bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment Outcomes of Type 1 Thyroplasty Using Gore-Tex® Following Injection Laryngoplasty
Authors: Brake Daniela A. , Patel Rita R. , Risser Rebecca M. , Ambrose Gabrielle , Anthony Benjamin P.
Published: September 2022

Objective:

To compare voice-related outcomes of type 1 thyroplasty using Gore-Tex® between patients with and without augmentation injection laryngoplasty (IL) prior to surgery.

Methods:

Forty-five patients who underwent Gore-Tex® thyroplasty at a single institution by a single surgeon between November 2016 and February 2019 were identified as those who previously had IL (n = 20) and those without IL (n = 25). Pre- and post-operative voice-related primary outcomes were evaluated using the GRBAS, and CAPE-V auditory-perceptual rating scales and secondary outcome were evaluated using the VRQOL. Pre- and post-operative voice samples were blinded, randomized, and analyzed by 3 voice-specialized speech pathologists to obtain CAPE-V scores. The VRQOL and GRBAS scores were obtained from retrospective chart review. Student’s t test with a paired one-tailed distribution was used for comparisons within groups and 2-sample equal variance for comparisons between groups. Intraclass correlation coefficient determined interrater agreement.

Results:

GRBAS, and VRQOL significantly improved post Gore-Tex® thyroplasty. There was no difference in improvement between patients who received pre-surgery IL and those who did not in either GRBAS or VRQOL scores, but CAPE-V showed significant improvement in the IL group. A strongly positive correlation was demonstrated between the severity of CAPE-V pre-op score and the overall improvement following surgery for both groups combined.

Conclusion:

Patients with vocal fold paralysis have a significantly better voice after Gore-Tex® thyroplasty by self-report (VRQOL) and assessment by trained voice professionals (GRBAS). Having IL prior to surgery does not adversely affect later surgical outcomes. This paper represents one of the largest analyses of voice quality outcomes of Gore-Tex® thyroplasty using validated patient scales and randomized blinded analyses.
Homicide Hot Spots in Chicago: Examining Spatiotemporal Patterns Longitudinally Across Police Beats
Authors: Gullion Christi L. , Comer Benjamin P. , Randa Ryan
Published: September 2022

Prior research on crime hot spots has been mostly concerned with the analyses of cross-sectional data or short-term aggregations. Less research, however, has conducted longitudinal analyses on homicide hot spots and their dynamic behavior over time. The current study assessed 5 years of Chicago homicides (2016–2020) by police beats to explore how hot spots of homicides behave, with specific attention to durability. We find that Chicago homicides spatially and temporally cluster, with analysis suggesting the emergence of seasonal, short term, and long term “durable” hotspots in Chicago. Policy implications such as police interventions and community policing and problem-solving opportunities are discussed.
Death and Dying in a Digitalized World
Authors: Asgari Zahra , Naghavi Azam , Abedi Mohammad Reza
Published: September 2022

The impact of digitalization on the topic of death and dying seems to be accelerated in recent years. This study aimed to explore the online ways people used to overcome grief and used the COVID-19 restrictions as an example. Thirty-two bereaved participants were interviewed and the data were analyzed using the constructive grounded theory method. Three main themes were extracted from the data: 1) an online way to remember; 2) digitalization of social support, and 3) continuing the bonds. Findings highlighted the important and inevitable role of the digital world in the grief process when there is a restriction in holding usual ceremonies.
From active police duty to civilian life: The role of peer support
Authors: Venville Annie , Kostecki Tina , McGowan David , Lynch Rebecca
Published: September 2022

This qualitative study explores the contribution of peer support to the mental health and wellbeing of police veterans. Thematic analysis of interview data with veterans ( n = 7), partners ( n = 1) and veteran peer support officers ( n = 10) captures the participant experience. Two key themes were integral to the contribution peer support makes to veteran wellbeing. First, the centrality of police identity and the importance of belonging to a supportive police community. Second, the need for hope and possibilities in transitioning from policing to civilian life. Social work services and trained peers provide veterans with a road map for re-building a life and identity away from the force.
Modified estimators of finite population distribution function based on dual use of auxiliary information under stratified random sampling
Authors: Hussain Sardar , Akhtar Sohail , El-Morshedy Mahmoud
Published: September 2022

In survey sampling, information on auxiliary variables related to the main variable is often available in many practical problems. Since the mid-twentieth century, researchers have taken a keen interest in the use of auxiliary information due to its usefulness in estimation methods. The current study presents two new estimators for the distribution function of a finite population based on dual auxiliary variables. The new estimators can be used in situations where the researchers face some sort of complex data set. The mathematical equations for the bias and mean square error have been obtained for each proposed estimator. Besides, an empirical study simulation study has also been conducted to analyse the performance of estimators. It is found that the new suggested estimators of the distribution function of a finite population are more accurate than some of the existing estimators.
E-sports: What mental health professionals from low & middle-income countries must know
Authors: Singh Priya , Singh Rajbir , Sharma Manoj Kumar , Arya Sidharth
Published: September 2022

