bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental tool life and wear analysis of different thickness pecvd TiAlSiN nanocoated cutting tool inserts
Authors: Calaph Y.Carlin , Subramanian K. Manikanda , Nakandhrakumar R.S. , Sowrirajan M.
Published: February 2022

Tool life and wear of the coated cutting tools insert play an important role on turning EN24 steel. On turning EN24 steel it is very essential to find the optimum range of coating thickness on the cutting tool inserts with increased tool life and reduced wear. This article investigates the performance evaluation of TiAlSiN-PECVD multilayer nano-coated cutting tool inserts with different coating thicknesses of 1.5, 3, 5, 6.5, 8, 10 and 12 μm.The performance of the cutting tool inserts were evaluated with a cutting speed of 47.12, 54.97 and 62.83 m/min on turning EN24 work material. In the experimental study, the cutting tool inserts with coating thicknesses of 5, 6.5 and 8 µm has given increased tool life and reduced wear where as the coating thicknesses of 1.5, 3, 10 and 12 µm has given reduced tool life and increased wear. The minimum tool wear of 0.124 mm occurred in the coating thickness of 6.5 µm with a cutting speed of 55 m/min. It is observed that the coating thickness ranges from 5 μm to 8 μm has produced an enhanced tool life with corresponding Vickers hardness values ranging from 2400 to 2440 HV. In the comparative study, it has been found that the experimental tool life has enhanced by 19.18%, 31.60% and 20.18% for the corresponding coating thicknesses 5, 6.5 and 8 µm respectively when compared with their theoretical tool life.
Assessment of the Teaching on Alcohol Use and Management in Current Health Professional Curricula in India
Authors: Chauhan Arohi , Sinha Rajeshwari , Kanungo Srikanta , Nayak Subhasish , Samantaray Kajal , Chokshi Maulik , Mokashi Tushar , Nair Arun , Mahapatra Pranab , Pati Sanghamitra
Published: February 2022

Alcohol consumption is globally a serious public health challenge, and it is rampant across all parts of India. The COVID-19 pandemic has added to the overall burden of alcoholism due to long working hours, increased mental stress, depression, and so on. Primary care physicians have an important role in assessing risk and providing counselling, intervention and treatment of alcohol misuse. Studies have demonstrated primary health care facilities to be ideally suited for alcohol prevention and cessation interventions as most patients with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) seek treatment from facilities in the primary care setting in India. Thus, the training of healthcare professionals is vital in addressing AUDs in India. The Indian government is setting up Health and Wellness Centres across the country intended to address long-term care and holistic health promotion. At the same time, healthcare providers have expressed their limited competence in cessation and counselling practices related to AUDs. One of the attributing factors for these limitations is the paucity of exposure during the formative years. With this background, a review was undertaken of the current prescribed undergraduate professional curricula (medical, nursing, dentistry and physiotherapy) in India to assess its current status and preparedness in addressing alcohol misuse. The study findings emphasise the need to bolster the continuing education of health professionals aimed at health promotion and preventive strategies by hands-on training, brief workshops, supervised clinical experience by extramural faculty such as addiction psychiatrists, use of standardised patients, role play, and other similar methods.
Analyzing Lifelong Learning Tendency in Language Classrooms, Thailand
Authors: Wei Xiaoxia , Weerasawainon Aeksing
Published: February 2022

Being able to use a foreign language to communicate will increase an individual's opportunities of employment and personal growth, which implies the significance of adopting a lifelong learning approach to language learning. This study was conducted to explore language learners’ lifelong learning tendency in general and the key factors affecting this tendency in a humanities and language division in an international college in Thailand. By using stratified random sampling strategies, 383 full-time language learners participated in this study. The survey questionnaire was designed based upon the Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale developed by Coskun and Demirel (2010). The scale contained four dimensions with 27 statements: motivation (6), perseverance (6), self-regulation (6), and curiosity (9) with Cronbach alpha of 0.89 from the pilot study results ( n = 50). After performing statistical analyses ( T-test, analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression) to the data, it was found that students in the Thai context held a comparatively high level of inclination for lifelong learning. Among the selected demographic variables, only the year of learning at college was found to correlate with the lifelong learning tendency.
The Predictor Potential Role of the Glucose to Potassium Ratio in the Diagnostic Differentiation of Massive and Non-Massive Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Boyuk Ferit
Published: February 2022

Objective

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is one of the main causes of death and has a course as massive (MPE) or non-massive (NMPE). The study investigates the indicator potential of Glucose to Potassium ratio (GPR) in the differential diagnosis of MPE and NMPE.

Materials and Methods

The study was designed as a retrospective cross-sectional clinical cohort in patients with PE. A total of 111 participants enrolled in the research separating two groups: MPE (n:54) and NMPE (n:67). The GPR was calculated by dividing serum glucose by potassium levels and its results were compared with D-Dimer, Pulmonary Artery Pressure (PAP), and C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP).

