bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Dimensions of Spirituality Inventory
Authors: Wildman Wesley J , Rohr David , Sandage Steven J , Donato Nicholas C
Published: July 2023

The Dimensions of Spirituality Inventory (DSI) is a 50-item quantitative assessment of spirituality. Whereas “spirituality” has seemed to some to be too vague for research purposes, the DSI follows earlier qualitative research in showing that usage of the word points to an intelligible conceptual structure. Instead of defining spirituality and then operationalizing it, as most extant instruments do, the DSI defines and operationalizes 21 relatively uncontroversial elemental components of spirituality, so the overall interpretation of spirituality can only emerge after factor analysis. Just as an alphabet flexibly expresses words and sentences, so the 21 DSI dimensions permit the discovery of latent constructs corresponding to cultural packages of spirituality at the present time. The DSI avoids culturally parochial formulations of items, thanks to intense multidisciplinary engagement among social scientists, scholars of religion, and psychologists of religion, and thus is suitable for cross-cultural application. This paper reports on a study based on a participant pool recruited for ExploringMyReligion.org , in part from Prolific (N = 820, after culling unreliable responses). The DSI is interpreted and validated in relation to several other relevant measures, and the factor analysis is strongly resonant with prior qualitative studies. The psychometric properties of the DSI make it usable as an overall spirituality scale as well as a sensitive inventory of types and configurations of spirituality.
The political uses of memory: Instagram and Black-Asian solidarities
Authors: Kuo Rachel , Jackson Sarah J.
Published: July 2023

This study investigates how activist organizations wield collective memory as they advance cross-racial solidarity on Instagram. We center digital memory-making in political work by Black and Asian activist organizations as a contribution to understanding social movement communication and online organizing. We study Instagram content from local organizations in Minneapolis (and the Midwest region), Atlanta (and the Southeast region), and national digital organizing collectives between the end of May 2020 to June 2021. This corpus of material includes the summer uprisings for Black liberation following the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, as well as the increased visibility of incidents of anti-Asian violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a mass shooting at massage parlors in Atlanta. Among our findings is the centrality of memories of internationalist feminist movements to contemporary cross-racial politics.
Strategy Performation to Avoid Degeneration: How producer cooperatives can achieve social and economic goals
Authors: Siedlok Frank , Callagher Lisa , Elsahn Ziad , Korber Stefan
Published: July 2023

Due to tensions between social, cooperative and competitive goals, producer cooperatives often degenerate by abandoning their cooperative and social goals or fail economically. We show how these pressures to degenerate into business-as-usual can be resisted and even reversed through a longitudinal study of Zespri, a cooperative responsible for 30% of global kiwifruit exports. We employ a performativity lens to theorise the organising involved in regenerating cooperative principles while introducing new competitive strategies. We explicate three types of performativity: performative dualism, instrumental performativity and performative multiplicity, and offer nuanced insights into how different performative struggles unravel and temporarily resolve through different modes of ordering (distribution, coordination and mutual inclusion). Our insights further contribute to organisation studies about cooperatives’ tendencies to degenerate/regenerate by showing the importance of organising the multiple, and sometimes conflicted, views of actors in a generative and productive way. Those findings can be extended to other democratically managed and hybrid organisations.
People’s sense of political representation and national stories: The case of Israel
Authors: Kaplan Yael R , Sheafer Tamir , Waismel-Manor Israel , Shenhav Shaul R
Published: July 2023

Previous research on political representation mainly focused on representatives but has overlooked individuals’ sense of inclusion within the greater group: the nation. Building on narrative theory, we propose a novel mechanism that fosters a feeling of political representation—a similarity between individuals’ personal-national stories and the collective-national metanarrative of the polity. Metanarratives are shared dominant stories that present a community with desirable social conventions. While they seek to represent the nation, metanarratives are not entirely inclusive and do not appeal to all citizens. We argue that individuals who do internalize the metanarrative feel more represented. To demonstrate our theoretical expectations, we use election surveys and constitutive texts to capture national stories and metanarratives. We find that indeed respondents whose national story is closer to a nation’s metanarrative feel more represented by the political system.
Optical coherence tomography angiography: a review of the current literature
Authors: Javed Ahmed , Khanna Aishwarya , Palmer Eleanor , Wilde Craig , Zaman Anwar , Orr Gavin , Kumudhan Dharmalingam , Lakshmanan Arun , Panos Georgios D
Published: July 2023

This narrative review presents a comprehensive examination of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), a non-invasive retinal vascular imaging technology, as reported in the existing literature. Building on the coherence tomography principles of standard OCT, OCTA further delineates the retinal vascular system, thus offering an advanced alternative to conventional dye-based imaging. OCTA provides high-resolution visualisation of both the superficial and deep capillary networks, an achievement previously unattainable. However, image quality may be compromised by factors such as motion artefacts or media opacities, potentially limiting the utility of OCTA in certain patient cohorts. Despite these limitations, OCTA has various potential clinical applications in managing retinal and choroidal vascular diseases. Still, given its considerable cost implications relative to current modalities, further research is warranted to justify its broader application in clinical practice.
When does role ambiguity escalate into diminished change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior?
Authors: De Clercq Dirk , Pereira Renato
Published: July 2023

