bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimating the oscillation frequency of a payload mass on quadcopter in non-autonomous flight
Authors: Geronel Renan S , Dowell Earl H , Bueno Douglas D
Published: November 2021

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been employed in several engineering applications, such as aerial photography, environmental surveillance, delivery tasks, and others. Most of these applications have attracted increasing attention due to their ability to carry different payloads, which can change the dynamic of flight. The present article investigates the dynamics of a quadcopter with a payload mass including the stiffness of the attachment to the aerial vehicle. An approach to obtain non-dimensional equations of motion is introduced, and as a consequence, it is possible to determine the frequency of vibration of the payload mass during the flight. The results are presented for non-autonomous flight, and they establish a simple equation to estimate the oscillation frequency depending on the relation between the quadcopter and the payload masses, also considering the stiffness of attachment, without requiring a solution to the equation of motion in the time domain.
Effects of short-wave ultraviolet light, ultrasonic and microwave treatments on banana puree during refrigerated storage
Authors: Franco Rodrigo Rubén , Ojeda Gonzalo Adrián , Rompato Karina Mariela , Sgroppo Sonia Cecilia
Published: November 2021

Enzymatic browning is a major problem in minimally processed banana puree; it reduces consumer's acceptability and affects nutritional quality. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects ultrasound (40 kHz/10 min), microwave (800 W/ 25 s) and UV-C radiation (1.97 kJ/m2) applied to banana puree. Colour parameters (L*, a*, b*, chroma and hue), browning index (BI), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities, total phenolic compounds (TPC), antioxidant capacity (AOC) and microbiological counts were monitored throughout storage at 4 °C. Ultrasound (US) and microwave (MW) treatments achieved a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in PPO activity and BI; moreover, ultrasound effectively retained phenolic compounds content (75% of initial value). The AOC was in coincidence with TPC values. POD activity was partially inhibited by UV-C while MW and US increase its activity. Although UV-C treatment was not effective to control browning development, it was effective to maintain microbiological stability after 20 days of storage (1.48 ± 0.01 log CFU/g). The evaluated treatments have the advantage of being less aggressive than conventional thermal treatments while maintaining fresh characteristics of the product.
Regenerative Organizations: Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Muñoz Pablo , Branzei Oana
Published: November 2021

This special issue presents six articles and two invited editorials that explore the antecedents, mechanisms, and consequences of regenerative organizing. Together, they draw on a range of disciplines from both organizational and environmental sciences to discover, theorize, and illustrate life-giving intersections between humans and natural ecosystems in Anthropocene. This introduction provides an overview of the reasons for, and especially the possibilities of, regenerative organizing as we stress the limits of planetary boundaries in a post-climate change world.
Intravitreal bevacizumab treatment for exudative choroidal neovascularisation in best vitelliform macular dystrophy
Authors: Jarc-Vidmar Martina , Sega Rok , Jaki-Mekjavic Polona
Published: November 2021

Purpose

To describe results of intravitreal bevacizumab treatment of the secondary choroidal neovascularisation in Best vitelliform macular dystrophy in an adult and paediatric patient, and present the management of three asymptomatic patients with confirmed BEST1 gene mutation.

Case series description

Five patients from the same family with the Best vitelliform macular dystrophy are presented. In two patients (aged 63 and 4 years) secondary choroidal neovascularisation caused a rapid decline in visual acuity. In the adult patient with advanced Best vitelliform macular dystrophy, visual acuity did not improve despite eight intravitreal bevacizumab injections to the right eye. The formation of a central scar and rapid reoccurrence of choroidal neovascularisation three months after completing the initial treatment affected the outcome. As for the paediatric patient with bilateral choroidal neovascularisation in the vitelliform stage of Best vitelliform macular dystrophy, a complete recovery of visual acuity was observed after two (left eye) and three (right eye) bevacizumab injections, with adjunctive amblyopia treatment. The other three patients with an abnormal electrooculogram reported no visual problems during more than 10 years of follow-up. Minimal changes were seen on optical coherence tomography in the youngest patient.

Conclusions

Intravitreal bevacizumab seems to be an effective treatment for exudative choroidal neovascularisation in the vitelliform stage of Best vitelliform macular dystrophy; however, it may not be beneficial in the advanced stages of Best vitelliform macular dystrophy. It is important to regularly screen all family members with an abnormal electrooculogram and confirmed mutation for vitelliform changes and choroidal neovascularisation from an early age. The decision for anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment should be made on a case-to-case basis as complications may arise.
Femtosecond laser-assisted deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty: A safer option in keratoconus surgery
Authors: Monterosso Cristina , Antonini Marco , Di Zazzo Antonio , Gaudenzi Daniele , Caretti Luigi , Coassin Marco , Rapizzi Emilio
Published: November 2021

Purpose

To evaluate postoperative safety of femtosecond laser deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty performed with an innovative anvil profile in keratoconus patients.

