bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simple anthropometry-based calculations to monitor body composition in athletes: Scoping review and reference values
Authors: Bonilla Diego A , De León Lidia G , Alexander-Cortez Pedro , Odriozola-Martínez Adrián , Herrera-Amante Carlos A , Vargas-Molina Salvador , Petro Jorge L
Published: April 2021

Background:

Kinanthropometry offers to exercise and health professionals a standardized procedure of acquiring surface anatomical measurements that might be used to track changes in body composition.

Aim:

To describe simple anthropometric indices to monitor body composition changes in amateur and elite athletes, and to provide reference values during the competition phase.

Methods:

A search of articles indexed in PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, and SciELO databases using the string body composition AND (anthropometric OR skinfolds OR circumferences OR girth OR estimation equation) AND “body fat”. Inclusion criteria were: quantitative and/or qualitative research published between 2009 and 2020, written in English or Spanish, reporting simple anthropometric indices that included skinfolds, girths, or basic measures in amateur and elite athletes.

Results:

A total of 51 studies (Price’s index = 66.4%) met all the inclusion criteria and were included in this scoping review. Contrary to the frequent practice, the use of a regression equation might not be accurate to evaluate body composition. To avoid this, anthropometrists should base their analysis on the absolute values of the sum of skinfolds (∑S) and related variables, such as skinfold-corrected girths and lean mass index. While not definitive, because further research is required, the practical recommendations and updated reference values in competition phase provided by this review would contribute to the accurate identification of body composition changes.

Conclusions:

∑S and lean mass index have been shown to be valid for monitoring changes in fat mass and fat-free mass, respectively. More research is needed to derive the lean mass index-specific coefficient for each sports population.
Explicating dimensions of family marginalization and types of marginalized family members
Authors: Dorrance Hall Elizabeth , Wilson Steven R.
Published: April 2021

Marginalized family members feel different from and are often disapproved of or excluded by multiple family members. These feelings arise from interactions that create relational distance. Although being marginalized from one’s family typically is a chronically stressful process, the ways in which marginalization is accomplished likely varies across individuals, families, and/or time. Guided by social identification and confirmation theories, we sought to identify specific types of marginalized family members based on three dimensions of marginalization: difference, disapproval, and exclusion. Cluster analysis of survey reports ( N = 315) revealed that marginalized family members can be grouped into three types: dissenting, questioning, and diverging. Content analysis of open-ended survey responses was used to name and further distinguish the types of marginalized family members. The types vary in perceived levels of family confirmation, family identification, and self-esteem. Theoretical implications for elaborating aspects of SIT and confirmation theory and understanding family distancing are discussed along with avenues for future research.
Trends in Breastfeeding and Associated Factors in a Primary Healthcare Service in the South of Brazil: 2004 to 2015
Authors: Faustino-Silva Daniel Demétrio , Pinheiro Tanara Vogel , Lenz Maria Lúcia Medeiros , Willrich Karen Araujo dos Santos , Flores Rui
Published: April 2021

The aim was to monitor the frequency of Breastfeeding (BF) and Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) in a Primary Healthcare Service, between the years of 2004 to 2015. This is a historical series is composed of eight cross-sectional surveys that were carried out during the annual vaccination campaigns. A total of 6027 children were evaluated, with a mean age of 6.2 months. There was a significant increase in the rates of BF (7.2%) and EBF (9.5%) in children less than four months old. In infants from four to five months old, a substantial decline was observed in the EBF rate between 2010 and 2015 (6.3%). The frequency of BF had a 10.1% increase in infants from six to nine months old and remained stable in children from 10 to 11 months of age. Among children less than six months old, monitoring by the health service had a positive impact on the frequency of BF ( p < 0.001) and EBF ( p < 0.001). The better BF and EBF rates seen in this study in infants followed up by the primary healthcare centers reinforce the evidence on the importance of expanding and qualifying primary healthcare as support for mother and child healthcare.
Biologically inspired electrostatic artificial muscles for insect-sized robots
Authors: Wang Hongqiang , York Peter , Chen Yufeng , Russo Sheila , Ranzani Tommaso , Walsh Conor , Wood Robert J.
Published: April 2021

Millimeter-sized electrostatic film actuators, inspired by the efficient spatial arrangement of insect muscles, achieve a muscle-like power density (61 W kg−1) and enable robotic applications in which agility is needed in confined spaces. Like biological muscles, these actuators incorporate a hierarchical structure, in this case building from electrodes to arrays to laminates, and are composed primarily of flexible materials. So comprised, these actuators can be designed for a wide range of manipulation and locomotion tasks, similar to natural muscle, while being robust and compact. A typical actuator can achieve 85 mN of force with a 15 mm stroke, with a size of [Formula: see text] mm3 and mass of 92 mg. Two millimeter-sized robots, an ultra-thin earthworm-inspired robot and an intestinal-muscle-inspired endoscopic tool for tissue resection, demonstrate the utility of these actuators. The earthworm robot undertakes inspection tasks: the navigation of a 5 mm channel and a 19 mm square tube while carrying an on-board camera. The surgical tool, which conforms to the surface of the distal end of an endoscope, similar to the thin, smooth muscle that covers the intestine, completes tissue cutting and penetrating tasks. Beyond these devices, we anticipate widespread use of these actuators in soft robots, medical robots, wearable robots, and miniature autonomous systems.
Effect of botulinum toxin in stellate ganglion for craniofacial hyperhidrosis: a case report
Authors: Park Jung Hyun , Kim Rip , Na Sang Hoon , Kwon So Young
Published: April 2021

