bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Success of Maternal and Child Health Pipeline Training Programs: Alumni Survey Results
Authors: Fernandes Priyanka , Wang Karina , Timmerman Jason , Reyes Angela , Holmes Faye , Olaleye Omonike A. , Salihu Hamisu M. , Moerchen Victoria A. , Belcher Harolyn M. E. , Copeland-Linder Nikeea , Noble Charlotte A. , Vamos Cheryl A. , Armstrong Anna , Waters Catrina R. , Long-White Deneen , Brown Claudia , Reddy Madhavi M. , Kuo Alice
Published: February 2022

Introduction

The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Pipeline Training Program, promotes development of a diverse health workforce by training undergraduate students from underrepresented minorities. We aimed to evaluate the success of this program based on three domains: (1) demographic characteristics, (2) academic and career development, and (3) attitudes towards the field of MCH and the training programs among graduates.

Methods

Three domains of success were determined through a collaborative effort between current program directors and the funding agency project officers. The survey with questions related to the three domains was distributed via an online platform to graduates from seven sites (one former site and six current sites). Data were analyzed and presented utilizing descriptive statistics.

Results

The survey was distributed to 550 graduates, 162 responded (37% response rate). Demographically, 78% were female, 54% were Black/African American, 22% were Latinx and 83% did not report any disability. Eighty percent of respondents applied to graduate/professional schools, 67% received admission. Graduates often continued to work in MCH fields (70%). Majority felt confident and knowledgeable in the field (89%) and agreed the faculty were supportive at their training sites (90%).

Conclusion

The study highlights successes in recruiting from underrepresented minorities, particularly Black/African Americans and first-time college goers in the family into the MCH Pipeline Training Programs. Programs were successful in furthering academic and career development for most trainees. Attitudes towards MCH and the training programs were overwhelmingly positive. Continued support of these programs is critical in addressing health disparities and achieving health equity.
Radiological evolution of autograft fat used for skull base reconstruction after transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas
Authors: Cossu Giulia , Turin-Huet Victoire , Garvayo Navarro Marta , Papadakis Georgios , Daniel Roy Thomas , Dunet Vincent , Messerer Mahmoud
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Cerebro-spinal fluid leak after transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas may be prevented by skull base reconstruction with fat autograft. However, graft changes may interfere with the interpretation of postoperative images. Our aim is to describe the radiological evolution of the fat autograft.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed, including patients undergoing a transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas with a fat autograft for skull base reconstruction. Clinical and radiological data were collected, with assessment of fat autograft and extent of resection. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal–Wallis and Wilcoxon signed-rank test while Spearman’s Rho was used to analyze the relationship between variables.

Results

Seventy-two patients were included. Macroadenomas were diagnosed in 62 cases (86.1%) and in 21 cases an invasion of the cavernous sinus was described (29%). Gross total resection was achieved in 84.7% of cases. The volume of the fat graft significantly decreased between 3 months and 1 year after surgery (p = 0.01) and between 1 year and the last follow-up (mean 4.63 years, p < 0.01). Fat signal ratio significantly diminished between 3 months and 1 year in unenhanced and enhanced T1-weighted sequences (p = 0.04 and p = 0.02 respectively). Volume reduction was related to the decrease in signal ratio in unenhanced T1 sequences (p = 0.008).

Conclusion

Fat resorbs with time: almost 50% of the fat volume is lost during the first year after surgery and 60% is resorbed at 4.6 years. T1-signal, before and after gadolinium injection, also decreases during the first year, probably because of the progressive fibrosis of the graft. This information will contribute to the interpretation of postoperative images.
Inquiring Systems and Development Led Inquiry: Uniting the Efforts of Farmers, Development Professionals, and Researchers
Authors: Ramsay Gavin , Narain Nivedita , Bhanjdeo Arundhita
Published: February 2022

This paper introduces Development Led Inquiry (DLI) as an approach to improve situations incorporating relationships between third sector organisations (TSOs) and agricultural scientists, universities, and the public-sector agricultural establishment. There is limited scholarly work on the role of TSOs in agricultural research. Current approaches appear premised on TSOs being researched upon, and recipients of research outcomes rather than partners in generation and application of new knowledge. DLI expands the boundaries of research systems and roles of TSOs as supporters within them. DLI builds on partnerships between NGOs, farmers’ organisations, and women’s associations; it integrates researchers and research organisations to develop, manage and report knowledge generation and application. DLI is dynamic and developmental with learning for all participants central to the process. DLI unsettles current power structures within research systems and sees research and knowledge generation as a supporter rather than leader of development. DLI is embedded in an inquiring systems approach and applies six interrelated conceptual systems thinking tools. The approach emerged from, and was applied in, a twelve-year agricultural research project in India, and was subsequently introduced to, and further developed in a research project in Pakistan.
On the Anisotropic Impact Behavior of an Additively Manufactured AlSi10Mg Alloy in Different Heat Treatment Conditions
Authors: Giovagnoli Maverick , Tocci Marialaura , Fortini Annalisa , Merlin Mattia , Ferroni Matteo , Pola Annalisa
Published: February 2022