Methods

This is a single-center, retrospective cohort study. We reviewed medical records of 89 keratoconus patients that underwent femtosecond laser deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty surgery (46 eyes) and manual deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (47 eyes). Inclusion criteria required: age > 18 years old, best-corrected visual acuity < 0.3 LogMAR, continuous suture of the graft, postoperative immunomodulant regimen with dexamethasone 0.1% for 6 months and at least 12 months follow-up. Previous eye surgery, hydrops, and other ocular disease were excluded. The main outcome measures were postoperative events: rejections, persistent epithelial defects, and graft failures.

Results

During the follow-up (20 ± 6 months) graft rejection was diagnosed in 0 of femtosecond laser deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty versus 6 (17%) of manual deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty [ p 0.027], persistent epithelial defect in 0 of femtosecond laser deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty versus in 4 (11%) of manual deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty [ p 0.048] and graft failure occurred in 4 (11%) of manual deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty. The best-corrected visual acuity, after removal of sutures, was better in the femtosecond laser deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty group 0.09 ± 0.08 LogMAR versus 0.16 ± 0.13 LogMAR in manual deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty [ p 0.035] group although refractive spherical equivalent and cylinder, topographic average keratometry and cylinder were similar.

Conclusions

Anvil-shaped femtosecond laser deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty in keratoconus surgery increases safety and readiness of recovery, decreasing the incidence of corneal rejection, epithelial defects, graft failures, and producing better best-corrected visual acuity after removal of sutures.
Correlation of response to intravitreal bevacizumab treatment between the first and second treated eyes in diabetic macular edema
Authors: Levinger Nadav , Tiosano Liran , Assayag Elishai , Lender Rivkah , Batash Tomer , Levy Jaime , Chowers Itay
Published: November 2021

Purpose

To evaluate whether outcome of bevacizumab treatment in the first treated eye can guide the selection of compound for the second treated eye in patients with bilateral diabetic macular edema.

Methods

Demographic, clinical, and optical coherence tomography data were retrospectively collected from consecutive patients who underwent bevacizumab therapy for bilateral diabetic macular edema. Change in central subfield thickness and visual acuity were evaluated and compared between the first treated eye and second treated eye.

Results

A total of 66 eyes of 33 patients were included in the study. The mean ± SD follow-up time was 13 ± 5 months. The mean ± SD central subfield thickness at baseline was 464 ± 30 μm in the first treated eye and 461 ± 29 μm in the second treated eye ( p = 0.91). Final central subfield thickness was reduced to 392 ± 27 μm in the first treated eye ( p = 0.01 compared with baseline) and 416 ± 25 μm in the second treated eye ( p = 0.03 compared with baseline). Using ≥5% or ≥10% reduction of central subfield thickness as diagnostic criteria to predict similar magnitude of thickness reduction in the first treated eye yielded a positive and negative predictive value ranging from 46% to 81%, and sensitivity and specificity ranging from 54% to 84%. Regression models did not show correlation between central subfield thickness reduction in first treated eye and the second treated eye at the end of follow-up.

Conclusions

Bevacizumab therapy reduced macular thickness in both eyes in bilateral diabetic macular edema. Treatment outcome of the first treated eye could not predict the outcome of the second treated eye. Particularly, failure to reduce central subfield thickness in the first treated eye does not preclude a favorable response to bevacizumab therapy in the second eye.
Understanding digital disconnection beyond media studies
Authors: Moe Hallvard , Madsen Ole Jacob
Published: November 2021

Digital disconnection or ‘digital detox’ has become a key reference point for media scholars interested in how media technology increasingly gains influence on our everyday lives. Digital disconnection from intrusive media is often intertwined with other types of human conduct, which is less highlighted. There is a potential for media scholars to engage with what seems to be a mainstreaming of digital disconnection from self-help literature via mobile applications to media activism and public debate. In this article, we therefore aim to examine digital disconnection beyond media studies by distilling five common positions: disconnection as health, concentration, existentiality, freedom and sustainability. An underlying theme in all five positions appears to be the notion of responsibilisation, although some of the positions attempt to portray disconnection as a way to ultimately resist such responsibilisation. The article thus aims to spur media scholars to treat digital disconnection as part of broader cultural trends.
The role of COVID-19 fears and related behaviors in understanding daily adolescent health behaviors during the pandemic
Authors: Cummings Caroline , Humiston Tori , Cohen Laura B , Lansing Amy Hughes
Published: November 2021