Craniofacial hyperhidrosis causes sweating of the face and scalp due to excessive action of the sweat glands and manifests when patients become tense/nervous or develop an elevated body temperature. If noninvasive treatments are ineffective, invasive treatments such as a sympathetic block and resection are considered. A 32-year-old woman with no specific medical history was referred for uncontrolled craniofacial hyperhidrosis that included excessive sweating and hot flushing. Physical examination showed profuse sweating, and infrared thermography showed higher temperature in the neck and face than in the trunk. The patient underwent several stellate ganglion blocks, and her symptoms improved; however, the treatment effect was temporary. Botulinum toxin was then injected into the stellate ganglion. At the time of this writing, her sweating had been reduced for about 6 months and she was continuing to undergo follow-up. Craniofacial hyperhidrosis is a clinical condition in which patients experience excessive sweating of their faces and heads. It is less common than palmar and plantar hyperhidrosis. Botulinum toxin injection into the stellate ganglion is simple and safe and produces longer-lasting effects than other treatments, such as endoscopic sympathectomy and a single nerve block.
Identification of candidate biomarkers of liver hydatid disease via microarray profiling, bioinformatics analysis, and machine learning
Authors: Peng Jinwu , Duan Zhili , Guo Yamin , Li Xiaona , Luo Xiaoqin , Han Xiumin , Luo Junming
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Liver echinococcosis is a severe zoonotic disease caused by Echinococcus (tapeworm) infection, which is epidemic in the Qinghai region of China. Here, we aimed to explore biomarkers and establish a predictive model for the diagnosis of liver echinococcosis.

Methods

Microarray profiling followed by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis was performed in liver tissue from patients with liver hydatid disease and from healthy controls from the Qinghai region of China. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network and random forest model were established to identify potential biomarkers and predict the occurrence of liver echinococcosis, respectively.

Results

Microarray profiling identified 1152 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 936 upregulated genes and 216 downregulated genes. Several previously unreported biological processes and signaling pathways were identified. The FCGR2B and CTLA4 proteins were identified by the PPI networks and random forest model. The random forest model based on FCGR2B and CTLA4 reliably predicted the occurrence of liver hydatid disease, with an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.921.

Conclusion

Our findings give new insight into gene expression in patients with liver echinococcosis from the Qinghai region of China, improving our understanding of hepatic hydatid disease.
Analysis of mRNA expression differences in bladder cancer metastasis based on TCGA datasets
Authors: Liu Sha , Shi Jiazhong , Liu Yuting , Wang Liwei , Zhang Jingqi , Huang Yaqin , Chen Zhiwen , Yang Jin
Published: April 2021

Objective

To investigate the metastatic mechanism of muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), which accounts for approximately 30% of all bladder cancer cases, and is a considerable medical problem with high metastatic and mortality rates.

Methods

The mRNA levels of patients with metastatic MIBC and nonmetastatic MIBC from The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset were compared. An integrated bioinformatics analysis was performed of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and analyses of Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes pathway, protein-protein interaction, and survival were performed to investigate differences between metastatic and nonmetastatic MIBC.

Results

Data from 264 patients were included (131 with, and 133 without, metastasis). A total of 385 significantly DEGs were identified, including 209 upregulated genes and 176 downregulated genes. Based on results using the STRING database and the MCODE plugin of Cytoscape software, two clusters were obtained. Moreover, two genes were identified that may be valuable for prognostic analysis: Keratin 38, type I ( KRT38) and Histone cluster 1, H3f ( HIST1H3F).

