bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ІНТЕГРАЦІЯ НОВІТНІХ ФОРМ ТА МЕТОДІВ НАВЧАННЯ У МЕДИЧНИХ ЗАКЛАДАХ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ З ПРИКЛАДАМИ РЕАЛЬНОГО ЗАСТОСУВАННЯ
Authors: Маланчук Л. М. , Грабчак С. О. , Маланчук С. Л.
Published: June 2024

Зміна парадигми вищої медичної освіти від предметоцентризму до студентоцентризму, з орієнтацією на кінцеві компетентності останнього, стимулює пошук нових підходів до вдосконалення освітніх методів та форм із метою підвищення ефективності навчального процесу. Вітчизняний та закордонний досвід щодо організації вищої медичної освіти серед трендів найбільш поширених та ефективних інтерактивних методів навчання виділяють ті, які орієнтуються на роботу у малих групах, використовуючи при цьому форми навчання: мозковий штурм, метод проєктів, кейс-метод, симуляційні та рольові ігри – формування моделей професійної комунікативної поведінки відповідно до певної ситуації. Саме ці новітні підходи у навчанні сприяють трансформації теоретичних знань студентів у практичну площину набуття професійних компетентностей. У статті узагальнено та представлено власний досвід впровадження сучасних форм навчання у медичній освіті з метою їх популяризації та більш ширшого впровадження в освітній процес вітчизняних закладів, зроблено акценти щодо ролі безперервного професійного розвитку надавачів освіти.
МІНЕРАЛЬНИЙ СКЛАД ЛІЗІАНТУСУ РАССЕЛА ТРАВИ ТА ГУСТОГО ЕКСТРАКТУ З НЕЇ, ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ АНТИМІКРОБНОЇ АКТИВНОСТІ
Authors: Олефіренко А. О. , Кисличенко В. С.
Published: June 2024

Вступ. Сучасні дослідження пов’язують розвиток багатьох хвороб з дефіцитом макро- та мікроелементів, а також підтверджують винятково важливу роль мінеральних речовин у здоровому харчуванні людини. Основним біологічним акумулятором мінеральних речовин є рослини, які все частіше розглядають як джерело легкозасвоюваної форми мікроелементів у комплексі з іншими біологічно активними речовинами для лікування і профілактики ряду захворювань. Одним з нових представників флори України є лізіантус Рассела (Lisianthus russellianus Hook.), або еустома великоквіткова (Eustoma grandiflorum (Raf.) Shinners), родини тирличеві (Gentianaceae Juss.). Наукові відомості щодо хімічного складу рослини мають частковий характер, а дослідження елементного складу не проводили.
Мета дослідження – дослідити макро- і мікроелементний склад лізіантусу Рассела сорту Borealis Apricot трави та густого екстракту з неї для вивчення можливості подальшого їх використання як активних фармацевтичних інгредієнтів при створенні нових фітозасобів, визначення антимікробної активності густого екстракту.
Методи дослідження. Досліджували елементний склад на базі НТК “Інститут монокристалів” НАН України (м. Харків). Дослідження проводили методом атомно-емісійної спектрометрії. Дугу змінного струму одержували за допомогою генератора ІВС-28. Для отримання спектра використовували дифракційний спектрограф ДФС-8. Антимікробну активність густого екстракту з лізіантусу Рассела трави визначали на базі ДУ “Інститут мікробіології та імунології ім. І. І. Мечникова НАМН України”. Дослідження проводили методом дифузії в агар (метод “колодязів”) та методом дисків.
Результати й обговорення. Встановлено, що якісний елементний склад лізіантусу Рассела трави та густого екстракту з неї однаковий – містилося по 19 елементів. Їх розподіл за кількісним вмістом свідчить про те, що у траві рослини домінували калій, натрій, ферум, манган, цинк та алюміній, у густому естракті переважали калій, магній, натрій, манган і цинк. Вміст токсичних елементів не перевищував гранично допустимих концентрацій. Встановлено антимікробну активність густого екстракту з лізіантусу Рассела трави.
Висновки. Методом атомно-емісійної спектрометрії досліджено елементний склад лізіантусу Рассела трави та густого екстракту з неї. Проведене дослідження дозволяє оцінити їх як перспективне джерело активних фармацевтичних інгредієнтів при створенні нових фітозасобів. Антимікробна активність густого екстракту з лізіантусу Рассела трави свідчить про його терапевтичну значущість і перспективність подальшого дослідження.
Icleia Borsa Cattani e o lugar inquieto da crítica de arte
Authors: Kern Daniela Pinheiro Machado
Published: June 2024

Icleia Borsa Cattani (1951), art historian, theorist and critic, is an unavoidable figure when it comes to understanding the institutionalization of criticism and theory of modern and contemporary art, especially in Rio Grande do Sul. In this article, we will briefly follow the intellectual trajectory of Icleia Cattani, highlighting her education, the ties she established with her generation, the paths she helped consolidate and her theoretical proposals linked to art criticism.
Os gatos na vida de Guimarães Rosa: o que os livros registram
Authors: Silva Denise de Almeida
Published: June 2024

