We demonstrate the importance of the interaction between weather and air pollution associated with higher CPD mortality, as is exposure to air pollution in the form of [Formula: see text]particulate matter. This impact is seasonal. Traffic is also positively related to CPD mortality, which may be caused indirectly through increased pollution. We demonstrate that machine learning outperforms regression models in terms of the accuracy of predicting CPD mortality.

Conclusions:

The inclusion of rich lagged structures and interactions between environmental factors are both important but can lead to overfitting of traditional models; since these cities are not large cities by international standards, it is surprising that environmental factors have such obvious impacts on CPD mortality. CPD mortality shows a clear negative trend, implying an improvement in the public health situation.
Expectations and opinions regarding the implementation of a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system – a before-and-after survey
Authors: Jungreithmayr Viktoria ,   Implementation Team, Haefeli Walter E , Seidling Hanna M
Published: December 2024

Objective: Despite the documented beneficial effects of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems and despite numerous incentives for their adoption in various countries around the globe implementation teams encounter unexpected difficulties when launching CPOE systems. This survey aimed at gathering users’ opinions on CPOE implementation. Additional factors that can be influenced by CPOE implementation were equally considered, namely workplace satisfaction, interprofessional collaboration, patient safety climate, system usability, and organisational readiness to implement change. Methods: We performed a mixed-mode survey at a tertiary care university hospital that introduced a commercial CPOE system. The survey consisted of validated questionnaires, self-developed, and socio-demographic questions. It was distributed both before and after CPOE implementation. Answers were descriptively analysed, compared between time-points, and assessed in relation to socio-demographic characteristics. Results: Users showed very diverse and only cautiously optimistic opinions towards CPOE implementation, which remained mainly unchanged during the post-survey. Respondents rated the system usability, organisational readiness for implementing change, and patient safety climate rather poorly, while workplace satisfaction and interprofessional collaboration were rated positively. Conclusion: This survey contributes to understanding user perspectives by providing valuable insights into user opinions before and after CPOE implementation, taking into account a range of associated factors.
Across domains: An integrated approach to assessing parenting practices for early childhood development in Ethiopia
Authors: de Milliano Marlous , Spier Elizabeth , Hagos Hailu Belay , Ranjit Varsha , Bock Cody , Downes John
Published: December 2024

While there is an increasing global call for integrated approaches to early childhood development (ECD) policy-making and implementation, parenting practices are not consistently measured against comprehensive ECD indicators. This study on parenting for ECD in Ethiopia was guided by the Nurturing Care Framework (NCF) to capture parenting practices within and across five essential caregiving domains: nutrition, health, safety and security, early learning and responsive caregiving. It used a mixed-methods design to analyse parenting practices of young children across five population settings in Ethiopia (i.e. urban, rural, pastoralist, internally displaced populations and refugee settings). The findings show that across these settings, parenting practices often fell short of what was needed for children’s healthy growth and development; especially with regards to nutrition, safety and security, and health. The parenting practices were mostly due to a lack of access, lack of knowledge or information and financial constraints. Children experienced unmet needs across multiple domains. Children were the least likely to receive adequate nurturing care if they lived in rural households, lived in a home where caregivers and household heads had not completed primary education, and/or where caregivers had a lower sense of self-efficacy.
Parametric analysis of existing-building geometry: Generative, dissective, and morphological approaches
Authors: Christenson Mike
Published: December 2024

This project contributes to architectural epistemology – that is, the study of ways in which architectural knowledge may be created, organized, and disseminated. Within that context, the project addresses digitally modeling existing buildings for the purposes of conducting geometrically-based analysis. The project focuses on parametric analysis, defined here as a way of examining and foregrounding latent formal conditions within digital models of existing buildings. Parametric analysis encompasses three approaches: generative, dissective, and morphological, which seek, respectively, to explain, uncover, or transform inherent logics, hidden geometries, and dynamic morphologies, in ways that may inform critical understandings of existing buildings. While the approaches differ in their assumptions and methods, they are unified in using parametric modeling as an analytical tool to gain insights beyond that which is available through geometrically accurate representation of built form. A set of buildings designed by the architect Le Corbusier is considered here as a test case.