Conclusion

The KRT38 and HIST1H3F genes may be important in metastasis of MIBC.
Validation of the Leiden Visual Sensitivity Scale and Visual Discomfort Scale in Chronic Pain Conditions
Authors: Ten Brink Antonia F. , Proulx Michael J. , Bultitude Janet H.
Published: April 2021

Discomfort provoked by normally innocuous visual stimuli has been reported by people with chronic pain. Visual discomfort may be higher in pain conditions in which central sensitization is implicated, such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and fibromyalgia. In an online study, we validated the Leiden Visual Sensitivity Scale (L-VISS) and Visual Discomfort Scale (VDS) in people with CRPS ( n =  57), fibromyalgia ( n =  75), and general chronic pain ( n =  53); investigated whether these groups and pain-free controls ( n =  125) differed in visual discomfort; and evaluated the effect of age. The L-VISS and VDS had good internal consistency. Both scales were positively related with experimentally induced visual distortions for mid-spatial frequency striped patterns, suggesting good construct validity. The scales were positively related with each other, and dissociated between the pain and pain-free groups in similar ways, suggesting good construct validity. There was no relationship between age and L-VISS scores and a small negative relationship between age and VDS scores. Visual discomfort was highest in the fibromyalgia group, followed by the CRPS group. This research confirms the utility of the L-VISS and VDS for measuring visual sensitivity in chronic pain and adds to evidence that central sensitization is an important mechanism of visual discomfort.
Progressive Development of the Perched Water Zone in Highway Slopes Made of Highly Plastic Clay
Authors: Nobahar Masoud , Khan Mohammad Sadik , Stroud Mike , Amini Farshad , Ivoke John
Published: April 2021

Based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, after Hawaii and Louisiana, Mississippi is the rainiest state in the United States, having the most peak precipitation that occurs mainly in late winter. Development of perched water (DPW) has had a remarkable effect on the service life of highway slopes constructed on expansive clay. The objective of the current study is to map the DPW condition at highway slopes made of highly plastic clay (HPC) in Mississippi. Several highway slopes that are made of HPC in Jackson, MS, were instrumented using moisture sensors, water potential probes, and rain gauges. Based on the field investigations, it has been observed that a perched water condition exists in all the slopes constructed of Yazoo clay. To investigate the DPW condition and map the accumulation of the water within the slopes, a series of flow analyses have been conducted using the finite element method in Plaxis. The flow analysis is conducted considering the shrink/swell behavior of the Yazoo clay with the real-time rainfall events, as observed in the rain gauges. The numerical analysis was in good agreement with field monitoring results. Based on the analysis, it is observed that rainwater accumulated during the summer to fall season because of a high infiltration rate with the presence of desiccation cracks. On the other hand, the low permeability situation during the spring held the percolated water within the slopes. Repeated events of infiltration and water hold-up condition progressively develop the perched water zone in the slopes made of Yazoo clay.
Forget the “Mommy Track”: Temporal Flexibility Increases Promotion Aspirations for Women and Reduces Gender Gaps
Authors: Bear Julia B.
Published: April 2021

Gender gaps in pay and career advancement increase as people take on greater caregiving responsibilities, with large gaps persistent in high-level, time-intensive positions. Given extant research concerning gender roles, and job demands and resources, I hypothesized that temporal flexibility, in particular control over work hours, would positively affect promotion aspirations, especially for women. Moreover, this interaction effect would be mediated by anticipation of work–family conflict. Results from two studies—correlational and experimental—supported these predictions. In Study 1, using archival data from the General Social Survey, results revealed an interaction between gender and temporal flexibility on promotion aspirations. Among a sample of working parents with children, temporal flexibility was significantly and positively associated with promotion aspirations for women with the opposite pattern found for men. A subsequent experimental study, concerning a promotion to a time-intensive position with an online sample of parents, revealed that women reported lower aspirations for this type of promotion compared to men when the position was characterized as inflexible, but the gap disappeared when the position offered temporal flexibility. Anticipated work–family conflict explained this interaction effect. Highlighting flexibility and schedule control increased promotion aspirations among women, an important implication for employers looking to recruit and promote female employees. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ’s website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843211003070
Futures of sustainability: Perspectives on social imaginaries and social transformation. A comment on Frank Adloff and Sighard Neckel’s research program
Authors: Delanty Gerard
Published: April 2021

This essay is a comment on the research program launched by Frank Adloff and Sighard Neckel. My comment is specifically focused on their research agenda as outlined in their trend-setting article, ‘Futures of sustainability as modernization, transformation, and control: A conceptual framework’. The comment is also addressed more generally to the research program of the Humanities Centre for Advanced Studies ‘Futures of Sustainability’. I raise three issues: the first relates to the very idea of the future; the second concerns the notion of social imaginaries and the third question is focused on the idea of social transformation.
“Everything Is Connected”: Health Lifestyles and Teenagers’ Social Distancing Behaviors in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Mollborn Stefanie , Mercer Katie Holstein , Edwards-Capen Theresa
Published: April 2021

Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic requires people to engage in new health behaviors that are public, monitored, and often contested. Parents are typically considered responsible for controlling their children’s behavior and instilling norms. We investigated how parents and teens managed teenagers’ social distancing behaviors. Analyzing longitudinal (2015–2020), dyadic qualitative interviews with teenagers and their parents in 20 families from two middle-class communities in which social distancing was normative, we found that preexisting health lifestyles were used to link social distancing behaviors to specific identities, norms, and understandings of health. The pandemic presented challenges resulting from contradictory threats to health, differing preferences, and conflicting social judgments. Parents responded to challenges by adhering to community norms and enforcing teens’ social distancing behaviors. They drew on preexisting, individualized health lifestyles as cultural tools to justify social distancing messages, emphasizing group distinctions, morality, and worth in ways that perpetuated inequalities.
Between Distancing and Interdependence: The Conflict of Solidarities in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Basaure Mauro , Joignant Alfredo , Mascareño Aldo
Published: April 2021