‘E-sports’ refers to organized videogames. As the number of online gamers and interest in esports continue to rise in low and middle-income countries, mental health professionals need to be aware of their possible psychological and clinical implications. Only a small fraction of esports players present with gaming addiction, but a relatively larger proportion with subtle impairment impacting domains such as self-esteem, performance-related issues, family conflict, sleep-related issues or physical health. An adequate knowledge of esports, its concept, origins, genre and current status should equip mental health professionals in developing a good rapport with these young clients and correctly evaluate them. This review provides an overview of esports and how it pertains to mental health professionals.
Saildrones and Snotbots in the Blue Anthropocene: Sensing technologies, multispecies intimacies, and scientific storying
Authors: Fish Adam
Published: September 2022

Drones or unpersonned vehicles are mobile sensing technologies that collapse space and enhance proximity between scientists and marine species. As such, they improve the collection of biological data – images, migration maps, and fluid samples, for example. But while the drone’s benefits to oceanography are apparent, it is less clear what marine species receive for their unintentional participation in data collection. Building on ethnography, piloting experiments, interviews, and scrutiny of public blogs and scientific texts, this article documents two cases of drone oceanography, interrogates the multispecies intimacies they forge and considers what scientists return to marine animals in exchange for their biological data. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration directs ocean-surface Saildrones to follow northern fur seals in the Bering Sea, and Ocean Alliance, a not-for-profit research organization, collects microbes from cetaceans by flying aerial drones, or Snotbots, through their exhale. With the aim of generating more equitable reciprocities in waters that are surveyed by drones and increasingly challenging to live within, this article offers storying, or the building of existential narratives that support conservation through public engagement, as a way of forging multispecies reciprocities in the Blue Anthropocene – an era marked by existential urgencies, technological materialities, and elemental constraints.
‘Gypsy Eroding Liberty is Gorgio Eroding Liberty’: Making Europe More Equal from the British Romani Rights Movement
Authors: Sanz Carolina García
Published: September 2022

This paper explores the capacity for political agency of the British Romani Civil Rights Movement, assessing its particular connections with the construction and application of laws in the UK and Europe during the late 1960s and the early 1970s. A dual perspective will be adopted in order to trace and bring into dialogue the pressure brought to bear by Romani activism on both the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (MHLG) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the United Kingdom following the historic Recommendation 563 of the Council of Europe pertaining to the situation of Gypsies and other Travellers. Based on FCO sources, this study highlights the performative power of ‘Gypsy diplomacy’ while negotiating political spaces in the United Kingdom.
Independence and Constitution: The Spanish Nationalization of Personal Experience During the Peninsular War and its Aftermath
Authors: Moreno-Almendral Raúl
Published: September 2022

The deconstruction of the ‘War of Independence’ (1808–1814) as a Spanish nationalist myth was a necessary step in advancing our knowledge of the history of the Age of Revolutions in Spain and of Spanish nation-building itself. However, it set aside those who had in fact experienced those events through a genuine Spanish nationalized lens. Using a corpus of autobiographical sources written between the 1780s and the 1830s, this paper argues that political concepts of Spanish nationhood were already available before the liberal revolution unleashed by the French invasion, that anti-liberals used the language of nationhood in their ego-documents too, and that ideas of independence and constitution pervaded social cleavages and ideological divides. Arguably, then, the War of Independence had both mythical and real dimensions in terms of the history of national identities. Therefore, the great issue in nineteenth-century Spanish nation-building would have not been a congenital ‘lack’ or ‘weakness’ of nationhood but an intense cultural war for its definition along political lines.
Allegiance in Exchange for Benefits: The Romanian First World War Veterans’ Movement between Democracy and Authoritarianism, 1930–1937
Authors: Sciarrino Blasco
Published: September 2022

This article proposes that, between the two World Wars, the political loyalties of numerous Romanian First World War veterans were significantly affected by these ex-servicemen's sense of entitlement from military service. Having fought to protect their nation in the course of the conflict, many ex-combatants believed they deserved to be granted a variety of economic and symbolic rewards by the Romanian kingdom, in many cases allying themselves with political forces which promised to award them these benefits. To see their rights recognized, they also created a social movement, through which they lobbied state institutions. As, in the early 1930s, state veterans' policies experienced several shortcomings as the result of the Great Depression, sizeable segments of the former soldiers' movement began supporting a plethora of far-right movements and associations. Importantly, these extremist organizations secured the backing of various ex-servicemen mainly by promising to protect and increase the latter's benefits. Notably, in developing ties to discontented ex-combatants, the right was inspired in some instances by foreign authoritarian political models. However, in the middle of the decade, as governments managed to some extent to restore and even improve the ex-servicemen's special economic status, fascist and radical-right groups ceased to expand their reach within the ex-combatants' movement. Consequently, old soldiers did not play a significant role in the eventual collapse of Romanian democracy. By indicating that the former fighters’ sense of entitlement acted as a prominent radicalizing influence over many of them, this article provides an innovative perspective on the extremist political trends which affected numerous ex-servicemen in interwar Europe. Furthermore, by highlighting that Romanian radical veterans were at times inspired by developments occurring beyond their country's borders, the article helps confirm that transnational factors played a role in the anti-parliamentary activism of European former soldiers.
A ‘Shining Example of Fascist Womanhood’: Angiola Moretti 1925–1943
Authors: Willson Perry
Published: September 2022

