bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cognitive Routing in Software-Defined Maritime Networks
Authors: Ghafoor Huma , Koo Insoo
Published: November 2020

Due to the constantly changing sea surface, there is a high risk of link fragility caused by sea waves when different marine users are intended to establish stable links for communication. To ensure stability with less delay, finding a stable route is one of the crucial aspects of maritime networks. In order to achieve this aim, we propose a routing protocol for cognitive maritime networks based on software-defined networking (SDN). This SDN-based cognitive routing protocol provides stable routes among different marine users. To provide the global view of the whole network, a main controller is placed close to the seashore, whereas the localized views are provided by the cluster heads. Autonomous surface vehicles are used as gateways under sparse network conditions to collect and transport data among clusters, and to and from the main controller. This is an SDN-based ship-to-ship communication scheme where two ships can only establish a link when they not only have consensus about a common idle channel but are also within the communication range of each other. We perform extensive simulations to test the proposed scheme with different parameters and find better performance in comparison with both SDN-based and non-SDN-based schemes in terms of end-to-end delay, packet delivery ratio, and routing overhead ratio.
Inversion Method of Initial In Situ Stress Field Based on BP Neural Network and Applying Loads to Unit Body
Authors: Li Xiaopeng , Zhou Xuejun , Xu Zhengxuan , Feng Tao , Wang Dong , Deng Jianhui , Zhang Guangze , Li Cunbao , Feng Gan , Zhang Ru , Zhang Zhilong , Zhang Zetian
Published: November 2020

The initial in situ stress field is the fundamental factor causing the deformation and failure of underground engineering and is an important basis for the feasibility analysis, design, and construction of underground engineering. However, it is difficult to obtain the whole in situ stress field of large‐scale underground engineering in difficult and dangerous areas by field measurement. In view of the fact that the measured in situ stress components (σxx, σyy, σzz, τxy, τxz, τyz) of Sichuan‐Tibet Railway in China are linear with the buried depth, a method is proposed to solve the in situ stress by applying corresponding loads to all unit bodies in the calculation area based on BP neural network and FLAC3D. Through this method, the in situ stress of the tunnel is inverted. The results show that both the maximum principal stress and minimum principal stress increase with the increase of buried depth, and when the tunnel passes through faults or anticlines, the main stress will suddenly drop. Furthermore, compared with the results of the multiple linear regression method, it is found that the proposed method has higher accuracy; especially for the simulation of the maximum horizontal principal stress and vertical stress, the average relative error is reduced by 26.44% and 77.27%, respectively. The research in this paper can provide a new idea for the initial in situ stress inversion of engineering.
Hierarchical Multimodal Adaptive Fusion (HMAF) Network for Prediction of RGB-D Saliency
Authors: Lv Ying , Zhou Wujie
Published: November 2020

Visual saliency prediction for RGB-D images is more challenging than that for their RGB counterparts. Additionally, very few investigations have been undertaken concerning RGB-D-saliency prediction. The proposed study presents a method based on a hierarchical multimodal adaptive fusion (HMAF) network to facilitate end-to-end prediction of RGB-D saliency. In the proposed method, hierarchical (multilevel) multimodal features are first extracted from an RGB image and depth map using a VGG-16-based two-stream network. Subsequently, the most significant hierarchical features of the said RGB image and depth map are predicted using three two-input attention modules. Furthermore, adaptive fusion of saliencies concerning the above-mentioned fused saliency features of different levels (hierarchical fusion saliency features) can be accomplished using a three-input attention module to facilitate high-accuracy RGB-D visual saliency prediction. Comparisons based on the application of the proposed HMAF-based approach against those of other state-of-the-art techniques on two challenging RGB-D datasets demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms other competing approaches consistently by a considerable margin.
Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Liraglutide Ameliorates the Development of Periodontitis
Authors: Sawada Noritaka , Adachi Kei , Nakamura Nobuhisa , Miyabe Megumi , Ito Mizuho , Kobayashi Shuichiro , Miyajima Shin-ichi , Suzuki Yuki , Kikuchi Takeshi , Mizutani Makoto , Toriumi Taku , Honda Masaki , Mitani Akio , Matsubara Tatsuaki , Naruse Keiko
Published: November 2020

Periodontitis is one of the diabetic complications due to its high morbidity and severity in patients with diabetes. The prevention of periodontitis is especially important in diabetic patients because the relationship between diabetes and periodontitis is bidirectional. Here, we evaluated the impacts of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist liraglutide on the amelioration of periodontitis. Five-wk-old Male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats (

n
=
30

) were divided into 3 groups: normal, periodontitis, and periodontitis with liraglutide treatment groups. Periodontitis was induced by ligature around the maxillary second molar in SD rats. Half of the rats were administered liraglutide for 2 weeks. Periodontitis was evaluated by histological staining, gene expressions of inflammatory cytokines in gingiva, and microcomputed tomography. Periodontitis increased inflammatory cell infiltration, macrophage accumulation, and gene expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α and inducible nitric oxide synthase in the gingiva, all of which were ameliorated by liraglutide. Liraglutide decreased M1 macrophages but did not affect M2 macrophages in periodontitis. Moreover, ligature-induced alveolar bone resorption was ameliorated by liraglutide. Liraglutide treatment also reduced osteoclasts on the alveolar bone surface. These results highlight the beyond glucose-lowering effects of liraglutide on the treatment of periodontitis.
Fixed Regimen Treatment in Unselected Naïve Patients Cohort with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Casaroli-Marano Ricardo P. , Bernal-Morales Carolina , Chamorro-López Lillian , Dotti-Boada Marina , Figueroa-Vercellino Juan P. , Alforja Socorro
Published: November 2020