Ação de divulgação da Biblioteca do IEB expõe livros que compõem o acervo de João Guimarães Rosa vinculados a uma das paixões do autor: os gatos. As obras contêm marginálias e dedicatórias e estão em diversas línguas. Estudiosos de Guimarães Rosa e o Grupo Miguilim foram os primeiros a contemplarem os livros.
Empreendedorismo popular e a economia moral da vida sem salário
Authors: Costa Henrique
Published: June 2024

Este artigo investiga pequenos comerciantes da periferia da zona sul de São Paulo em uma época de crescente difusão do empreendedorismo fazendo uso do conceito de “economia moral”. O texto emprega uma abordagem etnográfica para o debate teórico acerca das transformações históricas ocorridas nas periferias urbanas nas últimas décadas. Por um lado, são relações que exprimem a sociabilidade na “vida sob cerco” ou nos “enclaves fortificados”; por outro, essas relações demonstram a monetarização nesses territórios. De modo que esse “resgate” da comunidade pela utopia da autonomia renasce degenerado por condições estruturais modificadas.
A ética nos usos de “inteligência” artificial: interações, mercado e sociedade
Authors: Rêgo Ana Regina
Published: June 2024

Este ensaio surgiu a partir de reflexões sobre os usos de “inteligência” artificial (IA) pelas plataformas digitais, cujos espaços proporcionam encontros entre produtores e consumidores, em escalas distintas do mundo concreto, visto a mineração e uso imediato e intermitente da experiência humana. O texto concentra-se também na IA generativa e seu uso progressivo em ambientes sociais e empresariais. Em um gesto crítico, acionamos pensamentos de diferentes matrizes, com vistas à proposição de diálogos desveladores dos fenômenos tecnológicos e suas interfaces.
Se escreve as artes, no feminino e no plural
Authors: Buitoni Dulcilia Helena Schroeder , Bagolin Luiz Armando , Marras Stelio
Published: June 2024

Editorial da RIEB 87 - Se escreve as artes, no feminino e no plural.
Not So Innocent: Clerics, Monarchs, and the Ethnoreligious Cleansing of Western Europe
Authors: Aktürk Şener
Published: June 2024

Sizeable Jewish and Muslim communities lived across large swathes of medieval Western Europe. But all the Muslim communities and almost all the Jewish communities in polities that correspond to present-day England, France, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, and Spain were eradicated between 1064 and 1526. Most studies of ethnoreligious violence in Europe focus on communal, regional, and national political dynamics to explain its outbreak and variation. Recent scholarship shows how the Catholic Church in medieval Europe contributed to the long-term political development and the “rise of the West.” But the Church was also responsible for eradicating non-Christian minorities. Three factors explain ethnoreligious cleansing of non-Christians in medieval Western Europe: (1) the papacy as a supranational religious authority with increasing powers; (2) the dehumanization of non-Christians and their classification as monarchical property; and (3) fierce geopolitical competition among Catholic Western European monarchs that made them particularly vulnerable to papal-clerical demands to eradicate non-Christians. The extant scholarship maintains that ethnoreligious cleansing is a modern phenomenon that is often committed by nationalist actors for secular purposes. In contrast, a novel explanation highlights the central role that the supranational hierocratic actors played in ethnoreligious cleansing. These findings also contribute to understanding recent and current ethnic cleansing in places like Cambodia, Iraq, Myanmar, the Soviet Union, and Syria.
Mixed Rossby Gravity Waves at Middepths of the Equatorial Indian Ocean
Authors: Nagura Motoki , McPhaden Michael J.
Published: June 2024

This study examines mixed Rossby gravity (MRG) waves at middepths (500–2000 m) of the Indian Ocean, using multiyear velocity time series obtained from current-meter moorings at 77°, 83°, and 93°E along the equator over the period 2000–19. These data are analyzed in combination with a high-resolution wind-forced ocean general circulation model. The spectrum of observed meridional velocity showed elevated energy over a wide range of periods from about 10 to 100 days with the spectral peak at a period of about 30 days. The model was able to simulate the characteristics of the observed spectrum. Further diagnostics determined that the detected variability is generally consistent with theoretical MRG waves in a resting ocean. Statistical analysis and a model sensitivity experiment identified distinct variations at three periods, where meridional velocity has sizable energy. The 14-day variability is wind driven and has a long zonal (∼3300 km) and vertical (∼4200 m) wavelength. The 28-day variability is excited by the dynamical instability of the background flow in the equatorial western Indian Ocean near the surface and propagates to the study area. It is characterized by a shorter zonal (∼1100 km) and vertical (∼2800 m) wavelength compared to 14-day variability. The 43-day variability has a zonal wavelength (∼820 km) comparable to the 28-day variability but does not show the tendency of propagation and is likely generated in situ through nonlinear interactions. These results show that various processes contribute to the excitation of MRG waves at middepths of the Indian Ocean.

