bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Subtropical ISO Propagation Routes on Summertime Submonthly Wave Patterns and Tropical Cyclone Activity in the Western North Pacific
Authors: Ko Ken-Chung , Hsu Huang-Hsiung , Liu Jyun-Hong
Published: April 2023

This study examined the impact of northward- and westward-propagating summertime intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) on submonthly wave patterns and tropical cyclones (TCs) in the subtropical western North Pacific. In the ISO westerly phase, submonthly wave patterns associated with the northward-propagating ISO appeared to be more energetic and most of the corresponding TCs maintained their wind speed for a relatively long period. Perturbation kinetic energy exhibited a stronger maximum in the ISO northward mode than in the westward mode. The analysis of barotropic conversion in the ISO northward mode revealed that an increase in barotropic conversion can be attributed to a strong association between the perturbation zonal wind component and the background flow. Therefore, submonthly wave patterns moving in a direction similar to that of the northward-propagating ISO continuously extracted energy from the background flow to the south of the submonthly base region. However, in the westward mode, the ISO propagating in a direction almost perpendicular to the submonthly wave pattern tracks not only altered the direction of the wave pattern but also created a background environment that was detached from submonthly perturbations. Thus, the background flow transferred less energy to submonthly wave patterns, resulting in shorter TC durations in the ISO westward mode than in the northward mode.

Significance Statement

In this study, we focused on the northward and westward ISO propagation routes in the subtropical western North Pacific to investigate their impact on the submonthly wave pattern and TCs. This is important because the ISO propagating behavior can change the background flow for the submonthly wave pattern. The results showed that the northward ISO tended to enhance the wave pattern through strengthening the background component of the barotropic conversion. TCs associated with submonthly wave patterns tended to maintain their intensity longer in the ISO northward mode. The wave pattern associated with the westward-propagating ISO remained weaker.
Indicators of Progress in the Wake of Endrew F.: The Distinction Between Professional Recommendations and Judicial Rulings
Authors: Zirkel Perry A. , Yell Mitchell L.
Published: April 2023

The central obligation under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act is to provide each eligible student with a free appropriate public education (FAPE). In Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District RE-1 (2017), the U.S. Supreme Court revised the prior substantive standard for determining FAPE that the court had developed in Board of Education v. Rowley (1982). The Endrew F. court modified the Rowley standard of requiring the individualized education program (IEP) to be reasonably calculated to enable the student to receive educational benefit to requiring a student's IEP to be reasonably calculated to enable the student to “make progress appropriate in light of the student's circumstances.” The purpose of this article is to compare what the post– Endrew F. courts use with what the professional literature recommends as measures of appropriate progress. The results inform special education practitioners about the significant discrepancy between the courts’ focus on the “must” of legal requirements and the “should” of professional recommendations. The discussion suggests ways that special education professionals can use their expertise to inform courts and legislatures to narrow this gap for the benefit of more effective progress for students with disabilities.
Rebel Leader Age and the Outcomes of Civil Wars
Authors: Silverman Daniel , Acosta Benjamin , Huang Reyko
Published: April 2023

What determines the outcomes of civil wars? Existing literature highlights numerous factors at the systemic, state, and organizational levels of analysis. Yet there is little research on the attributes of rebel leaders in shaping war outcomes despite ample theories of their importance in steering their organizations. This article focuses on rebel leaders’ age as one key driver of their behavior. Applying insights from developmental psychology to the context of armed rebellion, we argue that young rebel leaders are the most likely to suffer military defeats, middle-aged leaders to win military victories, and elderly ones to reach negotiated settlements. We use a mixed-methods strategy to substantiate our claims, combining case studies of George Washington and Yasser Arafat with new data from the Rebel Organization Leaders (ROLE) database. Our findings help advance the study of non-state violent leaders in world politics while illuminating neglected sources of risk and opportunity for peace practitioners.
The Merits of Ambiguity: Provocation from the Irish Perspective
Authors: Stannard John E
Published: April 2023

The old common law defence of provocation has been abolished in many jurisdictions, including England and Wales and Northern Ireland, but it is still part of the law south of the Irish border. Up to now the Irish law of provocation has been built up solely by the courts, and has developed a number of peculiarities, not least the apparent rejection of the objective test by the Court of Criminal Appeal in the 1978 case of MacEoin. However, it is not until recently that the defence has come to the attention to the Supreme Court, in the 2020 case of McNamara. In this case the court set out to clarify the law, but the case has been criticised by commentators for its failure to clear up some of the existing ambiguities; indeed, it has been said that it has even introduced further ambiguities into the law that did not exist before. Be that as it may, this paper argues that McNamara is to be welcomed, in so far as it promotes a flexible approach and one which recognises the essentially normative nature of the provocation defence.
Less Time for Health: Parenting, Work, and Time-Intensive Health Behaviors among Married or Cohabiting Men and Women in the United States
Authors: Krueger Patrick M. , Goode Joshua A. , Fomby Paula , Saint Onge Jarron M.
Published: April 2023