The current treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) generates an excessive care pressure in the public health system. The search for a satisfactory treatment regimen, whose anatomical and functional stability may be achieved, is a challenge and a goal to be reached. We analyzed the outcomes in a patient cohort under fixed regimen treatment with intravitreal aflibercept (IVA). A retrospective study, with at least 1-year follow-up, in consecutive treated unselected naïve patients was carried out. Standard protocol was performed and evaluated at baseline, month 4 (after loading dose, LD), and month 12 (after fixed bimonthly regimen). One hundred six patients (123 eyes) aged 80.3 ± 7.7 years were included, receiving 6.8 ± 0.7 IVA. Visual acuity gain after LD was 5.5 ± 12.0 letters (

p
<
0.0001

). At month 12, 23 eyes (18.7%) gained ≥15 letters and 58 (47.1%) had best-corrected visual acuity ≥20/40 (70 letters). The improvement in visual acuity was lower in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (+4.9 ± 18.1 letters; p = 0.2544) and somewhat higher in patients with retinal angiomatous proliferation (+5.4 ± 12.3 letters;

p
=
0.0373

). Dry macula was present in only 9.8% of cohort at baseline vs. 69.7% at month 12 (

p
<
0.0001

). Atrophy was the most observed complication and related to the elderly patients. The average of follow-up visits was 3 ± 0.5. Functional and anatomical improvement were observed with IVA in a fixed bimonthly regimen treatment after LD, with results maintained up to one year with a good compliance. The fixed bimonthly regimen optimized patient management and logistic issues.
EA Improves the Motor Function in Rats with Spinal Cord Injury by Inhibiting Signal Transduction of Semaphorin3A and Upregulating of the Peripheral Nerve Networks
Authors: Hu Rong , Xu Haipeng , Jiang Yaheng , Chen Yi , He Kelin , Wu Lei , Shao XiaoMei , Ma Ruijie
Published: November 2020

Peripheral nerve networks (PNNs) play a vital role in the neural recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Electroacupuncture (EA), as an alternative medicine, has been widely used in SCI and was proven to be effective on neural functional recovery. In this study, the interaction between PNNs and semaphrin3A (Sema3A) in the recovery of the motor function after SCI was observed, and the effect of EA on them was evaluated. After the establishment of the SCI animal model, we found that motor neurons in the ventral horn of the injured spinal cord segment decreased, Nissl bodies were blurry, and PNNs and Sema3A as well as its receptor neuropilin1 (NRP1) aggregated around the central tube of the gray matter of the spinal cord. When we knocked down the expression of Sema3A at the damage site, NRP1 also downregulated, importantly, PNNs concentration decreased, and tenascin-R (TN-R) and aggrecan were also reduced, while the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) motor function score dramatically increased. In addition, when conducting EA stimulation on Jiaji (EX-B2) acupoints, the highly upregulated Sema3A and NRP1 were reversed post-SCI, which can lessen the accumulation of PNNs around the central tube of the spinal cord gray matter, and simultaneously promote the recovery of motor function in rats. These results suggest that EA may further affect the plasticity of PNNs by regulating the Sema3A signal and promoting the recovery of the motor function post-SCI.
Antioxidant of Trans-Resveratrol: A Comparison between OH and CH Groups Based on Thermodynamic Views
Authors: Phan Thi Thuy , Ninh The Son
Published: November 2020

Trans-resveratrol establishes the planarity in its structure which makes it an interesting compound in both experimental and theoretical examinations. The current study, using the density functional method (DFT), attempts to compare the antioxidative capacities between hydroxyl (OH) and aromatic methine (CH) groups of this molecule. Becke’s exchange-correlation B3LYP functional together with 6-311++G(d, p) basis set was used to reveal the effects of structural geometry and electronic feature on the antioxidative results of OH and CH groups. The antioxidative action of trans-resveratrol has followed the HAT mechanism in gas, but the SPLET pathway in liquids. OH bond breaking is easier than CH bond disruption. 4-OH bond breaking induces the lowest BDE values of 74.4–77.9 kcal/mol in gas, acetone, methanol, and water, as well as the lowest PA values of 37.2–46.2 kcal/mol in acetone, methanol, and water. From the kinetic view, 4-OH is also an active center to capture laboratory radical DPPH, ROS radicals HOO• and CH3O•, and RNS radical •NO2.
The Measurement of Chinese Sentence Semantic Complexity
Authors: Zhu Shuqin , Song Jihua , Peng Weiming , Guo Dongdong , Sun Jingbo
Published: November 2020

