bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Utilizing of Removable Rigid Dressing to Decrease Below the Knee Amputations to Above the Knee Amputations Conversion Rates
Authors: Fencel Robin , Fitzpatrick Suzanna , Dunlap Eleanor , Nagarsheth Khanjan
Published: May 2022

Introduction/Objective

Below the knee amputations (BKAs) are preferred to above the knee amputations (AKAs) due to better rehabilitation and functional outcomes. Assessment of literature for best practice identified that utilization of a removable rigid dressing (RRD) improves post-operative BKA care by expediting wound healing and reduces the hospital length of stay compared to a soft dressing. We hypothesized that there would be a decrease of conversions from BKA to AKA following utilizing of RRD device.

Methods

Retrospective chart review of all BKA performed by the vascular surgery service at a tertiary care hospital between January 2017 and December 2021. Demographic data obtained including age, body mass index (BMI), comorbid conditions, infection at time of BKA, anesthesia type, and operative blood loss. Data analyzed using Wilcoxon rank sum, Fisher’s exact, and Student’s t-tests. This study was approved by the institutional review board.

Results

From 2017 to 2019, conversion to AKA occurred in 18 out of the 42 patients who underwent BKA (42.86%) within the first 4-week post-operative period. After the standard used of a RRD, 53 patients underwent BKA surgery, with only 4 (7.55%) requiring conversion to AKA within the 4-week post-operative period.

Conclusion

Utilizing a RRD after BKA can improve wound healing, protect the residual limb, and help prevent conversions to AKA. In this retrospective review at a single institution there was a decrease of conversion from BKA to AKA in a 2-year period. Ridged removal dressings should be considered first-line therapy in the post-operative care of BKA patients.
Relationship Between Neutrophil–Lymphocyte Ratio and Drug-Coated Balloon Restenosis in Patients With Femoropopliteal Arterial Disease
Authors: Pan Tao , Tian Shi-yun , Liu Zhen , Zhang Tao , Li Cheng , Ji Dong-hua , Wang Feng
Published: May 2022

We investigated the relationship between neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and restenosis in patients with femoropopliteal arterial disease following drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty. Patients (n = 120) were divided into 3 groups according to the development of restenosis and the time of restenosis occurrence. The postoperative NLR was higher in the late-restenosis group than that in the no-restenosis group (3.53 vs 2.70; p = .011). In multivariate logistic analysis, postoperative NLR was an independent predictor of late restenosis (odds ratio: 1.404, 95% confidence interval: 1.073–1.839; p = .014). The postoperative NLR cutoff value for predicting late restenosis was 2.78 with a sensitivity of 80.8% and a specificity of 53.2% (area under the ROC curve was .666 (95% CI: .541–.791, p = .010). The incidence of late restenosis in the NLR ≥2.78 group was higher than that in the NLR <2.78 group (32.3 vs 9.1%; p = .002). Postoperative NLR is independently associated with late restenosis in patients treated with DCB for femoropopliteal arterial disease.
Rules of recognition? Explaining diplomatic representation since the Congress of Vienna
Authors: Teorell Jan
Published: May 2022

The aim of this article is to explore the establishment of diplomatic representation as a measure of de facto recognition by other state units and to explain its causes in the “long 19th century” (1817–1914) and the post–World War II (WWII) era (1950–2000). Drawing on the Correlates of War diplomatic exchange data, the article explores the underlying drivers of dyadic acts of recognition in two series of logistic regression analyses, one for each time period. The results indicate that, also when taking alternative explanations into account, recognition of other states in the international system was in the 19th century at least based on one general principle: that of recognizing other de facto states. In the post-WWII era, contrary to expectations, this principle was still in effect. De facto statehood can thus be argued to constitute a rather stable norm for recognition in the international system.
Exilic journeys and lives: Paths leading to a Mughal grave in Rangoon
Authors: Sevea Teren
Published: May 2022

This article studies the exilic journeys and lives of a series of Mughals and Muslims in Burma between the 1850s and 1920s. It presents a microhistory of exiles and sojourners from north India and Europe, including that of the last Mughal king, Bahadur Shah Zafar. The stories of the men and women introduced here are microcosms of the porous borders they crossed. And Rangoon, the hub of Mughal prisoners, convicted saints, merchants, labourers and internationalists, emerged as a ‘junction box’ of Indian Ocean Islam. The article traces Zafar’s life under house arrest in Burma, and then turns to the other Mughals who had accompanied him into exile, describing their confinement, struggles, petitions and mobility extending to marriage matches. From stories of exiled Mughals, this article introduces the story of Islamic anti-imperialists of Kashmiri and Scottish origins who came together in Rangoon to memorialise Zafar. Their efforts to embellish Zafar’s majesty gradually resulted in a tomb establishing Rangoon’s leading Sufi. Rangoon’s Islamic landscape and Zafar’s Sufi afterlife will be experienced and recounted for decades to come by travellers including a Sikh woman suspected of opium smuggling, and this article begins with her observations. Together, the journeys of all these figures, minor and major, misremembered or forgotten, illuminate a porous and multi-ethnic Rangoon, and unsettle presentist imaginings of a homogeneous Myanmar.
Experimental analysis of tensile properties and essential work of fracture of fumed silica filled polypropylene toughened with thermoplastic polyolefin elastomer
Authors: Sadeghi Alireza , Ashenai Ghasemi Faramarz , Fasihi Mohammad , Rajaee Pouya
Published: May 2022