We examined the prospective associations of COVID-19 fears and behavior, and daily physical activity and dysregulated eating. Adolescents ( N = 31) aged 11–17 completed selected subscales of the Fear of Illness and Virus Evaluation and completed a 7-day health behavior diary. Greater fear of contamination was associated with lower daily physical activity. In contrast, greater COVID-19 precautionary behavior was associated with greater daily physical activity. COVID-19 fears and precautionary behaviors have differential associations with health promoting behavior engagement. Future studies should explore the mechanisms underlying these links to guide adaptation of health behavior interventions for this unique cohort.
Carcerality and the legacies of settler colonial punishment in Nairobi
Authors: Pfingst Annie , Kimari Wangui
Published: November 2021

From the beginning of its colonial settlement in Kenya, the British administration criminalized Kenyans. Even now, colonial modes of punishment, incarceration, closure, interrogation, curfew, confiscation, separation, displacement, and detention without trial are deeply embedded in the spatial and ideological arrangements of post-colonial Kenya. Initially assumed to herald a rupture from colonial modes of criminalization and punishment, the post-colonial period instead normalized them. Through ethnographic, scholarly, and visual encounters, the paper engages five interconnecting structures that engendered the legacy of a seamless system of control, containment, and punishment evident in the ‘afterlives’ of empire. These are settler colonialism, violence, racism, colonial corporeality, and capitalism. The paper attends to the violence and brutality that endures in the very geographies that were the urban targets of colonial siege and links the carceral practices of settler colonialism and the everyday post-colonial governance of Nairobi’s poor neighbourhoods, encounters with the debris and ruination of empire found in the material and spatial fabric of Mathare. We take up a critical encounter with colonial files to both discern the continuity and lineage of carceral practices and to disrupt the authorial totality and continuity the colonial archive files assembled. The paper includes archival and authored photographs:
Play in Asian preschools? Mapping a landscape of hindering factors
Authors: Bautista Alfredo , Yu Jimmy , Lee Kerry , Sun Jin
Published: November 2021

This article investigates the variety of factors that hinder the implementation of play (as defined by western scholars) in Asian preschools. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of policy borrowing, enactment and glocalisation, we analyse three jurisdictions that illustrate distinctive problematics: India, Mainland China and Hong Kong. The methodology involves a bibliographic review. Each jurisdiction is presented as a narrative portrait, including key sociocultural characteristics, features of early childhood education system, role of play in government policies, and teachers’ beliefs and practices pertaining to play. The findings show that the distinctive factors hindering play relate to societal mindsets in India, a lack of curriculum clarity in China, and structural factors and parental pressures in Hong Kong. Common hurdles include a high societal emphasis on academic learning, lack of information on how play should contribute to achieve curriculum outcomes, and insufficient teacher preparation. The authors show that play is neither adequately defined nor justified in some Asian policy frameworks, and argue that play might not be viable in certain preschools (especially in half-day programmes). An alternative glocal notion is proposed – child-led activities – which would be less conceptually problematic and more culturally appropriate. The study highlights the need for the glocalisation of Asian early childhood education systems.
Influence of excess silicon phase on the thermal expansion behaviours of Al-Si binary casting alloys
Authors: Ma Zhijun , Liu Mengge , Yang Wei , Yang Zhong , Guo Yongchun , Li Jianping
Published: November 2021

Al-Si casting alloys are the most commonly used materials for piston alloys. The coefficient of thermal expansion is the key property of a piston material for improving the overall performance and service life of an engine. In the present study, the relationship between the morphology of the excess silicon phase and the coefficient of thermal expansion of Al-Si binary casting alloys was discussed. Optical and scanning electron microscopy were utilized to observe the morphology of the excess silicon phase in the Al-Si binary casting alloys before and after solution aging treatment. The results showed that the morphology of the excess silicon phase significantly influenced the coefficient of thermal expansion of the Al-Si binary casting alloys. After solution aging treatment, the coefficient of thermal expansion of the Al-Si binary casting alloys increased due to the rounding and granulating of the excess silicon phase precipitated during the casting process and decreased due to the precipitation of the finely dispersed Si phase in the α-Al matrix. The change in the coefficient of thermal expansion depended on which of the two kinds of morphological transformation of the excess silicon phase is dominant.
Does innovation capability improve SME performance in Malaysia? The mediating effect of technology adoption
Authors: Jalil Muhammad Farhan , Ali Azlan , Kamarulzaman Rashidah
Published: November 2021