The complexity of language is usually reflected in the complexity of sentences. At present, the research of sentence complexity mainly focuses on the analysis of syntactic complexity. In this paper, from the perspective of Leech's theory of sentence semantic structure, the predication structure is taken as the semantic unit to explore the sentence semantic complexity. The predication structures are extracted based on the result of sentence-based syntactic analysis, and then the linear expression sequence of a sentence is converted into a semantic hierarchy based on predicate semantic frameworks; the universality of predicate semantic frameworks is obtained by using the spectral clustering algorithm; and the sentence semantic complexity depends on the universality of predicate semantic frameworks at various layers. The experimental results show that the measurement method of sentence sematic complexity based on predicate semantic frameworks is more effective by comparing with the method that only considers the semantic categories of words in the sentence.
Role of Traffic Emission on Temporal and Spatial Characteristics of Pollutant Concentration on Urban Road Network: A Case of Beijing
Authors: Wang Zirui , Zhou Huixin , Si Yang , Li Yahui
Published: November 2020

This research aims to calculate PM2.5 concentration on the road network by considering the network-wide traffic status, which can be used to support research about the impact of urban road network pollution concentration on health. The increase in the use and number of vehicles has brought about a large amount of vehicle exhaust emissions and increased urban air pollutants. This is also one of the important reasons why this issue is worth studying. In this research, traffic emission was an estimate based on network-wide traffic status which was calculated from vehicle trajectories and spatial variance-covariance matrix. An identification method of external input pollutants is proposed to determine the occurrence of external pollutants imported into the urban area. To calculate the impact of multiple influencing factors on the pollution concentration of the entire road network, a multivariate linear model was adopted to calculate a variety of influencing factors and calibrate the model parameters by collecting real data. The results show that traffic emissions, external input pollution, and wind impact are the main factors affecting the PM2.5 concentration on urban road networks. Combined with real-time traffic data, we can obtain the temporal and spatial characteristics of the pollutant concentration of the road network. For policymakers, our research can provide a method for calculating the PM2.5 concentration on the road network, which is useful for establishing a health assessment framework in the future.
Tamarix articulata Extracts Exhibit Antioxidant Activity and Offer Protection against Hydrogen Peroxide-Mediated Toxicity to Human Skin Fibroblasts
Authors: Alnuqaydan Abdullah M.
Published: November 2020

Tamarix articulata (TA) is a wild halophytic plant growing in extremely harsh environmental conditions in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. Evaluating the protective effect of the methanolic extract of different parts (fresh and dry leaves, stem, and root) of TA was determined by MTT assay using Hs27 skin fibroblasts as the cellular model. The study was designed and conducted in two sets. The first set assesses the toxicity profile of TA extracts in both concentration- and time-dependent ways on Hs27 cells. Our MTT results showed that methanolic extracts from all four parts of TA at varying doses (27.5, 55, 110, and 220 μg/mL) display negligible toxicity when exposed for 4 h. However, exposure of Hs27 cells to varying doses of all four TA extracts for 24 and 48 h promotes significant 23%, 24%, 26%, and 25%

p
<
0.05

and 35%, 36%, 39%, and 41%

p
<
0.05

cell toxicity at 220 μg/mL of all four TA extracts compared to untreated control cells. To evaluate the protection offered by TA extracts against H₂O₂, we perform a second set of experiments to preincubate Hs27 cells with the TA extracts in both dose- and time-dependent way. This is followed by 300 μM hydrogen peroxide- (H₂O₂-) mediated oxidative insult for 1 h. Using MTT assay, we found that methanolic extracts of TA at different time points (4, 24, and 48 h) and higher doses (220 μg/mL) provide significant protection in cell viability when challenged with H2O2-induced oxidative stress in Hs27 cells. The protective effect was more pronounced at 48 h and 220 μg/mL and the amounts were 39%, 41%, 41%, and 44% for stem, root, fresh leaf, and dry leaf TA extracts

p
<
0.05

, respectively, compared to untreated cells (2–4%). Collectively, the current study demonstrates that methanolic extracts of TA contain potential bioactive compounds and offer significant protection against H2O2-mediated oxidative stress in Hs27 skin fibroblasts.
Left Ventricular Dysfunction in Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC): Can We Separate ARVC From Other Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathies?
Authors: Altmayer Stephan , Nazarian Saman , Han Yuchi
Published: November 2020

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy was first described as a right ventricular disease that is an important cause of death in young adults. However, with the advent of advanced imaging, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy has been found to commonly have biventricular involvement, and a small portion of patients have left ventricular–dominant forms. On the other hand, a number of primarily left ventricular disease such as sarcoid and myocarditis can be arrhythmogenic and have right ventricular involvement. A few recent publications on arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy cohorts have average left ventricular functions that are comparable to sarcoid or myocarditis cohorts. We review the current literature and compare these cohorts of patients, and call for left ventricular functional criteria for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy as inherited arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.
Revisiting Proportionality in Internal Market Law: Looking at the Unnamed Actors in the cjeu’s Reasoning
Authors: des Places Ségolène Barbou
Published: November 2020