Significance Statement

Mixed Rossby gravity (MRG) waves are a prominent mode of intraseasonal variability in tropical oceans. They are of climatic importance owing to their effects on turbulent mixing in the deep sea and how they affect the large-scale ocean circulation. This study examines MRG waves at the middepths of the equatorial Indian Ocean using a unique set of in situ current-meter measurements and a high-resolution ocean general circulation model. We describe characteristics such as horizontal and vertical wavelengths, frequency spectra, dispersion properties, and energy sources. Results show that wind forcing at the sea surface, dynamical instability of the background flow near the surface in the western Indian Ocean, and nonlinear interactions generate MRG waves at distinct periods and wavelengths.
ECHO Autism Washington: Autism Diagnostic Evaluations in Primary Care
Authors: Gerdts Jennifer , Casagrande Karís A. , Bateman Katherine J. , Hudac Caitlin M. , Bravo Alice , Mancini James , Mannheim Jennifer , Ogata Beth , Orville Kate , Stobbe Gary A.
Published: June 2024

ECHO ( Extensions for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Autism is a telementoring learning model to increase community capacity for autism-related health care. Seventy-seven pediatric providers (mostly primary care, seeing exclusively Medicaid patient populations) enrolled in 1 year of ECHO Autism Washington. Analysis of self-report surveys showed a significant increase in autism diagnoses made by ECHO providers after 1 year, F(1, 65) = 7.52, P = .008. Providers who attended more sessions reported making more diagnoses, F(2, 613.26), P = .045. Of note, autism diagnoses were not externally validated. The total number of reported barriers reduced, F(2, 61) = 13.5), P < .001, and confidence ratings increased F(2, 60) = 24.21, P < .001. The average number of diagnostic referrals from ECHO providers to the state’s largest autism specialty clinic significantly reduced, t(43) = 4.23, P < .001, with significantly fewer diagnostic referrals made during and after ECHO training compared with a comparison group of 28 non-ECHO providers, t(58.77) = −3.36, P < .001. Overall, 1 year of ECHO Autism Washington participation led to significant changes in autism diagnostic practices.
Human Agency in the Tensional Space of Existence
Authors: Yanchar Stephen C.
Published: June 2024

This article presents lived tensions as a significant aspect of human agency and suggests what this concept can contribute to the formulation of rich understandings of psychological phenomena. In this argument, the notion of lived tensions refers to the competing demands, contradictions, oppositions, strains, resistances, and pulls that are ubiquitously encountered as part of meaningful, agential involvement in the world. An indication of how lived tensions can be explored in psychological inquiry is provided in an example qualitative study that foregrounds tensions in different ways. Implications for future research that aims to study agential human phenomena in terms of lived tensions, or that seeks to study the nature of lived tensions per se, are offered.
Effects of a Family-Implemented LEGO Intervention on Social Interactions for Children on the Autism Spectrum in China
Authors: Lee Gabrielle T. , Hu Xiaoyi , Lian Ziying , Wang Chongying
Published: June 2024

The objective of the current study was to assess how a LEGO intervention, implemented by a grandparent and a parent at home, affected social interactions for four children (two girls, two boys; ages 6–7 years) on the autism spectrum in China. A multiple probe design across four families was used. Grandparents and parents were trained to use effective teaching strategies in structured LEGO play activities to engage in interactions with their children. Results indicated that all four children’s spontaneous social initiations and responses were improved and maintained for at least 7 weeks following completion of the intervention. Increased social initiations and responses were generalized to family activities and free play at home.
Evaluating the thermal, mechanical and swelling behavior of novel silicone and polyurethane additively manufactured O-rings in the presence of organic liquids and military fuels
Authors: Luning Prak Dianne J. , Costello Peter , Novack Maya , Baker Brad W. , Cowart Jim S. , Durkin David P.
Published: June 2024

This work investigates the physical properties and swelling behavior of additively manufactured (AM) and traditionally manufactured (TM) polyurethane (PU) and silicone O-rings when exposed to organic liquids and military fuels. Polymer properties were explored using differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis, and tensile testing, and two AM print orientations (vertical and horizontal) were investigated. The AM polyurethane vertical and horizontal O-rings formed from a selective laser sintering (SLS) process had similar thermal features to each other and differed slightly from the un-sintered polymer in the temperature at which the greatest rate of mass loss occurred in the TGA analysis. The thermal features of the AM silicone O-rings formed using stereolithography (SLA) were more similar to those of a commercial soft silicone than to those of a commercial high purity silicone. The horizontal print orientation for each polymer had a higher tensile strength than its respective vertically oriented print. A 1-week exposure of the AM O-rings to the various organic liquids reduced the tensile strength of AM O-rings by as much as 80% (tensile strength exposed/tensile strength unexposed = 0.2). Polyurethane AM O-rings swelled from 3 to 74% with the greatest swelling occurring from exposure to acetone. Silicone AM O-rings swelled from 13 to 258% with the greatest swelling occurring from exposure to iso-octane. In general, the commercial O-rings swelled less than their AM counterparts, had higher tensile strengths, and had smoother surfaces. The maximum swelling for the PU O-rings occurred at an overall Hansen solubility parameter (HSP) between 18 and 20 MPa1/2, while the maximum for silicone occurred at an HSP of 14.3 MPa1/2. These values are consistent with literature values, which can vary widely.
Underemployment Among College Graduates With Blindness and Low Vision
Authors: McDonnall Michele C. , Cmar Jennifer L.
Published: June 2024