This article examines the political career of Angiola Moretti who was, from 1926 to 1930, the National Secretary of the Fasci Femminili – the women's section of the Italian Fascist Party. Despite her prominent role, this female hierarch has never, to date, been studied by historians. The article investigates how she came to be appointed to this high-ranking position and her subsequent role and career in the Fascist Party, including her eventual nomination in the late 1930s to the rank of Ispettrice Nazionale del PNF. The story of Angiola Moretti's somewhat improbable career is used as a lens to explore the murky world of the Fascist ‘court’ in Rome and its gender politics.
Surgical operations at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1846 and 1847: Early impact of the discovery of anaesthesia
Authors: Andrew Jacob K , Gitlin Jacob A , Desai Manisha S
Published: September 2022

The introduction of anaesthesia on 16 October 1846 brought about tremendous changes in the discipline of surgery. We sought to determine whether the concept of painless surgery was accepted by practitioners and patients, and whether this led to an increase in frequency and variety of surgical operations performed. To study these changes, we analysed surgical records from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (MGH) in the months surrounding the discovery of ether anaesthesia. Surgical records from MGH between 25 February 1846 and 14 March 1847 were examined, and the variables studied included number of operations, type of operations, patient demographics, complications and analgesics used, as well as comments made by surgeons. Immediately following the introduction of anaesthesia, MGH experienced a sizeable increase in the volume of surgical operations. This included a doubling in the percentage of female patients undergoing surgery. Orthopaedic procedures and amputations both increased in frequency, as did the number of surgeons operating. Several records indicated the presence of postoperative wound infection. Operations were still performed without anaesthesia. Following the introduction of ether anaesthesia in 1846, surgical volume increased, and more women underwent surgery. This suggests early acceptance of anaesthesia by patients and the medical profession. In an era prior to the introduction of antiseptic and aseptic techniques it is not surprising that wound infections were observed in several patients. We provide a glimpse of anaesthesia and surgery during the first few months after the first public demonstration of anaesthesia at MGH.
Improving Calcium Status of Women: Results of a Study of Bio-Availability of Calcium From Slaked Lime Fortified Rice
Authors: Naila Nurun Nahar , Das Subhasish , Mim Khandaker Afsana , Alam Rahvia , Westcott Jamie , Long Julie , Krebs Nancy F. , Islam M. Munirul , Ahmed Tahmeed
Published: September 2022

Background:

Fortification of rice with slaked lime is an acceptable and inexpensive way to combat calcium (Ca) deficiency. However, bioavailability of calcium after intake of slaked lime fortified rice is yet to be investigated.

Objective:

To measure the fractional absorption of Ca (FAC) from slaked lime fortified cooked rice.

Design:

We conducted an experimental study using stable isotopes of Ca to measure FAC during a single morning test meal containing rice fortified with slaked lime. Participants (n = 22) were given slaked lime fortified rice 3 times a day for 4 days. On the morning of the fifth day, the participants were served the same amount of rice as previous the 4 days at the breakfast test meal with an accurately measured amount of 44Ca stable isotope oral tracer followed by an intravenous injection of 42Ca. Urine was collected over the next 24 hours in 3 consecutive 8-hour pools. Fractional absorption of Ca was calculated from the measurement of the relative enrichment of the of each administered tracer 44Ca and 42Ca using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Results:

The mean Ca concentration in the test meal was 879.5 ± 152.9 µg/g with a coefficient of variance (CV) of 17.2%. Although Ca absorption efficiency decreases with higher calcium intake, the total amount of calcium absorbed from test meal using FAC = 0.391 calculated from the third 8-hour urine pool was 69.0 (CV of 15.6) mg.

Conclusions:

We showed that one-fifth of daily calcium recommendation for women of reproductive age could be met by ingesting ∼200 g cooked slake fortified rice.
Does Crop Diversity Influence Household Food Security and Women’s Individual Dietary Diversity? A Cross-Sectional Study of Malawian Farmers in a Participatory Agroecology and Nutrition Project
Authors: Owoputi Ibukun , Booth Nola , Luginaah Isaac , Nyantakyi-Frimpong Hanson , Shumba Lizzie , Dakishoni Laifolo , Lupafya Esther , Hickey Catherine , Kerr Rachel Bezner
Published: September 2022

Background:

Agroecological methods have the potential to impact nutrition and food security, however, to date there is limited research evaluating this approach.