To understand how the Court of Justice of the European Union (cjeu) assesses the proportionality of restrictive national measures, one has to depart from the canonical reading of internal market law cases. An alternative reading of the cjeu case law, focusing on the “who” rather than on the “how”, is possible. This article argues that the control of proportionality should not be viewed as an abstract reasoning aiming at comparing the respective importance and value of the norms in conflict, but rather as an evaluation based upon the thorough description of the social reality of the persons whose life and interests are either affected or protected by the challenged restrictive measure. Because it analyses the control of proportionality as a social narrative elaborated by the judge, the article can demonstrate that among the roles conferred by the proportionality narrative to different characters, the most determinant ones are played by persons standing behind the scene: the “archetypal characters”.
Balancing Interpretative Arguments in International Law – A Linguistic Appraisal
Authors: Pirker Benedikt
Published: November 2020

The interaction between arguments developed under the different means of interpretation of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties is often described in language evoking balancing. The present paper offers a linguistic perspective on this phenomenon. First, it aims to clarify in what situations balancing is actually taking place during an interpretive exercise. Then, it demonstrates how linguistic knowledge can sharpen our assessment in this context. It is shown with examples that help to establish the adequate weight of interpretative arguments developed under the means of interpretation of ordinary meaning. International law and its rules are not displaced in this exercise, but merely better understood by examining their operation through language.
Reflections on the Humanitarian Logistics for Refugees in the Netherlands from Three Perspectives
Authors: Boshuijzen-van Burken Christine , Goede Roelien , van Niekerk Attie
Published: November 2020

The world currently faces the highest number in recorded history of people fleeing from war and violence. Refugee-hosting countries in the western part of the world experience the effects of global issues more than ever and face dealing with humanitarian logistics for refugees on an unprecedented scale. These countries continuously optimize their policies regarding refugees by navigating between obligations toward the Geneva Refugee Treaty, manageability of the situation, and worries of their citizens voiced through public opinion. The issue can be considered a wicked problem because of its unpredictability, complexity, and global scale. Presuppositions about human flourishing affect the interpretation of well-being in refugee policies. In this article, we reflect on refugees’ experiences with Dutch asylum policies, analyzing these experiences through the theoretical lenses of Abraham Maslow, Manfred Max-Neef, and Herman Dooyeweerd. We learn from Maslow the importance of providing information for the satisfaction of basic needs; from Max-Neef we learn that, with the sole exception of the need for subsistence (that is, to remain alive), all fundamental needs are equally important; and from Dooyeweerd we learn that trust, though often overlooked, is important for refugee well-being.
Camouflage is NOT easy: Uncovering adversarial fraudsters in large online app review platform
Authors: Wang Jianyu , Wu Chunming
Published: November 2020

Given users and products that he/she reviews, can we recognize fake reviews just using the text information, or determine whether a reviewer is a fraud or not? Automatically detecting fake reviews and reviewers is an urgent problem and lots of work attempts for discovering linguistics, behaviors and graph patterns. However, in reality, there are new kinds of fraudsters who can change their behaviors to camouflage as genuine reviewers to avoid detection systems. With the fraudsters become distributed, dynamic, and adversarial, anti-spam tasks face a new challenge. In this paper, we tackle the challenge of adversarial fraudsters in online app review platform and propose a system called DDF (Detect, Defense, and Forecast) to uncover camouflage accounts. Firstly, we select a small set of seed with high-precision based on text and behavior features; Secondly, we build our graph-based detection model for uncovering hidden (distant) users who serve structurally similar to the seed by utilizing Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) algorithm. Thirdly, we evaluate DDF using real-world data set from Tencent APP Store and analyze the potential fraudsters detected by DDF. It is worth mentioning that precision can achieve 0.95+. Finally, we validate the efficiency and scalability of DDF and show that it can be well transferred to other anti-spam tasks.
The relationship between social and environmental factors and symptom severity in the seriously mentally ill population
Authors: Von Mach Tara , Rodriguez Katrina , Mojtabai Ramin , Spivak Stanislav , Eaton William W , Cullen Bernadette A
Published: November 2020

Background:

The goal of this article is to investigate the relationship of psychiatric symptom severity with internalised stigma, neighbourhood environment, and social support among individuals with serious mental illness.

Method:

Using a longitudinal study design we examined the relationship between psychiatric symptom severity with internalised stigma, neighbourhood environment, and social support among 271 adults with serious mental illness recruited from new admissions to two urban mental health clinics.

Results:

After controlling for demographics increased stigma levels predicted greater symptom severity, as measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Positive, Negative, and General Psychopathology scales over a 4-year period ( p < .05). In adjusted models, individuals who reported living in more disadvantaged neighbourhoods also reported higher PANSS Negative and General scores over time ( p < .05). Social support from friends and relatives was not significantly related to PANSS Positive, Negative, or General Psychopathology scores among individuals with serious mental illness.

