bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of Joint Genetic and Social Environmental Risks With Incident Myocardial Infarction: Results From the Health and Retirement Study
Authors: Tang Junhan , Sheng Chen , Wu Yan Yan , Yan Lijing L. , Wu Chenkai
Published: March 2023

Background

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a significant clinical and public health problem worldwide. However, little research has assessed the interplay between genetic susceptibility and social environment in the development of MI.

Methods and Results

Data were from the HRS (Health and Retirement Study). The polygenic risk score and polysocial score for MI were classified as low, intermediate, and high. Using Cox regression models, we assessed the race‐specific association of polygenic score and polysocial score with MI and examined the association between polysocial score and MI in each polygenic risk score category. We also examined the joint effect of genetic (low, intermediate, and high) and social environmental risks (low/intermediate, high) on MI. A total of 612 Black and 4795 White adults aged ≥65 years initially free of MI were included. We found a risk gradient of MI across the polygenic risk score and polysocial score among White participants; no significant risk gradient across the polygenic risk score was found among Black participants. A disadvantaged social environment was associated with a higher risk of incident MI among older White adults with intermediate and high genetic risk but not those with low genetic risk. We revealed the joint effect of genetics and social environment in the development of MI among White participants.

Conclusions

Living in a favorable social environment is particularly important for people with intermediate and high genetic risk for MI. It is critical to developing tailored interventions to improve social environment for disease prevention, especially among adults with a relatively high genetic risk.
Multilateral Climate Finance Coordination: Politics and Depoliticization in Practice
Authors: Skovgaard Jakob , Adams Kevin M. , Dupuy Kendra , Dzebo Adis , Funder Mikkel , Fejerskov Adam Moe , Shawoo Zoha
Published: March 2023

The governance of public climate finance for mitigation and adaptation in developing countries is fragmented on both the international and national levels, with a high diversity of actors with overlapping mandates, preferences, and areas of expertise. In the absence of one unifying actor or institution, coordination among actors has emerged as a response to this fragmentation. In this article, we study the coordination efforts of the two most important multilateral climate funds, the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), on the global level as well as within two recipient countries, Kenya and Zambia. The CIF and the GCF are anchored within the World Bank and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, respectively, and represent two diverging perspectives on climate finance. We find that on both levels, coordination was depoliticized by treating it as a technical exercise, rendering invisible the political divergences among actors. The implications of this depoliticization are that both funds coordinate mainly with actors with similar preferences, and consequently, coordination did not achieve its objectives. The article contributes to the literatures on coordination, climate finance, and environmental governance by showing how a response to the fragmentation of climate governance did not overcome political fault lines but rather reinforced them.
Sleep spindles in primates: Modeling the effects of distinct laminar thalamocortical connectivity in core, matrix, and reticular thalamic circuits
Authors: Yazdanbakhsh Arash , Barbas Helen , Zikopoulos Basilis
Published: March 2023

Sleep spindles are associated with the beginning of deep sleep and memory consolidation and are disrupted in schizophrenia and autism. In primates, distinct core and matrix thalamocortical (TC) circuits regulate sleep spindle activity through communications that are filtered by the inhibitory thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN); however, little is known about typical TC network interactions and the mechanisms that are disrupted in brain disorders. We developed a primate-specific, circuit-based TC computational model with distinct core and matrix loops that can simulate sleep spindles. We implemented novel multilevel cortical and thalamic mixing, and included local thalamic inhibitory interneurons, and direct layer 5 projections of variable density to TRN and thalamus to investigate the functional consequences of different ratios of core and matrix node connectivity contribution to spindle dynamics. Our simulations showed that spindle power in primates can be modulated based on the level of cortical feedback, thalamic inhibition, and engagement of model core versus matrix, with the latter having a greater role in spindle dynamics. The study of the distinct spatial and temporal dynamics of core-, matrix-, and mix-generated sleep spindles establishes a framework to study disruption of TC circuit balance underlying deficits in sleep and attentional gating seen in autism and schizophrenia.
Letters to the Editor and Other Comment
Authors: Fisher Morgan
Published: March 2023

“Letters to the Editor and Other Comments” is a selection of comments the artist Morgan Fisher made on Facebook during Trump's presidency. Most were copies of letters he had sent to various departments at the New York Times criticizing its coverage of the president. They are “a record,” writes George Baker, “of an artist's engagement with a moment, one through which we have evidently still not passed. The practice … was almost daily, more or less constant, an insistent and repeated holding of the public sphere to account, perhaps even a willing of it into existence.”
Siberia: Dissolving Earths
Authors: Williamson Sophie J.
Published: March 2023