This research investigates how employees’ experience of role ambiguity may dampen their change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), a harmful process that might be buffered by employees’ access to relevant resources, stemming from their work (work passion), coworkers (peer harmony), or employing organization (affective commitment). If the hardships induced by unclear job descriptions can be subdued by these complementary, energy-enhancing resources, it becomes less likely that employees respond to resource-draining job conditions by halting extra-role work activities. Survey data collected in a large transportation company offer empirical support for these mitigating effects. As a primary conclusion, this study reveals that organizations that cannot eliminate role ambiguity completely for employees still can guarantee a certain degree of change-oriented OCB, by nurturing various resources that generate positive emotional energy among employees.
Professional training in industrial maintenance: A social interactionist approach
Authors: Freitas Carlos Alberto de , Dias Rubens Alves
Published: July 2023

The present article discusses whether higher engineering and technology courses in Brazil prepare students for professional practice in the maintenance segment, froman educational theoretical framework point of view. To achieve this, the theme significance was researched in Scopus and ScienceDirect bases. The work proposal is based on the concepts of teaching and learning by Vygotsky, confronting the methods used by professors’ engineers, which multiply what they learned in higher education courses. In the planned research, we intend to understand the paradigms and skills of the maintainer considering the action research methods, through the ILS tool—Index of Learning Styles by Felder and Solomon. To analyze the students’ learning profile regarding their preferences for receiving information, we discuss the scenarios generated, expecting to design a teaching and learning process centered on students, an assumption based on Vygotsky's cognitive theory, in which an individual's learning process is related to their interaction in the social environment that they are. As a result, the proposed teaching practices made it possible to increase personal interest in learning, and we observed that there was less difference between the students’ learning styles and also noticed the same profile in the four dimensions, both morning and evening scenarios. Students consider themselves active, sensory, visual, and global.
Numerical investigation of the aerodynamic performance of a hybrid Darrieus-Savonius wind turbine
Authors: Pouransari Zeinab , Behzad Mohadese
Published: July 2023

A numerical simulation study on the combination of a Darrieus and a Savonius wind turbine is conducted. Hybrid T-II, T-III, and T-IV turbines are suggested with the same Darrieus turbine T-I. In the T-II and T-III, the Savonius turbine is at the center of the Darrieus turbine, whereas in the T-IV, the Savonius turbine is above the Darrieus turbine. The T-III Savonius turbine has half the radius of that of the T-II turbine. Results reveal that variations of the power coefficients, Cp with the tip speed ratio, TSR for the hybrid turbines have different slopes. It is observed that Cp increases with increasing TSR for the T-II and T-IV and does not decrease for the range of TSRs considered, in contrast with the Cp behavior of the T-I. The proposed hybrid T-IV turbine has also a larger Cp than the T-I turbine at the highest TSR.
Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children With Perinatal Ischemic Stroke Varies by Stroke Type
Authors: Wu Clara M. , Zhang Bo , Trenor Cameron C. , Rivkin Michael J. , Danehy Amy , Lehman Laura L.
Published: July 2023

Background and Objectives: Perinatal stroke leads to significant morbidity over a child's lifetime, including diagnosis of various neurodevelopmental disorders. Specific studies examining the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in children with perinatal stroke are scarce. Following the clinical observation of autism spectrum disorder in a pediatric referral stroke center, we evaluated the rate of autism spectrum disorder diagnosis after perinatal ischemic stroke, including analysis by subtypes of perinatal ischemic stroke. Methods: We retrospectively examined all children diagnosed with perinatal ischemic stroke, who were ≥18 months old at the time of last follow-up at a single institution from 2008 through 2021. We classified patients as having autism spectrum disorder if they were diagnosed by a neurologist, neuropsychologist, clinical psychologist, or developmental pediatrician. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to examine the association between ischemic stroke subtype and autism spectrum disorder. Results: Among 260 children with perinatal stroke, 19 children (7.3%) also had autism spectrum disorder. Children with perinatal venous stroke had 3-fold higher odds of autism spectrum disorder compared to those with perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (adjusted odds ratio: 3.01, 95% confidence interval: 1.07-8.47). Conclusion: In our perinatal ischemic stroke population, children with venous stroke had higher odds of autism spectrum disorder compared to those with arterial ischemic stroke alone. Prospective studies are needed to further investigate the role of perinatal stroke in autism spectrum disorder development.
An Asynchronous Evidence-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Professional Nurses
Authors: Ficarra Meghan E.
Published: July 2023