Time spent working or caring for children may reduce the time available for undertaking time-intensive health behaviors. We test competing perspectives about how work hours and the number of children of specific ages will be associated with married or cohabiting men’s and women’s sleep duration and physical activity. We use data from the 2004 to 2017 waves of the National Health Interview Survey (N = 154,580). In support of the “time availability” perspective, longer work hours and children of any age are associated with shorter sleep hours. However, in support of the “time deepening” perspective, additional hours of work beyond 40 hours per week and children over the age of five are not associated with reduced physical activity. Contrary to our expectations, we did not find gender differences in support of our theories. Our results suggest that the economy of time works differently for sleep and exercise.
Medical science an undervalued profession: Strengthening professional identity through union strategy
Authors: Bartram Timothy , Cavanagh Jillian , Stanton Pauline , Walker Matthew , Pariona-Cabrera Patricia , Halvorsen Beni
Published: April 2023

This paper examines the factors that have led to the undervaluing of the medical science profession and how a union can take a strategic approach to strengthen the professional identity of its membership to overcome challenges. We draw on interviews with union officials and managers and focus groups with medical scientists in four health services in Victoria, Australia. Drawing on the union strategy literature, we argue that professional identity is related in a recursive way to the attitudinal context and the narrative capabilities of the union. We found that first, many medical scientists believed that medical science was invisible and undervalued contributing to a weak professional identity due to underlying structural and institutional factors. Second, this has been exacerbated by the attitudinal context in which the profession has been subordinated to the other stronger professions of doctors and nurses. Third, we report the union is attempting to strengthen the professional identity of medical scientists through developing union campaigns with a narrative around work intensification and the critical nature of medical science work. Union strategy underpinned by union campaigns seeks to transform medical scientists’ attitudinal context by harnessing their sense of associational power through narrative capabilities to strengthen professional identity.
Understanding Low Utilization of Employee Assistance Programs and Time Off by US Public Health Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Moore Jazmyn T. , Wigington Claire , Green Jamilla , Horter Libby , Kone Ahoua , Lopes-Cardozo Barbara , Byrkit Ramona , Rao Carol Y.
Published: April 2023

Objective:

Despite high rates of reported mental health symptoms among public health workers (PHWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, utilization of employer-offered resources was low. Our objective was to understand what barriers and deterrents exist for PHWs accessing employer-offered resources.

Methods:

Four national public health organizations disseminated a national online survey of public health department employees during March–April 2021; 26 174 PHWs completed the survey. We examined 5164 write-in survey responses using thematic analysis to identify key reasons why PHWs were not accessing time off and employee assistance programs (EAPs) and to understand what resources PHWs would like to see their employers offer.

Results:

The top reasons that PHWs reported for not taking time off during the COVID-19 pandemic were financial concerns (24.4%), fear of judgment or retaliation (20.8%), and limitations in the amount of time off offered or available (11.0%). The top reasons that PHWs reported for not using EAPs during the COVID-19 pandemic were difficulty accessing EAPs (53.1%), use of external services (21.5%), and a lack of awareness about EAPs or motivation to initiate their use (11.3%). While desired employer-offered resources varied widely, PHWs most frequently listed financial incentives, paid time off, flexible scheduling, and organizational change.

Conclusion:

Organizations can best help their employees by organizing the workforce in a way that allows PHWs to take time off, creating a positive and supportive organizational climate, regularly assessing the needs of PHWs, clearly communicating the availability of employer-offered benefits, and emphasizing the acceptability of using those benefits.
Washable and breathable ultrathin copper-coated nonwoven polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabric with chlorinated poly-para-xylylene (parylene-C) encapsulation for electromagnetic interference shielding application
Authors: Hu Shi , Wang Dan , Křemenáková Dana , Militký Jiří
Published: April 2023

Electromagnetic interference shielding clothing has been developed for people who is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation or workers working under extremely high electromagnetic radiation circumstances. The challenge was developing the fabric with good washability, durability, and air permeability. After three machine washing cycles, the electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness can drop more than 99% for untreated copper-coated fabric. In this research, the chlorinated poly-para-xylylene (parylene C) encapsulating technology was used to protect the fiber's copper particles. The result shows that the treated sample's washing ability will significantly improve after processing 15 g parylene-C on the copper-coated fabrics. The electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness can remain at 39.93 dB and 25 dB on average from 30 MHz to 3 GHz after 10 hand washing cycles and 10 machine washing cycles, respectively. The air permeability remains around 1043.6 mm/s for a 15 g parylene-C encapsulated sample. The chemical resistance property was also improved significantly after encapsulation of 15 g parylene-C. For the 15 g parylene-C encapsulated samples, there is less than 3% loss of electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness after 8 h of immersing into pH = 2 and pH = 12 solution. The overall structure of the 15 g parylene-C encapsulated fabric remains intact after 6000 abrasion cycles. The study presents an effective method for fabricating highly durable, comfortable electromagnetic interference shielding fabric, guaranteeing reliability for technical clothing applications and showing great potential for further development.
Effects of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansions on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020-2021
Authors: Oyeka Onyinye , Wehby George L.
Published: April 2023