Results

D-Dimer was measured as 6.5 ± 5.7 µg/L in the MPE and found higher than the NMPE (3.9 ± 5.2 µg/L) ( P = .019). CRP (100 ± 83.5 to 30.9 ± 42.7 mg/L; P = .0001) and PAP (49.5 ± 11.9 to 34.8 ± 7.3 mmHg; P = .0001) were found increased in the MPE. GPR strongly increased in the MPE (30.7 ± 7.5 to 24.9 ± 4.3; P = .0003) in line with CRP, D-Dimer and PAP. GPR showed a stronger diagnostic value (AUC: 0.733; P = .00001; Sensitivity:72%; Spesifity:70%; Cut-off: 26.5). PAP and GPR showed significant efficiency on occurrence of the MPE according to the binary logistic regression.

Conclusion

The GPR, as a novel and cheap marker, can be useful for diagnostic differentiation of MPE from NMPE, but weaker than PAP and better than D-dimer.

Type of Study and Level of Evidence

Level-II, Retrospective clinical cohort study.
Effect of Therapeutically Related Drugs on Coagulation-Anticoagulation Balance in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
Authors: Xiao Mengyu , Zhou Pan , Sun Kai
Published: February 2022

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) usually presents with a series of coagulation-anticoagulation disturbance. Early administration of All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) can reduce the risk of bleeding, but the potential for thrombosis needs to be addressed in some cases. The role of arsenic agent in correcting coagulation disorder remains to be studied, but oral arsenic agent shows potential advantages in coagulation recovery compared with intravenous agent, and chemotherapy can aggravate the progress of coagulation disease. In addition to early application of ATRA, avoiding invasive procedures and transfusion support can reduce the risk of bleeding. Whether the administration of heparin, thrombomodulin, recombinant factor VIIa or antifibrinolytics reduces the risk of bleeding and thrombosis associated with APL remains to be further explored, and their routine use outside of clinical trials is not recommended. This article reviews the effects of related drugs on coagulation-anticoagulation balance in APL patients.
A Suggested Link Between Antithrombin Dose and Rate of Recovery from Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation in Patients with Severe Organ Failure
Authors: Kuroda Hiromitsu , Tatsumi Hiroomi , Sonoda Tomoko , Masuda Yoshiki
Published: February 2022

Introduction

The efficacy of antithrombin (AT) supplementation against septic disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) may depend on various pre-existing factors, particularly the AT dose and multiple organ dysfunction severity. This study aimed to identify the impactful factors for early DIC recovery.

Methods

Patients’ clinical records, including AT therapy and septic DIC data, were retrospectively extracted from January 2015 to December 2020. The patients were divided into those with early DIC recovery (n = 34) and those without (n = 37). Multivariate logistic regression analysis determined significant independent factors. Time-to-event analysis confirmed how these factors affected the DIC recovery time.

Results

The AT dose per patient body weight (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 2.879 [1.031-8.042], P = 0.044) and pre-existing organ dysfunction severity (0.333 [0.120-0.920], P = 0.034) were significant independent factors affecting early DIC recovery. A higher AT dose significantly shortened the DIC recovery time among patients with severe organ dysfunction ( P < 0.01), but not among non-severe patients ( P = 0.855).

Conclusion

The therapeutic efficacy of AT treatment for septic DIC might depend on the severity of pre-existing organ failure and the AT dose per patient body weight.
Missing Stories: Women with Physical Disabilities' Navigation and Responses to Domestic and Family Violence
Authors: Jordan Karen
Published: February 2022

There is significant global evidence that highlights both the high rates of domestic and family violence (DFV) for women with disabilities and the challenges they can face when navigating and responding to DFV. The purpose of this study was to understand women with physical disabilities’ experiences of help-seeking when they did not access generalist DFV services. Presented are the participants’ lived experiences of navigating and responding to DFV. Key findings include how participants resisted ableism, challenged assumptions about passivity, and the impacts of this resistance on their navigation of DFV.
Macular optical coherence tomography for screening of pathology prior to cataract surgery: An approach based on tele-evaluation
Authors: Herranz-Cabarcos A. , Vega-López Z. , Salas-Fandos O. , Quiroz-Quiroga MJ , Burgos-Fernández P. , Martí-Rodrigo P. , Castilla-Marti M. , Poposki V. , Martínez-Palmer AR.
Published: February 2022

Background

To assess the benefit of macular spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) as a part of the routinary preoperative study of patients undergoing cataract surgery.

Methods

A prospective single-center study study was performed. Consecutive patients with normal biomicroscopic funduscopy, moderate cataract and no history of ophthalmological pathologies were enrolled. All patients underwent macular SD-OCT. The obtained images were analysed by a general ophthalmologist and two retina specialists. Incidence of macular pathology and its relation to age and comorbidities were assessed.