Conclusions:

Individuals with serious mental illness who experience internalised stigma and neighbourhood disadvantage experience greater symptom severity over time. Targeting stigma and housing during treatment could potentially impact symptom severity in this population.
Climate Change and Order: Mapping the Scope of International Relations in Studying Climate Politics
Authors: Sharma Isha
Published: November 2020

As globalization gained currency in international politics, multilateral negotiations increasingly expanded their scope to include environmental issues. Still, the political dimension of environmental change remains underrepresented in international relations (IR) theorization. This article aims to focus on the theoretical fortification in the mainstream IR when it comes to transboundary environmental threats. Since the threats of climate change and environmental degradation cannot be contained within the sovereign territories of states, the state-centric conception of the political order in the conventional approaches to IR fails to respond to the threats that are planetary in nature. The article seeks to answer two questions: (a) What are the inadequacies in the realist and liberal concepts of political order vis-à-vis climate change? (b) How to destabilize the conventional assumptions of political order with the aim of making it more receptive to the concerns associated with climate change? To do the latter, the article delves into the work of Robert Cox in order to delineate his intersubjective approach, which combines the material basis of political order with social relations of production. By doing so, this approach also sheds light on the transnational variants of hegemonic power, making it a useful explanatory framework for political implications of climate change.
Teaching as a Clinical Profession: Adapting the Medical Model
Authors: Becher Ayelet , Lefstein Adam
Published: November 2020

One influential way of thinking about teaching is to conceive of it as a clinical profession, similar in important ways to medicine. However, fundamental differences between doctors’ and teachers’ practice limit the usefulness of the medical model. How can we adapt our understandings of clinical practice in light of the unique aspects of teaching and the context of teachers’ work? In this article, we explore the requirements of the central clinical activities of diagnosis, treatment, and inference in teaching; how teachers tend to perform them; and how their performance is shaped by the context of teachers’ work. We elaborate each clinical activity’s characteristics and explore the unique features and limitations of teaching in relation to it. To account for teaching’s unique qualities, we propose adapting the clinical acts of diagnosis, treatment, and inference to include, respectively, prioritization and noticing, disciplined improvisation, and room to maneuver.
Tourists’ Attitudes toward the Use of Artificially Intelligent (AI) Devices in Tourism Service Delivery: Moderating Role of Service Value Seeking
Authors: Chi Oscar Hengxuan , Gursoy Dogan , Chi Christina G.
Published: November 2020

This study examines tourists’ attitudes toward the use of artificially intelligent (AI) devices in either relatively more utilitarian or hedonic tourism services (airline and hospitality services, respectively). Findings suggest that tourists’ acceptance of the use of AI devices in both service contexts is influenced by social influence, hedonic motivation, anthropomorphism, performance and effort expectancy, and emotions toward the artificially intelligent devices. Findings further suggest that social influence is a stronger determinant in hospitality services compared to airline services. Tourists have higher performance expectancy from AI devices used to provide airline services compared to hospitality services. Tourists’ willingness to accept the use of AI devices for delivering hospitality services is lower than airline services. These results suggest that while the utilization of AI devices for delivering functional services is acceptable, the use of AI devices in the delivery of hedonic services may backfire.
An Exploration of Mothers’ Beliefs, Expectations, and Behaviors Regarding Young African American Children’s Early School Experiences and Success
Authors: Phelps Chavez , Sperry Linda L.
Published: November 2020

We explored mothers’ beliefs, expectations, and behaviors as these relate to early academic success, their roles as parents to young children, and the influence of other ecological factors. Eleven African American mothers of children in kindergarten through third grades were interviewed twice with daily journaling for 2 weeks. Utilizing both Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Spencer’s phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory as our primary theoretical underpinnings, results were interpreted emphasizing contextual, cultural, and personal characteristics that may serve as protective or risk contributors during children’s education. As mothers defined their contributions to the early academic success of their children, related themes emerged from the data including the significance of parent involvement, family routine and cohesiveness, the availability of resources, and racial issues. Findings provide a contextualized cultural understanding of African American mothers’ beliefs and their potential influence on their children’s early school experiences and how these beliefs are enacted in structured and intentional ways.
Content and framing in radio news bulletins in urban and rural Hungary
Authors: Hargitai Henrik
Published: November 2020

This analysis provides a detailed snapshot of the radio news landscape in Hungary, a European-Union-member ‘illiberal state’ in mid-April 2018, a few weeks after the general election. In this study, we wished to quantitatively characterize radio news broadcasts. This is the first study that provides a detailed analysis of contemporary radio news output across all formats, target audiences, owners and regions in Hungary. The study uses several quantitative and geographic indicators that include objective elements such as news ecosystem diversity, local news production, news about local issues, sound bites, credited political press, news sections and more subjective news framing and a framing-based bias indicator. Our results show that the ideological diversity of radio news was far the highest in the Budapest region. MTVA, the state media provider had significantly more politically biased news than other stations. Local radios never criticized local public affairs. A few stations in Budapest did broadcast balanced, pro-opposition and critical news, but they were in minority over pro-government news items that dominated the rural media landscape with significantly less choice.
The Me in We dyadic communication intervention is feasible and acceptable among advanced cancer patients and their family caregivers
Authors: Ketcher Dana , Thompson Casidee , Otto Amy K. , Reblin Maija , Cloyes Kristin G. , Clayton Margaret F. , Baucom Brian R.W. , Ellington Lee
Published: November 2020

Background:

Advanced cancer affects the emotional and physical well-being of both patients and family caregivers in profound ways and is experienced both dyadically and individually. Dyadic interventions address the concerns of both members of the dyad. A critical gap exists in advanced cancer research, which is a failure of goals research and dyadic research to fully account for the reciprocal and synergistic effects of patients’ and caregivers’ individual perspectives, and those they share.