To examine whether previous Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions had an added effect on the mental health of low-income adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. We use the 2017-2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. We use an event study difference-in-differences model to compare the number of days in poor mental health in the past 30 days and the likelihood of frequent mental distress among 18 to 64 year old individuals with household incomes below 100% of the federal poverty level who participated in BRFSS in one of the surveys from 2017 to 2021 and who resided in states that expanded Medicaid by 2016 or states that had not expanded by 2021. We also examine the heterogeneity of the expansion effects across subpopulation groups. We find some evidence that the Medicaid expansion was associated with better mental health during the pandemic for adults younger than 45, females, and non-Hispanic Black and other non-Hispanic non-White individuals. There is some evidence of an added benefit to mental health from Medicaid expansion status during the pandemic for some subgroups among low-income adults, suggesting potential health benefits from Medicaid eligibility during public health and economic crises.
Factors Affecting the Length of Stay in the Emergency Department in Psychiatric Emergency Patients in the COVID-19 Pandemic Context
Authors: Lee Kangbum , Jang Kyeongmin , Kim Hyeonjeong , Bae Gitak , Jang Chang Seob , Shin Jong Hwan
Published: April 2023

To reduce overcrowding in emergency departments (ED), which is a serious international problem, it is important to reduce the length of ED stay (ED LOS) of emergency patients. In particular, due to the COVID 19 pandemic, psychiatric emergency patients spent much longer in ED. This study was conducted to identify the characteristics of psychiatric emergency patients who visited the ED during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify factors affecting ED LOS. This retrospective study was conducted on adult patients aged 19 years or older who visited a psychiatric emergency center operated by an ED from 1 May 2020 to 31 April 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, the average ED LOS of psychiatric emergency patients was 7.8 h. Factors affecting ED LOS for over 12 h were isolation (OR = 2.39, CI = 1.409-4.052), unaccompanied police officers (OR = 2.106, CI = 1.338-3.316), night-time visits (OR = 2.127, CI = 1.357-3.332), use of sedatives (OR = 1.671, CI = 1.030-2.713), and restraints (OR = 1.968, CI = 1.172-4.895). The ED LOS of psychiatric emergency patients is longer than that of general emergency patients, and a long ED LOS causes ED overcrowding. To reduce the ED LOS of psychiatric emergency patients, they must be accompanied by a police officer when visiting the ED, and the treatment process should be reorganized so that a psychiatrist can promptly intervene. Furthermore, it is necessary to reorganize the isolation guidelines and admission criteria for mental emergency patients.
Coping strategies, emotion regulation and quality of life among psoriasis patients
Authors: Shaukat Aaisha , Rashid Samina , Sadiq Mahmood
Published: April 2023

Background

This study examined the associations between coping strategies and quality of life in psoriasis patients.

Subjects and Methods

A total of 150 psoriasis patients (M = 74, F = 76) participated in this study. The Dermatology Life Quality Index, the Coping Style Scale, and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire were administered to participants.

Main Findings

A negative association was found between problem-focused coping and quality of life. Additionally, there was a significant positive relationship between emotion-focused coping and quality of life. The results also revealed that psoriasis patients' ability to regulate their emotions may differ significantly by gender.

Conclusion

The study's findings suggest that emotion regulation reappraisal moderates the relationship between coping strategies and quality of life among psoriasis patients.
A pipeline for medical literature search and its evaluation
Authors: Zafar Imamah , Wali Aamir , Kunwar Muhammad Ahmed , Afzal Noor , Raza Muhammad
Published: April 2023