SMEs still need innovation to boost their performance in the age of globalisation and fierce market rivalry. Previous studies have identified that innovation capability is an essential driver in manufacturing industries for their survival. Yet, the featuring role of innovation capability has been considered theoretically in developed economies whereas empirical studies in emerging economies are still lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study to examines the importance of innovation capability towards SME performance and the mediating role of technology-adoption. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the data from a sample size of 611 SMEs operating in the developing market of Malaysia. Derived hypotheses were verified through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using AMOS 21. The findings of the study indicated that innovation capability has a signiﬁcant positive impact on SME performance. Technology- adoption partially mediates the relationship between innovation capability and SME performance. SMEs are required to generate an operative innovation model to gain sustainable performance and competitive advantage in the Malaysian market.
The staff–student co-design of an online resource for pre-arrival arts and humanities students
Authors: Woods Kathryn , Homer Damien
Published: November 2021

Successful induction has been evidenced to strengthen students’ learning, engagement and feelings of belonging. Technology offers opportunities for enhancing the student induction experience, especially pre-arrival, but has been under-utilised. This article provides an evaluation of an online induction learning resource for pre-arrival students in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Warwick in 2019. There will be particular focus on the method of co-designing the resource with a group of current students. The article will demonstrate how online learning resources for pre-arrival students can support successful induction. It argues that co-designing digital student experience resources in collaboration with students aids the development of materials that students find engaging and that co-design has a range of benefits for staff and students who are involved in the process.
Playful approaches to learning as a realm for the humanities in the culture of higher education: A hermeneutical literature review
Authors: Jensen Julie Borup , Pedersen Oline , Lund Ole , Skovbjerg Helle Marie
Published: November 2021

This article presents playfulness as an emerging approach to learning in higher education that emphasises the arts and humanities across disciplines. The article is based on a qualitative, hermeneutical literature review in light of educational culture in higher education. The literature review indicates that playful approaches to learning stand in opposition to educational cultures that focus on rapidness and student performance. However, an educational culture of play is about to establish itself, and this culture of play emphasises creativity in learning and human flourishing in education, perspectives that are connected to arts and humanities. The main findings cultures of time, performance and play lead to several questions about societal, institutional, and organisational educational culture, and regarding approaches to teaching, learning, humanity and society. The main contribution of this article is that a focus on playfulness offer the field of arts and humanities new possibilities in future education.
The Implicit Association Test in Introductory Psychology Textbooks: Blind Spot for Controversy
Authors: Bartels Jared M. , Schoenrade Patricia
Published: November 2021

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) has been widely discussed as a potential measure of “implicit bias.” Yet the IAT is controversial; research suggests that it is far from clear precisely what the instrument measures, and it does not appear to be a strong predictor of behavior. The presentation of this topic in Introductory Psychology texts is important as, for many students, it is their first introduction to scientific treatment of such issues. In the present study, we examined twenty current Introductory Psychology texts in terms of their coverage of the controversy and presentation of the strengths and weaknesses of the measure. Of the 17 texts that discussed the IAT, a minority presented any of the concerns including the lack of measurement clarity (29%), an automatic preference for White people among African Americans (12%), lack of predictive validity (12%), and lack of caution about the meaning of a score (0%); most provided students with a link to the Project Implicit website (65%). Overall, 82% of the texts were rated as biased or partially biased on their coverage of the IAT. The implications for the perceptions and self-perceptions of students, particularly when a link to Project Implicit is included, are discussed.
Impaired subendocardial perfusion in patients with metabolic syndrome
Authors: Fantin Francesco , Giani Anna , Gasparini Ludovico , Rossi Andrea P , Zoico Elena , Mazzali Gloria , Zamboni Mauro
Published: November 2021

Background

Metabolic Syndrome (MS) is associated to vascular damage, increased arterial stiffness, and impaired myocardial perfusion. Subendocardial viability ratio (SEVR) is a noninvasive estimation of myocardial workload, oxygen supply, and perfusion. The aim of the study was to describe the relation between arterial stiffness, SEVR, and cardio-metabolic risk factors.

Methods

A cohort of 55 patients, aged 59.9 ± 10.8 years, was studied; 28 subjects (50.9%) had metabolic syndrome. All patients underwent a clinical evaluation and blood venous sampling, to assess glico-lipid profile. Applanation tonometry was performed, to obtain pulse wave analysis and SEVR values.

Results

In the overall study population, SEVR showed negative associations with mean (r = −0.301; p = 0.026) and systolic (borderline relation, r = −0.257; p = 0.058) arterial pressure. Metabolic syndrome patients presented lower level of SEVR ( p = 0.012), even after adjusting for age, sex, and mean arterial pressure ( p = 0.040). Subdividing the study population by the number of metabolic syndrome components, SEVR significantly decreased as the number of Metabolic Syndrome components increased ( p for trend 0.005). In a logistic backward regression analysis, both metabolic syndrome and mean arterial pressure resulted significant predictors of SEVR, accounting for 18% of variance.