Introduction: Underemployment of people with visual impairments has long been a concern among professionals in the field of blindness and low vision, but limited research has been conducted on this topic. In this study, we assessed educational underemployment of employed college graduates with and without visual impairments to evaluate differences between them. Methods: To determine underemployment in our American Community Survey sample, we utilized Bureau of Labor Statistics data to identify the typical entry-level education requirement for the job each person held and compared their actual education level to this criterion. We used logistic regression to predict underemployment based on visual impairment and 11 independent variables including individual and job-related characteristics. Results: Underemployment was more common among people with visual impairments (62.4%) compared to people without visual impairments (55.7%). Visual impairment predicted underemployment in the multivariate model, but it interacted with master's degree. People with visual impairments who held associate, bachelor's, doctoral, or professional degrees were slightly more likely to be underemployed, while those who held a master's degree were not more likely to be underemployed than people without visual impairments. Discussion: Overeducation is a substantial issue for the entire U.S. population of college graduates, and more so for people with visual impairments except for those with master's degrees. Although all people with master's degrees have high odds of being underemployed compared to people with bachelor's degrees, odds were slightly larger for people without visual impairments. Implications for Practitioners: Our findings, combined with current trends in the labor market, highlight the importance of having a specific career goal and awareness of the skills necessary to qualify for that career. Rehabilitation professionals should be prepared to assist individuals with identifying skills needed for their selected careers, assessing their current skills, and creating a plan to obtain the necessary skills.
Renewable Energy and Equilibrium Hedging in Electricity Forward Markets
Authors: Schwenen Sebastian , Neuhoff Karsten
Published: June 2024

We study the impact of renewable energy on forward markets for electricity. Previous literature shows that forward prices are determined by time-varying demand and volatile spot prices. We introduce supply risk from renewable generation and find that stochastic renewable output mitigates income risk for generating firms, in particular when negative shocks to renewable output have large positive price impact. This risk off-setting effect leads to reduced hedging needs for generating companies and increases the forward premium. Using five years of high-frequency spot and futures market data, we confirm our model empirically. In sum, our findings suggest that intermittent renewable generation changes firm’s hedging incentives and has significant impact on forward prices for electricity.

JEL Classification: G11, G13, Q42
Care Priorities for Individuals with Lower Extremity Amputations: A Patient Delphi Study
Authors: Limakatso K. , Lebiletsa T. , Smeets R.J.E.M. , Parker R.
Published: June 2024

Objective

To gather preliminary evidence on short- and long-term care priorities for people with lower extremity amputations.

Design

A three-round modified Delphi study using semi-structured interviews.

Participants

A convenience sample of 20 adult participants who had undergone lower extremity amputations at a tertiary public hospital.

Main Measure

Consensus on each care priority was defined a priori as an agreement of more than 50%. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand the rationales for endorsing the care priorities.

Results

Consensus was reached on 24 short-term care priorities and 12 long-term care priorities in the biomedical, practical and psychological and spiritual domains. The rationales for endorsing each of the care priorities generated three themes: preparedness; mental health, psychological and spiritual well-being; and participating in life, with respect and dignity.

Conclusions

Our results highlight the substantial need to improve patient access to education and planning support prior to undergoing limb amputation, and optimising post-amputation rehabilitation programmes, enabling people with amputations to participate in meaningful life roles that provide them with purpose, dignity, and self-respect. The knowledge of care priorities revealed in this study may promote effective patient-centred care and improve clinical outcomes.
Making Drug Approval Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty: Cumulative Evidence versus Value of Information
Authors: Dijk Stijntje W. , Krijkamp Eline , Kunst Natalia , Labrecque Jeremy A. , Gross Cary P. , Pandit Aradhana , Lu Chia-Ping , Visser Loes E. , Wong John B. , Hunink M. G. Myriam
Published: June 2024

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the criticality and complexity of decision making for novel treatment approval and further research. Our study aims to assess potential decision-making methodologies, an evaluation vital for refining future public health crisis responses.

Methods

We compared 4 decision-making approaches to drug approval and research: the Food and Drug Administration’s policy decisions, cumulative meta-analysis, a prospective value-of-information (VOI) approach (using information available at the time of decision), and a reference standard (retrospective VOI analysis using information available in hindsight). Possible decisions were to reject, accept, provide emergency use authorization, or allow access to new therapies only in research settings. We used monoclonal antibodies provided to hospitalized COVID-19 patients as a case study, examining the evidence from September 2020 to December 2021 and focusing on each method’s capacity to optimize health outcomes and resource allocation.

Results

Our findings indicate a notable discrepancy between policy decisions and the reference standard retrospective VOI approach with expected losses up to $269 billion USD, suggesting suboptimal resource use during the wait for emergency use authorization. Relying solely on cumulative meta-analysis for decision making results in the largest expected loss, while the policy approach showed a loss up to $16 billion and the prospective VOI approach presented the least loss (up to $2 billion).

Conclusion

Our research suggests that incorporating VOI analysis may be particularly useful for research prioritization and treatment implementation decisions during pandemics. While the prospective VOI approach was favored in this case study, further studies should validate the ideal decision-making method across various contexts. This study’s findings not only enhance our understanding of decision-making strategies during a health crisis but also provide a potential framework for future pandemic responses.