One database commonly used by clinicians for searching the medical literature and practicing evidence-based medicine is PubMed. As the literature grows, it has become challenging for users to find the relevant material quickly because most of the time the relevant results are not on the top. In this article, we propose a search and ranking pipeline to improve the search results based on relevancy. We first propose an ensemble model consisting of three classifiers: bidirectional long-short-term memory conditional random field (bi-LSTM-CRF), support vector machine and naive Bayes to recognise PICO (patient, intervention, comparison, outcome) elements from abstracts. The ensemble was trained on an annotated corpus consisting of 5000 abstracts split into 4000 and 1000 training and testing data, respectively. The ensemble recorded an accuracy of 93%. We then retrieved around 927,000 articles from PubMed for the years 2017–2021 (access date 16 April 2021). For every abstract, we extracted and grouped all P, I and O terms, and stored these groups along with the article ID in a separate database. During the search, every P, I and O term of the query is searched only in its corresponding group of every abstract. The scoring method simply counts the number of matches between the query’s P, I and O elements and the words in P, I and O groups, respectively. The abstracts are sorted by the number of matches and the top five abstracts are listed using their pre-stored abstract IDs. A comprehensive user study was conducted where 60 different queries were formulated and used to generate ranked search results using both PubMed and our proposed model. Five medical professionals assessed the ranked search results and marked every item as relevant or non-relevant. Both models were compared using precision@K and mean-average-precision@K metrics where K is 5. For most of the queries, our model produced higher precision@K values than PubMed. The mean-average-precision@K value of our model is also higher than PubMed (0.83 versus 0.67).
Information needs, sources and seeking behaviour of physicians and residents during clinical decision-making and patient care process: A qualitative study
Authors: Sadeghi Halimeh , Nowkarizi Mohsen , Tajafari Masoumeh
Published: April 2023

The aim of the present study was to investigate the information needs of physicians and residents during the clinical decision-making. The research has been performed with phenomenological approach and using semi-structured interview based on critical incident technique with 28 physicians and residents of the educational health care centers of Birjand city South Khorasan province, Iran. The results showed that the information needs of physicians and residents were mostly related to diseases, diagnosis, prescription, treatment, disease follow-up, learning and self-updating, education and research. The information sources utilized were categorized into three main themes of human sources, electronic sources and print sources. The barriers against their information seeking were personal, organizational, technological, skill related, nature of information seeking, and barriers related to information sources. The present study provides a clear picture of the information needs, the information resources and the barriers to finding information for physicians and residents, therefore, the results of the present study can help medical libraries to improve their collection of resources and services to support the information needs of physicians and residents. It also paves the way for designers of information systems in creating systems that suit the needs of physicians in every stage of clinical decision-making and helps libraries in solving the challenges of finding information for physicians.
Effect of audio content on simple and repetitive tasks requiring eyesight: Focus on task performance and emotional responses
Authors: Nam Jungwoo , Kim Eungsu , Kim Jieun , Kim Jaeyun , Lee Daeho , Chung Won Young
Published: April 2023

Although video content includes many advantages over audio content in terms of information delivery, the latter is being continuously released into the market. Additionally, audio content is being consumed in repetitive daily work situations that require the continuous use of eyesight because such content transmits information by only using auditory stimuli. Therefore, this study examined how listening to audio content while performing simple repetitive tasks can affect the performance and perception of such tasks. Based on the findings, although the audio content type decreased the participants’ performance of the primary task, the difference was not statistically significant. Contrary to the effect on performance, the audio content lowered the fatigue and boredom of the primary task, while increasing satisfaction, enjoyment, and immersion. In particular, music, entertainment speech, and information speech had a significant effect on the participants’ work cognition, whereas autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) had no statistically significant effect.
Thrombus volume and Hounsfield unit density as a predictor of pulmonary embolism in patients with deep vein thrombosis
Authors: Yu Min Hyuk , Jung Jae Hyeop , Kim Taeho , Kim Dong Kyu
Published: April 2023

Background

There is a lack of studies evaluating the association between thrombus volume and density of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).

Purpose

To assess the clinical value of thrombus volume and density for prediction of PE in patients with DVT.

Material and Methods

Among the patients with DVT, those without PE were classified as the “DVT-only group” and those with PE were classified as the “DVT-PE group.” Thrombus volume and Hounsfield unit (HU) density of DVT was measured by drawing free-hand volume of interests within the thrombus. Multivariate regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of thrombus volume and density for PE.

Results

Of the included 145 patients (mean age=41.7 ± 10.3 years), there were 87 patients in the DVT-only group and 58 patients in the DVT-PE group. The DVT-PE group showed a significantly higher DVT density (67.4 ± 8.6 HU vs. 57.3 ± 10.4 HU; P < 0.001) and larger DVT volume (16.4 ± 13.9 cm3 vs. 12.8 ± 10.1 cm3; P = 0.016) than the DVT-only group. On multivariate analysis, thrombus density was the only associated factor for PE. ROC analysis showed that thrombus density ≥61.8 HU was the optimal cutoff for predicting PE with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.774 and thrombus volume ≥14.0 cm3 was the cutoff with an AUC of 0.638.