Conclusion

The reduced SEVR in metabolic syndrome patients could be an important pathophysiological determinant of the increased cardiovascular risk.
To Vaccinate or Not? Decision-Making in the Time of COVID-19 Vaccines
Authors: Groenewald Candice
Published: November 2021

Decision-making has become an important component of the COVID-19 pandemic. A particular decision that we are currently presented with is whether to take up COVID-19 vaccines or not. Through the lens of autoethnography, I present my personal “vaccine decision-making” process as a social scientist who, despite having mixed emotions toward COVID-19 vaccines, made the decision to get vaccinated. Recognizing the subjective nature of my narrative, autoethnography is valuable to produce knowledge that is meaningful, evocative, and relatable to different audiences. This article thus offers valuable insights into decision-making related to COVID-19 vaccine uptake, shedding light on the importance of vaccine literacy, trust, and social responsibility in this process.
High Fidelity: Pedagogy and Postatomic Japanese Chronicle
Authors: Adams Jill Petersen
Published: November 2021

With the 75th anniversary of 1945 barely in our cultural rearview mirror, the generations who experienced World War II firsthand have ceded their stories to the generations that follow. This article focuses on the 1945 bombings of Japan, particularly the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those who experienced the bombings, known generally and collectively as hibakusha, worked to preserve accounts of their experiences in acts of transmission across generations that were intended to prompt particular kinds of praxis. Now the accounts—at least those for public consumption—are collected in a variety of memorial archives and exhibitions, available in translation and via a range of media. This article asks, How can we think about the ‘afterlives’ of these accounts, or how might we understand the body of archived testimony in a way that is available for engagement by subsequent generations at temporal, geographic, and linguistic remove? To address this question, I frame witnesses’ acts of memorial transmission as teaching acts. I argue that their lingering power is a pedagogical power, meant to lead the audience, the students, toward care, attention, and action. I argue that the “lesson” takes the form of Benjaminian chronicle and its activity is one of appeal and response prefigured by Japanese ritual actions of irei, or making amends with the dead. The form and activity of these lessons frame a memorial relationship with testimonial literature that moves beyond moment of production and transmission into an enduring and accessible space of critical pedagogy.
The Role of Leukocyte-Platelet-Rich Fibrin in Promoting Wound Healing in Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Authors: Wang Yuqi , Wang Xiaotao , Chen Rong , Gu Liuwei , Liu Desen , Ruan Siyuan , Cao Hong
Published: November 2021

To explore the effect of leukocyte-platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) on promoting wound healing in diabetic foot ulcers. A total of 42 patients with diabetic foot ulcers at our hospital from January 2017 to July 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. A control group and a PRF group were established. The two groups of patients underwent debridement. In the platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) group, autologous L-PRF was used to cover ulcer wounds. One time each week, Vaseline gauze was used to cover the ulcer wounds. In contrast, the control group was treated with the external application of mupirocin ointment and recombinant human epidermal growth factor gel (yeast). Two times each week, the sterile Vaseline gauze was covered with a bandage. Both groups were treated for 5 weeks. The wound recovery of the two groups was observed. During the early stage of treatment (first and second weeks) for diabetic foot ulcers, the wound healing rate was significantly better with L-PRF treatment than traditional treatment. For later-stage treatment (third to fifth weeks), the overall cure rate was higher with L-PRF than the traditional treatment method. L-PRF can effectively promote wound healing in diabetic foot ulcers.
Bacterial microbiota in upper respiratory tract of COVID-19 and influenza patients
Authors: Rattanaburi Somruthai , Sawaswong Vorthon , Chitcharoen Suwalak , Sivapornnukul Pavaret , Nimsamer Pattaraporn , Suntronwong Nungruthai , Puenpa Jiratchaya , Poovorawan Yong , Payungporn Sunchai
Published: November 2021

The upper respiratory tract is inhabited by diverse range of commensal microbiota which plays a role in protecting the mucosal surface from pathogens. Alterations of the bacterial community from respiratory viral infections could increase the susceptibility to secondary infections and disease severities. We compared the upper respiratory bacterial profiles among Thai patients with influenza or COVID-19 by using 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing based on MiSeq platform. The Chao1 richness was not significantly different among groups, whereas the Shannon diversity of Flu A and Flu B groups were significantly lower than Non-Flu & COVID-19 group. The beta diversity revealed that the microbial communities of influenza (Flu A and Flu B), COVID-19, and Non-Flu & COVID-19 were significantly different; however, the comparison of the community structure was similar between Flu A and Flu B groups. The bacterial classification revealed that Enterobacteriaceae was predominant in influenza patients, while Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas were significantly enriched in the COVID-19 patients. These implied that respiratory viral infections might be related to alteration of upper respiratory bacterial community and susceptibility to secondary bacterial infections. Moreover, the bacteria that observed in Non-Flu & COVID-19 patients had high abundance of Streptococcus, Prevotella, Veillonella, and Fusobacterium. This study provides the basic knowledge for further investigation of the relationship between upper respiratory microbiota and respiratory disease which might be useful for better understanding the mechanism of viral infectious diseases.
DACA Funds of Knowledge: Testimonios of Access to and Success in Higher Education
Authors: Przymus Steve Daniel , Malin Karrabi
Published: November 2021