Aim:

We describe the feasibility and acceptability of the Me in We dyadic intervention, which is aimed at facilitating communication and goals-sharing among caregiver and patient dyads while integrating family context and individual/shared perspectives.

Design:

Pilot study of a participant-generated goals communication intervention, guided by multiple goals theory, with 13 patient-caregiver dyads over two sessions.

Setting/participants:

Patients with advanced cancer and their self-identified family caregivers were recruited from an academic cancer center. Dyads did not have to live together, but both had to consent to participate and all participants had to speak and read English and be at least 18 years or age.

Results:

Of those approached, 54.8% dyads agreed to participate and completed both sessions. Participants generated and openly discussed their personal and shared goals and experienced positive emotions during the sessions.

Conclusions:

This intervention showed feasibility and acceptability using participant-generated goals as personalized points of communication for advanced cancer dyads. This model shows promise as a communication intervention for dyads in discussing and working towards individual and shared goals when facing life-limiting or end-of-life cancer.
Evaluation of a hospital-wide vancomycin-dosing nomogram in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices
Authors: Hall Sylvie F , Athans Vasilios , Wanek Matthew R , Wang Lu , Estep Jerry D , Williams Brad
Published: November 2020

Introduction:

Hemodynamic derangements due to heart failure are associated with alterations in pharmacokinetics. Although use of mechanical circulatory support mitigates such derangements, little evidence is available regarding pharmacokinetics in patients with LVADs. A previous pharmacokinetic analysis of vancomycin among patients with LVADs observed a reduced volume of distribution and clearance compared with estimates based on population kinetics.

Methods:

A total of 28 adult patients with LVADs hospitalized between January 2014 and May 2018 who received vancomycin through a pharmacist dosing consult were included. Internal medicine patients without heart failure receiving vancomycin were enrolled in a 2:1 fashion to make a control group. Exclusion criteria were unstable renal function, ESRD, acute decompensation, cardiac surgery within the preceding 5 days, or weight >110 kg.

Results:

No difference was observed in the proportion achieving goal trough (64% of LVAD patients vs 71% control patients, p = 0.50). However, mean trough was significantly higher among LVAD patients (23.4 mg/L vs 17.7 mg/L, p = 0.017). Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the distribution of trough levels ( p = 0.025) with LVAD patients being more likely to attain levels >25 mg/L (32% vs 14%) and less likely to have troughs <10 mg/L (4% vs 14%). A numerically greater number of LVAD patients experienced nephrotoxicity but this did not reach statistical significance (32% vs 18%, p = 0.14).

Conclusion:

The use of vancomycin in LVAD patients may result in higher trough levels when compared to internal medicine patients. Increased monitoring or conservative dosing may be warranted to improve safety and efficacy.
Elimination of fluconazole during continuous renal replacement therapy. An in vitro assessment
Authors: Baud Frédéric J , Jullien Vincent , Abarou Tarik , Pilmis Benoît , Raphalen Jean-Herlé , Houzé Pascal , Carli Pierre , Lamhaut Lionel
Published: November 2020

Introduction:

Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) efficiently eliminates fluconazole. However, the routes of elimination were not clarified. Adsorption of fluconazole by filters is a pending question. We studied the elimination of fluconazole in a model mimicking a session of CRRT in humans using the NeckEpur® model. Two filters were studied.

Methods:

The AV1000®-polysulfone filter with the Multifiltrate Pro. Fresenius and the ST150®-polyacrylonitrile filter with the Prismaflex. Baxter-Gambro were studied. Continuous filtration used a flowrate of 2.5 L/h in post-dilution only. Session were made in duplicate. Routes of elimination were assessed using the NeckEpur® model.

Results:

The mean measured initial fluconazole concentration (mean ± SD) for the four sessions in the central compartment (CC) was 14.9 ± 0.2 mg/L. The amount eliminated from the CC at the end of 6 h-session at a 2.5 L/h filtration flowrate for the AV1000®-polysulfone and the ST150®-polyacrylonitrile filters were 90%–93% and 96%–94%, respectively; the clearances from the central compartment (CC) were 2.5–2.6 and 2.4–2.3 L/h, respectively. The means of the instantaneous sieving coefficient were 0.94%–0.91% and 0.99%–0.91%, respectively. The percentages of the amount eliminated from the CC by filtration/adsorption were 100/0%–95/5% and 100/0%–100/0%, respectively.