Conclusion

Though the results of our study should be considered within the limitations, DVT density could be a predictor for acute PE. Further studies are needed to clarify the clinical value of quantitative features of DVT including thrombus volume as an imaging biomarker for PE.
Fluoroscopically guided repositioning of peripherally inserted central catheter in patients failing ultrasound-guided-only placement: a retrospective five-year study
Authors: Wang Zi-Xuan , Li Lin , Zhao Yi-Fan
Published: April 2023

Background

Ultrasound (US)-guided-only insertion at the bedside is safe and improves the success rates of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC). However, PICC insertion procedures remain challenging for special cases.

Purpose

To show that fluoroscopically guided tip repositioning, for failed US-guided PICC placement, safely led to satisfactory positioning in difficult cases and, importantly, improved success rates of PICC placements.

Material and Methods

A retrospective study of 1560 patients who underwent US-guided PICC placement were performed. Patients who failed US-guided PICC placement were transferred to the interventional radiology department for fluoroscopically guided tip repositioning. Baseline characteristics as well as insertion-related factors were collected. All data were analyzed using SPSS software.

Results

In total, 37 (2.4%) patients who failed US-guided PICC placement accepted fluoroscopically guided adjustment or re-insertion. Of these 37 patients, 32 were enrolled. We observed no significant differences between right and left arm PICC access ( P > 0.05), even though a higher percentage of PICCs were inserted into left arms (56.3%). The basilic vein (65.6%) was the most common insertion site. Only four patients experienced slight angiospasm (3.1%) and venous thrombosis (9.4%). US-guided PICC insertion failures were primarily due to line tip malposition (84.4%). All patients successfully underwent fluoroscopically guided tip repositioning, which resulted in optimal catheter tip positioning. PICC lines were adjusted in most patients (n=28, 87.5%)

Conclusion

Malposition was the primary issue causing US-guided PICC insertion failure. Fluoroscopically guided tip repositioning safely and efficaciously led to satisfactory positioning in difficult cases; thus, we recommend this method for patients failing US-guided PICC placement.
A BEM theory adaption for inclusion of hub ratio effects in HAWT rotor design and analysis
Authors: Fawkes Howard
Published: April 2023

A large hub ratio in a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) rotor can provide aerodynamic and structural design benefits, but the flow effects are not accounted for in the classical Blade Element Momentum Method (BEMM). Research into the effect of HAWT rotor hub ratio, necessitated development of an adaption to the BEMM, so that rotors with large hub ratios, could be designed to be aerodynamically efficient, and so that the flow effects could be included in performance prediction. Results from the BEMM with large-hub adaption were compared with results from using the classical BEMM and with results from CFD simulation. Two sets of rotors were analysed, one set in a viscous flow regime and the other in a turbulent flow regime. The BEMM with large-hub adaption, was found to provide rotor designs with better performance and provided a more accurate prediction of relative rotor power than the classical BEMM.
Data-Driven Decision Support Platform for Selection of Intersections for Adaptive Traffic Signal Control
Authors: Mitrovic Nikola , Dobrota Nemanja , Pereira Matheus Barros , Espino Elio , Stevanovic Aleksandar
Published: April 2023

Adaptive traffic control systems (ATCSs) represent one of the most advanced traffic signal control strategies currently deployed in urban areas worldwide. One of the most important questions in the deployment of such a system is related to the determination of location (i.e., intersection/s, corridor) where ATCS should be deployed. Several past studies addressed this problem either for the specific “corridor-level” analysis or by using inadequate approaches that prevent agencies from observing how existing assets and their operational characteristics affect agency-wide deployment of ATCS. This study proposes a data-driven dashboard that uses the operational attributes of existing assets (usually readily available to many agencies nowadays) to rank assets/corridors in the network based on their “appropriateness” for the installation of ATCS systems. The core components of the proposed tool are a robust scoring engine that incorporates the signal parameters important for ATCS deployment, and a spatial module that aggregates the computed scores on a desired spatial level. These core components are encapsulated in a web-based map tool deployed on the cloud. The proposed tool has been deployed in a case study to support the installation of 1,100 ATCS signals in the road network of Miami-Dade County, Florida. The proposed tool was useful for producing an initial solution in the decision-making process on where to install ATCS. The developed tool is robust enough to be applied to other networks.
Performance Evaluation of a Dynamic Signal Control System for Mixed Traffic Conditions Using Sparse Data
Authors: Ghosh Tamojit , Anusha S.P. , Babu Aneesh , Vanajakshi Lelitha Devi
Published: April 2023