Using testimonios, we highlight six current university Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students’ funds of knowledge, or the lived experiences and culturally developed skills, specific to being DACA recipients, that these students leveraged in the past, currently lean on now for continued success, and learn what resources are lacking at university. Sharing these students’ “DACA funds of knowledge,” of navigating public education to successfully attend institutions of higher education, provides insight into equitable educational paths for those who follow.
Borderline and Depression: A Thin EEG Line
Authors: Vukojević Jakša , Mulc Damir , Kinder Ivana , Jovičić Eda , Friganović Krešimir , Savić Aleksandar , Cifrek Mario , Vidović Domagoj
Published: November 2021

In everyday clinical practice, there is an ongoing debate about the nature of major depressive disorder (MDD) in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The underlying research does not give us a clear distinction between those 2 entities, although depression is among the most frequent comorbid diagnosis in borderline personality patients. The notion that depression can be a distinct disorder but also a symptom in other psychopathologies led our team to try and delineate those 2 entities using 146 EEG recordings and machine learning. The utilized algorithms, developed solely for this purpose, could not differentiate those 2 entities, meaning that patients suffering from MDD did not have significantly different EEG in terms of patients diagnosed with MDD and BPD respecting the given data and methods used. By increasing the data set and the spatiotemporal specificity, one could have a more sensitive diagnostic approach when using EEG recordings. To our knowledge, this is the first study that used EEG recordings and advanced machine learning techniques and further confirmed the close interrelationship between those 2 entities.
Improved trilateration for indoor localization: Neural network and centroid-based approach
Authors: Jondhale Satish R , Jondhale Amruta S , Deshpande Pallavi S , Lloret Jaime
Published: November 2021

Location awareness is the key to success to many location-based services applications such as indoor navigation, elderly tracking, emergency management, and so on. Trilateration-based localization using received signal strength measurements is widely used in wireless sensor network–based localization and tracking systems due to its simplicity and low computational cost. However, localization accuracy obtained with the trilateration technique is generally very poor because of fluctuating nature of received signal strength measurements. The reason behind such notorious behavior of received signal strength is dynamicity in target motion and surrounding environment. In addition, the significant localization error is induced during each iteration step during trilateration, which gets propagated in the next iterations. To address this problem, this article presents an improved trilateration-based architecture named Trilateration Centroid Generalized Regression Neural Network. The proposed Trilateration Centroid Generalized Regression Neural Network–based localization algorithm inherits the simplicity and efficiency of three concepts namely trilateration, centroid, and Generalized Regression Neural Network. The extensive simulation results indicate that the proposed Trilateration Centroid Generalized Regression Neural Network algorithm demonstrates superior localization performance as compared to trilateration, and Generalized Regression Neural Network algorithm.
Novel Convolutional Restricted Boltzmann Machine manifold learning inspired dynamic user clustering hybrid precoding for millimeter-wave massive multiple-input multiple-output systems
Authors: Zhou Xiaoping , Liu Haichao , Wang Bin , Zhang Qian , Wang Yang
Published: November 2021

Millimeter-wave massive multiple-input multiple-output is a key technology in 5G communication system. In particular, the hybrid precoding method has the advantages of being power efficient and less expensive than the full-digital precoding method, so it has attracted more and more attention. The effectiveness of this method in simple systems has been well verified, but its performance is still unknown due to many problems in real communication such as interference from other users and base stations, and users are constantly on the move. In this article, we propose a dynamic user clustering hybrid precoding method in the high-dimensional millimeter-wave multiple-input multiple-output system, which uses low-dimensional manifolds to avoid complicated calculations when there are many antennas. We model each user set as a novel Convolutional Restricted Boltzmann Machine manifold, and the problem is transformed into cluster-oriented multi-manifold learning. The novel Convolutional Restricted Boltzmann Machine manifold learning seeks to learn embedded low-dimensional manifolds through manifold learning in the face of user mobility in clusters. Through proper user clustering, the hybrid precoding is investigated for the sum-rate maximization problem by manifold quasi-conjugate gradient methods. This algorithm avoids the traditional method of processing high-dimensional channel parameters, achieves a high signal-to-noise ratio, and reduces computational complexity. The simulation result table shows that this method can get almost the best summation rate and higher spectral efficiency compared with the traditional method.
Seen Yet Unseen: A Case of Human Trafficking at Harris High School
Authors: Lemke Melinda , Bascug Erin , Howard Ahlea
Published: November 2021