Highlights

This study reviews discrepancies between a reference standard (retrospective VOI, using hindsight information) and 3 conceivable real-time approaches to research-treatment decisions during a pandemic, suggesting suboptimal use of resources. Of all prospective decision-making approaches considered, VOI closely mirrored the reference standard, yielding the least expected value loss across our study timeline. This study illustrates the possible benefit of VOI results and the need for evidence accumulation accompanied by modeling in health technology assessment for emerging therapies.
Chicken metabolism, immobilization, and post-industrial production
Authors: Oliver Catherine
Published: June 2024

Chickens have become emblematic of the Anthropocene: They embody the age of acceleration, (post-) industrial value, and intensification in scientific and technological knowledge and practice. Contemporary chickens are the bearers of significant genetic and nutritional knowledge, experimented upon and ‘tweaked’ so much so that some have denied that contemporary commercial chickens are chickens at all. This article reconsiders chickens through a metabolic lens, and the notion of metabolism through chickens, arguing that attending to chickens opens up new conceptualizations of life and labour in the metabosphere. The article tells a metabolic history of chickens from ornament to enclosed monocrop, by way of the laboratory and nutritional experiments. Then, it looks at chicken metabolism in three conceptual modes: first, as a conduit for value, metabolizing and enhancing human life for the past century; second, through technological innovations extending the gut outside chickens’ immobilized bodies; and third, through the planetary impacts of metabolic porosity in geological manifestations, toxic atmospheres, and viral overflow. Ultimately, this article shows how techno-scientific production of chickens has taken place in and created the metabosphere as a site of experimentation and exploitation.
Research and documentation in Italy at the dawn of the digital age
Authors: Castellucci Paola
Published: June 2024

The Institute for the Study of Scientific Research and Documentation (ISRDS) was located in Rome. Among the many achievements of the ISRDS between 1968 and the beginning of the new century, this article focuses particularly on the Archivio Collettivo Nazionale dei Periodici (National Collective Archive of Periodicals), an online public access catalogue specifically devoted to periodicals. Now that its founder and director, Paolo Bisogno, has passed away and the ISRDS no longer exists, and even the headquarters have been converted to commercial and private use, it is time to ask what should be done, what actions should be taken and what research should be continued in order to safeguard an important part of European documentation history.
Sulcus-Deepening Trochleoplasty With Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction: Outcomes at 10 to 20 Years
Authors: Dejour David H. , Pineda Tomas , Demey Guillaume , van Rooij Floris , Guarino Amedeo
Published: June 2024

Background:

Recent systematic reviews on the outcomes of sulcus-deepening trochleoplasty with adjuvant medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction at a follow-up of 2 to 6 years have found that the procedure grants good clinical outcomes with low redislocation rates. However, there is a lack of evidence in the literature regarding mid- and long-term follow-ups.

Purpose:

To evaluate the radiographic and clinical outcomes of thick-flap sulcus-deepening trochleoplasty with MPFL reconstruction at a minimum follow-up of 10 years to assess the signs of patellofemoral arthritis, incidence of recurrent dislocation, and grade of patient satisfaction.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

The authors evaluated a retrospective series of 43 patients (48 knees) who underwent sulcus-deepening trochleoplasty between 2003 and 2013. All patients underwent thick-flap sulcus-deepening trochleoplasty with additional MPFL reconstruction. All patients were assessed at a minimum follow-up of 10 years by an independent clinician who noted any patellar redislocation or reoperations in the operated knee and collected the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Kujala, and satisfaction scores. Furthermore, a radiographic examination was performed to assess patellar height using the Caton-Deschamps index and patellofemoral arthritis using the Iwano classification.

Results:

At a mean follow-up of 14.8 ± 2.1 years (range, 10-20 years), 4 patients (4 knees) were lost to follow-up (8.3%). The satisfaction, Kujala, and IKDC scores were 8.2 ± 1.6, 77.5 ± 14.4, and 65.7 ± 13.5, respectively. Only 1 patient reported a traumatic patellar dislocation (2%). Radiographs at the final follow-up were available for 34 knees, which revealed Iwano grade 1 in 14 knees (41%), Iwano grade 2 in 7 knees (21%), and no patellofemoral arthritis in 13 knees (38%).

Conclusion:

Sulcus-deepening trochleoplasty with MPFL reconstruction provides satisfactory results and prevents patellar redislocations with no or minimal patellofemoral arthritis.
Electrical discharge shape memory alloying of Ti-6Al-4V: Mechanisms and mechanical properties
Authors: Arun Ilangovan , Velkavrh Igor , R Uma Rani , Annamalai Sivakumar , C Yuvaraj
Published: June 2024