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of an abbreviated (4-week) and asynchronous, mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on nurses' perceived stress and mindful attention and awareness. Design: An evidence-based quality improvement pilot program. Methods: The participants ( n = 15 nurses) attended a 4-week, asynchronous MBI. The participants attended a 90-minute webinar on mindfulness as a prerequisite, followed by 4 weeks of guided meditation and informal mindfulness practice materials. The MBI was offered remotely with self-modulated practice. Participants also provided the number of days per week they participated in formal meditation practice. Project participants completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Project instruments included the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Findings: 12 complete pre-and post-intervention surveys were analyzed. Significant improvements were noted in participant mean MAAS scores post-intervention ( p = .004). Cumulative PSS scores also decreased post-intervention ( p = .009). Conclusion: The 4-week MBI demonstrated a statistically significant impact on nurses' perceived stress and mindful attention and awareness. Additionally, this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student led program was offered in an asynchronous and remote format, which was received well by program participants and may be a practical option for future MBIs.
The Gig city: Tech-based revitalization and contingent labor across classes in Chattanooga, TN
Authors: Systo Mauri
Published: July 2023

In Chattanooga, TN, the construction of a fiber optic telecommunications network has led to a tech-based revitalization strategy, and the promotion of entrepreneurial and technical positions within the Downtown. Rather than being a solution for a better labor future, this paper demonstrates how revitalization has served to perpetuate contingent hiring practice across classes and sectors and create contingency in new ones. In focusing on the types of work valorized in public discourse (an educated yet contingent tech sector) and those that remain devalorized (the many ancillary sectors which support tech-based growth) this paper argues for the need for a policy agenda which takes varied labor forms and livelihood strategies into account. The experience of contingency is examined across classes to demonstrate how revitalization discourses and historical discourses perpetuate social disparities despite the connectedness of workers via workforce restructuring.
Experimental investigation of ns pulse laser processing parameters for machining of Ti-6Al-4V alloy
Authors: Chandan Guddakesh Kumar , Sahoo Chinmaya Kumar
Published: July 2023

Traditional machining faces technical barriers in producing microfeatures when the workpiece poses high-strength and temperature-resistance characteristics. Laser is a possible machining approach that works effectively in the aforementioned conditions. The present study utilized a low-power fiber laser system machining of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy surface. The influence of laser processing parameters, for example average power, scanning speed, and pulse frequency, were analyzed on the laser-machined microgroove profiles using the full factorial design of the experiment. The results revealed that the fabricated microgroove profile characteristics, that is, depth, width, heat-affected zone (HAZ), surface roughness, etc. of laser-processed zone strongly depend on the laser processing parameters. Furthermore, the laser microgroove size, that is, depth and width, increases with the increment in laser power combined with low scan speed and low frequency. High laser power (50 W), low scan speed (0.1 mm/s), and low frequency (50 kHz) produce a microgroove with high depth (754.28 µm) and width (285.71 µm). It has been also observed that average power has the most significant impact on the machined surface profile, HAZ, and surface roughness. Moreover, it has also been observed that crack forms at the center of the machined surface is by decreasing scanning speed. Further, lower surface roughness is found at the highest pulse frequency. Hence, the present study recommends laser processing at lower power, high scanning speed, and high pulse frequency to generate a smooth and uniform machined surface.
Serious ecological threat water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) plant into successive hyacinth ash with eggshell filler reinforced polymer composite—waste into zero waste concept
Authors: Ajithram Arivendan , Winowlin Jappes Jebas Thangiah , Rajini Nagarajan , Siva Irulappasamy , Sumesh Keerthiveettil Ramakrishnan , Dawood Desai
Published: July 2023

This study aims to investigate the mechanical properties, absorption properties, morphology, and thermal properties of eggshell filler material combined with water hyacinth (WH) plant ash composites. This research aims to develop eco-friendly particle board and medium-density board products using WH plant ash particles for commercial applications. There is only a small amount of previous literature on ash particles with eggshell filler material derived from aquatic wastes of hyacinth plants combined with polymer composites. Eggshell powder is used in this study as a filler. This filler enhances the mechanical properties of hyacinth ash composites. As a result of the drying process and the open-air burning, ash particles are produced from the hyacinth plant. Mechanical (tensile, flexural, and impact) and absorption tests are conducted according to ASTM standards. In order to measure chemical and essential functions, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared techniques are used. By using a scanning electron microscope, it can be determined how ash particles bond, how eggshell powder combinations work, and how primary (ash particle) and secondary phase (epoxy) materials are absorbed. Based on the final experimental results, it appears that the composite hyacinth ash particle samples made with eggshell filler are highly recommended for particle board and medium-density board because of their mechanical strength and hardness.
Thermo-hydraulic performance of solid/porous compound wavy microchannel heat sink with various angle of slanted passage
Authors: Nandy Ajoy Kumar , Balasubramanian Karthik
Published: July 2023