Dynamic signal control systems combine traditional traffic signals with an array of sensors to intelligently control vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Under mixed traffic conditions similar to that prevailing in India, where there are a variety of vehicle classes moving without lane discipline, implementation of such dynamic signal control systems is challenging. This is because automated sensors such as loop detectors used for data collection under homogeneous traffic conditions do not work well under mixed traffic conditions. Under such conditions, the possibility of utilizing sparse data obtained with respect to sampled travel times from different sensors is currently being explored. The present study focuses on developing a dynamic signal control system using sparse data collected using radio frequency identification (RFID) sensors under mixed traffic conditions. An existing delay equation was reformulated as an optimization problem for the dynamic signal control. The evaluation of the dynamic signal control system was carried out using a calibrated VISSIM microsimulation model. Python programming was used to integrate the dynamic signal control algorithm through the COM interface in VISSIM. The results indicated a good degree of improvement in overall average intersection delay of 12.6% compared to fixed time signal control. Thus, the proposed optimization method using delay from RFID sensors is suitable for implementing dynamic signal control under mixed traffic conditions.
Automatic non-invasive blood pressure measurement in left ventricular assist device patients with a photoplethysmography assisted device
Authors: Nagy Péter , Sax Balázs , Kozák Anna , Merkely Béla , Osztheimer István , Jobbágy Ákos
Published: April 2023

Introduction:

Non-invasive measurement of blood pressure in patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is challenging due to the mechanical properties of these circulatory support devices. Keeping blood pressure in a target range is crucial to reduce the risk of LVAD complications. As current assessment methods require trained personnel resulting in infrequent monitoring, devices for home-based measurements are sorely needed.

Objectives:

In this paper, we report a measurement method and a custom-made monitoring device based on photoplethysmography (PPG) enabling automated measurement of the mean arterial pressure (MAP) of patients with LVAD.

Methods:

The method and the device were tested on 21 adult patients with LVAD, and the estimated MAP values were compared to MAP values measured simultaneously by a human expert applying the commonly used Doppler-based method.

Results:

Results of the proposed method showed highly significant correlation with Doppler-based MAP values ( R = 0.85 for inflation, p < 0.001; R = 0.96 for deflation, p<0.001). The mean difference of the proposed method to the Doppler-based MAP values was 1.48 ± 5.43 mmHg for inflation and −0.19 ± 2.71 mmHg for deflation.

Conclusion:

The results demonstrate that the proposed method is a promising direction to achieve accurate, automated, non-invasive BP measurement, applicable in home health monitoring for patients with LVAD.
An Overview of US Workers’ Current Organizing Efforts and Collective Actions
Authors: Kochan Thomas A. , Fine Janice R. , Bronfenbrenner Kate , Naidu Suresh , Barnes Jacob , Diaz-Linhart Yaminette , Kallas John , Kim Jeonghun , Minster Arrow , Tong Di , Townsend Phela , Twiss Danielle
Published: April 2023

American workers are currently engaged in an upsurge in collective actions aimed at achieving a stronger voice and representation at work; this desire for increased voice at work is also evident in survey data. However, union organizing drives in the United States typically meet with strong employer resistance, and such resistance reduces the likelihood that the organizing effort will be successful. In addition to unions, a broad array of other efforts has been initiated to strengthen worker voice and representation. The authors discuss these efforts, including worker centers, and observe that there is no “one size fits all” approach to contemporary worker organizing.
Composition and recycling of smartphones: A mini-review on gaps and opportunities
Authors: Cenci Marcelo Pilotto , Eidelwein Estela Moschetta , Veit Hugo Marcelo
Published: April 2023

After more than a decade since smartphones became consolidated in the market, many recycling solutions have been proposed to deal with them. To continue developing useful solutions and enable adjustment of routes, this mini-review aims to analyse the current research scenario, presenting relevant gaps, trends and opportunities. From a structured searching and screening procedure, a vast source of data was arranged and is available to extract useful information (43 studies on composition and 93 studies on recycling). The study provides discussions about the history of smartphone development, constituent materials and recycling methods for different components, comparisons between feature phones and smartphones and others. Among some conclusions, the authors highlight the lack of studies on pre-extractive methods, green chemistry, recovery of critical and precious metals, determination of priority materials for recovery and solutions for entire devices. In the end, a list containing six research gaps for composition studies and seven research gaps for recycling studies is provided and may be seen as opportunities for future research.
Application of Metacognitive Planning Scaffolding for the Cultivation of Computational Thinking
Authors: Zhou Ying , Chai Ching Sing , Li Xiuting , Ma Chao , Li Baoping , Yu Ding , Liang Jyh-Chong
Published: April 2023