Objective:

A 5-year participatory research project with farming households in north and central Malawi was designed to train farmers on agroecological practices, alongside raising awareness on nutrition and gender equity. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationships between crop diversity, food security at the household level, and individual diversity for women, within the context of an agroecology, nutrition education, and farmer mentoring program.

Methods:

Participating farmers were trained in and experimented with different farming methods. These farmers subsequently trained other farmers on these short-term agroecological practices and provided mentorship using community-based educational methods designed to address both household food security and nutrition. In year 4 of the intervention, a cross-sectional survey assessed farm practices, food security, and individual dietary diversity of 851 participating households.

Results:

Households with lower crop diversity were significantly less likely to be food secure (odds ratios [OR] = 0.829, P < .001). Women in households with higher crop diversity were more likely to have higher individual dietary diversity (OR = 1.120, P < .01), eat vitamin A rich foods (OR = 1.176, P < .01), and legumes, nuts, and seeds (OR = 1.141, P < .01).

Conclusions:

These findings suggest that within a participatory agroecological training combined with community-based nutrition education with a focus on social equity, crop diversity is associated with less household food insecurity and poorer diet quality for rural farming households. Crop diversity may improve dietary diversity by making nutritious foods more available.
Metabolomic study of serum in patients with invasive ductal breast carcinoma with LC-MS/MS approach
Authors: Amiri-Dashatan Nasrin , Yekta Reyhaneh Farrokhi , Koushki Mehdi , Arefi Oskouie Afsaneh , Esfahani Hadi , Taheri Salman , Kazemian Elham
Published: September 2022

Background

Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) is the most common type of breast cancer so its early detection can lead to a significant decrease in mortality rate. However, prognostic factors for IDC are not adequate and we need novel markers for the treatment of different individuals. Although positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging techniques are available, they are based on morphological features that do not provide any clue for molecular events accompanying cancer progression. In recent years, “omics” approaches have been extensively developed to propose novel molecular signatures of cancers as putative biomarkers, especially in biofluids. Therefore, a mass spectrometry-based metabolomics investigation was performed to find some putative metabolite markers of IDC and potential metabolites with prognostic value related to the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, lymphovascular invasion, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.

Methods

An untargeted metabolomics study of IDC patients was performed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The multivariate principal component analysis by XCMS online built a model that could separate the study groups and define the significantly altered m/z parameters. The most important biological pathways were also identified by pathway enrichment analysis.

Results

The results showed that the significantly altered metabolites in IDC serum samples mostly belonged to amino acids and lipids. The most important involved pathways included arginine and proline metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis.

Conclusions

Significantly altered metabolites in IDC serum samples compared to healthy controls could lead to the development of metabolite-based potential biomarkers after confirmation with other methods and in large cohorts.
Meta-Analysis of Body Concentration of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Prostate Cancer
Authors: Pourhassan Bahman , Pourbabaki Reza , Omidi Fariborz , Kalantary Saba , Beigzadeh Zahra
Published: September 2022

Prostate Cancer (PCa) is the second most common hormone-sensitive neoplasm among men and the fifth cause of death due to malignancy in developed countries. Moreover, studies have shown the links between polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hormone-related cancers such as prostate cancer. Hence, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the potential relationship between the PCBs and developing PCa. In this meta-analysis study, the relevant databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus were studied for English research. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was applied to evaluate the quality of the selected publications. The GRADE method was used to assess the risk of bias studies. After reviewing the relevant studies, a cohort and seven case–control studies entered the meta-analysis. These articles were published during 2003–2021 with 2989 participants and 1212 PCa cases. The heterogeneity among the studies was significant ( p = 0.001, I2 = 70.61). Using a random-effects model, the association between the serum and plasma levels of PCBs and the risk of PCa was not shown to be significant (OR = 1.12; 95% CI: 0.90–1.39). The results of Egger’s test showed no trace of publication bias in the studies (P of bias = 0.573). This systematic review and meta-analysis was presented based on relatively strong evidence and has confirmed negatively significant associations between PCa risk and some PCBs congeners (PCB 44, 52, and 101). This study does not provide strong evidence that total PCB exposure is a risk factor for PCa development in humans.
Overgrowth of the Amygdala in Children with Single Ventricle Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Sato Rie , Muneuchi Jun , Sugitani Yuichiro , Doi Hirohito , Furuta Takashi , Ezaki Hiroki , Kobayashi Masaru , Hatai Eriko , Watanabe Mamie
Published: September 2022