Microchannel-based heat sink is used to transfer huge amount of heat from electronics devices since last four decades, which is one of the best heat exchanger so far. In this study, a solid porous compound wavy microchannel heat sink (MCHS) with different angles of slanted passage has been evaluated with the help of commercial ANSYS fluent software at Reynolds number of 50 to 300 and compared with sinusoidal channel heat sink (SCHS). Fluid flow through porous fins is solved by Darcy–Forchheimer flow models and the thermo-hydraulic performance of MCHS is solved using finite volume approach. The walls and fins are made of copper, and the operating fluid is pure water. The impacts on secondary flow slanted passage with different angles (e.g. 30D, 45D, 60D, 75D, and 90D) in compound wavy channels are scrutinized. It is observed that as the slanted passage angle decreases in the compound wavy channel, heat transfer performance is significantly enhanced as well as pressure drop penalty decreases when compared to the SCHS. This is due to the increased effective fluid mixing by the dean vortices through secondary flow slanted passage at the crest and trough as well as permeation effect on the porous zone. The highest performance factor of 102.19% is calculated for solid/porous compound wavy microchannel heat sink (CWMC) 30D slanted passage heat sink at Reynolds number of 150. Hence, CWMC heat sink with secondary flow slanted passage have an ability to improve the cooling rate of microelectronics components.
Exploratory of novel thermal barrier coating on diesel engine performance
Authors: Raja Thirunavukkarasu , Sivanandi Periyasamy , Dhandabani Sathish , Murugan Veeramanikandan
Published: July 2023

This research presents an experimental and theoretical evaluation of the effect of poly-composition thermal barrier coatings on the performance and emission characteristics of the compression ignition engine. This work investigated the thermal and physical behavior of thermal barrier coating. The thermal barrier coating was coated into two layers, and the thermal plasma spray method was used to make the coating. The first layer is AT13, and the top layer is Yttria-stabilized zirconia. The coated and uncoated pistons were analyzed in the Ansys, and it has shown the temperature distribution of the pistons. The experimental report shows that the brake thermal and volumetric efficiency was increased by 7.52% and 1.06%, brake-specific fuel consumption was reduced up to 18.91%, emission of carbon monoxide was reduced by 50%, and hydrocarbon was reduced by 52.38%.
A ‘worthy disciple of Galen’, ‘ardent sportsman’ and ‘expert swordsman’: Henry Kipping (1726–1785) apothecary and surgeon at Brighton, England
Authors: Cooper Maxwell J , Heath Jason
Published: July 2023

Henry Kipping (1726–1785) was an apothecary and surgeon in Brighton, England. Here we present a series of contemporary references to Kipping from newspaper, book, archive and web-based resources. Some relate to his medical practice (resuscitating a ‘drowned’ elderly physician and a fisherman, bleeding a member of parliament who had fallen from his horse and praising a nostrum for the ‘gravel and stone’). Social references include a duel with an army officer whose sword Kipping confiscated. Kipping appears to have been popular, connected with members of Brighton’s high society and passionate about traditional past times, e.g. swordsmanship, horse riding and hunting on the Sussex downs. Indeed, Kipping’s horse ran in the earliest known horse race in Brighton (1770). He was consulted by notable local residents including the Thrale family of Brighton and Lady Wilhelmina Shelley (the latter evidenced by Kipping partaking in her funeral procession in 1772). Kipping lived and practised at 28 West street, a road most famous for its (now lost) George Inn where King Charles II stayed just prior to his escape to Normandy. Kipping comes across as a colourful and eccentric clinician.
Physician and diplomat in the Ottoman palace: Solomon Ben Nathan Ashkenazi (1520–1602)
Authors: Kurt Menderes
Published: July 2023

This study aims to shed light on the role of Solomon ben Nathan Ashkenazi, an Ottoman Jewish physician, in Ottoman diplomacy. Despite being a German-born Jew and practicing medicine for several years, Ashkenazi played a crucial part in Ottoman relations with Venice and Poland after arriving in Istanbul. The study explores how Ashkenazi, a physician by profession, attained the position of diplomat and examines the reasons behind his involvement in Ottoman foreign relations. While it is common for Ottoman Jewish physicians to be involved in Ottoman foreign affairs, Ashkenazi's example provides valuable insight into the mechanisms and motivations behind their participation in Ottoman diplomacy. The study shows that Jewish physicians in the Ottoman Empire contributed to Ottoman medicine with their medical expertise and played a significant role in bridging the gap in Ottoman-European relations with their diplomatic skills.
Experiences of dialogue in advance care planning educational programs
Authors: Kato Hiroki , Iwasaki Takako , Ko Ayako , Nishina Yuko , Tanigaki Shizuko , Norikoshi Chie , Sakai Masako , Ito Mari , Harasawa Nozomi , Tamura Keiko , Nagae Hiroko
Published: July 2023

Background

Advance care planning (ACP) is a process in which adults engage in an ongoing dialogue about future medical treatment and care. Though ACP is recommended to improve the quality of end-of-life care, the details of the dialogue experience in ACP are unknown.