Although anyone can become a victim, commercial exploitation and human trafficking disproportionately affect women, girls, and communities of color within the United States. Despite its prevalence, misinformation and a widespread lack of understanding on this issue create barriers to identifying and supporting trafficking victims. School staff are critically positioned to both identify and support the needs of trafficked youth. This article offers a fact-based case example of human trafficking in a small town in New York State, including one principal’s challenges and opportunities in addressing human trafficking in her school. Programming and practice frameworks that utilize trauma-informed care, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, and human rights approaches are offered as strategies for engagement with this topic.
Successful WEBectomy during embolization of temporal arteriovenous malformation-associated flow-related basilar aneurysms
Authors: Abdelrady Mohamed , Dargazanli Cyril , Derraz Imad , Cagnazzo Federico , Costalat Vincent
Published: November 2021

Objective

Intra-procedural WEB device migration is a scarcely reported complication that necessitates prompt intervention.

Case Presentation

Endovascular treatment of two broad necked flow-related aneurysms was planned aided by WEB-SL (Woven EndoBridge-single layer) devices in a 71-year-old female with known left temporal arteriovenous malformation. Inadvertent distal migration occurred while performing a control angiogram with an automated iodine injector. Immediate retrieval was successfully performed using a Solitaire stent-retriever.

Conclusion

To our knowledge, we report for the first time the successful retrieval of a distally migrated WEB using a stent-retriever device.
Human Papilloma Virus infection and cervical cancer among women who sell sex in Eastern and Southern Africa: A scoping review
Authors: Macleod Catriona Ida , Reynolds John Hunter
Published: November 2021

Objectives:

Women who sell sex have a high prevalence of human papilloma virus, which may cause cervical cancer. The objective of this review was to collate findings on prevalence, associated factors, screening, service provision and utilization of services in relation to human papilloma virus and cervical cancer among women who sell sex in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Methods:

A scoping review methodology was employed. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) empirical papers, (2) of studies conducted in Eastern and Southern Africa, (3) published in the last 10 years, and (4) addressing women who sell sex in relation to (5) human papilloma virus and cervical cancer. A thorough search of a range of databases surfaced 66 papers. Both authors applied inclusion and exclusion criteria, resulting in 14 papers being reviewed.

Results:

The reported prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus virus varied between 23.6% and 70.5%. HIV sero-positivity, other sexually transmitted infections and Epstein-Barr virus were associated with human papilloma virus and high-grade cervical lesions. High-risk human papilloma virus was associated with women who reported younger age at first intercourse, non-barrier contraceptive use, and no history of condom use. For screening, there was overall agreement between physician- and self-collected samples. Contradictory results were found for visual inspection with acetic acid. Screening services utilization was associated with provider’s recommendation, history of sexually transmitted infections, frequency of facility visit and history of vaginal examination. A diagonal programme led to an increase in screening, attributed to the targeted services.

Conclusions:

Context is important in planning cervical cancer services. There is a need for enhanced sexually transmitted infections and viral management within cervical cancer prevention. Women who sell sex should be empowered in self-collection of stored-dry specimens, especially in resource-constrained regions. Cervical cancer screening services should be honed to the needs of women who sell sex.
Cultural Sociology and the Politics of Canonization: An Anglo-Canadian Perspective
Authors: de Laat Kim , Stokes Allyson
Published: November 2021

This article offers a regional spotlight introduction to Anglo-Canadian cultural sociology. The question of what makes Canada unique has long preoccupied Canadian writers, artists, and policy makers, and is central to scholarly debates about Canadian sociology’s position relative to British, American, and other national sociologies, as well as the need for decolonization and diversification of the disciplinary canon. As a subfield, Anglo-Canadian cultural sociology receives little attention within these wider debates despite its emphasis on issues of cultural difference, identity, and evaluation. We provide an analysis of the dynamics of the field. Using course syllabi and survey data from instructors (N = 28), we examine whether there is a unique canon in Anglo-Canadian cultural sociology, and how cultural sociology is taught across Canada. Network analysis of texts assigned on syllabi and survey responses from cultural sociology instructors reveal, first, a thematic canon in Canadian cultural sociology, with a plurality of authors used to teach four main themes: identity and representation, cultural production, cultural consumption, and conceptualizing and measuring culture. Second, we find the positionality of Anglo-Canadian cultural sociology (with respect to both other national sociologies and neighboring subfields/disciplines) is uncertain and widely variant. Finally, survey responses concerning identity and representation suggest a reflexivity about the politics of canonization, and a gendered interest in decolonizing curricula. We conclude by arguing that a thematic canon in cultural sociology facilitates the maintenance of fuzzy boundaries with other subfields, national and Indigenous intellectual traditions, and a critical feminist lens.
Marxism as a tool for uncovering hegemonic discourses on nature
Authors: González Fernando
Published: November 2021