In a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19, different national states around the world have introduced strict measures to regulate social interaction that have affected the interdependence of modern societies. In this article, we argue that this handling of the pandemic produces a conflict of solidarities that can be interpreted by expanding Durkheim’s classic formulations (organic and mechanical solidarity) to include the distinction between fragmentary solidarity (based on distancing) and ordinary solidarity (based on empathy and equal treatment). The conflict is triggered precisely by the introduction of fragmentary solidarity. Through this conceptualization, we identify different paradoxes and problems that the pandemic poses for present-day society and analyze how it attempts to overcome them through a generalization of ordinary solidarity. The paper concludes that the conflict of solidarities that characterizes the pandemic is not a passing phenomenon. Its anchorage in the complexity and interdependence of contemporary technological, social, and natural conditions points to its persistence.
Parametric study on pressure-based packed bed adsorption system for air dehumidification
Authors: Sureshkannan V , Arjunan TV , Seenivasan D , Anbuudayasankar SP , Arulraj M
Published: April 2021

Compressed air free from traces of water vapour is vital in many applications in an industrial sector. This study focuses on parametric optimization of a pressure-based packed bed adsorption system for air dehumidification through the Taguchi method and Genetic Algorithm. The effect of operational parameters, namely absolute feed air pressure, feed air linear velocity, and purge air flow rate percent on adsorption uptake rate of molecular sieve 13X-water pair, are studied based on L25 orthogonal array. From the analysis of variance, it has been found that absolute feed air pressure and purge air flow rate percent were the parameters making significant improvement in the adsorption uptake rate. A correlation representing the process was developed using regression analysis. The optimum adsorption conditions were obtained through the Taguchi method and genetic algorithm and verified through the confirmation experiments. This system can be recommended for the industrial and domestic applications that require product air with the dew point temperature below 0°C.
Yaw compensation and yaw relaxation controls for active steering of railway wheelsets via electromechanical actuators
Authors: Liu Xiaoyuan , Goodall Roger , Iwnicki Simon
Published: April 2021

It is known that good curving performance and stability often have conflicting requirements given a passive yaw stiffness of the wheelset. Using an active steering system, however, has the potential to realize improved curving performance with a satisfactory running stability. Relatively simple active control solutions of yaw relaxation and yaw compensation are illustrated and compared in this paper. In both control solutions, only low-cost electromechanical actuators and load cells are adopted for low-frequency actuations. Associated with a prototype of the two-axle vehicle, the dynamic performances of yaw relaxation and yaw compensation controls for different yaw stiffness configurations are simulated. The homogenous simulation results demonstrate excellent dynamic performance in curve negotiation and stability with the active steering strategies adopted.
Stabilization control for unmanned helicopter-slung load system based on active disturbance rejection control and improved sliding mode control
Authors: Duan Dengyan , Wang Zhigang , Li Jianbo , Zhang Chaoqun , Wang Qiannan
Published: April 2021

Unmanned helicopters are widely used in military and civil fields. One of the most important applications is flying with an underslung load, but the pendulum-like behavior of the load can cause damage or even forced landing to the helicopter. To solve this problem, a control strategy to stabilize the helicopter/load system based on active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) and improved sliding mode control (ISMC) algorithms is proposed in this paper. First, the helicopter/load system is modelled using Newton-Euler equations according to the multi-body dynamics theory. Then a manipulation strategy which can reduce the swing angle of the load and an overall control strategy for the helicopter/load system are presented. Specifically, ADRC is applied to attitude control due to its ability to regard the pendulum-like behavior as the internal uncertainties of the system, meanwhile ISMC to position control. Within ISMC, two sliding surfaces with adjustable weights are constructed by employing the position of the helicopter as well as the swing angle of the load. In addition, a real-time beetle antennae search algorithm is designed to online modify the weights by taking the minimum error at current time as the optimization objective. Besides, the radial basis function neural network is introduced to approach the uncertainty coefficients considering the system’s complexity. At last, relevant simulations are carried out and the results indicate that the system is capable of not only controlling the attitude and position of the helicopter precisely but also stabilizing the underslung load rapidly with ADRC and ISMC.
A proposed algorithm based on long short-term memory network and gradient boosting for aeroengine thrust estimation on transition state
Authors: Zhao Yong-Ping , Chen Yao-Bin , Li Zhi-Qiang
Published: April 2021

