bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Single-Dose Radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy Modulates Inflammation During Meniscal Tear Healing in the Avascular Zone
Authors: Huang Mingru , Shao Hong , Zhang Shurong , Gao Han , Feng Sijia , Sun Luyi , Yu Chengxuan , Du Xiner , Chen Jun , Li Yunxia
Published: February 2024

Background:

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) promotes tissue healing by modulating inflammation, which has implications for meniscal tear healing in the avascular zone.

Purpose:

To evaluate the effects of a single dose of radial ESWT on the healing process and inflammation of the meniscus and knee joints after meniscal tears in the avascular zone.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Avascular tears were induced in the medial meniscus (MM) of 72 Sprague-Dawley rats. One week postoperatively, the rats received a single session of radial ESWT with a Power+ handpiece (ESWT group; n = 36) or with a fake handpiece (sham-ESWT group; n = 36). The rats were then euthanized at 2, 4, or 8 weeks postoperatively. The MMs were harvested for analysis of healing (hematoxylin-eosin, safranin O–Fast Green, and collagen type 2 staining) and inflammation (interleukin [IL]-1β and IL-6 staining). Lateral menisci and synovia were obtained to evaluate knee joint inflammation (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of IL-1β and IL-6). Cartilage degeneration was assessed in the femurs and tibial plateaus using safranin O–Fast Green staining.

Results:

The ESWT group showed significantly better meniscal healing scores than the sham-ESWT group at 4 ( P = .0066) and 8 ( P = .0050) weeks postoperatively. The IL-1β level was significantly higher in the sham-ESWT group than in the ESWT group at 2 (MM: P = .0009; knee joint: P = .0160) and 8 (MM: P = .0399; knee joint: P = .0001) weeks. The IL-6 level was significantly lower in the sham-ESWT group than in the ESWT group at 2 (knee joint: P = .0184) and 4 (knee joint: P = .0247) weeks but higher at 8 weeks (MM: P = .0169; knee joint: P = .0038). The sham group had significantly higher osteoarthritis scores than the ESWT group at 4 (tibial plateau: P = .0157) and 8 (femur: P = .0048; tibial plateau: P = .0359) weeks.

Conclusion:

A single dose of radial ESWT promoted meniscal tear healing in the avascular zone, modulated inflammatory factors in the menisci and knee joints in rats, and alleviated cartilage degeneration.

Clinical Relevance:

Radial ESWT can be considered a potential option for improving meniscal tear healing in the avascular zone because of its ability to modulate inflammation.
Validation of the Parisian Hamstring Avulsion Score (PHAS) in the Evaluation and Follow-up of Patients Operated for Proximal Hamstring Avulsion
Authors: Lefevre Nicolas , Kassab Hassan Sammy , Valentin Eugenie , Bohu Yoann , Gerometta Antoine , Meyer Alain , Grimaud Olivier , Hardy Alexandre
Published: February 2024

Background:

No validated score is available for the prediction of return to sport (RTS) after proximal hamstring avulsion (PHA) surgery.

Purpose:

To validate a new assessment tool for patients after PHA surgery: the Parisian Hamstring Avulsion Score (PHAS).

Study Design:

Cohort study (Diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

All patients at our clinic who had surgery for PHA between January 2015 and March 2018 were included in this study. A suspected clinical diagnosis of PHA was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. PHA was repaired by surgical reinsertion with suture anchors. Minimum postoperative follow-up was 2 years, and the PHAS, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), score, and Tegner score were used. The PHAS is a patient-reported outcome measure, evaluating the effect of PHA injury with 9 items. It was validated by calculating its psychometric properties, and then correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the PHAS, UCLA score, and Tegner score. Cutoff values for the prediction of RTS were determined.

Results:

A prospective case series study was performed. A total of 156 patients were included. Median age (first quartile; third quartile) was 54.2 years (44.7 years; 61.3 years), and the mean ± SD time of the final follow-up was 69 ± 11.6 months. Two years after surgery, 66.7% (n = 104) of patients were able to RTS. A strong correlation was noted between all 3 scores at 1 year postoperatively. Overall internal consistency was high, with a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.86. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.96, showing excellent reliability. The minimal detectable change was 12.9. No patients reached the maximum score at 2 years. Analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curves of the 3 scores at postoperative 9 months in relation to the RTS at 1 and 2 years showed area under the curve values of >0.7, indicating significant discriminant capacity for the RTS. A PHAS cutoff value of 86 at 9 months for the prediction of RTS at postoperative 1 year had a sensitivity of 65.6% (95% CI, 53.7%-77.5%) and a specificity of 81.4% (95% CI, 69.8%-93%).