Conclusion:

Neither the ST150®-polyacrylonitrile nor the AV1000®-polysulfone filters result in any significant adsorption of fluconazole.
African Feminisms and Co-constructing a Collaborative Future with Men: Namibian Women in Mining’s Discourses
Authors: Biwa Valerie
Published: November 2020

This study examines discourses of gender equality, inclusion, and empowerment in the mineral mining industry, focusing on the Women in Mining Association of Namibia (WiMAN). Qualitative content analysis revealed four themes: women as activists, women as hard workers, women as negotiators, and women as aligned with men. Building on African feminisms, the study emphasizes co-constructed, conciliatory, and collaborative symbolic action between men and women. These insights dislocate and denaturalize taken-for-granted assumptions espoused by some forms of Western feminisms which assume that feminist symbolic action requires antagonism and competition between women and men. In doing so, this study answers Broadfoot and Munshi’s (2007) call to diversify and enrich communication theory by including concepts, methods, and perspectives from around the globe.
Late-Holocene climate changes linked to ecosystem shifts in the Northwest Wisconsin Sand Plain, USA
Authors: Calcote Randy , Nevala-Plagemann Christopher , Lynch Elizabeth A , Hotchkiss Sara C
Published: November 2020

Records of century-scale climate variability in the Upper Midwest generally agree that moisture availability increased between 4000 and 3000 cal. yr BP (calendar years before present = 1950 CE), and that there were large, frequent droughts 1000–700 cal. yr BP followed by wetter/cooler conditions. Variability among regional sites, however, remains problematic. In this study we reconstruct climate on the Northwest Wisconsin Sand Plain (NWSP), USA, to identify potential climatic drivers of previously documented changes in vegetation and fire regimes. Oak pollen was replaced by pollen from xeric pine taxa at several sites on the NWSP ~1425 cal. yr BP, accompanied by a change to larger, less frequent charcoal peaks. Another major vegetation change occurred ~700 cal. yr BP, when pollen of the more mesic P. strobus L. (white pine) increased and charcoal influx decreased. We used a vegetation-independent lake-level record to determine whether long-term changes in moisture availability were associated with these ecosystem changes. Decreases in percent organic matter in shallow-water sediment cores from Cheney Lake indicate that the lake level decreased sharply ~1500 cal. yr BP, consistent with the interpretation that the changes in vegetation and fire regime were driven by a severe and previously undocumented drought. The lake level rose again, reaching approximately modern levels by 800–700 cal. yr BP, consistent with the hypothesis of cooler/wetter conditions in the Upper Midwest in the past ~700 years and with the expansion of mesic taxa on the NWSP 700 cal. yr BP.
Can We Reckon Bitcoin as a Hedge, a Safe Haven or a Diversifier for US Dollars?
Authors: Regaieg Rym , Moussa Wajdi , Mgadmi Nidhal
Published: November 2020

This article aims to analyse the hedging, diversifier and safe-haven properties of Bitcoin for the US Dollar Index (USDI). We explore the long-term relationship between USDI and Bitcoin by estimating a Markov-switching autoregressive (MS-AR) model with two regimes. Thus, the data used cover the period from 18 January 2010 to 30 June 2017 for both USDI and Bitcoin. The empirical findings based on the analysis of the MS-AR model report that investing in Bitcoin involves more benefits than USDI even if the economy is in a recession. However, by examining Bitcoin and USDI volatility, the research findings underline positive dependency between the two. Such results denote that Bitcoin does not act as a hedge, and not even as a safe haven, against USDI. We found that Bitcoin is merely a diversifier for USDI. Accordingly, the outcomes will help investors and portfolio risk managers to make more up-to-date investment analyses and decisions.
Book review: Ayaz Qureshi. 2018. AIDS in Pakistan: Bureaucracy, Public Goods, and NGOs
Authors: Closser Svea
Published: November 2020

Ayaz Qureshi. 2018. AIDS in Pakistan: Bureaucracy, Public Goods, and NGOs. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan. 217 pp. ISBN 978-981-10-6219-3.
Book review: Radhika Govindrajan. 2018. Animal Intimacies: Interspecies Relatedness in India’s Central Himalayas
Authors: Sen Debarati
Published: November 2020

Radhika Govindrajan. 2018. Animal Intimacies: Interspecies Relatedness in India’s Central Himalayas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 256 pp. (Paperback). ISBN-10: 022655998X; ISBN-13: 978-0226559988.
Harmonising Road Transport Legislation in the SADC Region for Crime Prevention
Authors: Yesufu Shaka
Published: November 2020

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an organisation that aims to facilitate cooperation between the governments of its Member States through a set of goals. SADC uses protocols as an instrument of coordination of its Member States on Transport, Communications and Meteorology endeavours to harmonise various aspects of traffic and transportation in the region. The researcher relies on carrying out an extensive literature review, consulting secondary data, official government publications and review of case studies. This article is informed by both the routine activity theory and situational crime prevention theory. It was found that the SADC regional body still has several barriers to overcome before a successful harmonisation stage to prevent crime will be achieved by Member States. Regional cooperation is needed amongst Member States to prevent organised borderless crime like human trafficking, drugs trafficking, fraud and money laundering, car-hijacking and terrorism.
Faculty Perspectives on Context, Benefits, and Challenges in Fully Online Graduate Adult Education Programs
Authors: Stephens Mattyna L. , Coryell Joellen
Published: November 2020