Aim: Early life stress is associated with overgrowth of the amygdala, which plays a key role in the processing and memory of emotional responses. Herein, we aimed to explore the amygdala volume in children with single-ventricle congenital heart disease who experience repeated admissions during the neonatal period and infancy. Methods: We compared the amygdala volume measured using brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between 40 patients after completion of the Fontan procedure and 40 age- and sex-matched control subjects Results: Age at the MRI study were 9.2 (8.5–11.1) and 10.2 (9.2–10.3) years in the Fontan and control groups, respectively. The maximum amygdala volume in the Fontan group was significantly larger than in the control group (1232 [983–1392] mm3/m2 vs. 980 [728–1166] mm3/m2, P < 0.001). The amygdala volume did not correlate to cardiac index (r  =  0.260) and central venous pressure (r = -0.107) in the Fontan group. Conclusions: Children with single-ventricle congenital heart disease exhibited amygdala overgrowth.
Kinship and belonging: Pacific children’s perspectives on the diaspora
Authors: Freeman Claire , Latai Niusulu Anita , Schaaf Michelle , Taua’a Tuiloma Susana , Tanielu Helen , Ergler Christina , Kivalu MaryJane
Published: September 2022

Our study with 71 children aged 6-14 living in New Zealand and Samoa, provides a new child-centred perspective on transnational diasporic families. We use the Pacific concept vā to frame the study, in which children’s transnational-kinship connections reflect relational rather than physical approaches to space. Familial habitus surpasses spatial habitus as children’s primary reference point. For diasporic children, family keeps alive their sense of Pacific Island belonging. Transnational kinship ties give Pacific children additional resilience in adapting to unknown futures.
Effect of vitrification on mechanical properties of porcine articular cartilage
Authors: He Jenny , Wine Itai , Wu Kezhou , Sevick Johnathan , Laouar Leila , Jomha Nadr M , Westover Lindsey
Published: September 2022

Articular cartilage (AC) injuries do not heal primarily and large lesions progress to degenerative osteoarthritis. Osteochondral allograft transplantation is an effective surgical treatment but is limited by the lack of donor tissue availability. Fresh allografts can be stored hypothermically up to 28–45 days after which the tissue is no longer viable for transplantation. Vitrification is a method of cryopreservation with the potential to extend the storage time of AC. A specific protocol has been demonstrated to preserve high chondrocyte viability; however, its effect on various mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) remains unknown and is the focus of this initial study. Porcine AC was subject to a defined vitrification protocol, using fresh and frozen samples as positive and negative controls, respectively; n = 20 for all three groups. Unconfined compression testing was used to assess mechanical properties of the tissue under rapid load, stress relaxation, and equilibrium conditions. The stress relaxation time constants (modeled with a 2-term Prony series) [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] were significantly lower for frozen ( p = 0.014, p < 0.001) and vitrified ( p = 0.009, p = 0.003) tissue compared to fresh, with no differences between frozen and vitrified samples ( p = 0.848 and 0.105 for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], respectively). These values indicate that frozen and vitrified samples relaxed more rapidly than fresh, which may suggest altered matrix composition and permeability post-treatment. These results represent the initial study in our experimental path to evaluate differences in mechanical properties of vitrified tissues.
Cascade control of underactuated manipulator based on reinforcement learning framework
Authors: Jiang Naijing , Guo Dingxu , Zhang Shu , Zhang Dan , Xu Jian
Published: September 2022

In this article, we propose a cascade control framework to attenuate the residual vibration of the underactuated manipulator. The control framework is divided into two phases. In the first phase, a path generator trained by the reinforcement learning produces the leading signal for the tracking controller. In the second phase, the leading signal stabilizes the underactuated manipulator, and the adaptive proportional derivative controller is implemented to reduce the vibration. In the process, a novel path planning method is proposed to improve exploration efficiency, and a negative reward is introduced to avoid unsafe strategies and simulation instability. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is verified in the simulations of the double pendulum crane and the two-link flexible manipulator.
Using a Transection Paradigm to Enhance the Repair Mechanisms of an Investigational Human Cell Therapy
Authors: Chau Monica J. , Quintero Jorge E. , Monje Paula V. , Voss Stephen Randal , Welleford Andrew S. , Gerhardt Greg A. , van Horne Craig G.
Published: September 2022

One promising strategy in cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease (PD) is to harness a patient’s own cells to provide neuroprotection in areas of the brain affected by neurodegeneration. No treatment exists to replace cells in the brain. Thus, our goal has been to support sick neurons and slow neurodegeneration by transplanting living repair tissue from the peripheral nervous system into the substantia nigra of those with PD. Our group has pioneered the transplantation of transection-activated sural nerve fascicles into the brain of human subjects with PD. Our experience in sural nerve transplantation has supported the safety and feasibility of this approach. As part of a paradigm to assess the reparative properties of human sural nerve following a transection injury, we collected nerve tissue approximately 2 weeks after sural nerve transection for immunoassays from 15 participants, and collected samples from two additional participants for single nuclei RNA sequencing. We quantified the expression of key neuroprotective and select anti-apoptotic genes along with their corresponding protein levels using immunoassays. The single nuclei data clustered into 10 distinctive groups defined on the basis of previously published cell type-specific genes. Transection-induced reparative peripheral nerve tissue showed RNA expression of neuroprotective factors and anti-apoptotic factors across multiple cell types after nerve injury induction. Key proteins of interest (BDNF, GDNF, beta-NGF, PDGFB, and VEGF) were upregulated in reparative tissue. These results provide insight on this repair tissue’s utility as a neuroprotective cell therapy.
Growing Up After Adolescent Bariatric Surgery
Authors: DeMello Annalyn S. , Acorda Darlene E. , Thompson Debbe , Allen David L. , Aman Rahema , Brandt Mary L. , Sisley Stephanie
Published: September 2022