The processes of colonization often feature campaigns to decouple indigenous inhabitants from their relationship with the land. This practice has a particularly violent history in the Russian republic of Yakutia and across wider Siberia; indeed, systemic oppression and exploitation continues there to this day. While the international art world has turned its attention towards indigenous futures and forms of knowledge, it has focused primarily on the Americas as well as the Nordic and Oceania regions. “Siberia: Dissolving Earths” discusses the need for developing an international platform for Siberia and its indigenous cultural, ecological, and scientific communities, especially in a time when ties with the region are being severed given its “Russian” identity, a categorization so few of the region's inhabitants want.
Feasibility of Ditylenchus gallaeformans as a biological control agent for invasive Miconia crenata
Authors: Oliveira Samara A. , DeWalt Saara J. , Agudelo Paula
Published: March 2023

Ditylenchus gallaeformans causes severe galls on above-ground parts of Miconia spp. (Melastomataceae) and has therefore been considered as a biocontrol agent against several invasive Melastome species, including Miconia crenata. To assess the feasibility of using this nematode as a biocontrol agent, we conducted glasshouse and field experiments with D. gallaeformans collected from different locations and host species and inoculated on M. crenata from different native and introduced populations. In a glasshouse experiment, nematodes collected from galls from Costa Rica induced small galls on plants from Hawaii (introduced range) but not from Costa Rica (native range). In another experiment, nematodes from Trinidad inoculated on plants from four locations in the native range and two from the introduced range induced symptoms on plants from Trinidad and Hawaii (native and introduced, respectively), but galls typically found in nature failed to occur. In addition, inoculations performed in a glasshouse and in the field in Trinidad failed to yield any galls. Considering that galls were produced inconsistently and never developed to the severity found naturally in the field, we conclude that D. gallaeformans would be an intractable biological control agent for M. crenata.
Pseudaphelenchus chunanensis n. sp. (Tylenchina: Aphelenchoididae) found in Pinus massoniana from China
Authors: Gu Jianfeng , Fang Yiwu , Ma Xinxin , Guo Kai
Published: March 2023

Pseudaphelenchus chunanensis n. sp. was isolated in branches of Pinus massoniana from eastern China. The new species is characterised by very short males (402 (360-452) μm) and females (470 (397-540) μm), three incisures in the lateral field, slender stylet with small but conspicuous basal knobs, excretory pore located at the level of anterior margin of the metacorpus or more anterior. Male spicules paired, thorn-like, separate, condylus truncate, sometimes broadly rounded, rostrum conical or triangular with bluntly pointed tip, calomus smoothly tapering together with lamina, thin and strongly arcuate in middle then tapering towards bluntly pointed distal tip, cucullus absent. A long and narrow bursa surrounds the entire tail but inconspicuous in most males. Conical tail bluntly rounded but sometimes has a short mucron. Female tail conical, smoothly tapering and slightly ventrally bent in distal part of tail, terminus fine or bluntly pointed. It is typologically different from six known Pseudaphelenchus species, and detailed phylogenetic analysis based on partial 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA), internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the D2-D3 region of 28S rDNA sequences further confirm this nematode as a new species.
Development of a simple test method for inhibitory effect of gall formation on Meloidogyne incognita and its application to nematicide screening
Authors: Gunjima Koshi , Toyota Koki , Fujikawa Aoto
Published: March 2023

For a screening test to discover nematicide candidates to control Meloidogyne incognita, a potted plant-based assay to observe gall formation on the root is realistic because it can cover the nematode life-cycle period and a broad range of mode of actions of tested compounds. However, both time and labour are needed for its operation. The objective of this study was to develop a plant-based screening method enabling easy periodical observation of the progress of root gall formation under almost no soil adsorption conditions of tested compounds. As an alternative material for soil, rockwool substrate for growing vegetable seedlings was used with a nutrient solution. Observation of gall formation on the same substrates was possible for 3-4 weeks. With this method, standard nematicides, e.g., fosthiazate and fluopyram, provided clear inhibitory effect on gall formation. Their ED50 values at 21 days after inoculation of 300 second-stage juveniles (substrate)−1 were 0.0034 mg (substrate)−1 and 0.0035 mg (substrate)−1, respectively. Furthermore, conventional fungicides and insecticides were screened with the method. Activities were observed in some products like polyoxins, which showed 100% control at 25 mg (substrate)−1, a considerably higher dose than that in standard nematicides. This study developed a simple test method for evaluating inhibitory effect on gall formation by M. incognita and proved its usefulness by applying it to nematicide screening.
Identity Entrepreneurs and Cultural Framers in Contemporary Ethnic Identity Mobilisation in Malawi
Authors: Chasukwa Michael , Kayuni Happy , Dulani Boniface , Chiweza Asiyati L.
Published: March 2023