Results

Eight-hundred and thirty-six eyes of 419 patients were enrolled in this study. All images were analysed telematically by a general ophthalmologist. Forty-nine eyes were excluded due to insufficient quality of the obtained images. Abnormal images were observed in 156 eyes (18.6%), including age-related macular degeneration in 68 (8.2%), epiretinal membrane (ERM) in 67 (8.0%), cystoid macular edema in 3 eyes (0.4%), among others. Diagnostics with severe impact on patient visual prognosis were observed in 16 eyes (3.82%) from 12 patients. The relationship between incidence of macular pathologies and age or comorbidities was not statistically significant. To assess accuracy of the first observer, images were subsequently analysed by two retinologists. The kappa index of concordance was 0.80 and 0.85.

Conclusions

Implementing a systematic macular SD-OCT as a preoperative test prior to cataract surgery would improve quality of postoperative visual prognosis information. A general ophthalmologist would be suitable to screen for pathology through macular OCT images.
Jejunoileal Atresia in a Newborn: Our Experience From Northern Tanzania and Literature Review
Authors: Goodluck Gregory , Gnanamuttupulle Marianne , Sadiq Adnan , Msuya David , Chugulu Samwel , Lodhia Jay
Published: February 2022

Jenunoileal atresia is a congenital defect that causes small bowel obstruction in newborns. They are classified into 5 types and simple abdominal x-ray can aid in the diagnosis and with prompt resuscitation and surgery provides positive outcome. We present a 5-day-old newborn male baby was presented with features of intestinal obstruction since birth. Diagnosis of atresia of the small bowel was made through plain abdominal x-ray and was successfully operated. During the recovery, the baby developed surgical site infection which was managed promptly.
Professional identity reconstruction: Attempts to match people with new role expectations and environmental demands
Authors: Obling Anne Roelsgaard
Published: February 2022

Organizations increasingly find themselves in circumstances that generate a need for creating novel identities to deal with novel situations. Through a qualitative study of a professional education programme for military career officers, I explore the reconstruction of professional identities in light of what is perceived as a complex, demanding and changing environment. I found that the programme promoted images and worldviews of an ideal and desired professional identity, which did not match the role transitions and expectations to be enacted by the participants. In addition, the findings show how cultural and organizational dynamics constrained processes of identity reconstruction in the learning context. Implications of the study (e.g. how to theorize and learn from attempts to match people with new role expectations and environmental demands) are discussed. By building bridges across socialization theory, identity work and research on identities in context, and hereby integrating micro- and macro perspectives on professional identity reconstruction, existing theory is elaborated. The article concludes by pointing to the analytical value of exploring how professionals in later stages of their careers struggle to adopt timely and relevant identities and how we better understand the challenges stemming from this identity reconstruction work.
Masculinity, embodiment and identity-work: How do organisational members use their bodies as identity resources to (re) accomplish hegemonic masculinity?
Authors: Giazitzoglu Andreas
Published: February 2022

This article focuses on a rugby organisation, in which a distinct configuration of hyper-masculinity exists as the hegemonic one. Using three storified accounts that emerged during ethnographic research, empirics show that when a player’s body fails to align him with hegemonic masculine ideals, he encounters an identity-threat and a separation from the organisational collective. In turn, a player participates in embodied remedial identity-work processes, to (re)accomplish hegemonic masculinity and (re)integrate with the organisational collective, using his body as an identity-resource to counter the identity-threat. Empirics reveals the extent to which the body underpins expressions of hegemonic masculinity, and how important the body is as a site that is used to symbolically maintain a viable organisational identity. Ontologically, it is emphasised that men whose bodies appear to fit normative organisational ideals do not necessarily encounter the embodied aspects of their organisational experiences unproblematically; rather, their bodies – like those of less normative actors – are vulnerable to identity threats and a source of exclusion. This encourages scholars to think about the relationship between embodiment, gender, hegemony and integration in organisational settings in more nuanced ways.
Histopathological factors versus margin size in single colorectal liver metastases: Does a 1-cm margin size matter?
Authors: Fonseca Gilton M. , de Mello Evandro S. , Faraj Sheila F. , Kruger Jaime A.P. , Jeismann Vagner B. , Coelho Fabricio F. , Alves Venancio A.F. , Herman Paulo
Published: February 2022

Background and objective:

The ideal margin width for surgical resection of colorectal liver metastases has been extensively studied, but not sufficiently in accordance with other pathological factors. The aim of this study was to assess for the first time the prognostic impact of margin widths according to different prognostic pathological factors in colorectal liver metastasis.

Methods:

We evaluated 101 patients with a single resected metastasis. Slides stained by HE were assessed for the presence of poorly differentiated clusters, peritumoral inflammatory infiltrate, tumor pseudocapsule, and tumor borders pattern. Overall survival, disease-free survival, and hepatic recurrence were evaluated. The pathologic factors prognostic impact was evaluated according to a (< or ⩾) 10-mm margin size.

Results:

Factors independently associated with a shorter overall survival were absence of tumor pseudocapsule ( p < 0.001) and infiltrative tumor border pattern ( p = 0.019). The absence of tumor pseudocapsule was the only factor independently associated with shorter disease-free survival ( p < 0.001). Hepatic recurrence was associated with infiltrative tumor border and absence of pseudocapsule. Margin width ⩾10 mm did not impact overall survival independently of the studied histological prognostic factors.