This study investigates the effects of adolescent bariatric surgery among young adults approximately 10 years post-surgery. Participants were recruited from a hospital-based bariatric registry. We used an exploratory, qualitatively-driven mixed methods design. Findings were integrated with medical chart data and the SF-36, Body QoL, and the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire. Of the 22 participants who completed surveys (14 females and 8 males), 20 participants also completed a phone interview. Median participant age was 25 years (range = 19–30). Median weight-loss was 23% (6.0%‒58%). Four themes emerged: taking control, weight loss challenges, body image adjustment, and growing up. Participants reported physical benefits of surgery yet were challenged by eating habits, body image, and interpersonal relationships. Participants were indifferent to preventative healthcare, despite the potential for vitamin deficiencies and the return of weight-related comorbidities. Clinicians can facilitate the transition to young adulthood by providing continued mental support, education, and medical monitoring.
California School Staff Reports of Seeing Students Vaping at School and Disciplinary Actions
Authors: Cole Adam G. , Lienemann Brianna A. , Sun Joanna , Chang Jacqueline , Zhu Shu-Hong
Published: September 2022

Youth vaping is a concern and schools may use many approaches to discipline students caught vaping at school. This study identified the prevalence of school staff seeing vaping in schools and the measures used to discipline students. A state-wide sample of 7,938 staff from 255 middle and high schools reported whether they saw any students vaping at school in the last 30 days, whether they have caught any students vaping during class in the last semester, and what happened after catching a student vaping in class. Open-text responses were coded and themes were identified related to disciplinary approaches. 31.9% of staff reported seeing students vaping at school, and 11.9% of teachers reported catching a student vaping during class. Teachers described four categories of disciplinary approaches after catching students vaping in class: no consequences, punitive approaches, restorative approaches, and mixed approaches. Additional support is necessary to help schools address student vaping.
Cervical Cancer and Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Knowledge, Utilisation, Prevention Educational Interventions and Policy Response in Nigeria: A Scoping Review
Authors: John-Akinola Yetunde O. , Ndikom Chizoma M. , Oluwasanu Mojisola M. , Adebisi Temitayo , Odukoya Oluwaponmile
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This review evaluated the knowledge, utilisation, prevention education, and policy response across the six geopolitical regions of Nigeria to inform national efforts for the prevention and control of cervical cancer.

Methods

A keyword-based systematic search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE (NCBI), Google Scholar, and AJOL electronic databases, including a manual scan of papers, journals and websites to identify relevant peer-reviewed studies. Articles were screened and assessed for eligibility.

Results

Many (158) articles were downloaded and after duplicates were removed, 110 articles were included in the final analysis. These were made up of qualitative, quantitative (cross-sectional), intervention and policy studies. Studies have generally reported poor knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer screening but those carried out in urban areas demonstrated a slightly higher level of awareness of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, HPV vaccination uptake and utilization of cervical cancer preventive services than the rural studies. The studies did not show strong government support or policies in relation to cervical cancer control.

Conclusion

Knowledge and uptake of cervical cancer preventive services across diverse groups in Nigeria remain poor. These could be linked to socio-cultural factors, the lack of an organised cervical cancer screening programme and low financial resource pool for cervical cancer prevention. Therefore, it is necessary to increase government, donor prioritisation and political support in order to ensure increased investment and commitment to cervical cancer elimination in Nigeria.
Sensory Loss and Risk of Dementia
Authors: Lad Meher , Sedley William , Griffiths Timothy D.
Published: September 2022

Sensory loss in olfaction, vision, and hearing is a risk factor for dementia, but the reasons for this are unclear. This review presents the neurobiological evidence linking each sensory modality to specific dementias and explores the potential mechanisms underlying this. Olfactory deficits can be linked to direct neuropathologic changes in the olfactory system due to Alzheimer disease and Parkinson disease, and may be a marker of disease severity. Visual deficits potentially increase dementia risk in a vulnerable individual by reducing resilience to dementia. Hearing deficits may indicate a susceptibility to Alzheimer disease through a variety of mechanisms. More generally, sensory impairment could be related to factors associated with resilience against dementia. Further research is needed to tease out the specific and synergistic effects of sensory impairment. Studying sensory loss in relation to neurodegenerative biomarkers is necessary to clarify the mechanisms involved. This could produce new monitoring and management strategies for people at risk of dementia.
Stepping Up and Stepping In: Exploring the Role of Nurses in Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Authors: Murray Christina , Bain Laura , Drake Patrice , Avery Don
Published: September 2022