After the re-introduction of multiparty system of governance in Malawi in 1993, ethnic associations have become popular for mobilising and re-asserting identity. Some of the most notable ethnic associations are Chewa Heritage Foundation, Mulhakho wa Alhomwe, and Mzimba Heritage Association. These associations mainly claim that their establishment is mainly to promote and preserve their culture while some go further to add that they also aim at facilitating socio-economic development of its membership or community. At the center of this mobilisation process are highly publicised annual cultural festivals which bring together members of the ethnic community led by their traditional leaders and political figures. This paper discusses the ethnic mobilisation through cultural associations in Malawi. The paper examines key actors, their roles and interests. The paper also discusses implications of ethnic groups on mobilisation for national building.
Trichoprosopon mixtli sp. nov., a new sabethine species (Diptera: Culicidae) from a Mexican cloud forest, with an assessment of the genus and keys for the identification of known species
Authors: RIVERA-GARCÍA KARINA D. , MENDEZ-ANDRADE ALEJANDRO , IBÁÑEZ-BERNAL SERGIO
Published: March 2023

The genus Trichoprosopon Theobald, 1901 includes 13 described species in the Neotropical Region, three of which have been recorded in Mexico. In this work, a new species, Trichoprosopon mixtli sp. nov., is described based on characteristics of the fourth-instar larva, pupa, female and male genitalia, and adults. Larvae and pupae were collected from the flower bracts of Heliconia bourgaeana Petersen at the Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (INECOL), inside the “Santuario del Bosque de Niebla”, in Xalapa, Veracruz State, Mexico. This is the first time that the complete larval and pupal chaetotaxy of a species of Trichoprosopon is described. Keys for the identification of known species of Trichoprosopon are provided and the internal classification of the genus is discussed.
A new species of Enchytraeus (Enchytraeidae, Clitellata) from sewage sludge of a plum processing plant in Japan
Authors: TORII TAKAAKI , AKAGI TOMOHIRO , UCHINO TORU , KOBAYASHI TOHRU
Published: March 2023

Enchytraeus ohtakai sp. nov. (Enchytraeidae, Clitellata, Oligochaeta) was discovered in the organic matter of a wastewater treatment facility of a plums processing plant in Honshu, Japan. The wastewater is characterized by high organic matter content and low salt concentration. Morphological analysis and DNA-sequencing of a fragment of the COI barcoding gene show that the new species belongs to the E. albidus species group. Within this group it differs in: vasa deferentia restricted to XII, preclitellar bundles with mostly three chaetae, postclitellar bundles with two or three, dorsal blood vessel from XII or XIII, spermathecal ectal duct completely glandular. spermatheca with a large diverticulum, accessory sexual glands present in XII, clitellum ventrally almost absent. The individual gene trees of COI analysis recovered this new species as a monophyletic group within the genus Enchytraeus, closely related to E. albidus species group.
Descriptions of eight new species of Grouvellinus from China (Coleoptera, Elmidae)
Authors: BIAN DONGJU , ZHANG YI
Published: March 2023

Eight new species are described from Yunnan, China (Grouvellinus elongatus sp. nov., G. ligulaceus sp. nov., G. lubricus sp. nov., G. macilentus sp. nov., G. nujiangensis sp. nov., G. pengi sp. nov., G. spiculatus sp. nov., G. spnaericus sp. nov.). Habitus, male genitalia photographs, and diagnosis are provided.
2. Our Star Student
Authors: Graham Philip
Published: March 2023

As well as helping with the housework, for the eight years after she left school, Susan did a variety of jobs, none of them very fulfilling. However, she went for walks with her sisters in the surrounding countryside, read widely and developed socialist ideas. At this point, in 1908, one of her older sisters persuaded her father to allow her to enter a two-year course leading to a Certificate in the Teaching of Young Children at the University of Manchester. She so impressed the woman in charge of this course with her academic abilities that, in 1908, Grace Owen persuaded the Professor of Education, John Findlay, to allow Susan to enter a Full Honours degree course in Philosophy. When her father died a year later, a small inheritance allowed her to pursue her studies.

As an undergraduate, she played an active part in student societies, becoming Chairman of the Sociological Society and President of the Women’s Student Union. She had a number of outstanding teachers, both in education and in philosophy. She took her Final Examinations in June 2012 and passed with First Class Honours. Prior to her final examinations, her teachers had persuaded Charles Myers, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Cambridge, to take her on as a research student there.
4. Finding A Place on the Couch
Authors: Graham Philip
Published: March 2023

At the end of the First World War, Susan began to take a serious interest in psychoanalysis, then a relatively new science. The revelations of Sigmund Freud of the importance of the unconscious in determining human behaviour were receiving more and more publicity, promoted as they were by his English disciple, Ernest Jones. Susan travelled to Vienna for a brief psychoanalysis by Otto Rank, one of Freud’s closest disciples. In December 1921, she was elected an Associate Member of the British Psychoanalytical Society and began to attend its meetings.

Meanwhile, her marriage had gradually come apart. Her husband’s work in Hertfordshire meant that, from the end of the war, she spent more time apart from him. The other reasons for the breakup of the marriage are not clear but, by the end of 1920 she had begun a relationship with a student, Nathan Isaacs, on one of her Workers Educational Association courses. Nathan, born in 1895, had come to England from Central Europe at the age of twelve years. Although working in the metal industry, he had strong intellectual interests in philosophy and psychology. By the end of 1922, Susan was divorced and remarried to Nathan.