Conclusions:

In colorectal liver metastasis resection, the absence of tumor pseudocapsule was significantly associated with shorter overall survival and disease-free survival and hepatic recurrence. However, margins larger than 10 mm did not offer survival benefit when other pathologic negative prognostic factors were concomitantly analyzed, reinforcing the idea that biology, rather than margin size, is crucial for prognosis.
Renouncing criminal citizens: Patterns of denationalization and citizenship theory
Authors: Tripkovic Milena
Published: February 2022

This article examines the underlying aims of denationalization of criminal offenders by framing the discussion within citizenship theory. It argues that such citizenship revocation policies exclude individuals who are perceived as non-ideal citizens under a complex vision of citizenship that combines communitarian and liberal undertones, which has significant consequences for detecting those with weak claims to membership. To develop this argument, the article advances in the following way. I first argue that the ‘protective’ function of citizenship, which has so far shielded domestic offenders from expulsion, has been eroding due to increasing reliance on denationalization. I then show, by employing an original study of European policies, that the ‘protective’ function of citizenship is eroding not only in general terms, but that it furthermore targets citizens of a particular profile that is continuously changing. Finally, I argue that recent revocation policies that are premised on security concerns, promote a complex vision of citizenship that combines elements of communitarian and liberal conceptions of belonging and works to exclude citizens of foreign descent who, at the same time, repudiate liberal values. Consequently, the status of the criminal rather than non-citizen, gains prominence in determining those at risk of exclusion from the polity.
A novel ultrasonic-assisted staking process for mechanical fasteners
Authors: Jäckisch M , Merklein M
Published: February 2022

Increasing material variety in car body engineering causes new challenges regarding the joining processes and therefore, leads to an enhanced usage of mechanical joining technologies. Mechanical fasteners, as self-piercing nuts, can be staked cost-efficiently without a pre-punching operation to create detachable joints. Nevertheless, elevated workpiece strengths lead to high forming forces and a limited application range.

One promising approach to reduce tool and workpiece loads in forming operations is superimposing a high-frequency oscillation to the tool movement. The so-called ultrasonic assistance enables an immediate and considerable reduction of the material's flow stress. This beneficial softening effect has been confirmed for several materials and processes. Since the process management and monitoring are highly affected by the frequency-dependent dynamic behavior of the whole test setup, the application of ultrasonic assistance is already challenging for basic forming operations. Hence, only a few studies have been investigating ultrasonic-assisted joining processes. In particular, joining processes with auxiliary elements have been hardly considered. Within the scope of this work, a novel ultrasonic-assisted staking process for mechanical fasteners is proposed. Therefore, the punch movement for the installation of a self-piercing nut into an aluminum sheet is superimposed with a 20 kHz oscillation of 10 µm, 15 µm, and 20 µm amplitude. Ultrasonic assistance in the initial staking phase, characterized by moderate loads, causes irregular tool–specimen contact. Since the effect is promoted by increasing amplitudes, a correlation with the elastic tool deflection is presumed. Additionally, the transferability of the ultrasonic-based force reduction to mechanical joining with auxiliary element is confirmed and a beneficial influence on the joint formation is identified. Thus, ultrasonic assistance is proven as a promising approach for the extension of existing process limits.
Lonely methods and other tough places: recuperating anti-racism from white investments
Authors: Charania Gulzar R.
Published: February 2022

This article wrestles with how white domination is reproduced in research methods, questions and priorities in the neoliberal university. Reflecting on the stuck and lonely places in my doctoral project, I consider the challenges of doing research on racism in institutions largely hostile to such inquiries. I also trace the pivotal insights that helped me to get unstuck and less lonely. This involved refusing to allow white audiences and white investments to determine the direction and priorities of anti-racist scholarship. The academy constantly returns us to the authority of these gatekeepers and this needs to be displaced and replaced with forms of accountability that do not consolidate white authority about matters pertaining to racism. The question of how to engage responsibly with the harm of racial violence became a central one as the concerns, priorities and desires of Black and racialised women rerouted questions of audience and accountability in this research project. Instead of being faithful to academic forms and conventions, I follow the insights of Black, Indigenous and women of colour feminisms to argue for a practice of careful and ethical engagement with one another.
Billy-Ray Belcourt's loneliness as the affective life of settler colonialism
Authors: Cvetkovich Ann
Published: February 2022

This article explores loneliness as the affective life of settler colonialism through the work of queer Indigenous (Driftpile Cree) writer Billy-Ray Belcourt's two volumes of poetry This Wound Is a World and NDN Coping Mechanisms. In particular, the article focuses on how Belcourt draws on queer affect theory and critical race theory in the work of scholars such as Jose Muñoz, Leo Bersani, Lauren Berlant, Ann Cvetkovich, Saidiya Hartman and Christina Sharpe – as he explores the relation between sex and death, and between cruising cultures and the ongoing genocide of Indigenous peoples. It argues that Belcourt's innovative fusion of poetry and theory provides new genres for racialised understandings of loneliness and other structures of feeling.
Loneliness is a feminist issue
Authors: Wilkinson Eleanor
Published: February 2022