Conclusion:

PHAS is a valid and reliable tool for follow-up after PHA surgery. It also offers a simple way to predict RTS.
Optimisation and comparison of performance parameters of a double pipe heat exchanger with dimpled twisted tapes using CFD and ANN
Authors: Heeraman Jatoth , Kumar Ravinder , Chaurasiya Prem Kumar , Verma Tikendra Nath , Chauhan Davendra Kumar
Published: February 2024

Double pipe heat exchanger (DPHE) is a key component of a wide variety of fields where heat trans-mission is a necessity. The numerical simulation was carried out using ANSYS 16.0 within the operating Reynolds number ( Re) 6000 to 14,000 to explore and estimate the thermal performance of the heat exchangers (HEs). Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis was performed for the tube tailored with tape twisted (TT) with dimples of Día = 6 mm, D/H Ratio = 1.5, 3 and 4.5, with twist ratio is 5.5. The gathered datasets were subsequently employed validate an artificial neural network (ANN) model, aiming to forecast Nusselt numbers and friction factor within a tube containing dimpled twisted tape inserts. The mean relative errors (MRE) between the predicted results, experimental data and numerical results for the Nusselt numbers and the friction factor were less than 3.30, 0.08 and 2.1 percentage, respectively. Consequently, the study suggests employing the combination of CFD and ANN models as a means to forecast the effectiveness of thermal systems in diverse engineering applications. The efficiency of heat transmission, frictional loss, flow rates and heat transfer rate were all determined using these quantitative simulations.
Retour à Oxford avec Annie Ernaux: casting light on class migrant experience
Authors: Thomas Lyn
Published: February 2024

The documents added to the new edition of Ernaux's Retour à Yvetot (2013, 2022), written during her student years, represent the process and affects of class transition, without the benefits of hindsight, experience, and the readings in sociology, particularly of Bourdieu, that inform her literary texts. I analyse them here both in relation to Ernaux's published works, particularly La Honte and Mémoire de fille and to the letters I wrote at a similar period and phase of my life, as a first-generation student at St Hugh's College, Oxford in the early 70s. At the time, like Annie Duchesne, 1 I had no political or sociological understanding of my experience; reading Ernaux 20 years later in the early 90s was a literary epiphany, illuminating my trajectory from a working-class culture of origin to a middle-class life and career. My engagement with Ernaux over 30 years has also involved a continuous correspondence with the writer, which I draw on here, illustrating the blurred boundaries between intimacy and research discussed by Fraser and Puwar (2008) . This mise en scène of my reading self is placed within the context of the wider communities of class migrant readers of Ernaux: the lay readers studied by myself and Isabelle Charpentier, Ernaux specialists in academe, and the younger writers discussed by Aurélie Adler in this special issue.
Partisan preference divides regarding welfare chauvinism and welfare populism – Appealing only to radical right voters or beyond?
Authors: Enggist Matthias , Häusermann Silja
Published: February 2024

Welfare chauvinism and welfare populism as characteristic features of radical right parties’ welfare stances have become challenges to the welfare state. However, in order to understand how these claims may indeed affect welfare politics, it is essential to study whether welfare chauvinism and welfare populism attract voters beyond the radical right, especially among the mainstream right or even parts of the left. Results based on original public opinion data in eight Western European countries show that, contrary to widespread assumptions, welfare chauvinism and welfare populism divide the right more than the left. Electorates of not only green, but also most social democratic and radical left parties are consistently most opposed to discriminating welfare rights between natives and immigrants, although this opposition is weaker among left working-class voters than among left middle-class voters. Even voters of most mainstream right parties show only moderate support for welfare populism and welfare chauvinism, leaving the fervent support of radical right voters for welfare chauvinism and populism unmatched by any other electorate. These findings have important implications for the strategic situation of left parties and for understanding how welfare chauvinism and welfare populism may challenge welfare states.
Event-triggered fixed-time tracking control for nonstrict feedback nonlinear systems with unknown coexistence uncertainties
Authors: Zhai Junchang , Wang Huanqing , Cui Hongxia , Qin Yuping
Published: February 2024

In fixed time interval, event-triggered tracking control for nonlinear systems with unknown coexistence uncertainties has been investigated in this paper. The control scheme can handle unknown virtual control gains, external disturbances and nonsymmetric input dead zone. The unknown nonlinearities are identified by using neural networks. In the traditional backstepping design process, a bound estimation strategy is developed to design the adaptive parameters. Based on the adaptive estimation tactic, the severe coexistence uncertainties caused by the unknown virtual control gains, external disturbances, nonsymmetric input dead zone and identify errors can be estimated online, such that the robust performance of the system can be effectively elevated. Note that, the priori knowledge of the boundary are not required for the proposed bound estimation mechanism, and the control gains and the slope of dead zone have been relaxed to be completely unknown. In view of fixed time stability design scheme, the singularity phenomenon for the differential of virtual control signal has been conquered by employing the piecewise functions method. Furthermore, to decrease the resource consumption, a dynamic event triggered rule is used to cut down the data sampling and communication. And two practical examples are used to verify the effectiveness.
Beyond books: High school librarians as champions of pupil inclusivity, autonomy, and reader development
Authors: Webber Charlotte , Bohan Kayleigh , Collins Heather , Ewens Jasmine , Wilkinson Katherine , McGeown Sarah
Published: February 2024