She had also established herself both as an academic psychologist and a practising psychoanalyst. In 1921, she published An Introduction to Psychology, an excellent overview of the subject. By the end of 1923, she was a full member of the British Psychoanalytical Society and had started to take on patients in private practice.
5. The Malting House School
Authors: Graham Philip
Published: March 2023

In March 1924, Susan was attracted to the post of Director of a new school for young children. The advertisement had been placed by a young man, Geoffrey Pyke, then in his late twenties, Geoffrey had been looking around for a suitable school for his own three-year-old son, David but had failed to find one. A man of considerable means, he decided to found his own school, run along the lines he wanted. Geoffrey’s view was that contemporary methods of instruction hampered rather than facilitated children’s natural curiosity. Influenced by psychoanalytic theories of child development, he wanted to see children learning by asking questions rather than by being pumped full of facts. He was put in touch with Susan by his psychoanalyst. Her background in both education and psychoanalysis made her an ideal candidate to run the school Geoffrey had in mind.

After long and intense discussions between Geoffrey, Susan and Nathan, the Malting House School, was established in Cambridge. It opened in October 1924 with ten young children, gradually expanding to twenty. The layout (no classrooms) and timetable (no curriculum) is described.
7. Resurfacing
Authors: Graham Philip
Published: March 2023

Left without employment at the beginning of 1928, Susan was in a difficult financial situation. Further, Nathan had recently embarked on an affair with a psychologist, Evelyn Lawrence, who had been employed by the school. Although the affair continued until Susan’s death over twenty years later, Nathan and Susan remained firmly married, providing warm companionship to each other.

Throughout her time at the Malting House School, Susan had kept meticulous notes recording the questions the children had asked, the ways they had been answered, the fashion in which they had acquired knowledge and the manner in which they had demonstrated what they had learnt. She was keen to show how the views of the leading developmental psychologist of the day, the Swiss, Jean Piaget, was mistaken in his theories. Piaget, on the basis of a series of ingenious experiments, had concluded that children’s intellectual development invariably passed through particular stages depending on their chronological age. Susan, in contrast, placed more emphasis on the role of experience, especially experience gained through play, rather than age, in children’s capacity for learning.

In her two books, Intellectual Growth in Young Children and Social Development in Young Children, Susan provided the evidence for her views. For the next three decades, these two books became the key texts, both in Britain and North America for those training to be the teachers of young children.
8. Settled on the Couch
Authors: Graham Philip
Published: March 2023

While writing these books, Susan had re-entered the world of psychoanalysis. The possibility of treating children with psychoanalytic methods was now much discussed at the meetings, given strong impetus by a new figure on the scene, Melanie Klein. She had established herself in Berlin but found little sympathy for her ideas there and so, in 1926, was pleased to accept an invitation from Ernest Jones to settle in London. During a previous visit to England, she had visited the Malting House School and got on well with Susan Isaacs.

Susan now became an enthusiastic advocate for Kleinian ideas which put great emphasis on the role of infantile fantasies in the development of personality and psychopathology. In 1927, she engaged in a further personal psychoanalysis with Joan Riviere, an analyst herself much influenced by Melanie Klein. By the end of the 1920s Susan had become a fully trained analyst for children as well as for adults.
13. Legacies
Authors: Graham Philip
Published: March 2023

Her entry in The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography describes Susan Isaacs as ‘the greatest influence on British education in the twentieth century.’ Whether or not this claim is justified, there is no doubt that so-called child-centred education became a much more powerful element in educational practice during the twentieth century and that, as far as infant and primary education were concerned, Susan Isaacs was highly influential in producing this change. The 1967 Plowden Report on primary education was largely built on her views. The reaction to extreme progressive views in the fourth quarter of the twentieth century with increasingly prescriptive curricular changes would not have been to her liking.

In contrast, the last quarter of the twentieth century saw a strong confirmation in psychoanalytic circles of the Kleinian theory Susan Isaacs had supported. The Tavistock Clinic, with its emphasis on early infancy and the importance of fantasy and play in personality development became the pre-eminent centre for psychoanalytic research and teaching in the UK.