Objective

To explore participants’ experiences of dialogue in an ACP educational program that encouraged them to discuss the value of a way of life.

Research design

This qualitative descriptive study used the focus group interview method. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Participants and research context

A dialogue-based ACP educational program was conducted in four regions in Japan for local citizens to discuss the value of their way of life. A total of 66 individuals (mean age = 55.5 ± 17.2 years; 50 women and 16 men) participated in focus group interviews.

Ethical considerations

This study was approved by the Ethical Review Committee of Tokyo Women’s Medical University (no. 4723) and Kyoto University (no. R2099).

Findings

Five main themes were extracted: discussing one’s thoughts with others in a considerate manner, reflecting on one’s way of life through others, feeling a sense of connection with others through storytelling, realizing the difficulties of talking about “what if” topics, and turning one’s eyes toward the future through the dialogue. These themes were interrelated and illustrated the complexity of the experience of discussing values.

Conclusions

The results suggest that dialogue in ACP is useful in clarifying values. They also indicated the need for dealing with the ethical challenges of discussing value and the importance of caring for the interlocutor to have a safe dialogue. In the ACP process, safety in dialogue may improve readiness in ACP, and health practitioners who support ACP need to address the ethical challenges entailing dialogue about values.
Economic Globalisation and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Bangladesh: An Econometric Approach
Authors: Dhar Soma
Published: July 2023

This study aims to investigate an extensive evaluation of the relationship between economic globalisation and women’s economic empowerment in Bangladesh. Using time-series data from 1975 to 2017, the study uses the female labour force participation rate (FLFPR), an indicator of women’s economic empowerment, and the export/GDP (X/GDP) ratio, trade/GDP ratio and foreign direct investment (FDI), indicators of economic globalisation. The research examines econometrically whether economic globalisation such as X/GDP ratio, trade/GDP ratio and FDI influence FLFPR and how to control variables like population growth rate (POP) and real wage rate influence FLFPR. The estimated results show a positive and significant relationship between FLFPR and X/GDP, and RWR and a negative but significant relationship between FLFPR and trade/GDP ratio, and a negative and insignificant relationship between FLFPR and FDI, and POP. The study has employed an auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. In addition, the error correction model has been used to capture the speed of adjustment. The findings from the ARDL-bound testing approach reveal that the variables under study are cointegrated and thus have a long-run relationship. The coefficient of error correction term holds a theoretically correct sign and is also statistically significant, meaning that there exists short-run adjustment in the whole system.

JEL: F1, F15, J21, O50
Yellow oleander (Thevetia peruviana) toxicosis in 4 goats
Authors: Sykes Chelsea A. , Filigenzi Michael , Uzal Francisco A. , Poppenga Robert H.
Published: July 2023

Four alpine goats developed diarrhea soon after the owner placed plant clippings believed to be yellow oleander ( Thevetia peruviana) into their pen on a suburban property near Palm Desert, CA, USA. A 1-y-old female goat died suddenly ~1 h after eating the plant clippings and was submitted to the San Bernardino Branch of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System for postmortem examination. The main autopsy and histopathologic findings were myocardial hemorrhage and necrosis, consistent with cardiac glycoside intoxication. Rumen contents were analyzed by LC-MS/MS; peruvoside, a cardiac glycoside, was detected, but oleandrin, the cardiac glycoside of common oleander ( Nerium oleander), was not. An LC–high-resolution MS (LC-HRMS) analysis revealed the presence of peruvoside and neriifolin in the rumen contents and in a tested plant fragment, indicating that the plant was a member of the Thevetia genus. A clipping from the plant fed to the goats and submitted by the owner was identified as yellow oleander, Thevetia peruviana (also known as Cascabela thevetia).
Diversion: Where Do We Go From Here?
Authors: Forbis Robert E. , Gittner Lisaann S. , Dennis Jeff A. , Stott Jerry M. , Giese Jordan T.
Published: July 2023

This conclusion provides a brief synopsis of the research articles presented in this special edition of The Journal of Contemporary Justice. The research findings clearly demonstrate that when the objective of diversion is sought by diversion-based programs where the criminal justice and health care systems intersect, processes and services frequently break down. As this collection of articles highlights, our collective understanding of diversion is siloed by academic discipline; thus, the broader picture of diversion remains muddled. It remains muddled because the reporting of diversion is scattered across disciplinary journals where a more robust understanding of diversion becomes unwieldy if not impossible for researchers and practitioners alike without sifting through multiple books, journals, manuscripts, and websites. Therefore, diversion will continue to elude efficacy without the coordination and cooperation of numerous disciplines spanning both the criminal justice and health care systems diversion. As this collection of articles strongly suggests, there is a need to create a transdisciplinary understanding of diversion as well as publication outlets so best practices can be developed and shared in one place.
Modeling and characteristic analysis of mid-rear axle hydraulically interconnected suspensions for tri-axle heavy trucks
Authors: Liu Xiang , Wang Gangfeng , Suo Xuefeng , Du Teng , Wang Wanting
Published: July 2023