School librarians can support and enhance pupils’ reading and personal development. However, there is very little research which has sought high school librarians’ perspectives of the diverse ways in which they do this. In this study, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 18 practitioners responsible for school library services from 18 geographically dispersed high schools in Scotland to gain in-depth insights into the practices they use to support pupil development. Inductive data-driven thematic analysis identified two themes. The first concerned reader development beyond reading for attainment. Within this theme it was identified that those with library responsibilities (a) cultivate a love of reading; (b) support diverse reading activities; (c) ensure book provision reflects the school community and (d) align reading with pupils’ contemporary lives. The second concerned pupils’ personal development. Within this theme it was identified that those with library responsibilities (a) support personal development; (b) expand pupils’ worldview through books; (c) support aspects of pupils’ lives; (d) provide support for minority pupils; (e) create a safe and social space and (f) support pupil autonomy. It is hoped that these findings will be of use to librarians and schools seeking to promote the vital role of libraries in supporting pupils beyond their academic attainment, as well as providing recommendations to researchers and practitioners seeking to support pupil inclusivity, autonomy, and individuality through school library services.
20 years after. Changing perspectives on industrial relations in Central and Eastern Europe two decades after EU enlargement: from transition to transformation
Authors: Czarzasty Jan
Published: February 2024

This article looks at the evolution of industrial relations in Central and Eastern Europe after the so-called ‘eastern enlargement’ between 2004 and 2013. The main claim is that 20 years after EU accession the ‘European dream’ (embodied in the European Social Model) has not been fulfilled in the area of industrial relations. Furthermore, the main frame of reference (thus the goal to be reached) has become increasingly distorted over the years. The article investigates the dynamics of industrial relations in the ‘new’ Member States of Central and Eastern Europe in order to show that what had been expected to become a transition – that is, a move from one defined point to another – eventually turned into a transformation without convergence on a clear model and characterised by widespread weakness and fragmentation of industrial relations.
Defining the passage of wisdom: A taxonomy of supervision for RANZCP trainees and Fellows
Authors: Miller Edward , Weightman Michael James , Amos Andrew , Parker Stephen
Published: February 2024

Objective

Trainees and Fellows of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) work in complex interpersonal and organisational environments. Engagement in supervision can be a helpful way for trainees and Fellows to achieve interpersonal, professional, and organisational success. Supervision comes in many forms depending on the stage and state of one’s career. An awareness of different supervision models is relevant to trainees’ understanding of what is expected of them and their supervisors in their work and educational contexts. This paper explores the taxonomy of supervision models available to RANZCP trainees and Fellows in Australia and New Zealand.

Conclusion

Supervision is a heterogeneous concept with multiple aims, outcomes, and processes that change with ones’ stage of career.
Using O*Net to Study the Intersection of Entrepreneurship and Employment: A Primer
Authors: Williamson Gavin
Published: February 2024

Research studying employment before, during, and after spells of entrepreneurship is growing in both popularity and importance for understanding the antecedents and consequences of entrepreneurship. However, methodological challenges (e.g., retrospective bias, limitations of archival data sources) hinder further development and refinement. The Occupational Information Network, better known as O*Net, is a database of occupational characteristics that is scarcely used in entrepreneurship research, yet can help scholars overcome these challenges. In this article, I provide a brief primer on O*Net, illustrate how it can be used to advance entrepreneurship research, and offer summaries of best practices.
Dancing with Strangers? Initial Trust and the Formation of Initial Ties Between New Ventures and Corporate Venture Capitalists
Authors: Colombo Massimo G. , Montanaro Benedetta , Shafi Kourosh
Published: February 2024

This study proposes a hybrid model of initial trust formation that highlights the role of social categorization and its interplay with both institutional trust and the individuating information about the party. Using data on 1,474 corporate venture capital (CVC) investments in European ventures and a case-control research design, we find that ventures more likely form initial CVC ties with investors whose parent companies are located in countries considered more trustworthy. This effect is weaker but does not disappear when social defenses safeguard ventures from misplacing trust and when there are social ties between CVC investors and ventures’ independent VC investors.
Dominant Worldviews, Institutional, and Contextual Factors Affecting Cancer Care: Evidence From an Institutional Ethnonursing Study in Nigeria
Authors: Nwozichi Chinomso Ugochukwu , Ramos Mary Dioise , Ogunmuyiwa Ayodeji Olubunmi , Gigi Marvellous Boma
Published: February 2024

Introduction:

Cancer remains a significant health burden in Nigeria and requires the efforts of all stakeholders to address it. Little is known about how the worldviews of Nigerian patients with cancer and other institutional factors affect cancer management in Nigeria. This paper draws evidence from an ethnonursing study conducted in a Nigerian cancer care setting.