However, the major changes in the field of child development that occurred in the later part of the twentieth century, namely the explosion in the application of the neurosciences and genetics owed little or nothing to Susan Isaacs. Further, it cannot be said that she contributed to the growth of interest in studies evaluating the effectiveness of different forms of therapy.
1. On the Sociology of Polish Jewry
Authors: Leshchinsky Yankev
Published: March 2023

Numerous social, economic, and political forces made post-World War I Poland the most important centre of world Jewry—and Poland’s Jewish community the least prone of all Jewish communities to ethno-religious assimilation. The most important bases of Polish Jewry’s ethno-religious resilience were the community’s high level of population density, residential segregation, socio-economic distinctiveness, political isolation, and institutional autonomy.
4. National Bolshevism
Authors: Leshchinsky Yankev
Published: March 2023

In the Soviet Union, the Bolsheviks nationalized factories without compensating owners, creating many opportunities for the employment of Jewish factory workers. In Poland, the government also nationalized some industries. However, it compensated owners handsomely and used the opportunity to rid industry of Jewish workers, thus creating more employment opportunities for Poles. This is a policy of “national Bolshevism.” Its effects are evident in the tobacco, salt, oil, liquor, forestry, and grain industries as well in bank, tax collection, and apprenticeship operations and programs.
The Role of Density Currents and Gravity Waves in the Offshore Propagation of Convection over Sumatra
Authors: Peatman Simon C. , Birch Cathryn E. , Schwendike Juliane , Marsham John H. , Dearden Chris , Webster Stuart , Neely Ryan R. , Matthews Adrian J.
Published: March 2023

The Maritime Continent experiences some of the world’s most severe convective rainfall, with an intense diurnal cycle. A key feature is offshore propagation of convection overnight, having peaked over land during the evening. Existing hypotheses suggest this propagation is due to the nocturnal land breeze and environmental wind causing low-level convergence; and/or gravity waves triggering convection as they propagate. We use a convection-permitting configuration of the Met Office Unified Model over Sumatra to test these hypotheses, verifying against observations from the Japanese Years of the Maritime Continent field campaign. In selected case studies there is an organized squall line propagating with the land-breeze density current, possibly reinforced by convective cold pools, at ∼3 m s−1 to around 150–300 km offshore. Propagation at these speeds is also seen in a composite mean diurnal cycle. The density current is verified by observations, with offshore low-level wind and virtual potential temperature showing a rapid decrease consistent with a density current front, accompanied by rainfall. Gravity waves are identified in the model with a typical phase speed of 16 m s−1. They trigger isolated cells of convection, usually farther offshore and with much weaker precipitation than the squall line. Occasionally, the isolated convection may deepen and the rainfall intensify, if the gravity wave interacts with a substantial preexisting perturbation such as shallow cloud. The localized convection triggered by gravity waves does not generally propagate at the wave’s own speed, but this phenomenon may appear as propagation along a wave trajectory in a composite that averages over many days of the diurnal cycle.

Significance Statement

The intense convection experienced by the Maritime Continent causes high-impact weather in the form of heavy precipitation, which can trigger floods and landslides, endangering human life and infrastructure. The geography of the region, with many islands with complex coastlines and orography, means that the spatial and temporal distributions of convection are difficult to predict. This presents challenges for operational forecasters in the region and introduces biases in weather and climate models, which may propagate globally. A key feature of the convection is its diurnal cycle and associated propagation offshore overnight from the islands. Although this phenomenon has been often investigated, there is no strong consensus in the literature on the mechanism or combination of mechanisms responsible. Improving our knowledge of these mechanisms and how they are represented in a convection-permitting model will assist forecasters in understanding how and when the propagation of intense convective storms occurs, and allow model developers to improve biases in numerical weather prediction and climate models.
Financial Incentives and Fertility Choices: Evidence from India
Authors: Chatterjee Tirtha , Jain Ritika
Published: March 2023

This article estimates the impact of a maternity cash transfer programme, Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana, implemented in India since 2011, on fertility choices. Since the scheme restricts the benefits to the first two births, we ask whether there is an impact on the likelihood of birth post implementation and if this behaviour is driven by son preference. We also test whether the scheme has affected the likelihood of female births. Our results give evidence in support of ‘stopping rule’ and we find that treated households reduce births only when their first two births are sons. However, we do not find any statistically significant impact of the likelihood of a female birth. We further find that post the implementation of the scheme, mothers and children are less likely to get better care for higher order births.

JEL Codes: J13, J18
On the Varieties of Experience of Art
Authors: Hui Yuk
Published: March 2023

This essay takes up the line of critique of François Jullien in The Great Image Has No Form, that Chinese landscape painting ( shanshui) provides a counter-example to Western painting. The opposition, namely that the former undermines form and the latter focuses on form, provides two kinds of access to ‘truth’ and demonstrates two different philosophical temperaments between China and Europe. The article attempts to reflect on Jullien’s comparison and the varieties of experience of art that Jullien has opened up for us. It also hopes to go a step further by exposing the different logic and sensibility that are present in shanshui painting through a reading of Wang Bi and Mou Zongsan.
Teleconsultation management in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic: The impact of Perceived Justice on satisfaction and Word-Of-Mouth
Authors: Baudier Patricia , Kondrateva Galina , Ammi Chantal , De Vassoigne Tony
Published: March 2023