Truck suspension is a vital component supporting the weight of the vehicle body and plays an important role in transferring wheel load and isolating external vibration. The uneven load distribution between the middle and rear wheels of a tri-axle heavy truck will directly affect the driving stability and safety of the vehicle. To enhance the truck’s wheel load distribution performance and ride comfort, this paper proposes a new coupling suspension system, including an anti-synchronous middle and rear axle hydraulically interconnected suspension (MR-HIS) and the front axle conventional independent suspension (CIS). Considering the load-bearing characteristics of the middle and rear wheels of the tri-axle heavy truck, a five-degree-of-freedom (5-DOF) half-vehicle model of the truck equipped with MR-HIS is constructed. Further, the dynamics equations of the mechanical-hydraulic coupling system are established according to the impedance transfer matrix method and mechanical-hydraulic boundary conditions, and the truck body motion modes are completely decoupled. The modal analysis demonstrates that compared with CIS the proposed MR-HIS system can reduce the body bounce modal stiffness, increase the modal damping ratio, and enhance the dynamic coupling performance of middle and rear wheels. Subsequently, the frequency response analysis is adopted to evaluate the load distribution and vibration isolation performance of the MR-HIS. The comparison analysis results indicate that the proposed MR-HIS system significantly improves the load balance distribution between the middle and rear wheels and suppresses the load transfer to the front wheel, thus the handling stability of the truck is improved. Meanwhile, the body vibration frequency response analysis shows that the MR-HIS can effectively isolate external vibration and improve driving comfort of the tri-axle heavy truck.
Material evolution of defective composites
Authors: Epstein Marcelo , Elżanowski Marek Z
Published: July 2023

Beyond the defective structures (or inhomogeneities) occurring in bodies made of a single constituent, composite materials may exhibit a different kind of defectivity arising from the fact that, even if each constituent is defect-free, the incompatibility between them is a detectable entity. After defining a rigorous tensorial measure of the density of these defects, a law for its material evolution is proposed whose driving force is the presence of the defectivity itself. The model is illustrated with numerical solutions of properly formulated initial boundary value problems of systems of partial differential equations.
Low Persistence of Inattention Symptoms From Childhood to Adolescence: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Lundervold Astri J. , Sørensen Lin , Posserud Maj-Britt , Hysing Mari
Published: July 2023

Objective:

To investigate the persistence of dimensional measures of inattention in a population-based, gender-balanced sample of adolescents with parent reports of inattention from childhood and self-reports of inattention in adolescence.

Method:

Adolescents, 16–19 years old, completed the Adult ADHD Self Report Scale. Their parents completed the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale—4th Edition when they were 7–9 and 11–13 years old.

Results:

More severe inattention in boys than girls in childhood shifted to a female predominance in adolescence. The correlation between reports of inattention in childhood and adolescence was weak, with parent reports explaining only ~5% of the variance in the inattention score reported in adolescence.

Conclusion:

The weak association between inattention in childhood and adolescence is consistent with the emerging challenges associated with being an adolescent, but the impact of shifts in informants, gender and age on symtpom presentations should be investigated in future studies.
Critical infrastructure of social and labour market integration: Capacitating the implementation of social service policies to the long-term unemployed in Germany and France?
Authors: Reiter Renate
Published: July 2023

Active social and employment services are a crucial infrastructure of the welfare state. As these services are designed to help people in need of support to overcome periods of insecurity in their life course, their effective provision has also been seen as an element of the implementation of the social investment (SI) welfare state. However, the transition to the SI state is linked to numerous preconditions. This is especially true with regard to vulnerable people like the long-term unemployed (LTU). The provision of social services that meet the specific needs of this group requires the actors responsible for implementing social and employment policies to have adequate operative capacities. This article compares Germany and France as two European welfare states that – confronted with persistently high long-term unemployment – have taken different reform paths over the last 20 years that partly run counter to their political-administrative systemic conditions and governance traditions to meet this challenge. Empirically, the article draws on a systematic content analysis of selected policy documents and secondary literature. It is shown that the recent German reform path of combining central steering responsibility with local scope for action can be a way to come closer to a social investment-oriented service policy for the LTU. However, the article also reveals that neither state (yet) has the necessary operative capacities for a shift towards an SI state. Overall, the changes in the understanding of the SI paradigm and the welfare state's constant reluctance to invest in implementation capacity make its sustainable application unlikely.
Introduction to the Special Issue on social services as critical infrastructure: Taking stock of the promises of the social investment state
Authors: Klenk Tanja , Reiter Renate
Published: July 2023