The present work deals with the anisotropic high-strain rate behavior of laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) produced AlSi10Mg alloy in different heat treatment conditions. Impact specimens were produced with different orientations towards building platform and U-notch positions to assess the anisotropic properties. Besides the as-built material, several heat treatments were considered, including annealing, standard T6, hot isostatic pressing (HIP), HIP plus T6, and a recently proposed T6 at high pressure. The high-strain rate behavior was investigated by conducting Charpy impact tests, while material characterization was performed by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. Results show that as-built and annealed alloys display significant anisotropic impact properties, whereas samples heat-treated at high temperatures generally have more consistent behavior. A coupled microstructural and fractographic investigation highlights that mitigation of anisotropy descends from the recovery of microstructural heterogeneity of the Si phase after heat treatment at high temperatures. This does not happen for both grain morphology or crystallographic structure, which are not significantly altered after the heat treatment. The present study aims to fill the gap in the literature regarding the anisotropic high-strain rate behavior of additively manufactured Al alloys and provide useful insights for mitigation of anisotropy by heat treatment.
Does Excess Tissue Sodium Storage Regulate Blood Pressure?
Authors: Rossitto Giacomo , Delles Christian
Published: February 2022

Purpose of Review

The regulation of blood pressure is conventionally conceptualised into the product of “circulating blood volume” and “vasoconstriction components”. Over the last few years, however, demonstration of tissue sodium storage challenged this dichotomous view.

Recent Findings

We review the available evidence pertaining to this phenomenon and the early association made with blood pressure; we discuss open questions regarding its originally proposed hypertonic nature, recently challenged by the suggestion of a systemic, isotonic, water paralleled accumulation that mirrors absolute or relative extracellular volume expansion; we present the established and speculate on the putative implications of this extravascular sodium excess, in either volume-associated or -independent form, on blood pressure regulation; finally, we highlight the prevalence of high tissue sodium in cardiovascular, metabolic and inflammatory conditions other than hypertension.

We conclude on approaches to reduce sodium excess and on the potential of emerging imaging technologies in hypertension and other conditions.
Myocardial perfusion quantification with Rb-82 PET: good interobserver agreement of Carimas software on global, regional, and segmental levels
Authors: Nesterov Sergey V. , Deshayes Emmanuel , Juarez-Orozco Luis Eduardo , deKemp Robert A. , Sciagrà Roberto , Malaspina Simona , Settimo Leonardo , Han Chunlei , Ryzhkova Darja V. , Kostina Irina S. , Gwet Kilem L. , Prior John O. , Knuuti Juhani M.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

To estimate the interobserver agreement of the Carimas software package (SP) on global, regional, and segmental levels for the most widely used myocardial perfusion PET tracer—Rb-82.

Materials and methods

Rest and stress Rb-82 PET scans of 48 patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease (CAD) were analyzed in four centers using the Carimas SP.

We considered values to agree if they simultaneously had an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) > 0.75 and a difference < 20% of the median across all observers.

Results

The median values on the segmental level were 1.08 mL/min/g for rest myocardial blood flow (MBF), 2.24 mL/min/g for stress MBF, and 2.17 for myocardial flow reserve (MFR). For the rest MBF and MFR, all the values at all the levels fulfilled were in excellent agreement. For stress MBF, at the global and regional levels, all the 24 comparisons showed excellent agreement. Only 1 out of 102 segmental comparisons (seg. 14) was over the adequate agreement limit—23.5% of the median value (ICC = 0.95).

Conclusion

Interobserver agreement for Rb-82 PET myocardial perfusion quantification analyzed with Carimas is good at any LV segmentation level—global, regional, and segmental. It is good for all the estimates—rest MBF, stress MBF, and MFR.
Preference based multi-objective reinforcement learning for multi-microgrid system optimization problem in smart grid
Authors: Xu Jiangjiao , Li Ke , Abusara Mohammad
Published: February 2022

Grid-connected microgrids comprising renewable energy, energy storage systems and local load, play a vital role in decreasing the energy consumption of fossil diesel and greenhouse gas emissions. A distribution power network connecting several microgrids can promote more potent and reliable operations to enhance the security and privacy of the power system. However, the operation control for a multi-microgrid system is a big challenge. To design a multi-microgrid power system, an intelligent multi-microgrids energy management method is proposed based on the preference-based multi-objective reinforcement learning (PMORL) techniques. The power system model can be divided into three layers: the consumer layer, the independent system operator layer, and the power grid layer. Each layer intends to maximize its benefit. The PMORL is proposed to lead to a Pareto optimal set for each object to achieve these objectives. A non-dominated solution is decided to execute a balanced plan not to favor any particular participant. The preference-based results show that the proposed method can effectively learn different preferences. The simulation outcomes confirm the performance of the PMORL and verify the viability of the proposed method.
Patient-Specific Modelling and Parameter Optimisation to Simulate Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Children
Authors: Bozkurt Selim , Paracha Waleed , Bakaya Kaushiki , Schievano Silvia
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Lumped parameter modelling has been widely used to simulate cardiac function and physiological scenarios in cardiovascular research. Whereas several patient-specific lumped parameter models have been reported for adults, there is a limited number of studies aiming to simulate cardiac function in children. The aim of this study is to simulate patient-specific cardiovascular dynamics in children diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, using a lumped parameter model.