Electric discharge alloying presents an alternate coating process for improving mechanical properties through physical and metallurgical modification. Ti-6Al-4 V is a titanium alloy used in aerospace industry and biomechanical applications but has limitations in terms of wear resistance. Alloying with nickel could provide improvements in terms of wear and other tribological properties. Nickel as an alloying element provides pseudo-elastic behaviour (such as two-way shape memory effect) by changing α-Ti to β-Ti. After coating process, surface hardness of the samples increased up to 684 HV0.5 while in the cross-section, it ranged up to 580 HV0.5. Due to porosity, areas with hardness below the base material hardness value of 260 HV0.5 were measured as well. At the lowest load, coefficient of friction had a value of 1.1 while at higher loads it decreased down to 0.8 compared with alloyed layer with average values of 0.3 to 0.7. Wear resistance properties of titanium were improved as well. Specific wear rate under 40 N was 1.0 × 10−5 N/mm2 showing higher wear resistance with minimal ploughing.
Asymmetric Return Connectedness Among Indian Equity Sectors:  Insights from Recent Global  Disruptions
Authors: Kushwaah Pratibha , Symss Jacqueline
Published: June 2024

This article aims to study asymmetric shock transmission among India’s National Stock Exchange sectoral indexes before and amid the COVID-19 crisis and the Russian–Ukraine feud using an asymmetric time-varying parameter vector autoregressive connectedness technique. The daily closing price of equity sector indexes from 1 January 2018 to 31 March 2023 were used. The research reveals strong sectoral return interconnectedness, with negative returns spillover dominating the assessment period. COVID-19 substantially impacted connectedness more than the Russian–Ukraine feud. The sectors such as bank, private bank and financial services were net transmitters of risk, and information technology was the net recipient of risk throughout the assessment period, indicating these sectors are not much affected by these crises. Sector return spillover patterns were similar during the epidemic and the Russian–Ukraine dispute, except for the oil and gas and metal sectors, which shifted roles. These findings suggest that policymakers must recognize and assess the peculiarities of industries that are high-risk transmitters when formulating strategies to prevent market failure or mitigate risk transmission to others. Investors may benefit from recognizing industries that operate as risk transmitters and receivers to create effective risk-mitigation investment strategies amid turbulent times.
Integrating a Self-Regulation Intervention Within a Tier-2 Academic Intervention
Authors: O’Donnell Katherine E. , Shen Linling , Stratford Dianne C. , Candelaria Patricia Y. , Clemens Nathan H.
Published: June 2024

Behavior and academic outcomes in school are interrelated; students who struggle with academics are likelier to exhibit troublesome behavior and students who struggle with behavior tend to fall behind academically. Multitiered systems of support (MTSS) offer frameworks for providing increasingly intensive support for students with academic and behavioral difficulties, but it can be challenging to efficiently integrate academic and behavioral supports rather than implementing separate resource-intensive systems. This article describes how behavior support can be integrated within Tier-2 interventions for reading and mathematics. A strategy that included four evidence-based elements—teaching expectations, self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and mystery match—was embedded within academic intervention lessons to target students’ academic engagement, respectful behavior, and effort. In this article, we describe our approach as one way that academic and behavioral supports might be integrated within a tiered intervention system.
Effect of quadratically varying electric potential on the multiple cracks in piezoelectric materials
Authors: Saifi Irshad , Hasan Shehzad
Published: June 2024

A basic solution to the problem of three collinear equal cracks in a transversely isotropic piezoelectric material plate is obtained under the influence of electromechanical forces. Stroh formalism and complex variable methods are used to derive the mathematical expressions for SIF (stress intensity factor), COD (crack opening displacement), and COP (crack opening potential). The length of the saturation zones is investigated at each crack tip under the influence of quadratically varying electric displacement. Furthermore, a numerical study is carried out to discuss the effect of quadratically varying electrical potential on the saturation zone, COD, and COP. The results obtained numerically are reported graphically.
Ultrasound guided arterial access for combat medics: A blinded proof-of-concept study using echogenic needles
Authors: van de Voort Jan C , Stark Pieter W , van Dongen Thijs TCF , Borger van der Burg Boudewijn LS , Hoencamp Rigo
Published: June 2024

Background:

Obtaining percutaneous vascular access in hemodynamically unstable patients with constricted vessels can be challenging. Training combat medics in this procedure is necessary for administration of fluid and blood products and introducing endovascular bleeding control tools in pre-hospital settings. Echogenic coated needles might provide better ultrasound visibility in invasive procedures and hereby lower complications. The primary aim was to evaluate the efficacy of a microteaching program for obtaining ultrasound-guided femoral artery access for ultrasound inexperienced combat medics. The secondary aim was to assess the additional value of innovative echogenic coated needles in ultrasound-guided vascular access.

Methods:

Combat medics participated in a four-step microteaching program. The program consisted of a theoretical and step-by-step practical part with three different models including live and dead tissue & a REBOA Access Task Trainer. During the final test, all participants had to obtain femoral artery access on a pressurized post-mortem human specimen model with both echogenic coated and conventional needles. Self-perceived and observed performance as well as procedure times were scored.

Results:

All nine participants succeeded in blood vessel visualization and obtaining vascular access in the two models within 3 minutes and were significantly faster during the second attempt on the pressurized post-mortem human specimen model. Scoring comparison and usability preference by ultrasound inexperienced personnel showed a significant difference in favor of the echogenic coated needles.