Loneliness is often described as a deadly epidemic sweeping across the population, a silent killer. Loneliness, we are told, is a social disease that must be cured. But what does it mean to think of loneliness as a feminist issue, and what might a specifically feminist theorisation bring to conceptualisations of loneliness? In this paper, I argue that feminism helps us see that loneliness is not just personal but political. I trace how stories of loneliness surface, circulate, shift and compound within the specificity of the present, centring on recent strategies proposed by the UK government in their ‘national mission to end loneliness’. I outline how this policy discourse upholds certain normative attachments as having the promise to alleviate loneliness: coupled love, the family, community. Such framings serve to depoliticise contemporary conditions of loneliness, positioning loneliness as a personal failure, with the cure for loneliness as the responsibility of individuals and communities. Absent in government depictions of the problem of loneliness are the wider mechanisms that condemn people to lonely lives, when infrastructures fail, when people find themselves violently cut off from the world. Finally, I speculate on what might happen if we were to challenge this framing of loneliness as always and only a problem in need of a cure. I seek to uncover some of the political potentials of loneliness, asking what can be learnt through reflecting upon shared experiences of loneliness? For, as feminist politics has shown us, feelings of disaffection and alienation can help us imagine other worlds.
Journalism with the voice of authority: The emergence of interpretive reporting at The NEW YORK Times, 1919–1931
Authors: Stoker Kevin L
Published: February 2022

Abstract

In 1930, New York Times Washington correspondent Richard V. Oulahan described his coverage of government activities and affairs as interpretive reporting. Journalism historians have linked the rise of interpretive reporting to the use of bylines, globalism, syndicated columns, and specialized journalism education. The dean of the Washington press corps, Oulahan earned his first bylined story in 1918 for coverage of the Paris Peace Conference. After that time, he began receiving bylines for his coverage of government, politics, and international affairs. Thus, Oulahan’s bylined reporting offers an access point for studying the post-World War I rise of interpretive reporting at The New York Times. The study examines the concept of interpretive reporting and then focuses on The New York Times, particularly the influence of Oulahan, Lester Markel, and Arthur Sulzberger. The study shows a direct link between Oulahan’s authoritative voice and the editorial innovations pioneered by Sunday Times editor Markel, one of the foremost advocates of interpretive reporting. Next, the study reveals additional factors, including foreign correspondence and good old competition, that led to the emergence of interpretive reporting at The New York Times.
My face turned red, but it led me … nowhere. Notes on epistemically pointless embarrassment in ethnographic practice
Authors: Wästerfors David
Published: February 2022

The personal character of ethnography makes it meaningful to pay attention to emotions during fieldwork, not the least of which is awkwardness or embarrassment. To make a fool of oneself or to commit a faux pas in the field belongs to the palette of the ethnographic experience, and is often defined as helpful for obtaining new knowledge about the setting. But whereas many ethnographers emphasize the didactic quality of shameful mistakes, this article takes a closer look at instances which proved to be epistemically pointless. By analysing five different instances of embarrassment during fieldwork, the author argues that not all situations in which ethnographers do the ‘wrong’ thing lead somewhere. Embarrassment may present itself in more prosaic manners, stemming from the ethnographer being relatively uninformed, incompetent or out of place, and they need not enrich field knowledge. Attending to such instances may help us further understand and discuss the conditions of ethnographic practice.
Relations and locations: New topological spatio-temporalities in education
Authors: Lingard Bob
Published: February 2022

This paper provides an account of the topological and its description of contemporary culture and use as a research methodology, a topological lens, generally, and in education research specifically. Some commentary is proffered on the relationships between the topological and the topographical, between relations and locations. A critical account is then provided on each of the papers in the special issue on the topological in education research and the specific contributions of each. The editors of the special issue make the important point that the topological is a spatio-temporal phenomenon, not just a spatial one. The topological does not exist in time and space, but rather constructs both and they change in a conjoint manner. As such, a topological lens rejects a construction of space as static and of time (and the temporal) as simply linear and chronological. The topological has been facilitated and articulated by and through practices of commensuration, datafication and digitalisation, flows and scapes, global connectivities and new relations, mobilities of various kinds and multiple networks. The paper argues that much greater emphasis has been given to the spatial in topological research; that is, there has been some neglect of the temporal in the spatio-temporal character of topologies.
Examining key challenges in the programmes of adult community learning centres in KwaZulu-Natal
Authors: Akintolu Morakinyo , Uleanya Chinaza , Letseka Moeketsi
Published: February 2022