Method:

This study adopted a qualitative design using an ethnonursing approach. The study was conducted in one of the primary cancer treatment centers owned by the federal government of Nigeria. Data collection was conducted using participant observation, interviews, and field notes. Data collected were analyzed using NVivo 12 and presented as categories and sub-categories.

Results:

Analysis yielded two themes and seven sub-themes. The major themes included (1) dominant worldview and (2) institutional/contextual factors. Participants attributed life, living, and death as being controlled by a supreme being. Cancer care was constrained by unfavorable institutional factors such as lack of equipment, staffing, and intensified workload.

Discussion:

Cancer institutions should provide more cancer care infrastructure that will facilitate the work of nurses and other health care workers. There should be an enabling environment that would attract and retain nurses in the cancer wards. The hospital environment should be made conducive for the cancer care providers, patients with cancer, and their relatives.
A Psychological Examination of the Status Syndrome and Its Application for Promoting Well-Being
Authors: Rodríguez-González Laura Cristina , Repetto Paula Beatriz
Published: February 2024

The status syndrome proposed by Marmot is located at the closest level of influence within the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) framework, connecting the body’s response to the mental states that arise from the subjective experience of social status. Marmot defines these psychological states through concepts of autonomy and social integration articulated in the Capability Approach (CA). These elements are further explored and expanded upon with the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), an empirically based framework with an extensive tradition of practical application. This lays the groundwork not only for understanding what makes a social environment conducive to well-being but also for shedding light on ways to promote it. The article goes beyond theoretical discussions by introducing a structured model based on the principles of the SDT for health promotion interventions. The model emphasizes the importance of providing a supportive atmosphere and is organized into four distinct phases aimed at aligning interventions with individual motivations, and cultural contexts. Ultimately, the goal is to engage individuals to actively participate in their own well-being while addressing the complexities associated with social inequalities in developed societies.
Subscription Pricing for Free Delivery Services
Authors: Balakrishnan Anantaram , Sundaresan Shankar , Mohapatra Chinmoy
Published: February 2024

Many firms that offer home delivery of products purchased online now provide consumers the option of subscribing to a membership plan for free delivery of limited or unlimited number of orders instead of customers paying delivery charges for each order. This paper seeks to understand the benefits to firms and consumers of introducing such free-delivery subscription (FDS) plans to complement their traditional pay-for-delivery (PFD) option, characterize the firm's optimal FDS subscription pricing strategy, and study the effects of product, consumer, and market characteristics on the subscription fees and firm's profits. We develop and analyze an economic model that incorporates salient features of product delivery settings that prior models of subscription pricing do not fully capture. The features include simultaneous availability of PFD and FDS options, lift in a consumer's demand when she switches from PFD to FDS, the possibility of attracting new consumers when the firm introduces FDS, and order batching by customers due to per-order delivery charges and free-delivery order allowances. Our utility-based approach to model consumers’ purchasing choices incorporates consumer heterogeneity both in terms of their utility for the product and their shopping preference under the PFD option. For homogeneous consumers, we show that introducing a FDS plan raises the firm's profit, establish the optimality of offering unlimited free-delivery allowance, and analyze comparative statics. With multiple customer types, our analysis of two subscription pricing strategies for FDS plans—a single “Universal” plan and multiple “Tiered” plans with varying subscription fees and free-delivery limits—leads to several interesting insights on delivery pricing strategies, as well as drivers and sensitivity of the optimal policy, profits, and number of subscribers. We supplement this analysis with extensive computational experiments that reveal a substantial increase in profits when a firm adds one or more FDS plans to its PFD option even though the optimal subscription fee(s) only covers part of the firm's actual shipping costs. These results also permit us to gauge the influence and understand the trends in the profitability of the Universal and Tiered plans as various parameters change.
Revisiting Equity in Urban Operations Management 50 Years Later: What do City Planners Have to Say?
Authors: Brennan Mark
Published: February 2024

The persistent inequities in American cities—long recognized and lived by black and Hispanic people and other minorities, the poor and working class, and others disadvantaged by urban systems—have been vaulted into the broader public consciousness over the past decade. Lessening entrenched urban inequalities is now at the top of the national policy agenda, suggesting a need and opportunity for more urban operations management. On what issues and how might this work occur? Operations management was deeply intertwined with urban planning in research and practice from the 1950s through the 1970s, at which point the fields diverged. To build a case for what perspectives and approaches a modern urban operations management agenda might employ to address inequity, I synthesize historical and contemporary planning theory with the debates among reflective operations scholars in the 1950s-1970s over work on cities. Modern operations scholars can look to planning, and especially to recent major shifts in its thinking on race and class, to address urban operations that disadvantage some city residents and overly advantage others. This urban operations agenda should be empirical, equity-oriented, and community-focused in order to best resonate with planners and the city residents they serve. In reengaging with planners to tackle the modern range of urban policy problems, operations analysts have a chance to contribute practical clarity on how cities work and can be made more livable for all residents.
Racial Bias in Pain Measurement Frequency in ICU and its Impact on Early Readmission
Authors: Jetley Gaurav , Zhang He
Published: February 2024