Following the restrictions on movement imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the greater demands placed on physicians and many healthcare infrastructures, a large number of health teleconsultation platforms have emerged around the world. The aim of this paper is to obtain a better understanding of the acceptance of teleconsultation platforms by patients. To this end, a survey of 1273 patients was carried out using a teleconsultation platform during the pandemic period in France (from 9 July to 29 October 2020). The questionnaire mobilized existing scales to measure Satisfaction, Perceived Justice and, finally, the intention to disseminate by Word-Of-Mouth (WOM). Data were analysed using a Partial Least Squares approach. The study confirms the impact of Distributive, Informational and Procedural Justice on Satisfaction and the impact of Distributive and Informational Justice on WOM. The findings emphasize the influence of Satisfaction on WOM. The results detect a mediating effect of Satisfaction on WOM and moderating effects of gender, age and long-standing use. This research contributes to both theoretical and practical COVID-19 research and may be used by healthcare professionals to develop teleconsultation services, one of the means of supporting interaction and satisfying patients’ treatment requirements during the pandemic.
Evaluation of Airport Pavement Base Layer Stiffness Characteristics via Embedded Field Sensors
Authors: Kang Mingu , Wang Han , Qamhia Issam I. A. , Tutumluer Erol , Garg Navneet , Villafane Wilfredo , Murrell Scott
Published: March 2023

Real-time stiffness monitoring of unbound aggregate layers using embedded field sensors is crucial for advanced airport pavement design and management. This paper describes research findings on monitoring base layer stiffness characteristics for airport pavements using an embedded bender element (BE) field sensor, inductive coil sensors, and pressure cells. A full-scale pavement test section was constructed at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s National Airport Pavement Test Facility (NAPTF). A BE field sensor, inductive coil sensor pairs, and pressure cells were installed in the unbound aggregate base to evaluate the layer stiffness, applied load stress, and deformation characteristics. A triple dual tandem gear loading module applied 58,000 lb per wheel to the tested section with a wander pattern consisting of 66 passes arranged in nine lateral wander positions. Dynamic responses of coil sensors and pressure cells were collected during the traffic test, whereas BE signals were collected after completing each wander pattern. Laboratory repeated load triaxial tests with BE instrumentation were also conducted to establish a correlation for converting BE field sensor readings to layer modulus properties. The in situ modulus characteristics of the aggregate base layer were evaluated during full-scale testing using two methods: shear wave velocities from a BE field sensor, and strain and stress measurements from coil sensors and pressure cells. The moduli estimated using both approaches fell into typical ranges of crushed aggregate bases and were highly comparable. The moduli from the dynamic sensor measurements clearly showed the effect of vehicle wander on aggregate base layer measured responses.
A novel method to identify the multiple faults of intermediate bearing based on multiscale Lempel–Ziv complexity enhancement
Authors: Yu Mingyue , Guo Guihong , Cong Haonan , Fang Minghe
Published: March 2023

In order to solve the difficulty to correctly identify a compound failure in intermediate bearing of aircraft engine, the paper has brought forward the method of strengthening fault feature information of intermediate bearing with weighted multiscale Lempel–Ziv complexity parameter. The method works by combining multiscale Lempel–Ziv complexity parameter (M-LZC) with wavelet transform (WT) and singular value decomposition (SVD) and implements the feature extraction and identification of compound failure in intermediate bearing. Firstly, failure information from different frequency bands of casing vibration signals is separated and signals are denoised based on WT and SVD difference spectrum. Secondly, concerning that the larger Lempel–Ziv complexity (LZC) of signal is, the more abundant failure information in signal will be; meanwhile, so as to avoid “excessive coarse graining” caused by traditional binarization method, M-LZC values of component signals after denoising are used to describe the failure feature information included in component signals. Thirdly, to further strengthen the failure feature information of intermediate bearing, larger weight value will be endowed to the component signals containing more abundant failure feature information. Failure information is boosted by M-LZC weight coefficient of component signal. Finally, component signals of an enhanced feature are reconstructed and the spectrum of reconstructed signal is used to make precise identification of compound failure type of intermediate bearing in aircraft engine.
Aberrant regeneration in an international registry of patients with 3rd-nerve palsy
Authors: Oke Isdin , Lorenz Birgit , Basiakos Sotirios , Gokyigit Birsen , Laurent Erick , Tsai Chong-Bin , Orge Faruk , Heidary Gena , Tjeerd de Faber Jan , Jeddawi Laila , Sadiq Mohammad Ali , Strominger Mitchell , Dodd Mary-Magdalene Ugo , Shah Ankoor S. , Dagi Linda R. ,   for the NTSLR3NP Study Group
Published: March 2023

Background/Aims

To describe the patterns of pre-operative aberrant regeneration and motility outcomes reported in an international registry of patients with 3rd-nerve palsy treated with nasal transposition of the split lateral rectus muscle (NTSLR).

Methods

This cross-sectional study used data from an international, multicentre registry of patients with 3rd-nerve palsy treated with NTSLR. Patients with aberrant regeneration were identified, and patterns of innervation described. Demographics and postoperative success defined as horizontal alignment ≤15 PD were compared based on the presence, and type, of aberrant regeneration using Wilcoxon rank sum and Fisher's exact tests.