Education is a major tool for development and equalizer. This somewhat accounts for the quest for education, at various levels, including adults who were unable to attain an education degree earlier in life. Thus, Adult Education and Training (AET) programmes are established in different community centres to promote adult literacy in different parts of the world inclusive of South Africa. However, many AET community centres tend not to be achieving the aim for their establishment due to various challenges. Hence, this study examined the challenges that are facing adult community learning centres using KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa following that it has one of the highest rates of illiteracy that causes unemployment and poverty. Social Cognitive Theory was employed for theoretical framework. Qualitative method was adopted for the study; hence, face-to-face interviews were conducted for nine purposively selected centre managers from both rural and urban KwaZulu-Natal. The collected data was coded and thematically analysed. The findings show that adult learners, facilitators and government factors inhibit the community learning centres progress. Meanwhile, centre managers strive to support adult community learning by involving different stakeholders in adult education and prioritize same. The study recommends amongst others the adoption of systemic approach where visions of AET are clearly stated to all stakeholders such as learners, facilitators, and the government.
Distal Endarterectomy Combined With Endovascular Proximal Treatment: The Hybrid DEEP Retrograde Technique for High-Complexity Infrainguinal Disease
Authors: García Domínguez Luis J , Ramos Moreno Irene , Martinez López Rafael , Ribé Bernal Lucas , Hernández Sanfelix Ana , Miralles Hernández Manuel
Published: February 2022

Purpose: We present a hybrid technique for the treatment of chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) due to complex, multilevel infrainguinal disease. It consists of an open distal endarterectomy combined with endovascular proximal treatment (the DEEP technique). Materials and Methods: This was a prospective cohort study. Thirty-three limbs (30 patients) were treated. Main inclusion criteria were absence of significant disease in femoral bifurcation associated with a complex infrainguinal pattern. This approach was specially considered in absence of suitable vein for bypass, obesity, hostile groin, and overall high surgical risk. Results: Mean age was 72.8 ± 10 years (ranging 50–93). Most cases presented with severe limb threatening onset (90.9% Rutherford >4 and 81.8% WIfi >3) due to high-complexity infrainguinal disease pattern (Global Limb Anatomic Staging System [GLASS] stage III) in 31/33 (93.9%), chronic total occlusions (CTOs) in 24/33 (72.7%), and severe calcification (Peripheral Arterial Calcium Scoring System [PACSS] grade 4) in 22/33 (66.6%). Mean lesion length was 228.2 mm ± 83 (ranging 40–340 mm). In all procedures, a covered-stent (25 cm length Viabahn) was implanted in a retrograde fashion as the endovascular component. Effective revascularization was achieved in all cases, showing significant clinical and hemodynamic improvement (median pre- and postprocedure ankle-brachial index [ABI]: 0.3 and 0.9, respectively). Results at 12 months follow-up were as follows: 93.9% limb salvage ratio, 75.7% primary patency, 84.6% assisted primary patency, and 90.9% secondary patency. Major adverse limb events (MALE) and cardiovascular events (MACE) occurred in 8/33 (24.2%) and 2/33 (6%), respectively. Mean length of postoperative stay was 7.5 ± 6.92 days (3–27). Conclusion: This less invasive hybrid technique has promising short-term results for limb salvage and it is worth to be included in vascular armamentarium for CLTI revascularization in selected patients.
A Study on Pressure Ulcer: Influencing Factors and Diagnostic Techniques
Authors: Nancy G. Annie , Kalpana R. , Nandhini S.
Published: February 2022

Pressure ulcer (PU) is one of the most common occurrences in bedridden subjects. Despite the standard of care, there is a huge challenge in monitoring immobile subjects in all the bodily pressure points. This increases the chance of onset of PU which in turn increases the expenditure for treating and managing the PU. Hence, we made a study on the biological and physiological factors that are responsible for the formation of PU and also on various techniques used for diagnosis. Thus, we have summarised the efficacy of various advanced diagnostic procedures with their limitations. Though there are advanced imaging techniques, risk assessment tools based on the visual inspection are widely followed in hospitals. Based on our observation, we here have identified three major areas; one being the development of mathematical modeling, the second is towards the development of non-invasive devices and finally to automate cot facility. We have also provided possible suggestions as to solutions that could be useful to researchers and for society. Thus, this review covers the present difficulty faced by bedridden subjects and respective care-takers along with the knowledge gap and a few suggestions as to future scope.
From “Citizen Jane” to an Institutional History of Power and Social Change: Problematizing Urban Planning’s Jane Jacobs Historiography
Authors: Norgaard Stefan
Published: February 2022

Conventional wisdom frames scholar and activist Jane Jacobs as a skeptical housewife, heterodox/dissident critic, or common-sense neighborhood resident. Yet a comprehensive archival review of Jacobs’ professional engagement with philanthropy and urban-development organizations reveals instead an activist scholar-leader in a larger, well-funded movement that must be understood in its time and place. Institutional partnerships shaped and informed Jacobs’ most noted projects, and her counsel, in turn, shaped urban-development grantmaking. An historical assessment of Jacobs’ ideas, and of social change more broadly, should examine not just individuals, but also supporters, organizations, and paradigms.
Is There a Role for the Vascular Laboratory in Supporting Home-Based Vascular Rehabilitation Programs?
Authors: Sapru Abharika , Sommerset Jill , Karmy-Jones Riyad
Published: February 2022