Aeroengine thrust estimation is an important problem for direct thrust control since it is unmeasurable. Many methods and algorithms have been proposed to solve this problem. Unfortunately, almost all these methods can only estimate aeroengine thrust when the engine is in steady state. Hence, this study proposes an algorithm based on long short-term memory networks and gradient boosting for aeroengine thrust estimation in transition state. The newly proposed algorithm can estimate thrust of an aeroengine when its working state is changed from one steady state to another. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed algorithm can be well applied to estimate aeroengine thrust in transition state and the estimated precision can meet the requirements of thrust estimation.
Physically Implied Surfaces
Authors: Little Patrick C. , Firestone Chaz
Published: April 2021

In addition to seeing objects that are directly in view, we also represent objects that are merely implied (e.g., by occlusion, motion, and other cues). What can imply the presence of an object? Here, we explored (in three preregistered experiments; N = 360 adults) the role of physical interaction in creating impressions of objects that are not actually present. After seeing an actor collide with an invisible wall or step onto an invisible box, participants gave facilitated responses to actual, visible surfaces that appeared where the implied wall or box had been—a Stroop-like pattern of facilitation and interference that suggested automatic inferences about the relevant implied surfaces. Follow-up experiments ruled out confounding geometric cues and anticipatory responses. We suggest that physical interactions can trigger representations of the participating surfaces such that we automatically infer the presence of objects implied only by their physical consequences.
Impact of financial development and economic growth on energy consumption: A panel vector autoregressive analysis for the comparison of G7 and top 10 emerging market economies
Authors: Aslan Alper , Gozbasi Onur , Altinoz Buket , Altuntas Mehmet
Published: April 2021

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between energy consumption, financial development, and economic growth in the case of the G7 economies and emerging market economies. To this end, the role of the banking sector, as well as data from both the stock and the bond market, are explicitly used to proxy financial development. It is used the panel VAR method for the data period from 1990 to 2015. The results illustrate that there is a positive link between the stock market development and energy consumption in both G7 and top 10 emerging market economies in the long run. Also, while banking sector development in G7 countries decreases energy consumption in the long run, increases it in emerging market economies. Another aspect of the results is the determination of the energy-enhancing effect of the bond market development in the G7 countries. Moreover, while the results once again emphasize the existence of the link between financial development and energy consumption, they differ in terms of developed and developing countries.
Understanding the root cause(s) of nonlinearities in near infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Martens Harald
Published: April 2021

NIR process monitoring and NIR hyperspectral video generates a deluge of non-selective spectral data, information-rich but per se useless. This paper demonstrates how interpretable data modelling can lead to simpler and better use of such NIR Big Data: A set of simple powder mixtures of the main constituents in wheat flour were measured by NIR transmission under different measurement conditions. Their absorbance spectra were submitted to multivariate calibration for predicting the protein content, by standard chemometric calibration by PLS regression. A reasonable calibration model was obtained, but it was unexpectedly complex and not robust.

However, closer inspection the PLS regression subspace showed a surprising structure. This allowed us to identify the problem: Non-additive, strongly overlapping light scattering and light absorption effects in the NIR absorbance spectra.

Based on this insight, a pragmatic, but causal preprocessing model was set up and iteratively optimized for predictive ability. This nonlinear optimized extended signal correction (OEMSC) separated and quantified the main physical and chemical sources of variation in the spectra. The preprocessing greatly simplified the NIR spectra and their quantitative calibration and prediction.
Cognitive dysfunction among people with systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with reduced participation in daily life
Authors: Kim Moon Young , Sen Deepali , Drummond Ronald R , Brandenburg Matthew C , Biesanz Kathryn LP , Kim Alfred HJ , Eisen Seth A , Baum Carolyn M , Foster Erin R
Published: April 2021

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate the distribution of cognitive function in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by objective and self-report measures and associations between cognition and participation among people with SLE.

Methods

Fifty-five volunteers with SLE (age: 39.7 ± 12.7yrs, female: 92.7%) completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to measure cognitive ability objectively, the Cognitive Symptom Inventory (CSI) and PROMIS Cognitive Function 8a (CF) to assess self-reported everyday cognition, and PROMIS-43 Profile to assess self-reported ability to participate in social roles and activities (participation) and other disease-associated symptoms (e.g., depression, pain, fatigue).

Results

The average MoCA score was 25.3 ± 3.1, with 47.3% of participants scoring <26, which is indicative of cognitive impairment. Group average CSI (35.8 ± 7.9), CF (T-score = 45.0 ± 8.5), and participation (T-score = 46.9 ± 11.2) scores suggest mildly impaired functional cognition and participation compared to normative data. Participation correlated with self-reported everyday cognition measures (r ≥ 0.56, p < 0.01) but not with MoCA (r = 0.25, p = 0.06). In hierarchical linear regression analysis, CSI, fatigue, and pain were each significant independent predictors of participation (R2 = 0.78, p < 0.01).