Methods

Patient data including age, gender, heart rate, left and right ventricular end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes, cardiac output, systolic and diastolic aortic pressures were collected from 3 patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK. Ventricular geometrical data were additionally retrieved from cardiovascular magnetic resonance images. 23 parameters in the lumped parameter model were optimised to simulate systolic and diastolic pressures, end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes, cardiac output and left and right ventricular diameters in the patients using a direct search optimisation method.

Results

Difference between the haemodynamic parameters in the optimised cardiovascular system models and clinical data was less than 10%.

Conclusion

The simulation results show the potential of patient-specific lumped parameter modelling to simulate clinical cases. Modelling patient specific cardiac function and blood flow in the paediatric patients would allow us to evaluate a variety of physiological scenarios and treatment options.
Inulin-g-poly-D,L-lactide, a sustainable amphiphilic copolymer for nano-therapeutics
Authors: Sardo Carla , Mencherini Teresa , Tommasino Carmela , Esposito Tiziana , Russo Paola , Del Gaudio Pasquale , Aquino Rita Patrizia
Published: February 2022

Cancer therapies started to take a big advantage from new nanomedicines on the market. Since then, research tried to better understand how to maximize efficacy while maintaining a high safety profile. Polyethylene glycol (PEG), the gold standard for nanomedicines coating design, is a winning choice to ensure a long circulation and colloidal stability, while in some cases, patients could develop PEG-directed immunoglobulins after the first administration. This lead to a phenomenon called accelerated blood clearance (ABC effect), and it is correlated with clinical failure because of the premature removal of the nanosystem from the circulation by immune mechanism. Therefore, alternatives to PEG need to be found. Here, looking at the backbone structural analogy, the hydrophilicity, flexibility, and its GRAS status, the natural polysaccharide inulin (INU) was investigated as PEG alternative. In particular, the first family of Inulin-g-poly-D,L-lactide amphiphilic copolymers (INU-PLAs) was synthesized. The new materials were fully characterized from the physicochemical point of view (solubility, 1D and 2D NMR, FT-IR, UV–Vis, GPC, DSC) and showed interesting hybrid properties compared to precursors. Moreover, their ability in forming stable colloids and to serve as a carrier for doxorubicin were investigated and compared with the already well-known and well-characterized PEGylated counterpart, polyethylene glycol-b-poly-D,L-lactide (PEG-PLA). This preliminary investigation showed INU-PLA to be able to assemble in nanostructures less than 200 nm in size and capable of loading doxorubicin with an encapsulation efficiency in the same order of magnitude of PEG-PLA analogues.

Graphical abstract
Factorization of quaternionic polynomials of bi-degree (n,1)
Authors: Lercher Johanna , Scharler Daniel , Schröcker Hans-Peter , Siegele Johannes
Published: February 2022

We consider polynomials of bi-degree (n, 1) over the skew field of quaternions where the indeterminates commute with each other and with all coefficients. Polynomials of this type do not generally admit factorizations. We recall a necessary and sufficient condition for existence of a factorization with univariate linear factors that has originally been stated by Skopenkov and Krasauskas. Such a factorization is, in general, non-unique by known factorization results for univariate quaternionic polynomials. We unveil existence of bivariate polynomials with non-unique factorizations that cannot be explained in this way and characterize them geometrically and algebraically. Existence of factorizations is related to the existence of special rulings of two different types (left/right) on the ruled surface parameterized by the bivariate polynomial in the projective space over the quaternions. Special non-uniqueness in above sense can be explained algebraically by commutation properties of factors in suitable factorizations. A necessary geometric condition for this to happen is degeneration to a point of at least one of the left/right rulings.
Exponential sums in prime fields for modular forms
Authors: Bajpai Jitendra , Bhakta Subham , García Victor C.
Published: February 2022

The main objective of this article is to study the exponential sums associated to Fourier coefficients of modular forms supported at numbers having a fixed set of prime factors. This is achieved by establishing an improvement on Shparlinski’s bound for exponential sums attached to certain linear recurrence sequences over finite fields.
Evolution of individual equatorial atmospheric Kelvin waves in the stratosphere from FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 temperatures
Authors: Das Uma , Pan Chen-Jeih , Yang Shih-Sian
Published: February 2022