A pilot study assessing the efficacy of a nonsupervised exercise program for intermittent claudication is described, and case descriptions of 4 patients are presented. The ankle/brachial index (ABI) has long been the standard for evaluating lower limb perfusion; however, the ABI is not reliable with noncompressible arteries. Pedal acceleration time (PAT), a novel technique that quantifies perfusion using duplex ultrasound by measuring the acceleration time of the arterial waveform, has been found to be more reliable. When considering only ABI, nonsupervised exercise is not sufficient management of claudication in peripheral arterial disease (PAD), but PAT may be more sensitive to changes in collateral blood flow developed by exercise. We initiated a pre-post study from a single institution over 6 weeks that included a walking program for patients with claudication with modified resistance band exercises for amputees. Changes in symptoms, smoking, and the perfusion markers of resting ABI and anterior pedal and posterior pedal PAT were monitored. Of the 4 patients described, 3 noted symptomatic improvement with categorical improvement in PAT. Compliant patients do report success with at-home exercise regimens. Patients who are unsuccessful may benefit from supervised vascular rehabilitation. PAT, in comparison with ABI, may offer a better approach to monitor this progression and offer a stepwise approach to the management of PAD.
MEG Oscillatory Slowing in Cognitive Impairment is Associated with the Presence of Subjective Cognitive Decline
Authors: Bruña Ricardo , López-Sanz David , Maestú Fernando , Cohen Ann D. , Bagic Anto , Huppert Ted , Kim Tae , Roush Rebecca E. , Snitz Betz , Becker James T.
Published: February 2022

The mechanisms behind Alzheimer's disease are not yet fully described, and changes in the electrophysiology of patients across the continuum of the disease could help to understand them. In this work, we study the power spectral distribution of a set of 129 individuals from the Connectomics of Brian Aging and Dementia project.

From this sample, we acquired task-free data, with eyes closed, and estimated the power spectral distribution in source space. We compared the spectral profiles of three groups of individuals: 70 healthy controls, 27 patients with amnestic MCI, and 32 individuals showing cognitive impairment without subjective complaints (IWOC).

The results showed a slowing of the brain activity in the aMCI patients, when compared to both the healthy controls and the IWOC individuals. These differences appeared both as a decrease in power for high frequency oscillations and an increase in power in alpha oscillations. The slowing of the spectrum was significant mainly in parietal and medial frontal areas.

We were able to validate the slowing of the brain activity in individuals with aMCI, appearing in our sample in areas related to the default mode network. However, this pattern did not appear in the IWOC individuals, suggesting that their condition is not part of the AD continuum. This work raises interesting questions about this group of individuals, and the underlying brain mechanisms behind their cognitive impairment.
Factors Affecting Depression in Middle-Aged and Elderly Men Living Alone: A Cross-Sectional Path Analysis Model
Authors: Choi Hye-Seung , Lee Jong-Eun
Published: February 2022

The main objectives of this cross-sectional study were to determine the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and depression and to estimate the mediating effects of social network satisfaction, self-esteem, and perceived health status among middle-aged and elderly men living alone, based on the reserve capacity model. Secondary data from a sample of 394 middle-aged and elderly men aged 45 years or older from the 15th Korea Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS) were analyzed. A path analysis model was constructed to evaluate the relationship among SES, social network satisfaction, self-esteem, perceived health status, and depression. The path analysis exhibited significant direct effects of social network satisfaction, self-esteem, and perceived health status on depression and significant indirect effects of SES on depression. There was no direct effect of SES on depression. Social network satisfaction and self-esteem had significant mediating effects of SES on depression. Among middle-aged and elderly men, intrapersonal reserves, which are psychosocial factors including social network satisfaction, self-esteem, and perceived health status, showed more association with depression than tangible reserves such as SES. This suggests that interventions promoting self-esteem and perceived health status could prevent depression.
Anthropometric, Psychosocial, Physiological, and Postural Observances During Ramadan in Men With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Mekki Marwa , Paillard Thierry , Bouhlel Ezdine , Shephard Roy J. , Tabka Zouhair , Trabelsi Yassine
Published: February 2022

This study aimed to carry out a Ramadan observance (RO) on anthropometric, psychosocial, physiological, and postural characteristics of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Twenty COPD patients were evaluated. Tests performed 1 week before Ramadan (C), and during the second (R-2) and the fourth weeks of Ramadan (R-4) included standard anthropometry, spirometry, a quality of life questionnaire (VQ11), a 6-minute walking test (6MWT), measurement of maximal voluntary contraction force of the quadriceps (MVC), Timed Get Up and Go (TUG), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and Unipedal Stance (UST). During R-2, there were significant decreases in forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volumes, 6MWT distance, MVC, BBS, and UST, with significant increases in TUG and significant changes in VQ11. During R-4, there was some recovery, but all variables remained significantly different from initial control data. To conclude, RO adversely affects pulmonary function, exercise performance, postural balance, and quality of life in COPD, with some recovery by the R-4. Although a number of functional consequences remain to be elucidated, functional losses were insufficient to limit daily living in our sample, but further studies are recommended in those with more severe COPD, paying particular attention to postural disturbances and a possible increase in the risk of falls.
‘Strange multiplicity’ as a moral-political value: Potential and costs of normativity in world politics
Authors: Royer Christof
Published: February 2022