Results

Aberrant regeneration was reported in 16% (21/129) of patients. Age at diagnosis, sex, and aetiology of palsy were not significantly associated with aberrant regeneration. Abnormal movements were triggered by adduction in 52% (11/21), infraduction in 23% (5/21), and supraduction in 23% (5/21) of cases. Presentation patterns involved rectus muscle innervation in 29% (6/21) and levator muscle innervation in 71% (15/21) of cases. Although patients with aberrant regeneration had similar probability of success in comparison to those without following NTLSR (76% vs. 69%, p = 0.5), those with abnormal innervation of a rectus muscle had a lower success rate than those with abnormal innervation of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle (17% vs. 93%; p = 0.002).

Conclusion

Successful treatment of a 3rd nerve palsy with NTSLR was not influenced by aberrant regeneration involving the levator muscle. Alternative surgical interventions should be considered when aberrant regeneration alters rectus muscle function given its adverse impact on motor outcomes with NTSLR.
The performance evaluation of a surface-textured ultrasonic levitation bearing under multi-operation mode
Authors: Shi Minghui , Guo Hong , Zhang Shaolin , Chen Shujie , Fan Fengcheng
Published: March 2023

The load capacity of ultrasonic levitation bearing has become an important factor limiting its practical application in engineering, due to which the load capacity is very small compared to that of other gas bearing. In order to obtain greater load capacity, surface texture is introduced into ultrasonic levitation bearing in this study. A theoretical model considering the geometry parameters and mode shape is established to obtain the running performance of surface-textured ultrasonic levitation bearing, which is solved by using eight-point discrete grid finite-difference method. Influence of driving voltage, rotational speed, eccentricity ratio, texture position, and texture size parameters on load capacity is investigated systematically. Previous experimental results were used to verify the feasibility of the proposed model. The results show that positive texture can effectively improve the load capacity of ultrasonic levitation bearing, especially under ultrasonic levitation mode. Research results are instructive for understanding the lubrication mechanism of ultrasonic levitation bearing and further promote the practical application of the bearing in engineering.
Engaging Men in Intimate Partner Relationship Programs: Service Provider and Stakeholder Perspectives
Authors: Sharp Paul , Coroiu Adina , Rice Simon M. , Seidler Zac E. , Kealy David , Ogrodniczuk John S. , Oliffe John L.
Published: March 2023

Men’s intimate partner relationship services have focused on correcting the behaviors of male perpetrators of intimate partner (IPV) and/or domestic violence (DV). There is a need to advance IPV and DV prevention efforts by better equipping men with relationship skills. This study explores service providers’ and stakeholders’ perspectives about the challenges and strategies for assisting men to build better intimate partner relationships. Interviews were conducted with participants ( n = 30) from Canada and Australia who worked in the men’s intimate partner relationships sector. Three themes were inductively derived: (a) crisis management (barriers to engagement), (b) owning deficits and leveraging strengths (engaging though accountability and action), and (c) me then we (self-work as requisite for relationship success). Using a gender relations lens, we examined the influence of masculinities on men’s intimate partner relationships and engagement with services. Participants described crisis management challenges for men accessing services including shame, threats to masculine identity, and mental health challenges. Owning deficits and leveraging strengths hinged on men’s accountability and action, rather than assigning blame for problematic behaviors in accessing services. Related to this, the me then we theme highlighted men’s strength-based approaches in focussing on self-work to develop tangible skills and awareness needed to build healthy relationships. Overall, the findings indicate men’s healthy relationships hinged on working with masculine identities to inform their perspectives and behaviors. Men’s intimate partner relationship work likely requires labor at multiple levels (e.g., individual, partners, and systems) to secure the strong potential for reframing masculine identities as asset-building for men’s relationships.
Risk factors of type 1A endoleak following endovascular aortic aneurysm repair
Authors: Özdemir-van Brunschot DMD , Harrich FHM , Tevs M , Holzhey D
Published: March 2023

Objectives

Endovascular repair of infrarenal aortic aneurysms are the treatment of first choice. However, the proximal sealing of endovascular aneurysm repair is the Achilles’ heel of the procedure. Insufficient proximal sealing can lead to endoleak type 1A and therefore expansion of the aneurysm sack and subsequent rupture.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of all consecutive patients with an infrarenal abdominal aneurysm treated with endovascular aneurysm repair. We studied whether demographic and anatomical features were risk factors for endoleak type 1A. Also, the results of different treatment strategies were described.

Results

257 Patients were included in the study, most patients were male. In the multivariate analysis, female gender and infrarenal angulation were the most important risk factors for endoleak type 1A. Endoleak type 1A diagnosed at completion angiography disappeared in 77.8%. The occurrence of endoleak type 1A was associated with a higher risk of aneurysm-related mortality ( p = 0.01).