Temperatures obtained from Formosa Satellite-7/Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate-2 (FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2) in the stratosphere are analysed to investigate equatorial atmospheric Kelvin waves (KW) during the period from October 2019 to March 2021. Least square fitting followed by a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform are employed to extract the characteristics of these waves. Comparison with ERA5 mean zonal winds clearly indicates wave-mean flow interactions. KW activity was stronger from November 2019 to July 2020 and observed in the entire stratosphere due to the prevailing westward wind. After July 2020, although the ambient winds were favourable, wave activity was weaker and is attributed to the La Nina state of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the equatorial Pacific. The emphasis of the current study is on individual KW events and their evolution as they propagate eastward and upward. Waves of many periods are excited simultaneously in the lower atmosphere and as they propagate upward with different speeds, disperse along the path. During November–December 2019, KW periods ranged from 8 to 21 days. Vertical wavelength of the slow waves (> 15 days) is found to be ~ 3 km just above the tropopause that increased to 10–12 km at ~ 40 km. This increase in vertical wavelength is due to Doppler effect of the mean wind on the wave. For the fast waves of periods 8, 6.5 and 4.5 days, the wavelengths are larger and 18, 24 and 30 km, respectively. COSMIC-2 data, with its high vertical resolution, provided this opportunity to investigate the fine structure of the KW delivering many insights into the atmospheric dynamics involved.
Neurosurgeons’ Perspectives on Vascular Entrustable Professional Activities
Authors: Cadieux Magalie , McKinley Sophia K. , Odewade Niyi , Riva-Cambrin Jay , Phitayakorn Roy
Published: February 2022

This article discusses subspecialty Canadian neurosurgeons’ perceptions of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) assessments and variabilities prior to the implementation of the Competence by Design (CBD) system in Canada. Vascular neurosurgeons were asked to reflect on how they would evaluate and give feedback to neurosurgery residents concerning the EPA “Performing surgery for patients with an intracranial aneurysm.” Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a deductive approach. Themes were derived from these interviews and reflected on the subjectivity and biases present in the EPA assessment forms. Indeed, faculty may require more training in the transitioning to a CBD evaluation system.
A systematic review of the role of culture in the mental health service utilisation among ethnic minority groups in the United Kingdom
Authors: Nwokoroku Sandra Chidimma , Neil Barbara , Dlamini Chris , Osuchukwu Vivian Chinonso
Published: February 2022

Although mental health (MH) services and psychological support are tailored to fit the MH needs of those requiring these services in the UK, underutilisation persists. Current evidence suggests that ethnic minorities underutilise MH services with culture implicated in this trend. However, there is limited evidence from systematic reviews integrating the findings of primary studies on the role of culture in MH service utilisation among ethnic minorities. This review aims to synthesise and summarise evidence on the role of culture in MH service utilisation among ethnic minorities in the UK. Two reviewers searched CINAHL, APA PsycINFO and Medline databases using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Two other reviewers screened the abstracts and full text, while three conducted data extraction and assessed study quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist for qualitative studies. One's culture was repeatedly identified to play a role in MH service utilisation among the ethnic minorities in the UK. The impact of cultural factors on service utilisation was through its effects on structure/institution, beliefs, stigma and perception of service. In addition, discrimination and other racism-related negative experiences during service use were found to inform perception and use of MH services. These findings suggest that MH services should be tailored to cultural differences to optimise service utilisation.
On Studying and Teaching Religion in Dark Times
Authors: Doak Mary
Published: February 2022

In the midst of a pandemic, an ongoing global climate emergency, violent white supremacy, economic inequality, and fraying democratic institutions, the work of theologians and religious studies scholars offers a much-needed illumination by attending both to the religious roots of these disfunctions and to religious sources of alternative possibilities. This article argues especially for the importance of religion in providing hope, inspiring unity, warning of perennial human temptations, and encouraging the practices of introspection essential to independent thought. The story of Fr. Félix Varela, Cuban scholar, patriot, and pastor to immigrant Irish in nineteenth-century New York, provides an example of someone whose deep religious faith enabled him to resist common polarizations and to illuminate his time by envisioning and working for a world more just and humane than that imagined by the official Catholicism (or by most of society) in his day.
Fear and Loathing or Strategic Priming? Unveiling the Audience in Duterte's Crime Rhetoric
Authors: Panao Rogelio Alicor L. , Pernia Ronald A.
Published: February 2022

This paper examines speechmaking on a contentious policy by arguably one of the most controversial figures to have assumed the Philippine presidency. Drawing on quantitative textual approaches on a corpus of 845 presidential speeches delivered between June 2016 and July 2020, we provide evidence that Rodrigo Duterte's evocative utterances against drug lords and criminals are not just deliberate illocutionary acts intended to court public support, but also priming tactics aimed towards a politically and economically significant audience whose acquiescence gives symbolic legitimacy to a controversial anti-crime policy. Using quantitative textual approaches and econometric analysis, we find that violent-crime rhetoric is more likely to accompany public pronouncements made before a political audience consisting of law enforcement authorities and government officials, as well as an economic audience made up of business chambers, overseas Filipino workers, and labor groups. Overall, the findings nuance an image of Duterte beyond that of a penal populist.
Universality of stretching separation
Authors: Baumgartner David , Brenn Günter , Planchette Carole
Published: February 2022