Conclusions

We found that cognitive dysfunction is common among people with SLE. Along with pain and fatigue, reduced everyday cognitive function contributes to reduced participation in social, leisure, work, and family-related activities.
Telocytes Enhances M1 Differentiation and Phagocytosis While Inhibits Mitochondria-Mediated Apoptosis Via Activation of NF-κB in Macrophages
Authors: Huang Yue-Lin , Zhang Fei-Lei , Tang Xue-Ling , Yang Xiao-Jun
Published: April 2021

Telocytes (TCs), which are a recently discovered interstitial cell type present in various organs and tissues, perform multiple biological functions and participate in extensive crosstalk with neighboring cells. Endometriosis (EMs) is a gynecological disease characterized by the presence of viable endometrial debris and impaired macrophage phagocytosis in the peritoneal environment. Here, CD34/vimentin-positive TCs were co-cultured with RAW264.7 cells in vitro. M1/M2 differentiation-related markers were detected; phagocytosis, energy metabolism, proliferation, apoptosis, and pathway mechanisms were studied; and the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) was measured. Furthermore, in an EMs mouse model, the differentiation of macrophages in response to treatment with TC-conditioned medium (TCM) in vivo was studied. The results showed that upon in vitro co-culture with TCM, RAW264.7 cells differentiated more toward the M1 phenotype with enhancement of phagocytosis, increase in energy metabolism and proliferation owing to reduced the loss of ΔΨm, and suppression of dexamethasone-induced apoptosis. Further, along with the activation of NF-κB, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl, the expression of Bax, cleaved-caspase9, and cleaved-caspase3 reduced in RAW264.7 cells. In addition, the M1 subtype was found to be the dominant phenotype among tissue and peritoneal macrophages in the EMs model subjected to in vivo TCM treatment. In conclusion, TCs enhanced M1 differentiation and phagocytosis while inhibiting apoptosis via the activation of NF-κB in macrophages, which potentially inhibited the onset of EMs. Our findings provide a potential research target and the scope for developing a promising therapeutic strategy for EMs.
Predictive Value of Degranulating Factors of Neutrophils in Massive Cerebral Infarction
Authors: Huang Yuyou , Li Fangfang , Chen Zhongyun , Chen Weibi , Fan Linlin , Zheng Yangmin , Han Ziping , Li Lingzhi , Luo Yumin , Zhang Yan
Published: April 2021

Massive cerebral infarction (MCI) is a life-threatening disease and may lead to cerebral herniation. Neutrophil degranulation contributes to ischemic injury in the early stage. To investigate whether neutrophil degranulating factors can predict cerebral herniation and the long-term prognosis of patients with MCI and to investigate the relationship between neutrophil degranulation and blood brain barrier (BBB) damage. In this case-control study of 14 MCI patients, we divided the patients into a cerebral hernia group and no cerebral hernia group according to whether they developed cerebral herniation within 5 days. The prognosis of MCI patients was assessed using the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 6 months, which was the primary end point. The composition of white blood cells (WBC) and degranulating factors for neutrophils in the plasma of MCI patients was determined on days 2 and 4. Baseline characteristics were comparable in both groups. The neurological functional scores and long-term prognosis showed no difference between patients with or without cerebral herniation, while the mortality rate of the cerebral hernia group in the short term was higher ( P < 0.05). The WBC count, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and plasma myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels of patients with cerebral hernia were significantly higher than those of patients without cerebral hernia (all P < 0.05). MPO is a better predictor of cerebral herniation, and the NLR showed superior predictive value in the prognosis of MCI patients. neutrophil degranulation may play an important role in malignant cerebral hernia during MCI. These data suggest that, MPO and the NLR might be predictive factors for cerebral herniation and the prognosis of MCI patients.
Building Resilient Health Systems: Patient Safety during COVID-19 and Lessons for the Future
Authors: Narwal Sharda , Jain Susmit
Published: April 2021

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the country’s health systems and diminished its capability to provide safe and effective healthcare. This article attempts to review patient safety issues during COVID-19 pandemic in India, and derive lessons from national and international experiences to inform policy actions for building a ‘resilient health system’.

Methods:

Systematic review of existing published articles, government and media reports was undertaken. Online databases were searched using key terms related to patient safety during COVID-19 and health systems resilience. Seventy-three papers were included dependent on their relevance to research objectives.

Findings:

Patient safety was impacted during COVID-19, owing to sub-optimal infection prevention and control measures coupled with reduced access to essential health services. This was largely due to inadequate infrastructure, human and material resources resulting from chronic underinvestment in public health systems, paucity of reliable data for evidence-based actions and limited leadership and regulatory capacity.