Conclusion

Conclusions should be drawn with care, since the number of patients included in this study was small and there was a high incidence of patients lost to follow-up. This study suggests that endovascular aneurysm repair in female patients and patients with severe infrarenal angulation is associated with a higher risk of endoleak type 1A.
Patient income level and health insurance correlate with differences in health care utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Wiefels Matthew D , Gmunder Kristin N , Ruiz Jose W
Published: March 2023

Background:

With the coronavirus outbreak of 2019 (COVID-19) came many changes in how health care is accessed and delivered. Perhaps most notable is the massive expansion of telemedicine, especially in the developed world. With pandemic-induced economic and health care system disruptions, it is reasonable to expect changes in how health care services are utilized by different patients. We examined how health care service usage trends changed for various patient demographics from the pre-COVID-19 era to the COVID-19 era.

Design and methods:

De-identified patient demographics and telemedicine, in-patient, in-person out-patient, radiology/procedures, and emergency department visit data ( N = 1,164,719) between January 1st, 2019 and May 31st, 2021 were obtained from UHealth in Miami, Florida, USA. This cross-sectional study employed descriptive statistics and other tools to determine relationships between patient demographics and health system usage.

Results:

There were significant changes in health care usage and demographics for UHealth services from the pre-COVID-19 era to the COVID-19 era. There was an increase in telehealth visits and a corollary decrease of in-person out-patient visits ( p < 0.001) along with increased health care utilization by those with commercial insurance ( p < 0.001) during COVID-19. Lower-income patients had increased use of in-person out-patient services ( p < 0.001). Non-Hispanic, English-speaking patients and those with higher median incomes had higher telemedicine usage.

Conclusions:

COVID-19 revealed differences in health care access, particularly telemedicine access, and highlighted differences in vulnerability among patient demographics. These trends are likely multifactorial and reflect changes in patients’ preferences and disparities in care access.
Empowering Patients With a Shared Communication Tool: A Patient-Oriented Multimethods Pilot Study
Authors: King Sharla , Garrison Melanie , Fraser Manon , Wiley Michelle , Sharek Heidi , Gaine Sharon , Kosteroski Wanda
Published: March 2023

Not all patients feel empowered to take on the expanding role as active members in their healthcare journey. Healthcare services must shift attention to supporting patients and families in this emerging role. This support includes providing communication tools designed for patients and families to empower them to speak up. Two Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were conducted to test a communication tool, the Jargon Alert!/WAIT card, with patients/families and providers in a Canadian rehabilitation hospital. After the first PDSA cycle, feedback from patients/families (n  =  24), and providers (n  =  4), informed modifications. The new Question Alert! card was retested in the same clinics. Patients/families (n  =  13) reported the new card was a valuable tool enabling them to ask questions, although not all patients or family members expressed the need to use the card. The participating providers (n  =  4) thought the Question Alert! card was helpful for quieter patients or family members who normally shy away from asking questions. The shared communication tool designed with patients improved the patient-centered experience and empowered patients/families to be more involved in their care.
Increased Age Heaping in Mobile Phone Surveys Conducted in Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries
Authors: Helleringer Stéphane , Lau Samantha W. , Luhar Shammi , Banda Jethro , Lankoande Bruno , Tlhajoane Malebogo , Reniers Georges
Published: March 2023

Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the number of surveys conducted remotely by mobile phone in low-income and middle-income countries has increased rapidly. This shift has helped sustain data collection despite restrictions on mobility and interactions. It might also allow collecting data more frequently on important demographic and socioeconomic topics. However, conducting interviews by mobile phone might affect the accuracy of reported data, for example, if respondents have difficulties understanding questions asked remotely, or data collectors have less time to probe and cross-check answers. In this visualization, the authors explore time trends in age heaping, a strong signal of reporting errors, in six African countries. They show that mobile phone surveys have generated noisier data on age than recent household surveys and censuses, thus possibly affecting researchers’ understanding of demographic processes and confounding multivariate analyses of socioeconomic outcomes.
One cm of Columnar Epithelium: Does It Matter?
Authors: Pech Oliver , Alqahtani Saleh A.
Published: March 2023

Specialized intestinal metaplasia is frequently found on biopsies from the squamo-columnar junction. It has been a matter of debate for many years whether this finding and/or columnar lined esophagus (CLE) with a length of up to 1 cm has a clinical significance. Many national society guidelines don’t consider a CLE <1 cm as Barrett’s esophagus (BE) since according to the Prague classification the diagnosis of a BE is not reliable enough. In addition, the risk for malignant progression is highly dependent from the length of the Barrett’s segment. It has been shown that the risk for progression is extremely low in CLE <10 mm and therefore a recommendation for regular surveillance endoscopies wouldn’t be cost effective. As a result, most society guidelines recommend that the diagnosis of BE should only be made in CLE >1 cm and when specialized intestinal metaplasia with goblet cells is confirmed on histopathology.