We develop a model to predict the fragmentation limit of drops colliding off-centre. The prediction is excellent over a wide range of liquid properties and it can be used without adjusting any parameter. The so-called stretching separation is attributed to the extension of the merged drop above a critical aspect ratio of 3.25. The evolution of this aspect ratio is influenced by the liquid viscosity and can be interpreted via an energy balance. This approach is then adapted to drop–jet collisions, which we model as consecutive drop–drop collisions. The fragmentation criterion is similar to that observed for drop–drop collisions, while the evolution of the stretched jet aspect ratio is modified to account for the different flow fields and geometry.
Localized drag modification in a laminar boundary layer subject to free-stream travelling waves via critical and Stokes layer interactions
Authors: Agarwal T. , Cukurel B. , Jacobi I.
Published: February 2022

Perturbation of the laminar boundary layer by free-stream travelling waves was shown to produce highly-localized skin friction modification via steady streaming. The forced boundary layer flow was calculated numerically and studied as a function of the phase speed, frequency and amplitude of the perturbations. Upstream-travelling waves always produced negative streaming, whereas downstream-travelling waves produced positive or negative streaming that varied with forcing strength and streamwise location. The sign of the resultant streaming was explained in terms of the inclination of the induced velocity modes, which evolved spatially in response to the streamwise variation and overlap of the Stokes and critical layers.
The energy cascade as the origin of intense events in small-scale turbulence
Authors: Vela-Martín Alberto
Published: February 2022

This work presents evidence of the relation between the dynamics of intense events in the dissipative range of turbulence and the energy cascade. The generalised (Hölder) means are used to construct signals that track the temporal evolution of intense enstrophy and dissipation events in direct numerical simulations of isotropic turbulence. These signals are remarkably time-correlated with the average dissipation signal, and with its large-scale surrogate, despite describing only a small fraction of the flow domain, and they precede the dissipation signal with a temporal advancement that grows with their intensity and that scales in integral time units. Interpreted from a causal perspective, these results point to the energy cascade as the driver of the intense events in the dissipative range. Moreover, it is shown that the temporal advancements of the generalised means are consistent with a local energy cascade, whereby eddies cascade in a time proportional to their turnover time, causing intense eddies to reach the dissipative scales before weak eddies. These results shed light on the dynamics of intense and extreme events in small-scale turbulence, and provide empirical support to the phenomenological foundations of a broad class of intermittency models based on the turbulence cascade.
How do the finite-size particles modify the drag in Taylor–Couette turbulent flow
Authors: Wang Cheng , Yi Lei , Jiang Linfeng , Sun Chao
Published: February 2022

We experimentally investigate the drag modification by neutrally buoyant finite-size particles with various aspect ratios in a Taylor–Couette (TC) turbulent flow. The current Reynolds number,

$Re$

, ranges from

$6.5\times 10^3$

to

$2.6\times 10^4$

, and the particle volume fraction,

$\varPhi$

, is up to

$10\,\%$

. Particles with three kinds of aspect ratio,

$\lambda$

, are used:

$\lambda =1/3$

(oblate),

$\lambda =1$

(spherical) and

$\lambda =3$

(prolate). Unlike the case of bubbly TC flow (van Gils et al., J. Fluid Mech., vol. 722, 2013, pp. 317–347; Verschoof et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 117, issue 10, 2016, p. 104502), we find that the suspended finite-size particles increase the drag of the TC system regardless of their aspect ratios. The overall drag of the system increases with increasing

$Re$

, which is consistent with the literature. In addition, the normalized friction coefficient,

$c_{f,\varPhi }/c_{f,\varPhi =0}$

, decreases with increasing

$Re$

, the reason could be that in the current low volume fractions the turbulent stress becomes dominant at higher

$Re$

. The particle distributions along the radial direction of the system are obtained by performing optical measurements at

$\varPhi =0.5\,\%$

and

$\varPhi = 2\,\%$

. As

$Re$

increases, the particles distribute more evenly in the entire system, which results from both the greater turbulence intensity and the more pronounced finite-size effects of the particles at higher

$Re$

. Moreover, it is found that the variation of the particle aspect ratios leads to different particle collective effects. The suspended spherical particles, which tend to cluster near the walls and form a particle layer, significantly affect the boundary layer and result in maximum drag modification. The minimal drag modification is found in the oblate case, where the particles preferentially cluster in the bulk region, and, thus, the particle layer is absent. Based on the optical measurement results, it can be concluded that, in the low volume fraction ranges (

$\varPhi =0.5\,\%$

and

$\varPhi = 2\,\%$

here), the larger drag modification is connected to the near-wall particle clustering. The present findings suggest that the particle shape plays a significant role in drag modification, and the collective behaviours of rigid particles provide clues to understand the bubbly drag reduction.
Numerical investigation of the formation and stability of homogeneous pairs of soft particles in inertial microfluidics
Authors: Owen Benjamin , Krüger Timm
Published: February 2022