A significant portion of hospitalizations result in readmissions, many of which are preventable. Additionally, over a quarter of admissions necessitate intensive care unit (ICU) stays. These trends impose significant strain on healthcare systems, leading to penalties and reduced reimbursements for healthcare facilities. Consequently, reducing readmissions stands as a critical priority for healthcare institutions, with a specific focus on ICU processes and procedures. While some healthcare processes, such as vital sign monitoring, are consistent across patient cohorts, disparities in pain management have been well-documented. Existing research predominantly explores biases in outpatient settings, particularly in the underestimation and undertreatment of pain for Black patients. However, these biases can extend to the frequency of pain measurements in ICUs, where continuous monitoring plays a pivotal role in patient care. This study investigates disparities in pain measurement frequencies in ICUs for patients of different races and their impact on early readmission rates. Utilizing a dataset of ICU stays from a major U.S. healthcare institution, we employ mediation analysis with instrumental variables by performing a two-step mediation analysis using an IV-Probit estimator to answer these research questions. Our findings reveal that the frequency of pain measurements in the ICU stays partially mediates the relationship between a patient's race and the probability of early readmission. Specifically, Black patients receive fewer pain measurements during their ICU stays compared to White patients, increasing their likelihood of 30-day readmission. This study represents the first to demonstrate that bias in pain management extends to the frequency of pain measurements in intensive care settings, shedding light on a critical aspect of healthcare disparities and their impact on readmission rates. The implications of our findings span healthcare practice, operations, and the growing body of literature on healthcare equity, offering valuable insights into addressing these disparities.
It's Time! The Path for Nursing Reimbursement Reform
Authors: Boston-Leary Katie , Yakusheva Olga
Published: February 2024

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses and nurse leaders are increasingly vocal about chronic understaffing and the impact the staffing crisis continues to have on nurses’ well-being and patient outcomes. The American Nurses Association's Nurse Staffing Task Force addressed the importance of staffing standards as a critically needed step toward improving patient and population health outcomes. Against the backdrop of ongoing nursing shortages, hospital leaders have been hesitant to embrace staffing ratios, expressing concerns about their ability to hire and retain sufficient nursing staff, as operational revenue margins remain thin and nursing labor is costly. This article explicates structural issues within the current nursing reimbursement model that harms hospitals’ business case for investments in nurse staffing and work environments. We argue that nurses must advocate for nursing reimbursement reform to increase the nursing workforce and improve nurse staffing and work environments. Such reform is necessary to support sustained hospital investments, financial philosophies, and approaches to meaningfully address and improve nurse staffing.
Solution of planar elastic stress problems using stress basis functions
Authors: Tiwari Sankalp , Chatterjee Anindya
Published: February 2024

The use of global displacement basis functions to solve boundary-value problems in linear elasticity is well established. No prior work uses a global stress tensor basis for such solutions. We present two such methods for solving stress problems in linear elasticity. In both methods, we split the sought stress σ into two parts, where neither part is required to satisfy strain compatibility. The first part, σ p, is any stress in equilibrium with the loading. The second part, σ h is a self-equilibrated stress field on the unloaded body. In both methods, σ h is expanded using tensor-valued global stress basis functions developed elsewhere. In the first method, the coefficients in the expansion are found by minimizing the strain energy based on the well-known complementary energy principle. For the second method, which is restricted to planar homogeneous isotropic bodies, we show that we merely need to minimize the squared L2 norm of the trace of stress. For demonstration, we solve nine stress problems involving sharp corners, multiple-connectedness, non-zero net force and/or moment on an internal hole, body force, discontinuous surface traction, material inhomogeneity, and anisotropy. The first method presents a new application of a known principle. The second method presents a hitherto unreported principle, to the best of our knowledge.
Continuous distributions of certain defects in smectic mixtures
Authors: Epstein Marcelo
Published: February 2024

A certain type of defectivity applicable to binary mixtures of uniform solids and liquid crystals is identified as arising from the possible lack of uniformity of the composite as a result of a misalignment between the structures of the underlying constituents. Various local measures of misalignment are derived for the case of a smectic-A combined with solids with discrete or continuous symmetry groups.
Building a Bigger Toolbox: The Construct Validity of Existing and Proposed Measures of Careless Responding to Cognitive Ability Tests
Authors: Ramsey Mark C. , Bowling Nathan A.
Published: February 2024

Employers commonly use cognitive ability tests in the personnel selection process. Although ability tests are excellent predictors of job performance, their validity may be compromised when test takers engage in careless responding. It is thus important for researchers to have access to effective careless responding measures, which allow researchers to screen for careless responding and to evaluate efforts to prevent careless responding. Previous research has primarily used two types of measures to assess careless responding to ability tests—response time and self-reported carelessness. In the current paper, we expand the careless responding assessment toolbox by examining the construct validity of four additional measures: (1) infrequency, (2) instructed-response, (3) long-string, and (4) intra-individual response variability (IRV) indices. Expanding the available set of careless responding indices is important because the strengths of new indices may offset the weaknesses of existing indices and would allow researchers to better assess heterogeneous careless response behaviors. Across three datasets ( N = 1,193), we found strong support for the validity of the response-time and infrequency indices, and moderate support for the validity of the instructed-response and IRV indices.
Hand Washing Practice and Food Insecurity are Associated With Undernutrition of Breastfeeding Mothers in Rural Ethiopia: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Daba Alemneh Kabeta , Abegaz Kebede , Muleta Anbissa , Desalegn Beruk Berhanu
Published: February 2024

Background:

Breastfeeding mothers are prone to undernutrition. However, factors contributing to maternal undernutrition are not exhaustively understood. Hence, this study aimed to determine prevalence of undernutrition among breastfeeding mothers and identify associated factors.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 606 breastfeeding mothers from selected rural districts in Oromia and Sidama regional states of Ethiopia. Data were collected through an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Nutritional status was assessed using body mass index (BMI) and mid-upper-arm-circumference (MUAC). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with maternal undernutrition.

Results:

One out of ten breastfeeding mothers was found undernourished as determined by BMI (12.6%) and MUAC (10.7%). Mothers who did not practice hand washing after cleaning children’s bottom were 2 and 3 times more likely to be undernourished compared to their counters, as measured by BMI (AOR = 2.29, P = .002) and MUAC (AOR = 3.03, P < .001), respectively. Mothers living in mildly or moderately food insecure households (AOR = 2.37, P = .019) were more than two times more likely to be undernourished as determined by MUAC. Mothers who breastfed children in the age range of 9 to 11 (AOR = 2.79, P = .025) or 12 to 23 (AOR = 2.57, P = .018) months were more than two and half times more likely to be undernourished as determined by BMI.

Conclusions:

Maternal undernutrition is a medium-level public health problem in rural districts of Oromia and Sidama regional states in Ethiopia. The lack of hand washing practice after cleaning a child’s bottom, household food insecurity and higher child age increased the odds of maternal undernutrition. Mothers should prioritize and improve their nutritional care as the age of their breastfed child increases. Nutrition programs in rural districts of Ethiopia should also aim to improve personal hygiene practices and food insecurity integrated with implementation researches to evaluate program’s impact on nutritional status of breastfeeding mothers.
‘Digitising health protection schemes in Ghana’: An enquiry into factors associated with the use of a mobile phone-based health insurance contribution payment system among tertiary students
Authors: Morgan Anthony Kwame , Katey Daniel , Asori Moses , Nachibi Stephen Uwumbordo , Onyina Ellen , Quartey Theophilus , Cobbold Justin , Aziire Modesta Akipase
Published: February 2024

In 2018, Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) introduced a mobile money payment system for membership renewal and premium payments to enhance enrolment and retention rates. However, the adoption of such innovations depends on various factors, including personal traits and public perceptions. This study aims to explore the determinants of NHIS membership renewal and premium payment via the mobile renewal system. Conducted at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana, the study used a survey design to gather data from 951 KNUST students. Employing logistic regression analysis, the study identified key factors influencing the use of the NHIS mobile renewal service. The findings revealed that individuals aged 19-21, 25-27 or above 27, without mobile money accounts, and those with no history of online purchases were less likely to adopt the mobile renewal system ( P < .05). Conversely, those perceiving the system as useful and easy to use were more likely to utilise it for NHIS membership renewal ( P < .05). In conclusion, policymakers should prioritise system quality, accessibility, perceived ease of use, and usefulness to facilitate the adoption and usage of the NHIS mobile payment system. These findings contribute valuable insights for enhancing the effectiveness of health insurance innovations.
Status Signalling in the Indo-Pacific: Strategic Spinning, Military Posturing, and Vaccine Diplomacy
Authors: Pu Xiaoyu
Published: February 2024

The Indo-Pacific region has emerged as a critical geopolitical platform. Can major powers and regional states avoid conflict? This article explores the concept of status signalling to better understand the region. Status signalling aims to demonstrate a state’s preferred ranking in international society. By applying this concept to new empirical domains, the article shows how status signalling offers fresh insights into regional trends. As an example of strategic spinning, the emergence of the Indo-Pacific reshapes strategic thinking and diplomatic practice in the 21st century. While countries may engage in military posturing to signal their preferred status, the rising competition in the region is not always a zero-sum game. Countries can signal status by providing international public goods in non-military domains. The United States and China need to find ways to handle the potential problem of status dilemmas. Meanwhile, all countries should prudently manage competing expectations from multiple audiences.
Giving voice to the voiceless: Understanding the perceived needs of dementia family carers in Soweto, a South African township
Authors: Mahomed Aqeela , Pretorius Chrisma
Published: February 2024

This qualitative study aimed to provide family caregivers with an independent platform to reflect on and identify their needs in the role of dementia caregiver. Thirty caregivers were interviewed using a semi-structured approach, and data analysis followed a reflective thematic analysis method. The study revealed that Black African caregivers in townships require sufficient information and orientation to dementia-specific services, psychoeducation on dementia as a disease and its behavioural manifestations, as well as practical skills to manage the disease process. Caregivers expressed the need for in-depth, accessible education to boost their confidence and resilience in handling the challenges of dementia caregiving. They also proposed community initiatives to raise awareness, promote knowledge, and facilitate early detection and diagnosis of dementia. Additional needs included informational and educational workshops, resources like transportation services and helplines, day care facilities, media campaigns, and collaboration with the government for funding and policy change. New caregivers were advised to seek comprehensive education, support, and services while preserving the dignity of their family members with dementia. Remarkably, the identified needs and community initiatives aligned with the priority areas outlined by ADI for a National Dementia Plan, which South Africa currently lacks. The study highlights the importance of developing a National Dementia Plan in South Africa through collaboration among stakeholders, including communities, policy-makers, and multidisciplinary healthcare teams, while ensuring that individuals and families affected by dementia have a voice.
Optimization of distributed fiber optic sensors for pavements by combining DEM-FDM coupled numerical simulation method and response surface method
Authors: Dong Zejiao , Zhang Jiwen , Ma Xianyong , Dong Yongkang , Wang Donghao , Li Yiheng
Published: February 2024

The cooperative deformability of sensors embedded into a host material and the measurement accuracy of these sensors affect pavement health monitoring. In consideration of these concerns, this study combined numerical simulation and the response surface method to optimize sensor design and standardize the distributed fiber optic sensors (DFOSs) used in pavement engineering. Numerical models were developed by coupling the discrete element method and the finite difference method. First, on the basis of the discrete-continuous coupled numerical simulation method, two working conditions of unembedded and embedded DFOSs in asphalt mixtures were set up. Virtual specimen models were established, and the numerical simulation method was verified by implementing the indoor four-point bending beam test. Second, the effects of DFOSs on the physical field of asphalt mixtures were analyzed by comparing the two conditions, and optimized evaluation indexes of DFOSs for road use were proposed based on the stress, displacement, and strain difference degrees in consideration of cooperative deformation and measurement accuracy. Last, the Box-Behnken response surface method was used to optimize the cross-section size and elastic modulus of the encapsulation material of the DFOSs, and the optimal design parameter range of the DFOSs was determined. In summary, this study revealed the cooperative deformation law between embedded sensors and asphalt mixtures to facilitate the development and design of DFOSs with high measurement accuracy for pavement applications.
On the limitations of transmissibility functions for damage localisation: the influence of completeness
Authors: Meggitt Joshua WR , McGee Ramin C
Published: February 2024

Transmissibility functions are used to identify and locate damage in critical structures for health monitoring purposes. Their appeal over conventional signal or frequency response-based functions lie in a unique property; sub-structural invariance. It has been shown that the transmissibility of an assembled structure, when obtained correctly, can describe the dynamics of a sub-structure in a manner that is independent from the remainder of the assembly. It is this sub-structural invariance that enables transmissibility functions to locate damage in complex structures. Though a valuable property, sub-structural invariance relies on the notion of a complete interface representation; the interface that separates the sub-structure from the remaining assembly must be sufficiently instrumented so that all important interface dynamics can be captured. In practice, without considerable experimental effort, complete interface representations are not achievable. Importantly, the transmissibilities obtained in the presence of an incomplete interface are unable to discern between damage located interior, or exterior, to a particular sub-structure; they are no longer invariant. Hence, their ability to locate damage is compromised. In the present paper we introduce the notion of completeness in the context of transmissibility-based structural health monitoring, and examine its importance for the accurate localisation of damage through numerical and experimental examples.
Research on the corrosion behavior of floating bead low-density cement stone/P110 steel system under different CO2 pressure
Authors: Wang Shuliang , Wen Zidan , Zhang Shuai , Yao Mengjun , Lei Wanneng , Wu Mingyu , Liu Yongbing , Zhang Xiaoyan , Zeng Xianguang , Wang Shidong
Published: February 2024

This study investigates the corrosion state of the floating bead low-density cement stone/P110 steel system in simulated CO2-saturated formation water under high and atmospheric CO2 pressure. Results show that the resistance of the cement stone reaches a maximum value at 28 days and then decreases. The corrosion rate of P110 steel under high pressure is greater than that under atmospheric pressure. There is a certain gap and accumulation of corrosion products between the cement stone and the steel. Additionally, the maximum gap size and corrosion product thickness reach 27.5 and 67.69 μm, respectively. The composition of the corrosion products on the steel surface is mainly FeCO3, and the presence of the iron oxides are caused by oxidation. The corrosion products of the cement are also confirmed to be CaCO3 and a small amount of SiO2.
Patellofemoral Instability in Pediatric and Adolescent Athletes: A Review of Risk Factors and Treatments
Authors: Matsuzaki Yukiko , Chipman Danielle E. , Green Daniel W.
Published: February 2024