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of adult education faculty toward developing and teaching online adult education courses in their master’s programs to assist in our own transition to online adult education and to offer insight to others who may be interested in doing the same. Ten participants who work in fully online programs agreed to take part in this interpretive interview research. We coded and analyzed the data using the constant comparison and thematic analysis methods. Community of Inquiry was the framework guiding this study. Data analysis led to themes describing the contexts of these programs, meaningful benefits, noteworthy challenges, and insights and recommendations for instructors new to online adult education graduate programs. Implications and conclusions drawn from the study’s findings are presented.
Smartphone Impacts on Outdoor Orientation Trip Goal Attainment
Authors: Edwards Erik , Zajchowski Chris A. B. , Hill Eddie
Published: November 2020

Background: Smartphones provide limitless opportunity for communication and access to the world through social media, texting, and numerous applications. As their popularity continues to grow among college students, it is important to understand the various advantages and disadvantages of their use on and off campus. Purpose: We explored the effect of smartphones on goal and objective attainment in the outdoor orientation program (OOP) at Old Dominion University. Methodology/Approach: Using post-experience focus groups, student participants and leaders, faculty and staff mentors, and program administrators were asked their perceptions of the impacts of smartphones on outdoor orientation. Findings/Conclusions: Analyses revealed that smartphones can be both a tool to help accomplish goals (i.e., develop connections) and a distraction to inhibit them. In addition, students shared feelings of security related to having smartphones with them at all times. Implications: These findings inform future research and policies focused on the role of smartphones in collegiate outdoor orientation programming, as well as provide implications for healthy smartphone habits in higher education.
Critical Consciousness Raising About Global Economic Inequality Through Experiential and Emotional Learning
Authors: Olcoń Katarzyna , Gilbert Dorie J. , Pulliam Rose M.
Published: November 2020

Background: The ability to question global structures and analyze one’s own positionality in relation to economic, political, and social forces is essential for college graduates. Although study abroad programs claim to develop students into global citizens, most studies do not critically examine student learning about global inequalities. Purpose: This study analyzed the process of critical consciousness raising about economic inequalities through experiential and emotional learning. Methodology/Approach: It employed ethnographic observations, in-depth interviews, and written journals of 27 U.S. college students who participated in a Ghana study abroad program in years 2016–2018. Data were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. Findings/Conclusions: Witnessing and being emotionally affected by unjust global realities allowed students to question their actions and assumptions. Even though they seemed to have become more self-aware of their privilege and positionality, few of them questioned the global structures underlying economic injustice. Despite the limited analysis, they demonstrated inspiration to learn and do more. Implications: Moving beyond education’s traditional focus on students’ cognitive domain is crucial for critical consciousness raising about social injustice and global interconnections of oppression. Higher education should ensure a critical analysis of economic inequalities both abroad and in their own country.
Comparison of Mechanical Axis of the Limb Versus Anatomical Axis of the Tibia for Assessment of Tibiotalar Alignment in End-Stage Ankle Arthritis
Authors: Bernasconi Alessio , Najefi Ali-Asgar , Goldberg Andrew J.
Published: November 2020

Background:

Coronal plane ankle joint alignment is typically assessed using the tibiotalar angle (TTA), which relies on the anatomical axis of the tibia (AAT) and the articular surface of the talus as landmarks. Often, the AAT differs from the mechanical axis of the lower limb (MAL). We set out to test our hypothesis that the TTA using the MAL would differ from the TTA measured using the AAT in patients with ankle osteoarthritis.

Methods:

Standardized standing long leg radiographs of 61 ankles with end-stage osteoarthritis were analyzed. We measured the MAL and the AAT. A line was drawn along the talar articular surface (TA) and the TTA was calculated using both the MAL (MAL-TA) and the AAT (AAT-TA). The mechanical axis of the tibia (MAT) was also recorded and the MAL-MAT angle calculated. The difference between MAL-TA and AAT-TA and its correlation with the MAL-MAT angle were assessed. Intra- and interobserver agreement were measured for MAL-TA and AAT-TA.

Results:

The mean MAL-TA was 91.4 degrees (95% CI, 88.5-94.4) and the mean AAT-TA was 91.2 degrees (95% CI, 88.6-93.9). The difference ranged from −8.1 to 7.8 degrees, and was greater than 2 and 3 degrees in 42% and 18% of the patients, respectively. The difference, as an absolute value, also strongly correlated with the MAL-MAT angle ( r = 0.91, P < .001). Intra- and interobserver reliability were excellent for both MAL-TA (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC], 0.93 and 0.91, respectively) and AAT-TA (ICC, 0.91 and 0.89, respectively).

Conclusion:

We recommend that surgeons consider using the MAL-TA, which relies on long leg radiographs, especially with proximal deformity, to more accurately measure coronal plane ankle joint alignment.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, retrospective comparative study.