We investigate the formation and stability of a pair of identical soft capsules in channel flow under mild inertia. We employ a combination of the lattice Boltzmann, finite element and immersed boundary methods to simulate the elastic particles in flow. Validation tests show excellent agreement with numerical results obtained by other research groups. Our results reveal new trajectory types that have not been observed for pairs of rigid particles. While particle softness increases the likelihood of a stable pair forming, the pair stability is determined by the lateral position of the particles. A key finding is that stabilisation of the axial distance occurs after lateral migration of the particles. During the later phase of pair formation, particles undergo damped oscillations that are independent of initial conditions. These damped oscillations are driven by a strong hydrodynamic coupling of the particle dynamics, particle inertia and viscous dissipation. While the frequency and damping coefficient of the oscillations depend on particle softness, the pair formation time is largely determined by the initial particle positions: the time to form a stable pair grows exponentially with the initial axial distance. Our results demonstrate that particle softness has a strong impact on the behaviour of particle pairs. The findings could have significant ramifications for microfluidic applications where a constant and reliable axial distance between particles is required, such as flow cytometry.
On the transition between continuous and shocked solutions for resonant gas oscillations in the frustum of a closed cone
Authors: Amundsen D.E. , Mortell M.P. , Seymour B.R.
Published: February 2022

Resonant gas oscillations in a closed straight tube contain shocks for frequencies near the linear resonant frequency. As the tube geometry changes from straight to a cone with slope

$a,$

the shock strength decreases until, for large enough

$a,$

the motion is continuous. The analytical result for small

$a$

follows from a nonlinearization of the linear resonant response, while the result for large

$a$

is a dominant single mode approximation. The connection between these two forms is analysed numerically. The shocked solutions change to multimode continuous solutions as

$a$

increases to cross the curve

$a_{s}\doteqdot 12.8M^{1/3}$

, where

$M\ll 1$

is the Mach number of the input. Then the amplitudes of the higher modes decrease as

$a$

continues to increase until, having crossed

$a_{m}\doteqdot 30M^{1/3}$

, the single mode solution emerges.
Establishing and integrating a transoral robotic surgery programme into routine oncological management of head and neck cancer – a UK perspective
Authors: Arora A , Brunet A , Oikonomou G , Tornari C , Faulkner J , Jeyarajah J , Touska P , Sandison A , Rovira A , Simo R , Jeannon J-P
Published: February 2022

Background

The introduction of transoral robotic surgery into routine management of patients is complex. It involves organisational, logistical and clinical challenges. This study presents our experience of implementing such a programme and provides a blueprint for other centres willing to establish similar services.

Methods

Implementation of the robotic surgery programme focused on several key domains: training, logistics, governance, multidisciplinary team awareness, pre-operative imaging, anaesthesia, post-operative care, finance, patient selection and consent. Programme outcomes were evaluated by assessing operative outcomes of the first 117 procedures performed.

Results

The success of the transoral robotic surgery programme has been possible because of the scrupulous planning phase before the first procedure, and the time invested on team awareness and training.

Conclusion

Implementation of a new transoral robotic surgery service has led to: the development of a dedicated transoral robotic surgery patient care protocol, the performance of progressively more complex procedures, the inclusion of transoral robotic surgery training and the establishment of several research projects.
Constructing a caste in the past: Revisionist histories and competitive authority in South India
Authors: Gross Tori
Published: February 2022

This article examines the recent political history of the Devendrakula Vellalars (henceforth, Devendras). Officially recognized by the state and union governments in 2020 and 2021, this novel consolidated caste formation includes a broad range of formerly endogamous ‘Untouchable’ communities spread throughout Tamil Nadu but most highly concentrated in its southern half. I argue that the communities constituting the Devendras have been socio-economically diverse for at least the past century and thus do not necessarily share the same political priorities. They have, nonetheless, attempted to unite in opposition to the politically powerful Thevars (Other Backward Class or OBC) who are themselves a consolidated caste formation that grew out of colonial domination. The Devendras's economic diversity has, however, troubled their oppositional political consolidation, compelling the production of revisionist mythico-histories that appeal to widely held desires for authority and honour. Disavowing the Dalit past and recasting the Devendras as the descendants of heroes, such mythico-histories produce a collective identity characterized by the ideals of righteous self-sacrifice, valour, and agrarian civility. Devendras's identarian claims are, however, reliant on the acceptance of internal and external audiences, some of which violently oppose their assertions. They nevertheless seek recognition, and in so doing empower themselves by gathering strength in numbers.
MAPPING RESEARCH ON L2 PRONUNCIATION
Authors: Demir Yusuf , Kartal Galip
Published: February 2022

This study reports on a bibliometric mapping analysis of L2 pronunciation research. Analyses on 629 articles published between 1977 and 2020 in 15 prestigious SSCI-indexed applied linguistics journals identified significant research themes and trends, influential authors, documents, and publication sources. The results of the analyses of citation impact, cocitation, and research trends provide valuable insights into understanding the dynamics, evolution patterns, and the intellectual background of L2 pronunciation research, thereby guiding future research and practice.
Understanding habitat use of the Endangered Alligator Rivers Yellow Chat Epthianura crocea tunneyi to inform monitoring and management
Authors: LEPPITT ROBIN , EINODER LUKE , KYNE PETER M. , WOINARSKI JOHN C. Z. , GARNETT STEPHEN
Published: February 2022