This study focused on the experiences of grandparents raising grandchildren in rural, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Termed grand-families, there are numerous reasons why grandparents must step up and step in to care for their grandchildren. Often these reasons are related to their adult children’s struggles with mental illness and substance use disorders. Adopting Clandinin and Connelly’s approach to narrative inquiry, we present findings from the conversational interviews conducted with 12 grandparents raising their grandchildren. Interview data were analyzed through the narrative dimensions of time, place, and relationship. Findings are presented as rich narratives which illuminate the evolution and storied experiences of grand-families. Particularly revealing are the challenges grandparents face as they navigate various systems, including health care, that do not acknowledge the uniqueness of their family form. Nurses work with grand-families across varied clinical settings. Grounded within the philosophy of Patient and Family Centered Care and family nursing theory, this article offers recommendations for supportive interventions that nurses can implement when caring for grand-families across clinical settings. This study has the potential to facilitate the development of evidence-based supports and services, which are responsive to the needs, realities, and complexities of grand-families.
Intimate Partner Violence, Economic Insecurity, and Health Outcomes Among American Indian and Alaska Native Men and Women: Findings From a National Sample
Authors: Fedina Lisa , Shyrokonis Yuliya , Backes Bethany , Schultz Katie , Ashwell Louise , Hafner Steven , Rosay Andre
Published: September 2022

Limited data are available on experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV) and health outcomes among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations. This study explores the relationship between IPV and SV, food insecurity, housing insecurity, healthcare access, and self-reported physical and mental health status in a nationally representative sample of AIAN adults ( N = 3,634). IPV and SV were associated with poorer physical and mental health at the bivariate level, but not in multivariate analyses. Economic inequalities are a salient predictor of health and may be compounded by demographic and geographic contexts.
A Global Lethal Force Monitor: Comparative Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: Rappert Brian , Adang Otto , De Paepe Jasper , Dymond Abi , Easton Marleen , Probert Thomas
Published: September 2022

Comparison across jurisdictions is one way of assessing the appropriateness of lethal force resulting from the actions of law enforcement agencies. This article sets out a vision for a global use of force monitor that can enable meaningful comparisons between law enforcement agencies. It examines some of the opportunities and challenges associated with developing such a monitor in relation to (i) the legal frameworks in place governing use of lethal force; (ii) how official state agencies record and respond to deaths; and (iii) the contexts for the use of lethal force.
The Effects of Varied and Non-Varied Praise on Student On-Task Behaviors
Authors: Markelz Andrew M. , Riden Benjamin S. , Morano Stephanie , Hazelwood Alicia L. , Taylor April M.
Published: September 2022

Research has demonstrated that behavior specificity is a salient characteristic of teacher praise efficacy. Praise variety may also be an important characteristic to reinforce desired student behavior based on research about the quality of reinforcers. In this study, we used an alternating treatments design to examine the effects of varied and non-varied behavior-specific praise (BSP) on two first-grade students’ on-task behaviors in U.S. general education classrooms. Visual and statistical analyses suggest both varied and non-varied BSP increased on-task behavior, with varied BSP resulting in marginally higher levels of on-task behavior. There was no functional relationship between varied and non-varied BSP conditions. Findings from this study contribute to teacher praise literature as the first to empirically investigate the effects of praise variety on student behavior. We discuss the implications of this preliminary research and encourage future inquiry into additional characteristics of praise.
Multi-omics Data Integration Model Based on UMAP Embedding and Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: ElKarami Bashier , Alkhateeb Abedalrhman , Qattous Hazem , Alshomali Lujain , Shahrrava Behnam
Published: September 2022

Introduction:

Multi-omics data integration facilitates collecting richer understanding and perceptions than separate omics data. Various promising integrative approaches have been utilized to analyze multi-omics data for biomedical applications, including disease prediction and disease subtypes, biomarker prediction, and others.

Methods:

In this paper, we introduce a multi-omics data integration method that is constructed using the combination of gene similarity network (GSN) based on uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs). The method utilizes UMAP to embed gene expression, DNA methylation, and copy number alteration (CNA) to a lower dimension creating two-dimensional RGB images. Gene expression is used as a reference to construct the GSN and then integrate other omics data with the gene expression for better prediction. We used CNNs to predict the Gleason score levels of prostate cancer patients and the tumor stage in breast cancer patients.

Results:

The model proposed near perfection with accuracy above 99% with all other performance measurements at the same level. The proposed model outperformed the state-of-art iSOM-GSN model that constructs the GSN map based on the self-organizing map.