Computational thinking is a way of thinking that helps people “think like a computer scientist” to solve practical problems. However, practicing computational thinking through programming is dependent on the problem solvers’ metacognition. This study investigated students’ metacognitive planning and problem-solving performance in programming through two quantitative studies. First, we analyzed the performance of metacognitive planning and of problem solving through the programming of 21 freshmen, and found that the metacognitive planning performance related to “problem description” and “program comprehension” was significantly correlated with problem-solving performance. Second, semi-scaffolding and full-scaffolding were designed based on the first study. Another 89 freshmen were randomly divided into three groups and were asked to write their programming plan with no-scaffolding, semi-scaffolding, or with full-scaffolding. ANCOVA revealed that the problem-solving performance of the no-scaffolding group was significantly weaker than that of the other two groups, but there was no significant difference between the semi-scaffolding and the full-scaffolding groups. The study indicated that semi-scaffolding had a similar effect to full-scaffolding on problem-solving performance. The study suggests that teachers should emphasize supporting students’ “problem description” and “program comprehension” using semi-scaffolding. This scaffolding technique is sufficient and efficient for training students’ computational thinking through problem solving in programming.
ESG Standards are TBD in Health Promotion: What the ESG Movement can Learn From the Workforce Wellness Movement
Authors: Terry Paul E.
Published: April 2023

Large organizations produce annual shareholder reports that tout their business success, and many also describe their role in doing well by their employees and communities. What if systemic efforts to improve employee and community health were a reporting requirement on par with the reporting of profits, losses and liquidity? This editorial examines the nascent ESG movement and its potential role in sparking systems changes that improve individual and organizational health. ESG is an acronym for the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards that many investment fund managers are considering as a component of evaluating company performance. Today, assessing investments that factor in health alongside other business success measures is commonplace but, recently, ESG factors have become political fodder. How is it that there is growing acceptance of corporate social responsibility principles among business leaders but a growing opposition to ESG standards by many politicians who otherwise identify as pro-business?
Complex spaces of involvement during and after paternal deployment: Danish children’s emotions and relationships with their fathers
Authors: Oldrup Helene , Kyed Morten , Nielsen Anni Brit Sternhagen , Christensen Ann-Dorte
Published: April 2023

A growing body of research indicates that children of formerly deployed soldiers are at risk of experiencing negative outcomes, but studies are lacking in terms of the exploration of children’s emotions from their own perspective. This article is based on qualitative interviews with 26 children (age 7–20) from 19 Danish families with formerly deployed fathers. The children’s emotions are complex and ambiguous. While deployment leads to a distanced relationship between children and their fathers, following it, some form a close relationship following deployment. However, other children become responsible for maintaining their relationship with their father, altering the generational order.
Introduction: Against citizenship: Visual belongings and transnational affects
Authors: Camps Inés Plasencia , López Olga Fernández
Published: April 2023

This special issue “Against Citizenship: Visual belongings and transnational affects” gathers contributions that address the affective and transnational networks that position themselves against or confront the “fantasy” of an egalitarian citizenship, understanding that this notion is not only intrinsically segregating, but aleatory and artificial, in the same way that the creation and existence of states are. The framework of the issue is the possibility given by cultural practices to articulate and perform post-national, denationalized or transnational forms of citizenship in a world characterized by globalization, post-colonial societies and migratory movements. Through these cultural practices a variety of political communities try to solve the restrictions that the State imposes to differentiated types of citizenship or even to cross its limits, be them geographical or juridical, and a create a different sense of belonging and recognition. The struggles for the rights around intersections, such as race, gender or disability, that are fundamental to the internal exclusion of the “citizens” of a state, are key in questioning the political debt that citizenship has with its supposed cultural homogeneity, as post-colonial countries have experienced in the last years. In this sense, notions such as identity, belonging and affect motivate the needs and roadmaps of communities excluded from citizenship, but seeking precisely to provide radically opposite definitions and possibilities which guarantee the attenuation of vulnerability and, above all, the right to be, live and exist.
Gender(ed) violence in neo-authoritarian times
Authors: Sabsay Leticia
Published: April 2023

As conservative and neo-authoritarian tendencies in Europe move across political and geo-cultural borders, we bear witness to a renewed attack on gender and sexual rights. This is a challenge to democratic citizenship that demands that we think anew the pervasive and multifaceted violence that structures the social organisation of gendered and sexual lives. How to think about the relationship between the hindering of sexual citizenship and current debates about sexual and gender-based violence in a historical present marked by a growing and revived conservative reaction? How to re-articulate a critical analysis of gender and sexual based violence that also accounts for the violence of gender? How to orient the condemnation of gender and sexual based violence towards a deepening of democracy? Taking Spain as a point of departure, this article examines recent legislative developments and argues for an expansive, albeit differentiated, approach to gender-based violence, in line with citizenship rights. Articulated in intersectional terms, this approach, it is contended, should challenge the intensification of racism and other exclusionary discourses that are gaining traction in Europe, and recognise that violence against those who experience gender and sexuality beyond normative heterosexuality also amounts to gendered forms of violence. It is along these lines that it would be possible to think of a feminist critique of violence in pursuit of a more democratic and just society.
Initial impact force analysis and simulation of planetary helical gear transmission
Authors: Tian Xing , Qing Tao , Li Ziyuan , Wang Hao , Zhang Xinlei , Li Wei
Published: April 2023