Conclusions:

India’s health systems were found ill prepared to tackle large-scale pandemic, which has major implications for patient safety. The shortcomings observed in the COVID-19 response must be rectified and comprehensive health sector reforms should be initiated for building agile and resilient health systems that can withstand future pandemics.
Advocacy for Evidence-Based Policy-Making in Public Health: Experiences and the Way Forward
Authors: Chhetri Deepshikha , Zacarias Fernando
Published: April 2021

Evidence-informed policy action has improved the health of populations for decades; however, in many contexts, there is limited evidence that it does, mostly because of shortcomings in the process of policy-making. Evidence-based policy-making assists in making decisions about projects and programmes at every stage by using evidence to inform the policy process, rather than directly targeting the objectives of the policy. Although health policy in itself is defined distinctively by experts, it encompasses aspects of ‘public policy in health’ and ‘health in all policies’. By focussing on factors like laws and regulations, and by gaining political commitment for a specific goal, health policies and the resulting programmes can be changed and improved to enhance the health of communities. This process first involves the identification and description of the problem and the evidence-based interventions to solve it. While planning policy, the major actors involved should be identified but all stakeholders should participate in this process. Policy change requires a pragmatic shift in the rules to allow new ways of doing things, deriving programmes with stronger measures, or revising standards for a positive health outcome. These changes involve a very complex process as policymakers need to think of various factors which influence their decision-making, such as evidence of feasibility, stakeholders’ priorities, health impact, socio-political considerations and their effect on the process, and efforts of advocacy groups. A mechanism needs to be developed to evaluate the impact of current policies and every effort should be made to include evidence and research findings in the formulation of new and improved policies, for better health service delivery and to improve the health of the people.
Mapping of Household Surveys to Measure Barriers to Access to Maternal and Child Health Services in India
Authors: Gupta Shivam , Das Priyanka , Kumar Siddhartha , Das Arindam , Sodani P. R.
Published: April 2021

Objective:

To map the range of access barrier indicators for which data can be derived from the three most common health related household surveys in India.

Methods:

A mapping review study was conducted to identify access dimensions and indicators of access barriers for maternal and child health (MCH) services included in three household surveys in India: National Family Health Survey (NFHS), District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS) and Annual Health Survey (AHS).

Results:

The Tanahashi framework for effective coverage of health services was used in this study, and 12 types of access barriers were identified, from which 23 indicators could be generated. These indicators measure self-reported access barriers for unmet healthcare needs through delayed care, as well as forgone care, and unsatisfactory experiences during health service provision. Multiple barriers could be identified, although there was marked heterogeneity in variables included and how barriers were measured.

Conclusions:

This study identified tracer indicators that could be used in India to monitor the population that experiences healthcare needs but fails to seek and obtain appropriate healthcare, and determine what the main barriers are. The surveys identified are well validated and allow the disaggregation of these indicators by equity stratifiers. Given the variability of the frequency and methodologies used in these surveys, comparability could be limited.
Multidimensional Assessment of Internet Addiction: Scale Development and Validation
Authors: Sondhi Neena , Joshi Himanshu
Published: April 2021

The current study attempts to explore and measure the multidimensional nature of Internet Addiction in India. Based on prior studies and respondent interviews, certain themes were developed. These themes were combined with items from Young’s Internet addiction test (IAT) to propose an initial 25-item questionnaire. The scale was first administered on a sample of 294 urban Indian adults and subjected to an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). This resulted in four factors, namely Internet compulsive disorder (ICD), Internet craving (IC), Internet obsession (IO) and addictive behaviour (AB). Eight items with loadings below 0.5 were removed. The obtained 17-item scale was validated on a new sample of 320 Internet users. Findings from the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) further confirmed the four-factor structure. The goodness of fit indices were found to be within acceptable limits. The instrument had satisfactory construct validity and high reliability scores. The study makes a unique contribution towards measuring and evaluating Internet addiction as a multidimensional construct and is aimed at enhancing our understanding of the impact of Internet platform on human psychology and behaviours.
‘I was really, really shocked’: A sociological exploration of the transition experiences of English Youth Academy male footballers from school to work
Authors: Hague Nicola , Law Graeme
Published: April 2021

The world of football arguably brings together and unites people in support of their teams and countries, while inspiring young children and adolescents to dream of a professional career. Existing research in the field has sought to begin to understand what professional footballers experience on their journey through the game. However, much of this UK-based research has focused on first team players and their professional experiences, including transitions from youth team to first team and to retirement. This study, therefore, aimed to examine players during their youth academy scholarship at one English Championship club. This study focused on the transitional experiences of youth players from school to the academy and their resulting embodying of a footballer’s identity. Twelve semi-structured interviews with players aged 17–19, were conducted and then analysed by thematic analysis using figurational sociology concepts. Three different types of transition were identified. Among other reasons, early specialisation in football was a prevalent factor that partly influenced the way the players experienced their transition. The transition into the academy coincided with the transition from youth to adulthood that was arguably anything but linear as players managed the dominant sub-cultures present in the club.
Characterizing prototypical musical instrument timbres with timbre trait profiles
Authors: Reymore Lindsey
Published: April 2021