Knowledge of where a threatened species occurs in a landscape is crucial for determining its habitat requirements and informing its conservation planning and management. We conducted the first broad-scale survey of the Endangered Alligator Rivers Yellow Chat Epthianura crocea tunneyi across much of its known range on drying coastal floodplains in northern Australia. Presence-absence records from 257 sites surveyed in the late dry season (August–December) of 2018 and 2019 were modelled using occupancy/detectability models. Occupancy was estimated to be 0.10 ± 0.04 with a high detection probability (0.89 ± 0.07). Modelling of 13 site-level environmental covariates found that chats were more likely to be detected at sites where the native shrub Sesbania sesban was present, were close to hydrogeological features such as depressions or channels, were long unburnt (5+ years) and/or with topsoil damage caused by feral pigs. Our estimates of chat occupancy, detectability, and the covariates that influence their occupancy, have improved our understanding of the role that fire and feral animals have on chat distribution and habitat selection, and can be used as a baseline for future monitoring. We also provide recommendations on how to design and implement future monitoring of this subspecies.
Mechanisms and moderators of behavioural couples therapy for alcohol and substance use disorders: an updated review of the literature
Authors: Mutschler Christina , Malivoire Bailee L. , Schumm Jeremiah A. , Monson Candice M.
Published: February 2022

Introduction:

Behavioural couples therapy (BCT) and alcohol behavioural couples therapy (ABCT) are couples-based interventions for substance use disorders (SUDs) that have been deemed a ‘gold standard’ treatment. Despite the substantial amount of promising research, there is a lack of research on the active components of treatment and treatment mechanisms and moderators. Since the most recent meta-analysis, a number of studies have been conducted that advance our understanding of the efficacy of BCT and ABCT.

Aims:

The purpose of the present review was to provide an update on the current knowledge of these treatments and to investigate mediators and moderators of treatment.

Method:

A systematic search strategy of relevant databases from 2008 to 2021 identified 20 relevant articles that were coded for relevant information including study design, treatment, outcomes, as well as mechanisms and moderators.

Results:

The results indicated that BCT and ABCT are successful in reducing alcohol and substance use for both male and female clients, dual problem couples, and for reducing post-traumatic stress symptoms and intimate partner violence. The reviewed studies discussed a number of treatment mechanisms, with the most studied mechanism being relationship functioning. Moderators included relationship functioning and patient gender.

Conclusions:

The results point to the need for additional research on active treatment components, mechanisms and moderators, in order to provide a more efficient and cost-effective treatment.
Trump Ended WTO Dispute Settlement. Trade Remedies are Needed to Fix it
Authors: Bown Chad P.
Published: February 2022

Unhappy with the rulings of the WTO dispute settlement system, which disproportionately targeted US use of trade remedies, the United States ended the entire system in 2019. There are multiple hurdles to agreeing to new terms of trade remedy use and thus potentially restoring some form of binding dispute settlement. First, a change would affect access to policy flexibility by the now large number of users of trade remedies. Second, although China's exports are the overwhelming target of trade remedies, exporters in other countries increasingly find themselves caught up in trade remedy actions linked to China. Third, critical differences posed by China's economic model may call for new rules for trade remedies, but no consensus on those rules has emerged. Even some of the most promising reforms have practical limitations, create additional challenges, or may be politically unviable.
Use of a low frustration tolerance exercise for trainee therapists in a SP/SR framework
Authors: Collard James , Clarke Michael
Published: February 2022

Application of a self-practice self-reflection (SP/SR) framework to clinical training programmes for those learning cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) have demonstrated positive outcomes. These programmes have typically resulted in reports of enhanced learning, improved clinical skills, heightened empathy, improved interpersonal skills, increased self-awareness, and self-development for those undertaking such training. However, the utility of specific activities within this framework for enhancing trainees’ learning still requires exploration. This study sought to explore the use of a low frustration tolerance (LFT) exercise to enhance trainee’s learning around issues relating to frustration and discomfort tolerance. It also further explored the possible application of SP/SR as a form of competency-based assessment. The study was based on 41 student trainees that engaged in a self-directed LFT exercise. Written reflections on these exercises were then thematically analysed. From a competency basis, the exercise provided an approach for observing the trainee’s competency with formulation skills, intervention planning, and self-reflective capacity. Participants reported both personal and professional development outcomes from the exercise. These included a ‘deepened’ understanding of cognitive behavioural principles related to their experiences, both in terms of principles relating to maintenance of dysfunction and to creating change. Increased self-awareness and learning outcomes relating to the development of interpersonal skills were also commonly reported by trainees.

Key learning aims

(1)

To understand the usefulness of a behavioural experiment [a low frustration tolerance (LFT) exercise] for training within a SP/SR framework.