The planetary gear transmission is widely used because of its advantages such as large transmission ratio and high transmission efficiency. But at the moment of starting, there is a speed difference between driving gear and driven wheel due to the backlash between the teeth, this will easily cause the initial collision and impact force, which seriously affect the life of gear transmission, even lead to tooth surface pitting and root fracture failure, therefore, it is necessary to conduct a quantitative analysis of the initial collision. Based on the gear meshing principle and the system dynamics theory, the analytical calculation formula of initial impact force for the internal and external meshing gear pair was derived. The impact simulation analysis model of planetary helical gear transmission was established based on the finite element LS-DYNA, and the simulation analysis results were compared with the analytical calculation results, which verified the correctness of the analytical calculation model. This paper reveals the impact collision mechanism and studies the influence law of the speed and temperature on the impact force, thus laying a good theoretical foundation for the dynamic modification design of the planetary gear transmission and preventing the failure of the gear teeth from impact collision.
Impact of distinct alkaline treatment on natural plant fibre reinforced polymer composites
Authors: Kar Sasmita , Jena Ipsita , Bhoi Sandeep , Pattnaik Sarojrani , Sutar Mihir Kumar
Published: April 2023

The primary goal of this research work is to enhance the mechanical behaviour of luffa, coir and sisal fibre reinforced polymer composites, which had undergone diverse chemical processing. The selected green fibres were subjected to a variety of alkaline treatments at varied concentration of 5% NaOH, 3% KOH and 7% Ca(OH)2 for 4, 2 and 6 h, respectively. The hand lay-up method was used to prepare the nine distinct samples. It was found that the composites with highest wt.% of coir and luffa fibres which underwent NaOH treatment resulted in highest tensile strengths of 10.946 and 14.425 MPa. However, Ca(OH)2 treatment proved to be better for composites containing 20% sisal fibres. Similarly, 20% NaOH treated coir fibre reinforced composite exhibited better flexural stress and modulus, whereas Ca(OH)2 treatment led to increase in flexural stress and modulus for composites containing 20% sisal fibres. The impact strength of the composites containing highest percentage of coir fibres that is, 20% was higher for all alkali treatments. Composite containing 20% NaOH treated coir fibres exhibited maximum interlaminar shear strength. Overall, NaOH treatment of coir, Ca(OH)2 treatment of sisal and KOH treatment of luffa fibre significantly improved the mechanical behaviour of the composites.
Research on the durability test method of electric driving systems based on fuzzy clustering and particle swarm algorithm
Authors: Wang Xicheng , Cheng Yufan , Yu Tianxiang , Song Bifeng
Published: April 2023

Compared to traditional fuel vehicles, the structure of pure electric vehicles (BEVs) and the actual driving behaviour of users have changed. Therefore, the original durability evaluation conditions of traditional fuel vehicles cannot fully cover the use of new energy vehicles. In the past, the determination of durability targets was mainly based on user data collection, but this work required a lot of manpower and material resources to meet the engineering requirements. In this paper, the fuzzy clustering method is used to mine the user trajectory to obtain the user-based endurance target of pure electric vehicle, and then according to the durability target, the particle swarm method is used to correlate the user behaviour and the proving ground, and the proving ground test method of electric drive system is developed. Studies have shown that user data mining methods can obtain more user information, so as to better formulate durable target close to users. The particle swarm algorithm can improve the simulation correlation accuracy and reduce the iteration time, which shortens the simulation iteration time by more than 80% compared with polynomials. The test acceleration ratio of 7:1 in relation to user behaviour with the proving ground. During the durability test of the electric drive system of pure electric vehicles, it is found that the test specification can well reflect the user’s motor operation during actual driving.
The Temporal Dynamics of Brain-to-Brain Synchrony Between Students and Teachers Predict Learning Outcomes
Authors: Davidesco Ido , Laurent Emma , Valk Henry , West Tessa , Milne Catherine , Poeppel David , Dikker Suzanne
Published: April 2023

Much of human learning happens through interaction with other people, but little is known about how this process is reflected in the brains of students and teachers. Here, we concurrently recorded electroencephalography (EEG) data from nine groups, each of which contained four students and a teacher. All participants were young adults from the northeast United States. Alpha-band (8–12 Hz) brain-to-brain synchrony between students predicted both immediate and delayed posttest performance. Further, brain-to-brain synchrony was higher in specific lecture segments associated with questions that students answered correctly. Brain-to-brain synchrony between students and teachers predicted learning outcomes at an approximately 300-ms lag in the students’ brain activity relative to the teacher’s brain activity, which is consistent with the time course of spoken-language comprehension. These findings provide key new evidence for the importance of collecting brain data simultaneously from groups of learners in ecologically valid settings.