This paper offers a series of characterizations of prototypical musical timbres, called Timbre Trait Profiles, for 34 musical instruments common in Western orchestras and wind ensembles. These profiles represent the results of a study in which 243 musician participants imagined the sounds of various instruments and used the 20-dimensional model of musical instrument timbre qualia proposed by Reymore and Huron (2020) to rate their auditory image of each instrument. The rating means are visualized through radar plots, which provide timbral-linguistic thumbprints, and are summarized through snapshot profiles, which catalog the six highest- and three lowest-rated descriptors. The Euclidean distances among instruments offer a quantitative operationalization of semantic distances; these distances are illustrated through hierarchical clustering and multidimensional scaling. Exploratory Factor Analysis is used to analyze the latent structure of the rating data. Finally, results are used to assess Reymore and Huron’s 20-dimensional timbre qualia model, suggesting that the model is highly reliable. It is anticipated that the Timbre Trait Profiles can be applied in future perceptual/cognitive research on timbre and orchestration, in music theoretical analysis for both close readings and corpus studies, and in orchestration pedagogy.
Work reorganization in the neoliberal university: A labour process perspective
Authors: Ross Stephanie , Savage Larry
Published: April 2021

This article maps the major changes taking place in academic work within the broader context of the neoliberalisation of universities. Recognising the great variability in the form and pace of neoliberalisation across institutions and national contexts, the article identifies a set of features and indicators to aid in the comparative assessment of the extent and effect of neoliberal processes at different institutions. The authors use conceptual tools from labour process theory to highlight the ways that neoliberalisation has resulted in academic work that is fragmented, deskilled, intensified, and made subject to greater levels of surveillance, hierarchy, and precarity. In doing so, the authors also demonstrate the importance of combining political economy and Foucauldian approaches to neoliberalism, to highlight the way that external structural conditions and subjective processes combine to create new labour processes to which participants find themselves consenting and actively reproducing.

JEL Codes: J5, L2
Molecular detection of equine infectious anemia virus in clinically normal, seronegative horses in an endemic area of Mexico
Authors: Romo-Sáenz César I. , Tamez-Guerra Patricia , Olivas-Holguin Aymee , Ramos-Zayas Yareellys , Obregón-Macías Nelson , González-Ochoa Guadalupe , Zavala-Díaz de la Serna Francisco J. , Rodríguez-Padilla Cristina , Tamez-Guerra Reyes , Gomez-Flores Ricardo
Published: April 2021

Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a highly infectious disease in members of the Equidae family, caused by equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). The disease severity ranges from subclinical to acute or chronic, and causes significant economic losses in the equine industry worldwide. Serologic tests for detection of EIAV infection have some concerns given the prolonged seroconversion time. Therefore, molecular methods are needed to improve surveillance programs for this disease. We attempted detection of EIAV in 6 clinical and 42 non-clinical horses in Nuevo Leon State, Mexico, using the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test for antibody detection, and nested and hemi-nested PCR for detection of proviral DNA. We found that 6 of 6, 5 of 6, and 6 of 6 clinical horses were positive by AGID, nested PCR, and hemi-nested PCR, respectively, whereas 0 of 42, 1 of 42, and 9 of 42 non-clinical horses were positive by these tests, respectively. BLAST analysis of the 203-bp 5′-LTR/ tat segment of PCR product revealed 83–93% identity with EIAV isolates in GenBank and reference strains from other countries. By phylogenetic analysis, our Mexican samples were grouped in a different clade than other sequences reported worldwide, indicating that the LRT/ tat region represents an important target for the detection of non-clinical horses.
Outbreak of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 in the southwestern United States: first detections in southern California
Authors: Asin Javier , Nyaoke Akinyi C. , Moore Janet D. , Gonzalez-Astudillo Viviana , Clifford Deana L. , Lantz Emma L. , Mikolon Andrea B. , Dodd Kimberly A. , Crossley Beate , Uzal Francisco A.
Published: April 2021

An outbreak of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2)-associated disease occurred in the southwestern United States following its first detection in New Mexico in March 2020. The disease spread throughout several states and was diagnosed for the first time in California on May 11, 2020, in a black-tailed jackrabbit ( Lepus californicus). The following day, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) issued an order banning the entrance into California of several lagomorph species and their products from any state in which the disease had been detected in the last 12 mo. RHDV2 is a threat to wild lagomorph species in California, including the endangered riparian brush rabbit ( Sylvilagus bachmani riparius). Therefore, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) started tracking any mortality event in wild lagomorph populations. As of August 9, 2020, RHDV2 had been detected in wild and domestic lagomorphs of several counties in southern California that were submitted to the California Animal Health and Food Safety laboratory system by the CDFA or the CDFW. These positive cases included 2 additional black-tailed jackrabbits and 3 desert cottontail rabbits ( Sylvilagus audubonii). In addition, the infection spilled over to domestic populations, whereby it was confirmed on July 10, 2020, in a domestic rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus).