bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of NCF2, NCF4, and CYBA Gene Polymorphisms with Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Chinese Population
Authors: Zhang Tian-Ping , Li Rui , Huang Qian , Pan Han-Feng , Ye Dong-Qing , Li Xiao-Mei
Published: October 2020

Objective. Recent studies have focused on the special roles of NADPH-oxidase in multiple autoimmune diseases. Nevertheless, the association of genetic variation in NADPH-oxidase genes with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was not extensively studied in a Chinese population. We performed this study to examine the association of NCF2, NCF4, and CYBA gene polymorphisms with RA susceptibility in a Chinese population. Methods. Six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (NCF2 rs10911363, NCF4 rs1883112, rs4821544, rs729749, CYBA rs3794624, and rs4673) were genotyped in a cohort composed of 593 RA patients and 596 normal controls. Improved multiple ligase detection reaction (iMLDR) was used for genotyping. Results. We observed that NCF4 rs4821544 CT genotype and C allele frequencies in RA patients were significantly decreased when compared to controls (CT vs. TT:

P
=
0.043

; C vs. T:

P
=
0.031

), and rs4821544 polymorphism was significantly associated with an increased RA risk under the dominant model (TT vs. CT+CC:

P
=
0.031

). Our results also indicated that rs729749 CT genotype frequency was significantly lower in RA patients than that in controls (CT vs. CC:

P
=
0.033

). Moreover, the rs729749 CT genotype frequency was also significantly decreased in RA patients in males (CT vs. CC:

P
=
0.024

). No significant association between NCF2 and CYBA gene polymorphisms and RA susceptibility was observed. There were significant associations between rs4821544 TT genotype and T allele frequencies and anti-CCP in male RA patients. Conclusions. In summary, NCF4 rs4821544 and rs729749 polymorphisms might contribute to RA susceptibility, while NCF2 and CYBA gene polymorphisms were not associated with RA susceptibility.
Effects of Chamber Width on H2/Air Rotating Detonations
Authors: Zhang Hailong , Liu Weidong , Zhang Lin , Liu Shijie , Jiang Luxin
Published: October 2020

To get the effects of chamber width on the H2/Air rotating detonations, several models with different widths have been investigated. By using a one-step chemical reaction model, one wave is induced in all models. The chamber width has a significant effect on the flow field. When the chamber width is small, the variation of the flow field with the radius is not obvious. But when the width increases, the curvature of the detonation wave reflecting between the inner and outer walls at the head would become enlarged. The height of the detonation wave both on the inner wall and the outer wall has been presented. When the width reaches a limited value, the detonation wave cannot sustain on the inner wall. The normal velocity is used to characterize the detonation wave. The normal velocities on the outer wall and average diameter are almost the same. The former one is approximately the CJ value.
Symmetry-Aware 6D Object Pose Estimation via Multitask Learning
Authors: Zhang Hongjia , Huang Junwen , Xu Xin , Fang Qiang , Shi Yifei
Published: October 2020

Although 6D object pose estimation has been intensively explored in the past decades, the performance is still not fully satisfactory, especially when it comes to symmetric objects. In this paper, we study the problem of 6D object pose estimation by leveraging the information of object symmetry. To this end, a network is proposed that predicts 6D object pose and object reflectional symmetry as well as the key points simultaneously via a multitask learning scheme. Consequently, the pose estimation is aware of and regulated by the symmetry axis and the key points of the to-be-estimated objects. Moreover, we devise an optimization function to refine the predicted 6D object pose by considering the predicted symmetry. Experiments on two datasets demonstrate that the proposed symmetry-aware approach outperforms the existing methods in terms of predicting 6D pose estimation of symmetric objects.
COVID-19 Pneumonia in Patients on Chronic Hydroxychloroquine Therapy: Three Cases of COVID-19 Pneumonia
Authors: Rahman Awan K. , Purdy Adam G. , Ender Peter T.
Published: October 2020

Hydroxychloroquine has gained popularity as a potential preventative and treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia due to its in vitro activity against the virus. These three cases of COVID-19 pneumonia of varying severities occurred in the setting of chronic hydroxychloroquine use. These cases argue against the use of hydroxychloroquine as a preventative or therapeutic option for COVID-19 pneumonia.
A Dynamic Hierarchical Clustering Data Gathering Algorithm Based on Multiple Criteria Decision Making for 3D Underwater Sensor Networks
Authors: Song Xiaoying , Sun Wei , Zhang Qilong
Published: October 2020

Data gathering is the basis of monitoring applications in an underwater sensor network, and excellent network coverage and data transmission reliability are the guarantees for the quality of monitoring tasks. However, the energy consumption of the nodes is too fast due to the heavy load of the cluster heads closer to the sink when data is transmitted between cluster heads (CHs) and the sink by multihop, which leads to an energy hole problem in an underwater sensor network of clustering technology. Aiming to address this problem, we propose a dynamic hierarchical clustering data gathering algorithm based on multiple criteria decision making (DHCDGA) in a 3D underwater sensor network. Firstly, the entire monitoring network is divided into many layers. For selecting a cluster head in each layer, multiple criteria decision making of an intuitionistic fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and hierarchical fuzzy integration is adopted. Furthermore, a sorting algorithm is used to form a clustering topology algorithm to solve the problem that there is the only node in one cluster. Then, an energy-balanced routing algorithm between clusters is proposed according to the residual energy of the node, the depth, and the number of neighbor nodes. Finally, the simulation results show that DHCDGA can not only effectively balance the energy consumption of the network and prolong the network lifetime but also improve network coverage and data gathering reliability.
Transformation Magnetohydrodynamics in Presence of a Channel Filled with Porous Medium and Heat Transfer of Non-Newtonian Fluid by Using Lie Group Transformations
Authors: Alessa Nazek
Published: October 2020

In this paper, the numerical results are presented by using Lie group transformations, to be more efficient and sophisticated. To solve various fluid dynamic problems numerically, we present the numerical results in a field of velocity and distribution of temperature for different parameters regarding the problem of radiative heat, a magnetohydrodynamics, and non-Newtonian viscoelasticity for the unstable flow of optically thin fluid inside a channel filled with nonuniform wall temperature and saturated porous medium, including Hartmann number, porous medium and frequency parameter, and radiation parameter, with a comparison of the corresponding flow problems for a Newtonian fluid. Moreover, the effects of the pertinent parameters on the friction coefficient of skin and local Nusselt number were discussed numerically and also illustrate that graphically.
Effects of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Peripheral and Central Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha in Rats with Depression-Chronic Somatic Pain Comorbidity
Authors: Guo Xiao , Zhao Yuanyuan , Huang Feng , Li Shaoyuan , Luo Man , Wang Yu , Zhang Jinling , Li Liang , Zhang Yue , Jiao Yue , Zhao Bin , Wang Junying , Meng Hong , Zhang Zhangjin , Rong Peijing
Published: October 2020

Depression and pain disorders share a high degree of comorbidity. Inflammatory mechanisms play an important role in the pathogenesis of depression-chronic somatic pain comorbidity. In this study, we investigated the effects of acupuncture on blood and brain regional tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in rats with depression and chronic somatic pain comorbidity. Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following 4 groups with 10 each: control, model, model treated with transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), and model treated with electroacupuncture (EA). Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) with chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve (CCI) was used to produce depression and chronic somatic pain comorbidity in the latter 3 groups. The rats of the taVNS and EA groups received, respectively, taVNS and EA at ST 36 for 28 days. Pain intensity was measured using a mechanical withdrawal threshold and thermal stimulation latency once biweekly. Depressive behavior was examined using a sucrose preference test at baseline and the end of modeling and intervention. The level of plasma TNF-α and the expression of TNF-α in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus were measured. While CUMS plus CCI produced remarkable depression-like behavior and pain disorders, EA and taVNS significantly improved depression and reduced pain intensity. CUMS plus CCI also resulted in a significant increase in plasma TNF-α level and the expression in all brain regions examined compared to the intact controls. Both EA and taVNS interventions, however, suppressed the elevated level of TNF-α. These results suggest that EA and taVNS have antidepressant and analgesic effects. Such effects may be associated with the suppression of TNF-α-related neuroinflammation.
Facile Preparation of ZnO Nanoparticles and Ag/ZnO Nanocomposite and Their Photocatalytic Activities under Visible Light
Authors: Pham Thi Anh Tuyet , Tran Van Anh , Le Van Duong , Nguyen Minh Viet , Truong Duc Duc , Do Xuan Truong , Vu Anh-Tuan
Published: October 2020

Zinc oxide (ZnO) has been known as an excellent photocatalyst for the degradation of a variety of organic pollutants under UV irradiation. This work describes a synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles via a facile precipitation method, and Ag was doped into Ag/ZnO nanocomposite to improve the photocatalytic degradation of BPA under visible light irradiation. The obtained ZnO nanoparticles were 20 nm in size and had a relatively high surface area and pore volume, 26.2 m2/g and 0.48 cm3/g, respectively. The deposition of Ag led to a decrease in the surface area, pore volume, and band gap energy (

E

g

) of ZnO nanoparticles. However, the photocatalytic activity of Ag/ZnO composite in the case increased. The performance of ZnO was compared with Ag/ZnO composites at the different molar ratios, and the kinetic reaction of BPA in these catalysts was investigated by the first-order kinetic model. The sample of Ag/ZnO-10 composite had the highest catalytic activity and showed the degradation efficiency, reaction rate, and degradation capacity of 100% in 120 min, 0.014 min-1, and 40 mg/g, respectively. In comparison, the effects of Ag/ZnO molar ratio, catalyst dosage, solution pH, and concentration of BPA on photocatalytic degradation were investigated. Additionally, the photocatalytic performance of Ag/ZnO-10 composite was evaluated by the degradation of other persistent organic compounds such as phenol, tartrazine, and methylene blue and compared to other catalysts in literature.
Improved Delay-Dependent Stability Criterion for Genetic Regulatory Networks with Interval Time-Varying Delays via New Lyapunov Functionals
Authors: Boonpikum Aphirak , Botmart Thongchai , Niamsup Piyapong , Weera Wajaree
Published: October 2020

In this work, the stability analysis problem of the genetic regulatory networks (GRNs) with interval time-varying delays is presented. In the previous works, the constructions of Lyapunov functional have usually been in simple Lyapunov functional, augmented Lyapunov functional, and multiple integral Lyapunov functional. Therefore, we introduce new Lyapunov functionals expressed in terms of delay product functions. New delay-dependent sufficient conditions for the genetic regulatory networks (GRNs) are established in the terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIS). In addition, a numerical example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
Tumor Fibroblast–Derived FGF2 Regulates Expression of SPRY1 in Esophageal Tumor–Infiltrating T Cells and Plays a Role in T-cell Exhaustion
Authors: Chen Qing-yun , Li Yi-ni , Wang Xin-yue , Zhang Xu , Hu Yi , Li Lei , Suo Da-qin , Ni Ke , Li Zhuo , Zhan Jia-rong , Zeng Ting-ting , Zhu Ying-hui , Li Yan , Ma Li-jia , Guan Xin-Yuan
Published: October 2020

T-cell exhaustion was initially identified in chronic infection in mice and was subsequently described in humans with cancer. Although the distinct signature of exhausted T (TEX) cells in cancer has been well investigated, the molecular mechanism of T-cell exhaustion in cancer is not fully understood. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we report here that TEX cells in esophageal cancer are more heterogeneous than previously clarified. Sprouty RTK signaling antagonist 1 (SPRY1) was notably enriched in two subsets of exhausted CD8+ T cells. When overexpressed, SPRY1 impaired T-cell activation by interacting with CBL, a negative regulator of ZAP-70 tyrosine phosphorylation. Data from the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource revealed a strong correlation between FGF2 and SPRY1 expression in esophageal cancer. High expression of FGF2 was evident in fibroblasts from esophageal cancer tissue and correlated with poor overall survival. In vitro administration of FGF2 significantly upregulated expression of SPRY1 in CD8+ T cells and attenuated T-cell receptor–triggered CD8+ T-cell activation. A mouse tumor model confirmed that overexpression of FGF2 in fibroblasts significantly upregulated SPRY1 expression in TEX cells, impaired T-cell cytotoxic activity, and promoted tumor growth. Thus, these findings identify FGF2 as an important regulator of SPRY1 expression involved in establishing the dysfunctional state of CD8+ T cells in esophageal cancer.

Significance:

These findings reveal FGF2 as an important regulator of SPRY1 expression involved in establishing the dysfunctional state of CD8+ T cells and suggest that inhibition of FGF2 has potential clinical value in ESCC.
Defining an Upstream VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) Priming Signature for Downstream Factor-Induced Endothelial Cell-Pericyte Tube Network Coassembly
Authors: Bowers Stephanie L.K. , Kemp Scott S. , Aguera Kalia N. , Koller Gretchen M. , Forgy Joshua C. , Davis George E.
Published: October 2020

Objective:

In this work, we have sought to define growth factor requirements and the signaling basis for different stages of human vascular morphogenesis and maturation.

Approach and Results:

Using a serum-free model of endothelial cell (EC) tube morphogenesis in 3-dimensional collagen matrices that depends on a 5 growth factor combination, SCF (stem cell factor), IL (interleukin)-3, SDF (stromal-derived factor)-1α, FGF (fibroblast growth factor)-2, and insulin (factors), we demonstrate that VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) pretreatment of ECs for 8 hours (ie, VEGF priming) leads to marked increases in the EC response to the factors which includes; EC tip cells, EC tubulogenesis, pericyte recruitment and proliferation, and basement membrane deposition. VEGF priming requires VEGFR2, and the effect of VEGFR2 is selective to the priming response and does not affect factor-dependent tubulogenesis in the absence of priming. Key molecule and signaling requirements for VEGF priming include RhoA, Rock1 (Rho-kinase), PKCα (protein kinase C α), and PKD2 (protein kinase D2). siRNA suppression or pharmacological blockade of these molecules and signaling pathways interfere with the ability of VEGF to act as an upstream primer of downstream factor-dependent EC tube formation as well as pericyte recruitment. VEGF priming was also associated with the formation of actin stress fibers, activation of focal adhesion components, upregulation of the EC factor receptors, c-Kit, IL-3Rα, and CXCR4 (C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4), and upregulation of EC-derived PDGF (platelet-derived growth factor)-BB, PDGF-DD, and HB-EGF (heparin-binding epidermal growth factor) which collectively affect pericyte recruitment and proliferation.

Conclusions:

Overall, this study defines a signaling signature for a separable upstream VEGF priming step, which can activate ECs to respond to downstream factors that are necessary to form branching tube networks with associated mural cells.
Use of Cardiac Noninvasive Testing After Emergency Department Discharge: Association of Hospital Network Testing Intensity and Outcomes in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Roifman Idan , Han Lu , Koh Maria , Wijeysundera Harindra C. , Austin Peter C. , Douglas Pamela S. , Ko Dennis T.
Published: October 2020

Background

The relationship between noninvasive cardiac diagnostic testing intensity and downstream clinical outcomes is unclear. Our objective was to examine the relationship between hospital network noninvasive cardiac diagnostic testing intensity and downstream clinical outcomes in patients who were discharged from the emergency department after assessment for chest pain.

Methods and Results

We employed a retrospective cohort study design of 387 809 patients evaluated for chest pain in the emergency department between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2016. Hospital networks were divided into tertiles based on usage of noninvasive cardiac diagnostic testing. The primary outcome was a composite of acute myocardial infarction or all‐cause mortality. Adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare the hazard of the composite outcome of myocardical infarction and/or all‐cause mortality between the tertiles. After adjustment for clinically relevant covariates, patients evaluated for chest pain in intermediate noninvasive cardiac diagnostic testing usage tertile hospital networks did not have significantly different hazards of the composite outcome when compared with those evaluated in low usage tertile hospital networks >90 days (hazard ratio [HR], 1.00; 95% CI, 0.83–1.21), 6 months (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.92–1.24), and 1 year (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.94–1.14). Patients evaluated in the high usage tertile also did not have significantly different hazards of the composite outcome compared with those evaluated in the low usage tertile at 90 days (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.80–1.19), 6 months (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.87–1.17); and 1 year (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.86–1.05).

Conclusions

Our population‐based study demonstrated that high noninvasive cardiac diagnostic testing use intensity was not associated with reductions in downstream myocardial infarction or all‐cause mortality.
A Graph-Based Framework for Structured Prediction Tasks in Sanskrit
Authors: Krishna Amrith , Santra Bishal , Gupta Ashim , Satuluri Pavankumar , Goyal Pawan
Published: October 2020

We propose a framework using energy-based models for multiple structured prediction tasks in Sanskrit. Ours is an arc-factored model, similar to the graph-based parsing approaches, and we consider the tasks of word segmentation, morphological parsing, dependency parsing, syntactic linearization, and prosodification, a “prosody-level” task we introduce in this work. Ours is a search-based structured prediction framework, which expects a graph as input, where relevant linguistic information is encoded in the nodes, and the edges are then used to indicate the association between these nodes. Typically, the state-of-the-art models for morphosyntactic tasks in morphologically rich languages still rely on hand-crafted features for their performance. But here, we automate the learning of the feature function. The feature function so learned, along with the search space we construct, encode relevant linguistic information for the tasks we consider. This enables us to substantially reduce the training data requirements to as low as 10%, as compared to the data requirements for the neural state-of-the-art models. Our experiments in Czech and Sanskrit show the language-agnostic nature of the framework, where we train highly competitive models for both the languages. Moreover, our framework enables us to incorporate language-specific constraints to prune the search space and to filter the candidates during inference. We obtain significant improvements in morphosyntactic tasks for Sanskrit by incorporating language-specific constraints into the model. In all the tasks we discuss for Sanskrit, we either achieve state-of-the-art results or ours is the only data-driven solution for those tasks.
Assessing Predictive Potential Associated with the MJO during the Boreal Winter
Authors: Kumar Arun , Zhu Jieshun , Wang Wanqiu
Published: October 2020

In this paper, the question of potential predictability in meteorological variables associated with skillful prediction of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) during boreal winter is analyzed. The analysis is motivated by the fact that dynamical prediction systems are now capable of predicting MJO up to 30 days or earlier (measured in terms of anomaly correlation for RMM indices). Translating recent gains in MJO prediction skill and relating them back to potential for predicting meteorological variables—for example, precipitation and surface temperature—is not straightforward because of a chain of steps that go into the computation and evaluation of RMM indices. This paper assesses potential predictability in meteorological variables that could be attributed to skillful prediction of the MJO. The analysis is based on the observational data alone and assesses the upper limit of MJO-associated predictability that could be achieved.
A Deep-Learning Model for Automated Detection of Intense Midlatitude Convection Using Geostationary Satellite Images
Authors: Cintineo John L. , Pavolonis Michael J. , Sieglaff Justin M. , Wimmers Anthony , Brunner Jason , Bellon Willard
Published: October 2020

Intense thunderstorms threaten life and property, impact aviation, and are a challenging forecast problem, particularly without precipitation-sensing radar data. Trained forecasters often look for features in geostationary satellite images such as rapid cloud growth, strong and persistent overshooting tops, U- or V-shaped patterns in storm-top temperature (and associated above-anvil cirrus plumes), thermal couplets, intricate texturing in cloud albedo (e.g., “bubbling” cloud tops), cloud-top divergence, spatial and temporal trends in lightning, and other nuances to identify intense thunderstorms. In this paper, a machine-learning algorithm was employed to automatically learn and extract salient features and patterns in geostationary satellite data for the prediction of intense convection. Namely, a convolutional neural network (CNN) was trained on 0.64-μm reflectance and 10.35-μm brightness temperature from the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and flash-extent density (FED) from the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) on board GOES-16. Using a training dataset consisting of over 220 000 human-labeled satellite images, the CNN learned pertinent features that are known to be associated with intense convection and skillfully discriminated between intense and ordinary convection. The CNN also learned a more nuanced feature associated with intense convection—strong infrared brightness temperature gradients near cloud edges in the vicinity of the main updraft. A successive-permutation test ranked the most important predictors as follows: 1) ABI 10.35-μm brightness temperature, 2) ABI GLM flash-extent density, and 3) ABI 0.64-μm reflectance. The CNN model can provide forecasters with quantitative information that often foreshadows the occurrence of severe weather, day or night, over the full range of instrument-scan modes.
‘I wish I were a plumber!’: Transnational class reconstructions across migrant experiences among Hong Kong’s professionals and managers
Authors: Lui Lake , Curran Sara R
Published: October 2020

This study examines processes of class construction within a transnational community of professionals and managers who are emigrants, returnees, and non-migrants. Building on Bourdieu’s class analysis and literature on transnational migration, the article examines how class statuses are supported by moral claims based on varying transnational mobility strategies. The authors draw their results from qualitative interviews with 45 Hong Kong respondents in Hong Kong and Canada. They find that despite Hong Kong emigrants’ loss of economic capital due to de-professionalization, their cultural and symbolic claims frame an alternative set of norms about their life successes. Returnees claim to have the best of both worlds having amassed economic capital, while making social distinctions from stayers in terms of their globalized cosmopolitan imaginaries. Stayers appear envious of emigrants’ and returnees’ flexibility and seek to accumulate economic capital for future retirement migration or to send their children abroad. Respondents’ moralizing discourses reveal a social field defining within-class distinctions apart from hyper-concerns of upward mobility through material gains. Nuanced class distinctions articulate values around freedom of space, time, and expression not readily accessible to residents remaining in Hong Kong.
A Framework for Design of Conversational Agents to Support Health Self-Care for Older Adults
Authors: Morrow Daniel G. , Lane H. Chad , Rogers Wendy A.
Published: October 2020

Objective

We examined the potential of conversational agents (CAs) to support older adults’ self-care related to chronic illness in light of lessons learned from decades of pedagogical agent research, which investigates the impact and efficacy of CAs for a wide range of learners.

Background

The role of CAs in education (i.e., pedagogical agents) has been long studied, but their potential for supporting self-care has received less attention, especially for older adults.

Methods

We reviewed work on pedagogical agents and considered how it informs the design of CAs for older adults. We propose a framework for designing CAs to support older adult self-care, which organizes a review of work in this area and integration with the pedagogical agent literature.

Results

Our review of the pedagogical agent literature revealed an evolution from teaching machines to interactive, social systems that influence student motivational as well as learning outcomes. To integrate this review with work on CAs and self-care, we developed a framework that specifies how self-care goals evolve with stages of an illness, communication goals that support self-care at each stage, patient needs, and requirements for CAs to support these needs. The review identified an agenda for future research on CA functions and features that help older adults accept need for self-care, establish self-care, and sustain self-care over time.

Conclusions

Integrating insights from the pedagogical agent literature with research on developing CAs for self-care defines an agenda for developing and evaluating CAs to help older adults manage illness.
Tactile Vigilance Is Stressful and Demanding
Authors: DeLucia Patricia R. , Greenlee Eric T.
Published: October 2020

Objective

The primary aims of the study were to replicate the vigilance decrement in the tactile modality, examine whether a decrease in sensitivity is associated with the decrement, and determine whether tactile vigilance is stressful and demanding.

Background

When people monitor occasional and unpredictable signals for sustained durations, they experience a decline in performance known as the vigilance decrement, which has important practical consequences. Prior studies of the vigilance decrement focused primarily on visual vigilance and, to a lesser degree, on auditory vigilance. There are relatively few studies of tactile vigilance.

Method

Participants monitored vibrotactile stimuli that were created from a tactor, for 40 min.

Results

Sensitivity declined, self-report ratings of distress increased, and ratings of task engagement decreased, during the vigil, and perceived workload was moderately high.

Conclusion

Monitoring tactile signals is demanding and stressful and results in a decrement in signal detection.

Application

Monitoring tactile signals may result in a decrement in tasks requiring discrimination, such as monitoring lane position with the use of rumble strips; these require discrimination between current road vibration and increased vibration when the car drifts out of its lane and crosses over the strip.
Careers in cities: An interdisciplinary space for advancing the contextual turn in career studies
Authors: Tams Svenja , Kennedy Jeffrey C , Arthur Michael B , Chan Kim Yin
Published: October 2020

With careers increasingly taking place within and between cities, this article maps the territory for research and theory on careers in cities. Cities present a microcosm for advancing a systemic understanding of people’s careers over time and in relation to broader issues. We acknowledge cities’ multilayered contexts by identifying six spheres—locality and networks, material infrastructure, economic activities, non-work, virtual reconfiguration, and nexus of social change. The interplay between careers and these city spheres informs intertwined phenomena such as well-being, mobility, and migration. To guide further research, our framework distinguishes two meta-theoretical perspectives. An entity perspective examines causal relationships across levels, analyzing how urban characteristics explain career-related phenomena, and vice versa. A constructionist perspective examines how people’s construal of careers in cities draws on cultural repertoires about work, non-work life, and the city, including its social, symbolic, and material aspects. We use the framework to discuss contributions of the five articles of this special issue. A career lens can contribute to our understanding of cities being sources of both stability and change. With cities currently facing significant disruptions, there has never been a more appropriate time for careers researchers to incorporate the city as context.
Laplace ℓ1 robust Student’s T-filter for attitude estimation of satellites
Authors: Zhang Xu , Zhang Xu , Wang He , Guo Pengyu , Xiao Bing
Published: October 2020

A Laplace ℓ1 robust student’s T-filter is presented for satellites to estimate their attitude state despite severe measurement noise and modeling error. Although the student’s T-filter (STF) has the capability of handling measurement noise, it cannot address the unknown modeling error. It is further sensitive to the degree of freedom (DOF). Hence, the measurement covariance is updated by using the maximum correntropy criterion to accommodate the covariance of unknown modeling error in robust filtering design. Moreover, the Laplace distribution is derived to reduce the influence of the DOF parameter by forming a surrogate function of an optimization problem. Then, the majorization minimization approach is formulated to solve such an optimization problem and present the proposed filtering algorithm in the STF framework. Numerical simulation of applying the proposed attitude estimation scheme is performed by comparing it with the third/fifth-order cubature Kalman filters.
UPCT-Bloopbusters: A methodology of teaching physics and technology concepts using movie scenes and related experiments
Authors: Rodríguez José-Víctor , Sánchez-Pérez Juan-Francisco , Castro-Rodríguez Enrique , Serrano-Martínez José-Luis
Published: October 2020

There is an increasing need for innovative educational methods that can motivate and engage students in subjects that are often perceived as difficult or boring. One such approach is the UPCT-Bloopbusters educational project, developed by a group of professors at the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT), Spain, wherein concepts from the fields of physics and technology are presented and exemplified in the classroom through scenes from different movies in conjunction with experiments. The project was conducted on three subjects, one from each of the three bachelor of electrical engineering degree programs offered at the UPCT, namely Physics I, Applied Physics, and Optical Communications. This paper describes the methodology of the educational project and then presents and discusses the academic results of the students involved in terms of success and performance rates both before and after the application of the new methodology. Moreover, the results of a survey carried out on the students are presented. Finally, some of the exercises used in this methodology for the teaching and learning of science based on different movie scenes are provided as examples. The results of the project show that the students were receptive of the methodology and further indicated that it may lead to increased academic performance due to their enhanced understanding of physics and technology concepts.
Influence of the stacking sequence on the through-thickness Young’s moduli of fibrous composite laminates measured by nanoindentation
Authors: Xu Luoyu Roy , Hassan Md Mehadi , Anderoglu Osman , Zhao Kai , Flores Mark
Published: October 2020

Previous approaches to measure the through-thickness Young’s modulus of a composite laminate often employed complicated specimens and test procedures, so very few through-thickness Young’s moduli were reported. An efficient spherical nanoindentation approach was developed to measure the through-thickness Young’s moduli of a woven fibric glass-fiber composite laminate. In this paper, the same approach is extended to the modulus measurement of four carbon fiber/epoxy IM7/937-7 laminates with complicated stacking sequences. The measured through-thickness Young’s moduli were consistent with the transverse Young’s modulus of the same composite system. Results show that the stacking sequences have little influence on the through-thickness Young’s moduli, which could be explained by classical lamination theory for a thin composite laminate.
Two numerical tools for geometrical deviation management in composite assemblies: a comparison
Authors: Polini Wilma , Corrado Andrea
Published: October 2020

The present work compares two numerical tools to predict the geometrical deviations of an assembly constituted by thin laminates in composite material. The first one is based on a virtual representation of both the manufacturing and the assembling processes, able to generate the variability meta-model for each component to be used in a skin-based assembly. The second one estimates the sensitivity matrix that connects the components’ variations to the assembly’s variations in the method of influence coefficients (MIC). They were experimentally verified on a case study. The comparison underlined the critical issue of both the tools.
Investigating Secondary Mathematics Preservice Teachers’ Instructional Vision: Learning to Teach Through Pedagogies of Practice
Authors: Arbaugh Fran , Graysay Duane , Freeburn Ben , Konuk Nursen
Published: October 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in a cohort of secondary preservice teachers’ (PSTs) vision of the role of a teacher within the context of a mathematics methods course designed around pedagogies of practice. We analyzed data collected in the first and last 2 weeks of the course, consisting of recordings of small- and whole-group discussions, PSTs’ written work, and individual interviews. We first coded using Munter’s Role of Teacher rubric and identified significant differences between beginning-of-semester data and end-of-semester data. We then conducted three rounds of constant comparative analysis resulting in four themes that describe the changes in visions of role of teacher. Findings indicate that engaging in pedagogies of practice in preservice education has the potential to influence PSTs’ visions of their role as mathematics teachers. This study extends both the literatures on pedagogies of practice and on teachers’ instructional vision.
Home Team (Dis)Advantage Patterns in the National Hockey League: Changes Through Increased Emphasis on Individual Performance With the 3-on-3 Overtime Rule
Authors: Hoffmann Matt D. , McEwan Desmond , Baumeister Roy F. , Barnes Joel D. , Guerrero Michelle D.
Published: October 2020

Past research examining National Hockey League (professional ice hockey; NHL) data from the 4-on-4 overtime era (seasons between 2005-06 and 2013-14) revealed an inconsistent home team (dis)advantage pattern such that home teams that were superior to their visiting counterparts had slightly greater odds of winning during regulation play compared to overtime (demonstrating home crowd advantages for team performance during regulation); in contrast, home teams experienced lower odds of winning in the shootout period than in overtime regardless of team quality (thereby demonstrating risks for individual choking from home crowd pressures). In this study, we explored the NHL home (dis)advantage pattern during four more recent seasons (2015-16 through 2018-19) in which the league instituted 3-on-3 play during overtime (perhaps increasing individual pressure for athletes competing in the 3-on-3 overtime period). We used archival data from the regular season (N=5,002 games) to compare home teams’ odds of winning in regulation (with 5-on-5 skaters per team) to overtime (with 3-on-3) and in the shootout, adjusting for the quality of home and visiting teams. We conducted fixed-effects and multi-level logistic regression modeling. Evenly matched home teams were 1.66 times more likely to win than inferior home teams when games concluded in regulation versus overtime. Superior home teams were 4.24 times more likely to win than inferior home teams when games concluded in regulation rather than overtime. Thus, it is apparently more difficult for superior and evenly matched home teams to win in overtime than during regulation, suggesting that such home teams may be susceptible to choking in overtime. In contrast to the earlier 4-on-4 overtime era, home teams did not have lower odds of winning in the shootout compared to overtime. These results may have implications for NHL coaches’ and players’ tactical decision-making.
Citizens, the Smoking Guns of AFSPA and Bare Life in Northeast India
Authors: Arora Vibha
Published: October 2020

At the heart of ‘Indian nation-state making’ in the post-colonial context is dominant imagery and imaginary of Indian-ness, and there is an uncertain relationship between legitimate and illegitimate violence, and debate on integration and coercion of diverse nationalities in this state-nation. The ethnic nationalities of India’s Northeast have not been well integrated into the Indian imaginary and share a sense of belonging. Insurgency shapes the politics of this borderland and fuels secessionist aspirations and led to a demarcation of disturbed areas and exceptional citizens. Following Foucault and Agamben, I highlight the immense ‘unchecked’ sovereignty and biopolitical control of the Indian government to demarcate zones of democratic exception in Northeast India and enforce laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to perpetuate its domination, militarise and radically decide on matters of life. The law is draconian in its implications and I review some of the extant literature that reveals the ‘bare life’ enjoyed by some Indian citizens. Integrating ethnographic voices from Manipur, this paper deepens our critical perspective on the AFSPA to understand its fundamental impact on everyday life and routine violence in Manipur and the consequent emigration of its citizens.
Semi-supervised fabric defect detection based on image reconstruction and density estimation
Authors: Zhou Qihong , Mei Jun , Zhang Qian , Wang Shaozong , Chen Ge
Published: October 2020

Defective products are a major contributor toward a decline in profits in textile industries. Hence, there are compelling needs for an automated inspection system to identify and locate defects on the fabric surface. Although much effort has been made by researchers worldwide, there are still challenges with computation and accuracy in the location of defects. In this paper, we propose a hybrid semi-supervised method for fabric defect detection based on variational autoencoder (VAE) and Gaussian mixture model (GMM). The VAE model is trained for feature extraction and image reconstruction while the GMM is used to perform density estimation. By synthesizing the detection results from both image content and latent space, the method can construct defect region boundaries more accurately, which are useful in fabric quality evaluation. The proposed method is validated on AITEX and DAGM 2007 public database. Results demonstrate that the method is qualified for automated detection and outperforms other selected methods in terms of overall performance.
Developmental Offending Patterns: Female Offending Beyond the Reference Category
Authors: Gushue Kelsey , Mccuish Evan C. , Corrado Raymond R.
Published: October 2020

Compared with young men, justice-involved young women are often characterized by a greater array of risk factors, yet show a more limited pattern of offending. This paradox may be related to risk factors functioning differently not only for male versus female adolescents but also among female adolescents involved in offending. Data were used on 284 girls from the Incarcerated Serious and Violent Young Offender Study to address whether risk factors varied across different offending trajectories modeled between ages 12 and 23. Risk factors measured from self-report interviews were compared across the three trajectories identified. Individual, family, and school risk factors varied across trajectory groups, but not always in ways anticipated. Female offending does not appear to fit neatly within existing developmental criminology theory. Theoretical models should be adapted, or new models developed, to account for the complexities of female offending patterns.
Once More With My Sistren: Black Feminism and the Challenge of Object Use
Authors: Lewis Gail
Published: October 2020

Recent years have seen an increased interest in black feminism. Whether thinking of the explosion of activism, the reprinting of classics such as Heart of the Race (Bryan, Dadzie and Scafe, 2018 [1985]) and Finding a Voice (Wilson, 1978) or the numerous journalistic or scholarly inquiries into black feminist formations in Britain in the 1970s–1990s, black feminism is a topic of interest once again. Sometimes it goes under other names: POC feminism, Womanism, Fugitive Feminism—each of which offers a specific inflection of this thing I am calling black feminism. Given this context, my aim in this article is to consider how black feminism might be conceived—what kind of an object it is, but more importantly how it might be ‘used’ and utilised as a vibrant and well-honed tool in the armory with which we attempt to craft a politics of ethical freedom. I attempt to draw together work from the theoretical archive of black women’s writing with that of psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott and his theorisation of ‘object use’ and ‘play’, as foundation stones in the development of a capacity for ethical relating based on the detoxification of racism’s effects on ‘self’, ‘other’ and the intersubjective field that the space between these constitutes. In my mind, the piece is a ‘call’ hoping for a ‘response’, the chorus is ‘black feminism’.
Guardians and Protectors: The Volunteer Women of the Donbas Conflict
Authors: Jarymowycz Christina Olha
Published: October 2020

How does war reconfigure women’s social roles and status? This article investigates how women’s volunteering during conflict can challenge gendered divisions within society and transform the binary of masculine protector and feminine protected. When the Donbas conflict erupted in Ukraine in 2014, women assumed central roles as civilian volunteers who aided populations affected by violence. They gained a high level of social status in the context of a weak state, distrusted by its populace. Based on ten months of fieldwork and eighty-two interviews with civilian volunteers, this article argues that volunteering became a space of gendered negotiations over women’s position alongside wartime binaries of home/front and protector/protected. Ultimately, certain types of wartime volunteering created more opportunities for blurring these gendered divisions, enabling volunteer women to be framed as protectors of both soldiers and civilians. Moreover, age intersected with gender, as volunteer women’s life stage influenced their ability to become leaders within volunteer groups and their bodies were interpreted alongside gender roles within the family.
‘The Free-Flying Natural Woman Boobs of Yore’? the Body Beyond Representation in Feminist Accounts of Objectification
Authors: McCann Hannah
Published: October 2020

This article takes up references to breasts as a key case study to examine white Western feminist debate around embodiment and objectification. Tracking shifting understandings of ‘the gaze’ in these accounts, we find that objectification is often rendered singular, ahistorical and, increasingly, individually internalised. The history of these approaches to objectification helps to explain why during the early 2000s, theorisations of feminist politics-lost were often rhetorically located alongside discussions of surgically modified breasts as a symbol of a new era of ‘fake’ feminism. In contrast, the 2010s saw several feminist movements premised on exposure of flesh and claims to individual recuperation of bodily autonomy. This article contends that both of these perspectives rely on a notion, built over successive eras of white Western feminist thought, that political work can and ought to be done through the body as a site of representational politics. This article subsequently offers a brief insight into how we might queer our approach to breasts to better account for the messiness of experiences of the flesh, considering the personal as political, while not investing in the body as the site where politics must be enacted.
Quality of Life After Thyroidectomy for Hashimoto Disease in Patients With Persistent Symptoms
Authors: Thatipamala Priyanka , Noel Julia E. , Orloff Lisa
Published: October 2020

Objectives:

To determine whether thyroidectomy improves quality of life in patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis with persistent symptoms despite biochemical euthyroidism.

Methods:

A retrospective cohort study was conducted of patients undergoing thyroidectomy for Hashimoto thyroiditis at our institution between 2014 and 2018. The following variables were collected: age, race, body mass index, preoperative symptoms, preoperative thyroid peroxidase antibody titer, thyroglobulin antibody titer, thyroid-stimulating hormone, free thyroxine, specimen weight, and histologic presence of thyroiditis. Outcomes included general health score on the Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health and responses to a questionnaire addressing postoperative disease management.

Results:

A total of 19 patients were included in the study, 18 of whom were female with a mean age of 48 years. The majority of patients were Caucasian. There were no significant differences between the postoperative general health scores of the patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis and scores from a healthy control population (66.9 vs 74.1; 95% CI: −16.9 to +2.5, P = .16). There were also no differences between groups within the 7 SF-36 subscores. Elevation in preoperative thyroperoxidase antibody correlated with lower reported postoperative energy levels ( r = −0.63, P = .016) and emotional well-being ( r = −.55, P = .041); 87.5% of respondents reported being moderately or extremely happy with their decision to proceed with surgery.

Conclusions:

Quality of life in patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis who undergo thyroidectomy is equivalent to the general population, and the majority are satisfied with surgery. Thyroidectomy is a consideration for patients with persistent symptoms despite optimization on medical therapy.