Pediatric patellar instability can impair function and restrict activity participation. If left untreated, it can lead to a degenerative knee. The incidence of patellar dislocations is highest in adolescents between 10 and 17 years of age; more than half of all first-time patellar dislocations occur during sports. This article reviews the evidence of risk factors for traumatic patellar instability, surgical interventions, and return-to-sport (RTS) considerations for pediatric and adolescent athletes. Anatomic risk factors for patellar instability in pediatric and adolescent patients include trochlear dysplasia, elevated tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance, patella alta, genu valgum, femoral anteversion and tibial torsion, and hyperlaxity.
Computer numerical control machine tool wear monitoring through a data-driven approach
Authors: Gougam F , Afia A , Aitchikh MA , Touzout W , Rahmoune C , Benazzouz D
Published: February 2024

The susceptibility of tools in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines makes them the most vulnerable elements in milling processes. The final product quality and the operations safety are directly influenced by the wear condition. To address this issue, the present paper introduces a hybrid approach incorporating feature extraction and optimized machine learning algorithms for tool wear prediction. The approach involves extracting a set of features from time-series signals obtained during the milling processes. These features allow the capture of valuable characteristics relating to the dynamic signal behavior. Subsequently, a feature selection process is proposed, employing Relief and intersection feature ranks. This step automatically identifies and selects the most pertinent features. Finally, an optimized support vector machine for regression (OSVR) is employed to predict the evolution of wear in machining tool cuts. The proposed method’s effectiveness is validated from three milling tool wear experiments. This validation includes comparative results with the Linear Regression (LR), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), CNN-ResNet50, and Support Vector Regression (SVR) methods.
Covering the invasion of Ukraine on Russia's evening TV news
Authors: Pasti Svetlana
Published: February 2024

This article examines the coverage of the first few weeks of the invasion of Ukraine by Russian TV in the evening news program, Vremya ( Time) on the Russian prostate Channel One. The purpose of the study was to find out how Russia's main news program built its agenda and what its message was for the audience. For this, the study conducted a content analysis of the news, measuring the type, frequency and duration of topics, sources and points of view, specific narratives, and tone. The results of the analysis showed that television news was a part of the state's information policy to clarify the goals and objectives of the invasion and to promote the psychological mobilization of society around the political leadership, in the face of the West's unconditional support for Ukraine.
Rational and trial design of FASCINATE-N: a prospective, randomized, precision-based umbrella trial
Authors: Zuo Wen-Jia , Chen Li , Shen Yu , Wang Zhong-Hua , Liu Guang-Yu , Yu Ke-Da , Di Gen-Hong , Wu Jiong , Li Jun-Jie , Shao Zhi-Ming
Published: February 2024

Background:

With our growing insight into the molecular heterogeneity and biological characteristics of breast cancer, individualized treatment is the future of cancer treatment. In this prospective Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center Breast Cancer Precision Platform Series study – neoadjuvant therapy (FASCINATE-N) trial, we classify breast cancer patients using multiomic characteristics into different subtypes to evaluate the efficacy of precision-based targeted therapies compared to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods and design:

The FASCINATE-N trial is a prospective, randomized, precision-based umbrella trial that plans to enroll 716 women with early breast cancer. After enrollment, patients will first be divided into three groups: hormone receptor (HR)+/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)−, HER2+, and HR−/HER2−. The HR+/HER2− patients are further stratified using fusion and clustering of similarity network fusion (SNF) algorithm into four subtypes; HER2+ patients are divided into HR+/HER2+ and HR−/HER2+ subtypes; and HR−/HER2− patients are stratified using the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center classification. For the assignment of drugs to patients, Bayesian methods of adaptive randomization will be used. The primary endpoint is pathological complete response rate; secondary endpoints include 3-year invasive disease-free survival, overall response rate, and toxicities according to common terminology criteria for adverse events (CTCAE) scale version 4.0 and the ratio of patients with complete cell cycle arrest (Ki67 < 2.7%) in HR+/HER2+ breast cancer.

Discussion:

The goal of our trial is to test the efficacy of our subtyping-based treatment in a neoadjuvant setting and to conduct a pilot study into the efficacy of targeted therapies within each precision-based subtype. The precision-based treatment arm can be updated with the refinement of our subtyping method, the discovery of new targets, and the development of novel targeted drugs. Our trial offers a unique opportunity to provide patients with individualized neoadjuvant therapy and test promising novel treatments that may further benefit patients.

Trial registration:

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05582499 ( https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05582499 ).