Conclusion:

The results show that UMAP as an embedding technique can better integrate multi-omics maps into the prediction model than SOM. The proposed model can also be applied to build a multi-omics prediction model for other types of cancer.
Performance of hybrid thrust bearing textured surface operating with electro-rheological lubricant
Authors: Singh Atul Kumar , Kumar Vivek , Singh Simran Jeet , Sharma Satish C
Published: September 2022

This article concerns with the numerical simulations of textured surface hybrid thrust bearings operating with Electro-rheological (ER) lubricant. An ER fluid comprises dielectric particles suspended in an insulating viscous medium. Electrorheological (ER) lubricants are considered smart lubricants. Reynold's equation is used to model the flow of an ER lubricant in textured surface thrust bearings. The texture is provided as hemispherical, cylindrical, elliptical, and square shape micro-depression oriented along the circumferential and radial direction. The Patir and Cheng model is used to describe micro-roughness on a thrust pad. The continuous Bingham model is used to define the viscosity of the ER lubricant in terms of yielding stress, electric field, and shear-strain rate. The Reynolds equation is solved by applying the finite element method to obtain film pressure, load-supporting capacity, frictional power loss, film stiffness, and damping parameters. The texture shapes are optimized for dimple size, depth, and length for getting maximum load-supporting capacity and stiffness coefficient, and minimum frictional power loss. The numerical results predicted an enhancement in the load-supporting capacity (+257.3%) and film stiffness parameters (+323.2%) owing to the synergistic use of ER lubricant and optimized geometric parameters of square/elliptical dimples. The frictional power loss was reported to reduce significantly (−48.8%) by the use of micro-dimples. The application of ER lubricant was also found to slightly enhance (+4.3%) the frictional power loss in textured bearings. The transverse surface roughness vis-à-vis smooth surface is observed to improve the load-supporting capacity, stiffness, and damping parameters of textured surface bearings.
Are most ELT course book writers white ‘native speakers’? A survey of 28 general English course books for adults
Authors: Kiczkowiak Marek
Published: September 2022

While numerous studies have shown how native speakerism can negatively affect the professional trajectories of those perceived as ‘non-native speaker’, little is known about the ‘native’ and ‘non-native speaker’ representation among course book authors (CBAs). Therefore, this article aims to analyse the ‘nativeness’, ethnicity and country of origin of general English CBAs to understand to what extent native speakerism affects who is recruited as a CBA. Twenty-eight general English adult course books published globally were analysed and three commissioning editors (CEs) were interviewed. The results show that out of 126 CBAs in the sample, 122 are ‘native speakers’ and 123 are white. In addition, the vast majority (79%) come from the UK. While the CEs confirmed they are committed to equality, it is clear that the current CBA recruitment policies lead to a perpetuation of native speakerism and to a situation where most general English CBAs are white ‘native speakers’ from the UK. It is suggested that greater attention is paid by CEs and publishers to recruiting more diverse CBA teams. As the interviewed CEs confirmed, such greater diversity could lead to more diversity in the content of the books.
Estimated the frequencies of a coupled damped nonlinear oscillator with the non-Perturbative method
Authors: El-Dib Yusry O
Published: September 2022

The current article is concerned with a comprehensive investigation of achieving the simplest solution of non-conservative coupled nonlinear forced oscillators. The article mainly depends on a non-perturbative method. It depends on yielding an equivalent linear system. The advantage of this linear system is that its coefficients are easily computed and that they include the effects of the original nonlinear coefficients. This linearization approach allows achieving quasi-exact solutions even in the presence of periodic forces. The relationships of frequencies with amplitudes are easily established. The analytical solution so yielded may serve as a basis for a qualitative understanding of the actual behavior of the coupled nonlinear oscillators. Additionally, numerical calculations are carried out graphically to address the validation of the new approach and to further illustrate the effectiveness and convenience of the method. The results are compared with the exact numerical solutions which show perfect accuracy. The method can be easily extended to other nonlinear systems and can therefore be exceedingly applicable in engineering and other sciences.
A shallow cable with a tuned mass-high damping rubber damper
Authors: Zhang Zheng , Liu Pengan , Li Changzhao
Published: September 2022

Tuned mass-high damping rubber damper (TM-HDR-D), as a high-efficiency damper, has great practical feasibility and good application prospect for cable vibration mitigation. To investigate the effect of TM-HDR-D on the cable dynamics, a refined model which considers the cable sag effect is established via complex modal method. Then, based on this model, the influence of cable sag and the stiffness, location, loss factor, and mass of the TM-HDR-D on the cable dynamics is systematically investigated. Meanwhile, the multi-mode damping effect of TM-HDR-D is also analyzed. Results show that TM-HDR-D can significantly increase the additional damping of the system. The cable sag only affects the first-order modal damping, and the effect of TM-HDR-D is significantly affected by its frequency, loss factor, and installation position. Improving the mass of the damper can improve the damping effect. Reasonable selection of damper tuning frequency can achieve multi-order modal damping enhancement.