Conclusion:

Microteaching may be an effective approach to train combat medics in obtaining ultrasound-guided percutaneous femoral artery access. The use of echogenic coatings on needles could be a valuable adjunct and provide advantage in obtaining vascular access. Future research should focus on realistic simulation of austere situations and further evaluation of the use of echogenic coated instruments for vascular access in these pre-hospital settings.
Walking the (Infrastructural) Line: Mobile and Embodied Explorations of Infrastructures and Their Impact on the Urban Landscape
Authors: Rondel Louise , Henneke Laura
Published: June 2024

Drawing on a series of Infrastructural Exploration ‘walkshops’ hosted at the Centre for Urban and Community Research (Goldsmiths), this article reflects on the possibilities offered by walking infrastructural lines to critically engage with urban infrastructure. In these walkshops, we invite participants – academic researchers, students, activists, members of the public – to join in moving through the city and to consider their embodied and emotional contact with the infrastructure we encounter. Traversing different spaces and opening our sociological imaginations to the city, we place an emphasis on collective experiences, happenstance conversations and different forms of knowing. We aim to foster a corporeal, mobile and multisensory attention to infrastructure and its impacts on the urban landscape. In this article, we propose that these embodied and affective encounters with infrastructure can attune us to questions of infrastructure’s social life, the politics of its siting, urban power dynamics, distributional (in)justice and forms of (infra)structural violence. Inspired by Shannon Mattern’s work, the article ends by offering a provocation. We ask readers, as we ask walkshop participants: then what? What are the socio-political potentials in these collective, peripatetic and visceral engagements with infrastructure?
Exploring client-therapist relationships through joint interviews
Authors: Skånland Marie Strand , Fuhr Gisle
Published: June 2024

In the last few years, there has been an increase of literature on the use of interviews with two participants, otherwise known as joint interviews. Researchers who employ this methodology describe challenges and potential advantages inherent to this approach, distinguishing it from individual and group interviews. In this article, we present and discuss results from two studies on therapeutic relationships in music therapy that include joint interviews with clients and their music therapists. Combining the data from the two studies, we identify and reflect on how the method of data collection shaped the interview situations and the findings that can be drawn from the empirical material. We found that the joint interview setting offered safety and support for the clients. Further, the joint interview setting allowed the music therapists and clients to address each other, build on each other's statements, and develop and negotiate shared understandings. Specifically, in joint interviews, as opposed to separate interviews, interactions within the dyad can be observed. This observation offers valuable information about the relationship within the dyad. The therapeutic relationship is key to therapeutic effect, but the client and therapist have been found to perceive their relationship differently. It is, therefore, essential to include both client and therapist when researching their relationship, and we argue that the joint interview holds a specific potential of producing rich data.
Planning and caring: A reflection
Authors: Healey Patsy
Published: June 2024

The terms ‘care’ and ‘caring’, and the strong normative emphasis in much of planning theory writing, implies that planners ‘care about’ how place futures evolve, who benefits from such evolutions, and how actions now affect our collective planetary future. But while there is an extensive literature on places, place qualities, planning as place-shaping and place-making; on values and ethics; and on the affective as well as intellectual dimensions of place-making activity, little use has been made of care and caring as orienting concepts in our field. Should we treat the terms as just useful descriptive words, with many synonyms? Or do they signal a new perspective which could inspire and orient place-shaping work? Or do they add and enrich ideas already developing within the field of planning theory and practice? With reference to some recent contributions to the planning literature, this essay reflects on these questions.
Induced Moderate Hypothermia in Aortic Rupture With Retroperitoneal Bleeding: A Randomized Porcine Study
Authors: Pirouzram Artai , Wikström Maria , Larzon Thomas , Tamás Éva , Nilsson Kristofer F.
Published: June 2024

Objective:

Induced hypothermia improves outcome in aortic arch surgery, neonatal neurointensive care, and transplant surgery for example. In contrast, spontaneous hypothermia has been associated with worse outcomes in patients suffering from hemorrhagic shock, mostly explained by its adverse effects on the coagulation system. We investigated if induced hypothermia would impair short-term survival in experimental aortic rupture with retroperitoneal bleeding.

Methods:

Anesthetized pigs were randomized into 2 groups: hypothermia by peritoneal lavage of ice-cold Ringer’s acetate and external cooling ( n = 10) and normothermia ( n = 10). Aortic rupture with retroperitoneal bleeding was induced by endovascular means creating a 6 mm hole in the retroperitoneal portion of abdominal aorta. Survival (primary outcome), hemodynamics, and arterial blood gases including lactate were collected and analyzed up to 180 min after aortic rupture.

Results:

The body temperature (mean ± standard deviation) in the hypothermic group was 31.5 ± 1.0 °C and 38.7 ± 0.4 °C in the normothermic group at the time for aortic rupture. Survival up to 180 min after the retroperitoneal bleeding was significantly higher in the hypothermic compared with the normothermic group ( P = 0.023).

Conclusions:

Induced hypothermia did not impair survival in this experimental retroperitoneal aortic bleeding model in anesthetized pigs. This finding may indicate a minor role for the coagulation system in this type of bleeding.
Collateral effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on endocrine treatments for breast and prostate cancer in the UK: a cohort study
Authors: Barclay Nicola L. , Català Marti , Jödicke Annika M. , Prieto-Alhambra Daniel , Newby Danielle , Delmestri Antonella , Man Wai Yi , Serrano Àlvar Roselló , Moncusí Marta Pineda ,   The OPTIMA Consortium
Published: June 2024

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic affected cancer screening, diagnosis and treatments. Many surgeries were substituted with bridging therapies during the initial lockdown, yet consideration of treatment side effects and their management was not a priority.