This Special Issue focuses on social services as the critical infrastructure of the social investment model of the welfare state. It addresses social services as a research topic that is still underexposed in comparative welfare state research and examines this topic with a systematising intention in a broad European comparative and methodologically diverse perspective. It brings together different strands of scholarly discussion that have hitherto been poorly connected – social services, critical infrastructure, social investment and the welfare state's capacity to strengthen social resilience through providing social services. The authors of the Special Issue undertake a critical examination of the development of the capacities to implement social service policies in different European welfare states and different service sectors over the last two decades. Taken together, the articles illustrate that – in practice and in contrast to the expectations of academic proponents of the social investment paradigm – there is (still) a bias towards investing, in particular, in those services which are anticipated as having significant economic and social ‘pay offs’ (e.g. early childhood education and care). Furthermore, the articles identify implementation challenges that pose severe obstacles to the realisation of the social investment model.
Constructivist learning environments: Validating the community of inquiry survey for face-to-face contexts
Authors: Ariati Jati , Pham Thomas , Vogler Jane S
Published: July 2023

Serving as a prominent framework for online learning, the Community of Inquiry (CoI), identifies three factors critical to learning in online environments: teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence. However, application of the CoI framework to face-to-face classes has not been broadly or systematically explored, despite constructivist paradigms (e.g. flipped classrooms, team-based learning) being increasingly incorporated at the post-secondary level. Further, there remains some debate on whether such constructivist environments adequately support learning, with studies on their effectiveness revealing mixed results, as have studies comparing face-to-face and online learning contexts. A tool that measures students’ perceptions of constructivist learning environments could help address such inconsistencies. The purpose of this study was to validate the CoI scale, a measure developed for online contexts, for use in face-to-face contexts. Undergraduates ( n = 282) enrolled in face-to-face classes incorporating team-based learning completed the 34-item CoI scale. Confirmatory Factor Analysis validated the original three-factor structure for face-to-face classes has acceptable fit, suggesting this tool measures teaching, cognitive, and social presences in face-to-face courses. Further suggestions for how this measure might be used for the purposes of research and instructional feedback are included.
Africapitalism: The marketisation of philanthrocapitalism and neoliberalism in African entrepreneurial philanthropy
Authors: Adewoye Deji , Mendy John , Oruh Emeka Smart , Mordi Chima , Egwuonwu Arthur , Otubanjo Olutayo
Published: July 2023

Despite increased interests in marketisation of philanthrocapitalism research worldwide, the arguments emphasise ‘what’ instead of 'how’ and ‘why’ philanthropic philosophy happens across Africa. To address this gap, 51 Tony Elumelu Foundation participants’ narratives are focused on to draw on an Africapitalism framework highlighting chasms within and between western neoliberalism frameworks and philanthrocapitalism’s marketisation. By framing this paper using philanthrocapitalism discourse, the authors critically examined the activities of African philanthropists and the effects of their neoliberal adoption on recipients. Semi-structured interview analysis produced three key ideologies demonstrating ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ philanthrocapitalism is marketised, namely, utopianism and the illusion of a better socioeconomic tomorrow; neoliberalism and a culture of dominance; social investment and marketisation of benevolence. These thematic paradoxes were used to create an additional four-aspect Africapitalism framework contributing to ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ philanthrocapitalism is marketised in Africa, its impacts, challenges and solutions. Contributions, limitations and implications for research are articulated.
Standardised data collection from people with dementia over the telephone: A qualitative study of the experience of DETERMIND programme researchers in a pandemic
Authors: Gridley Kate , Dixon Josie , Hicks Ben , Birks Yvonne , Baxter Kate , Miles Eleanor , Robinson Louise , Perach Rotem , Banerjee Sube
Published: July 2023

There is a notable lack of evidence on what constitutes good practice in remote quantitative data collection from research participants with dementia. During the COVID-19 pandemic face-to-face research became problematic, especially where participants were older and more at risk of infection. The DETERMIND-C19 study, a large cohort study of people with dementia, switched to telephone data collection over this period. This paper explores the experiences of researchers who collected quantitative data over the telephone from people with dementia during the first COVID-19 lockdowns in England. The aim was to learn from these experiences, share insights and inform future research practice across disciplines. Seven DETERMIND researchers were interviewed about the processes and challenges of collecting quantitative data from people with dementia over the telephone compared to face-to-face. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Two themes were developed: first the telephone adds an extra layer of confusion to an already cognitively complex interaction. Second, researchers found it difficult to recognise subtle cues that signalled participants’ rising emotion over the telephone in time to prevent distress. The researchers employed strategies to support participants which may not have conformed to the strict conventions of structured interviewing, but which were informed by person-oriented principles. Whilst in practice this may be a common approach to balancing the needs of participants and the requirements of quantitative research, it is rare for studies to openly discuss such trade-offs in the literature. Honest, reflective reporting is required if the practice of remote data collection from people with dementia is to progress ethically and with integrity.
Corruption and political institutions
Authors: Warren Mark E
Published: July 2023