Recent International Relations (IR) scholarship has identified ‘societal multiplicity’ as the ontological concept that gives IR its identity as an academic discipline. My article, by contrast, addresses the question: What are the consequences, that is, the positive potential and the necessary costs, of understanding multiplicity as a moral-political value in world politics? The question is important because, in contrast to the focus on multiplicity as the ontology of IR, it allows us to develop a more radically democratic idea of multiplicity as a value in world politics. To address this question, I will bring Rosenberg’s conception of societal multiplicity into conversation with the radically democratic idea of Tully’s ‘strange multiplicity’ and draw out the consequences of such a normative turn. My argument is that while Rosenberg does not frame multiplicity as a value, Tully’s normative understanding of the concept harbours enormous potential to transform oppressive and dominating practices in world politics. However, I will also show that Tully’s general rejection of all forms of domination comes at a price that must not be underestimated. It is of crucial importance to get a clear picture of these consequences as we must decide whether or not this price is, ultimately, worth paying.
Unstable Identities: The Decline of Partisanship in Contemporary Chile
Authors: de la Cerda Nicolás
Published: February 2022

Between 1990 and 2018 Chile experienced one of Latin America’s most dramatic declines in party identification, from 80% in the early 1990s to under 20% in 2016. This decline seems puzzling given a highly institutionalized and programmatic party system, and low levels of ideological convergence. This paper argues that, to a large extent, the decrease in partisanship can be understood as a consequence of the erosion of the main political cleavage that articulated the political landscape throughout this period: the dissolution of the conflict between the supporters of the previous military regime (1973–1990) and the advocates of democracy. Because this conflict was the key driver of political identities following the dictatorship, as it faded overtime, particularly after conservative parties distanced themselves from the military regime for electoral reasons, partisans lost an important reason to feel attached to political parties. More broadly, the paper argues that unless political identities are continually reinforced by political actors, they are unlikely to remain stable sources of identification.
Chemical Constituents of the Aerial Part of Valeriana officinalis var. latifolia Miq. With COX-2 Inhibitory Activity
Authors: Ming Weikang , Zhang Zizhen , Li Yanan , Yi Ping , Wang Miaomiao , An Zhengbin , Li Fei , Gu Wei , Hao Xiaojiang , Yuan Chunmao
Published: February 2022

Twelve compounds, including a new iridoid (1) and 11 known compounds, were obtained from the aerial part of Valeriana officinalis var. latifolia Miq. Their structures were assigned by spectroscopic and mass spectrometric methods. All isolates were screened in vitro for cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitory activity. Two compounds (9 and 10) exhibited significant COX-2 inhibitory activity, with IC50 values ranging from 0.67 to 6.77 μM. The possible recognition mechanism between compound 9 and COX-2 was predicted by molecular docking analysis.
Making African Suffering Legible: Co-Constructing Narrative of the Darfur Atrocities
Authors: Wahutu j Siguru
Published: February 2022

Although the last two decades have seen a concerted effort to understand the role and place of African journalism in covering events on the continent, there has been little focus on who journalists chose to quote as sources in their stories. This despite scholarship on sources being vital to our understanding of how journalists gain the “raw materials” to produce stories about events. Thus, while scholarship has begun taking Africa's coverage of itself seriously, there has been a slower uptick in focusing on whom African journalists give voice to as co-constructors of events. This silence is even more perplexing, considering that scholars and observers have been critical of who is quoted as a source when the global north covers events unfolding in Africa. This paper shows that African suffering was made legible for African audiences through a combination of American, English, and Sudanese voices. Specifically, it finds that African journalists are –counterintuitively - vital players in silencing some African voices in their construction of knowledge about the atrocities in Darfur. Despite the criticism leveled at journalism fields in the global north over their perceived silencing of African voices, African journalists are similarly engaged in this silencing as well.
Ideology Matters: The Influence of Competing Message Framings on Public Attitudes toward Humanitarian Interventions
Authors: Ji Qihao , Pupcenoks Juris
Published: February 2022

This study assessed the effects of different message framing strategies on average Americans’ attitude towards interventions in humanitarian crises abroad. Two survey experiments were conducted via Qualtrics between late 2019 and early 2020, where participants were randomly assigned to read a mock news story about a foreign humanitarian crisis written using one of the three framing techniques. Results of both studies indicated that the framing effect on respondents’ support for intervention interacted with ones’ political ideology and prompted distinctive reactions among different populations. Most intriguingly, the results of Study 2, which employed a non-student sample and a secondary frame, suggested that the specific order of message framings also influences public opinion towards humanitarian intervention. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on the persuasiveness of message design and framing in the context of military humanitarian interventions (MHI). Accordingly, news organizations and policymakers are encouraged to consider these findings in specific contexts.