(2)

To examine the potential for using SP/SR as a form of competency-based training.

(3)

To demonstrate the benefits of experiential learning through SP/SR in training CBT.
Kann die Schule die Selbstwertentwicklung Jugendlicher positiv beeinflussen?
Authors: Schoreit Edgar , Kuhn Hans Peter
Published: February 2022

Zusammenfassung. Die drei Grundbedürfnisse Autonomie, Kompetenzwahrnehmung und soziale Eingebundenheit wurden wiederholt als mögliche Determinanten eines globalen Selbstwerts untersucht. Doch nur wenige dieser Untersuchungen erfassen explizit eine mehrjährige Selbstwertentwicklung und die Rolle der Schule bei der Erfüllung der Grundbedürfnisse während der Adoleszenz. In der vorliegenden Studie werden die Angaben von 334 Schüler*innen zur Gewährung von Autonomie durch die Lehrkräfte sowie deren Kompetenzrückmeldungen und die soziale Eingebundenheit in der Schulklasse zur Vorhersage der nachfolgenden Selbstwertentwicklung genutzt. Dabei lässt sich zunächst eine tendenziell dichotome Unterscheidung in einen über Jahre stabilen gegenüber einem abnehmenden Selbstwert ermitteln. Von den drei Grundbedürfnissen führt nur ein höheres Ausmaß an Autonomie (5. Schuljahr) zu einer höheren Wahrscheinlichkeit einer stabilen Selbstwertentwicklung vom fünften bis zehnten Schuljahr (6 Messzeitpunkte), und dies bei geschlechtergetrennter Berechnung nur bei den Mädchen. Cross-Lagged-Panel-Modelle bestätigen dieses Ergebnis als einseitigen und ungewöhnlich deutlichen Effekt.
Projecting Future Fire Regimes in a Semiarid Watershed of the Inland Northwestern United States: Interactions Among Climate Change, Vegetation Productivity, and Fuel Dynamics
Authors: Ren Jianning , Hanan Erin J. , Abatzoglou John T. , Kolden Crystal A. , Tague Christina (Naomi) L. , Kennedy Maureen C. , Liu Mingliang , Adam Jennifer C.
Published: February 2022

Fire regimes are influenced by both exogenous drivers (e.g., increases in atmospheric CO2and climate change) and endogenous drivers (e.g., vegetation and soil/litter moisture), which constrain fuel loads and fuel aridity. Herein, we identified how exogenous and endogenous drivers can interact to affect fuels and fire regimes in a semiarid watershed in the inland northwestern United States throughout the 21st century. We used a coupled ecohydrologic and fire regime model to examine how climate change and CO2scenarios influence fire regimes. In this semiarid watershed, we found an increase in burned area and burn probability in the mid‐21st century (2040s) as the CO2fertilization effect on vegetation productivity outstripped the effects of climate change‐induced fuel decreases, resulting in greater fuel loading. However, by the late‐21st century (2070s), climatic warming dominated over CO2fertilization, thus reducing fuel loading and burned area. Fire regimes were shown to shift from flammability‐ to fuel‐limited or become increasingly fuel‐limited in response to climate change. We identified a metric to identify when fire regimes shift from flammability‐ to fuel‐limited: the ratio of the change in fuel loading to the change in its aridity. The threshold value for which this metric indicates a flammability versus fuel‐limited regime differed between grasses and woody species but remained stationary over time. Our results suggest that identifying these thresholds in other systems requires narrowing uncertainty in exogenous drivers, such as future precipitation patterns and CO2effects on vegetation.
Distributed Extension Across the Ethiopian Rift and Plateau Illuminated by Joint Inversion of Surface Waves and Scattered Body Waves
Authors: Petruska J. , Eilon Z.
Published: February 2022

The East African Rift System provides a rare location in which to observe a wide scope of rifting states. Well‐defined active narrow rifting in the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) transitions to incipient extension and eventually pre‐rifted lithosphere through the northwestern flank of the Ethiopian Plateau (EP). Although the MER is well studied, the off‐axis region has received less attention. We develop Rayleigh wave phase velocity maps, Ps receiver functions, and H‐κ stack surfaces, and jointly invert these data using a trans‐dimensional, hierarchical Bayesian inversion algorithm to create shear velocity profiles across the MER and EP. All shear velocities observed are slower than the PREM global average, a reflection of the elevated temperatures that persist from plume impingement. In the EP, we find a shallow mantle slow shear velocity lineament parallel to the MER axis, amidst otherwise faster shear velocities. The crust is shallow in the MER, and also in the northwestern‐most EP flank. Thicker crust found elsewhere throughout the plateau is caused by crustal underplating and flood basalt emplacement. Shear velocities more reduced than the already low regional average, in concert with surficial volcanic features, geodetic observations, and slow P‐ and S‐wave anomalies, support off‐axis extension in the Ethiopian plateau, requiring reevaluation of the localization of continental breakup in the narrow MER.