Since its origins, geography has prioritized the study of nature. However, more recently the discipline has made advancements in studying power as a fundamental element in the social production of space and territory. What can Marxism offer to such investigations? In this brief article, I highlight some of the contributions of Marxist thought that I have found useful for geographic analysis and that stand out from the discipline's other forms of analysis. Firstly, I recover elements from the thinker Antonio Gramsci that I consider important for debates regarding the social production of space and territory as an expression of power relations. Secondly, I retrace some aspects of Marx's concept of nature to examine certain notions that prevail in today's environmental debates. In this way, I look to denaturalize the hegemonic thought with which institutions and dominant classes exercise power in this area.
Bortezomib in autoimmune hemolytic anemia and beyond
Authors: Pasquale Raffaella , Giannotta Juri Alessandro , Barcellini Wilma , Fattizzo Bruno
Published: November 2021

Bortezomib is a first-in-class, potent, selective and reversible proteasome inhibitor approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) and relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma. In these diseases, bortezomib targets plasma cells and lymphocytes reducing tumor burden. Recently, preclinical evidence highlighted its efficacy in reducing long-lived plasma cells responsible of autoantibodies production in several models of autoimmune conditions. These findings paved the way to a number of experiences of bortezomib use in patients with various autoimmune conditions, including autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA). The latter is a nice model of autoimmunity in hematology and is caused by the production of autoantibodies against erythrocytes resulting in various degrees of hemolytic anemia. AIHA is classified in warm and cold forms according to the thermal characteristics of the autoantibody, and first-line treatment mainly relies on steroids for warm cases and the anti-CD20 rituximab for cold ones. Relapsed/refractory cases are still an unmet need, and bortezomib has been proposed in this setting with intriguing efficacy. In this review, we collected available literature on bortezomib use in AIHA and in other immune-mediated hematologic and non-hematologic diseases. Overall, most experiences highlight bortezomib efficacy even in multi-relapsed/refractory patients and suggest to consider its use in AIHA after rituximab failure.
Antiblackness within the assemblages of undetectability
Authors: Mallory Aaron
Published: November 2021

This commentary is concerned with the role of anti-blackness for North American-based Black gender and sexual minorities in Brown's and Di Feliciantonio ‘Reconceptualising of PrEP, TasP and Undetectability’. The commentary centers anti-blackness in order to address concerns within Feliciantonio and Brown's conceptualization of assemblages and subject formation within these spaces. In considering anti-blackness, the commentary points to the ways Black gender and sexual minorities are addressing barriers to accessing biomedical interventions through the promise of an AIDS-Free future that has not fully been realized within their communities. As such, this commentary argues that in addressing anti-blackness, Black communities are engaging in a queer futurity that expands the impact of biomedical interventions through the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality.
Rescuing the map from the nation
Authors: Craib Raymond
Published: November 2021

Tania Rossetto and Laura Lo Presti seek to rescue the national map from nationalism. Or at least from that nationalism characterized by reactionary, tradition-bound, and exclusionary practices and imaginaries. The authors provide readers with an insightful and challenging article on reimagining what national maps are, how they function, and what they could be if recast through the perspective of those often excluded and/or marginalized from the nation. Their article is both a critique of the manner in which national maps have typically been understood in the literature and an invitation to rethink national maps through everyday cartographic practices and vernacular mappings. But what is the national map in the first place? What counts as vernacular? And why is mapping privileged as the site for cultivating progressive imaginaries?
What Will They Think If I Post This? Risks and Returns for Political Expression Across Platforms
Authors: Parviz Elnaz , Piercy Cameron W.
Published: November 2021

Social networking sites (SNSs) allow individuals to establish and maintain a variety of relationships as well as share different aspects of their identity by expressing their views on numerous topics, including politics. SNS also come with perceived interpersonal risks and benefits tied to sharing with a collapsed networked audience. Using a nationally representative sample of US social media users ( N = 2,873) from 2016, this study investigated how perceived network characteristics influence people’s decision to engage in online political expression on three platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Findings indicate that perceived ideological homophily with the audience on an SNS and past use of privacy management settings both predict how much individuals post about politics on Facebook and Twitter, but not on Instagram. On Instagram, Black Americans were significantly more likely to engage in online political expression. On Facebook and Twitter, older Americans engaged in more political expression, and across all platforms, perceptions that political discussion online is uncivil were negatively associated with political expression.