Objectives:

To examine how the changing social restrictions imposed by the pandemic affected incidence and trends of endocrine treatment prescriptions in newly diagnosed (incident) breast and prostate cancer patients and, secondarily, endocrine treatment-related outcomes (including bisphosphonate prescriptions, osteopenia and osteoporosis), in UK clinical practice from March 2020 to June 2022.

Design:

Population-based cohort study using UK primary care Clinical Practice Research Datalink GOLD database.

Methods:

There were 13,701 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and 12,221 prostate cancer patients with ⩾1-year data availability since diagnosis between January 2017 and June 2022. Incidence rates (IR) and incidence rate ratios (IRR) were calculated across multiple time periods before and after lockdown to examine the impact of changing social restrictions on endocrine treatments and treatment-related outcomes, including osteopenia, osteoporosis and bisphosphonate prescriptions.

Results:

In breast cancer patients, aromatase inhibitor (AI) prescriptions increased during lockdown versus pre-pandemic [IRR: 1.22 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11–1.34)], followed by a decrease post-first lockdown [IRR: 0.79 (95% CI: 0.69–0.89)]. In prostate cancer patients, first-generation antiandrogen prescriptions increased versus pre-pandemic [IRR: 1.23 (95% CI: 1.08–1.4)]. For breast cancer patients on AIs, diagnoses of osteopenia, osteoporosis and bisphosphonate prescriptions were reduced across all lockdown periods versus pre-pandemic (IRR range: 0.31–0.62).

Conclusion:

During the first 2 years of the pandemic, newly diagnosed breast and prostate cancer patients were prescribed more endocrine treatments compared to pre-pandemic due to restrictions on hospital procedures replacing surgeries with bridging therapies. But breast cancer patients had fewer diagnoses of osteopenia and osteoporosis and bisphosphonate prescriptions. These patients should be followed up in the coming years for signs of bone thinning. Evidence of poorer management of treatment-related side effects will help assess resource allocation for patients at high risk for bone-related complications.
Margin of Appreciation in Interpreting Freedom of Religion: A Critical Appraisal on Role of European Court of Human Rights
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Bidisha
Published: June 2024

This intricate analysis delves into the discernible inconsistencies characterizing the European Court of Human Rights’ (ECtHR) application of the margin of appreciation (MoA) doctrine concerning Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The evident absence of explicit guidelines delineating the parameters of the margin, exemplified by the Kokkinakis case, results in a perplexing and contradictory implementation of this legal tool. The Court’s vacillation in standards of review, notably illustrated in Sahin’s and Lautsi’s cases, underscores a jurisprudential ambivalence in matters of religious expression. Moreover, the Court’s oscillation in calibrating the margin, as observed in S.A.S v. France and Eweida and Others v. UK, raises valid concerns about judicial impartiality and potential predilections. The reliance on the absence of European consensus, as seen in cases like Dahlab v. Switzerland and Lautsi v. Italy, introduces an element of interpretive subjectivity that may undermine the robustness of human rights imperatives. In light of these complexities, this analysis calls for a more lucid, principled and judicious application of the MoA doctrine by the ECtHR to ensure the consistent protection of fundamental human rights within the European legal framework.
Operative Repair of Hamstring Injuries From the Jackling Position in Rugby
Authors: Thompson Joshua W. , Plastow Ricci , Kayani Babar , Moriarty Peter , Stirling Ben , Haddad Fares S.
Published: June 2024

Background:

The jackling position within rugby has not been previously described as a mechanism for proximal hamstring injuries.

Hypothesis:

Acute surgical repair of proximal hamstring avulsion injuries sustained from the jackling contact position enables a return to a previous level of sporting activity with low risk of recurrence.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

This study included 54 professional rugby players (mean age, 26 ± 4.8 years) who underwent acute primary surgical repair of complete, proximal hamstring avulsion injuries. The mean follow-up time was 17 months (range, 12-24 months). Mean isometric hamstring strength and function testing was performed at 3 months and 1 year after repair.

Results:

Of the 54 players, 51 (94.4%) returned to their preinjury level of sporting activity. The mean time from surgical repair to full sporting activity was 7 months (range, 4-12 months). No patients had recurrence of the primary injury. At 1 year postoperatively, patients had significantly restored mean isometric hamstring muscle strength when compared with the uninjured leg at 0° (98.4% ± 2.8%), 15° (95.9% ± 2.9%), and 45° (92.9% ± 4.1%); improved Lower Extremity Functional Score (78.0 ± 2.0); and improved Marx activity rating score (14.3 ± 1.5) ( P < .001 for all).

Conclusion:

Acute surgical repair of proximal hamstring avulsion injuries caused by the contact jackling position produced a high return to preinjury level of sporting activity, increased muscle strength, and improved functional outcome scores, with a low risk of recurrence at short-term follow-up.