Political philosophers rarely take on the topic of political corruption, despite the fact that corruption is so costly to human wellbeing, and so clearly separates well-governed from poorly governed polities. Ceva and Ferretti's book is the most complete attempt to remedy this deficit to date. Their key contribution is to conceptualize institutions in such a way that the offices they define link clearly to public ethics. Officeholders are accountable for their power mandate, not just within a hierarchy, but ethically, because their duties serve the public purposes that justify the institution. This said, their approach works best for impartial institutions in which the public duties of offices are clear and actionable, such as professional bureaucracies. We also need an ethically driven conception of political corruption for political institutions that contain and channel political partiality, especially democratic institutions within which the ethical purposes of public legislation are argued, deliberated, and voted. Extending a public ethics account of political corruption to democratic institutions can and should be a next step in this important project.
Ictal EEG: Etiology and Mortality in Older Adults With Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus
Authors: Tedrus Glória M. A. S.
Published: July 2023

Clinical-electroencephalogram (EEG), as well as etiological and prognostic data on subtypes of nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) are yet to be established. Objective: Evaluate the clinical semiology and EEG findings and prognostic data of older adults with NCSE. Methodology: Characterize the clinical-EEG and prognostic data in the subtypes of NCSE in older adults consecutively admitted to the emergency room of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas (PUC-Campinas) University Hospital. Results: When evaluating 105 older adults with altered consciousness, it was possible to diagnose NCSE in 50 (47.6%) older adults, with a mean age of 72.8 ± 8.8 years. NCSE-coma occurred in 6 cases, with NCSE-without coma in 44 cases. The etiology was structural in 41(82%) cases, metabolic in 5 cases, and unknown etiology in 4 cases. Twelve cases had a history of epileptic seizures. On the EEG, epileptiform discharges (EDs > 2.5 Hz) were present in 34(68%) cases and rhythmic delta activity /lateralized periodic patterns occurred in 35(70%) cases. There was clinical improvement after the initial pharmacological treatment in 36 cases and, within 30 days, 18 cases died. The better prognosis was associated with a good response to initial pharmacological treatment (n = 14) and with EDs > 2.5 Hz on EEG (Fisher's exact test; 26 vs 8; P = .012). Conclusion: Focal NCSE with impaired consciousness was the most frequent subtype. The most frequent finding on the EEG was the recording of focal/regional seizures. A high number of cases showed initial clinical improvement, but mortality was high. The favorable prognosis was associated with initial clinical improvement and the presence of EDs > 2.5 Hz. There was no relationship between EEG patterns and the etiology and subtypes of NCSE in older adults.
Exploring Archival Silences: A 1922 Estate Manager’s Diary Offers a New Voice From the Archives at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Authors: Urbec Karen
Published: July 2023

In 2020, as part of a National Endowment for the Humanities Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) grant, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens curatorial staff digitized Estate Manager Frank Landon McGinnis’s daily 1922 diary. In addition to being a unique primary source and an interesting research puzzle, this diary also provides a look into the daily workings of a significant estate during the height of its active years. This case study will: share the digitization standards and workflows of this project, analyze the data found in the diary, and also consider the archival silences that exist in all archives and the impact a diary of this type can have on our historic understanding of an era.
Identifying Factors Driving U.S. Consumer Dietary Patterns: A Qualitative Study With Industry Leaders
Authors: Sirvinskas Eric , Lopez Nanette V. , Sutliffe Jay T.
Published: July 2023

As the current literature and media continue to focus on the role of the production and consumption of animals within the food system, awareness of the devastating health, animal welfare, and environmental outcomes increases. With the omnivore majority present in the US, there is a compelling narrative forming in shifting away from a predominant animal product-focused consumption to more plant-based eating. While ample research has focused on individual psychology and public health elements of diet change, this research provides a novel lens into the social, cultural, and financial factors to unpack the mechanisms of change across the food system. This analysis offers a comprehensive examination of the challenges of an animal-centric food system and the benefits of a plant-based food system. From this understanding, we provide insight into several concepts for why change is occurring. To gain a better understanding of potential drivers, catalysts, and barriers of this plant-based shift, 33 leaders, innovators, and educators connected to the plant-based industry were interviewed. The analysis concludes that the drivers are multifaceted and interconnected and provide the potential for positive societal transformation. This research can be utilized to better aid businesses, organizations, policies, healthcare practitioners, and educational efforts around this transition.