In this research, tensile and fracture behavior of polypropylene (PP) toughened with two types of thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers (TPOs) and filled with fumed silica are investigated. The TPOs are both propylene- and ethylene-based thermoplastic elastomers. Three percentages of TPO (0, 10, and 20 wt%) and four percentages of fumed silica (0, 1, 3, and 5 wt.%) are used. The addition of ethylene-based TPO to PP show higher values of modulus and tensile strength than propylene-based TPO. In contrast, propylene-based TPO show higher elongation at break which by increasing this type of TPO the elongation at break increase by 788%. The presence of fumed silica in the PP/TPOs blend improve the tensile strength and modulus but declined the elongation at break. Fracture behavior analysis of these compounds is performed by utilizing the essential work of fracture (EWF) approach. The outcomes demonstrate that both types of TPO in PP cause cavitation and fibrillar structures that increased the elastic and plastic work of fracture. Adding 10 wt.% ethylene- and propylene-based TPO to PP, the values of w e and βw p increase by 63%, 100% and 124%, 123%, respectively. Morphological observations show that fumed silica is located mainly around TPOs particles or at the PP/TPOs interfaces. The addition of fumed silica also reduce the size of the pores, which indicate a slight reduction in the amount of plastic work. However, fumed silica with low percentages increase the amount of elastic work and then reduce it. Also, the compound with 10 wt.% propylene-based thermoplastic elastomers and 1 wt.% fumed silica had the best toughness-stiffness-strength balance among the samples based on the optimization results.
Learning the post-Fordist feeling rules: Young women’s work orientations and negotiations of the work ethic
Authors: Lamberg Emma
Published: May 2022

Even though flexibility, insecurity and precarity characterise much of today’s work, the promise of self-realisation through work remains as powerful as ever. Following Weeks’ work on the post-Fordist work ethic and Hochschild’s research on feeling rules, this article analyses how young women negotiate the post-Fordist work ethic and its emotional obligations. Drawing on interviews with 39 young women studying in the care and media fields in Finland, the article proposes the conceptualisation of post-Fordist feeling rules as a way to capture how young women become workers by managing contemporary work’s emotional requirements and contradictions. This article adds to the sociology of youth and labour in the post-Fordist era by foregrounding the role of feelings in the production of youth as workers and unpacking the post-Fordist work ethic’s gendered, industry-specific and emotional dimensions.
COVID-19, young people and the futures of work: Rethinking global grammars of enterprise
Authors: Carbajo Diego , Kelly Peter
Published: May 2022

In this article we revisit our analytical concept of global grammars of enterprise to explore the ways in which this grammar is being reimagined in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the crises it produces. Drawing on a hermeneutic sociological analysis of a variety of documents (policies, websites, think pieces), our rethinking revisits understandings of the relationships between ‘enterprise’, young people, education, training and work, and the importance of certain ideas about a young person’s ‘self project’, ‘self-fulfilment’ and ‘creativity’. In doing this work, which is largely located in the developed economies of the European Union and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, we trace a number of the entanglements between young people and global grammars of enterprise, and between what we identify as the emergent logics of ‘rescue and restitution’ and ‘reconsideration and redefinition’ that frame different, though connected responses to the pandemic and its uncertain, complex and ambiguous consequences for the future of work. We explore what sociologies of work, education and youth might contribute to problematising both the crises that the pandemic foreshadows in relation to young people’s health and well-being and their education, training and employment pathways, and the ‘solutions’ that are being proposed to these crises at what Rosa Braidotti has identified as the convergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Sixth Mass Extinction.
Accountability Battle: A Critical Analysis of a Charter Renewal Decision
Authors: Enoch-Stevens Taylor , Daramola Eupha Jeanne , Jabbar Huriya , Marsh Julie
Published: May 2022

Charter school policy represents two simultaneous forms of accountability, in which schools are accountable to both parents and authorizers. This study of a K-8 charter renewal decision interrogates these accountability relationships and the role of race and power in privileging the interests of particular stakeholders over others. Using counternarrative methodology and qualitative interviews and observations, we draw on critical race theory and new managerialism to make sense of the competing accounts surrounding a non-renewal process. We find four areas of tension, in which district officials subscribe to new managerialist authorizing styles that leave little room for participation from the Black and low-income school community. We conclude with recommendations for how districts can partner with communities to work toward frameworks of accountability that value the goals of multiple stakeholder groups.
Improving Estimates Accuracy of Voter Transitions. Two New Algorithms for Ecological Inference Based on Linear Programming
Authors: Pavía Jose M. , Romero Rafael
Published: May 2022

The estimation of RxC ecological inference contingency tables from aggregate data is one of the most salient and challenging problems in the field of quantitative social sciences, with major solutions proposed from both the ecological regression and the mathematical programming frameworks. In recent decades, there has been a drive to find solutions stemming from the former, with the latter being less active. From the mathematical programming framework, this paper suggests a new direction for tackling this problem. For the first time in the literature, a procedure based on linear programming is proposed to attain estimates of local contingency tables. Based on this and the homogeneity hypothesis, we suggest two new ecological inference algorithms. These two new algorithms represent an important step forward in the ecological inference mathematical programming literature. In addition to generating estimates for local ecological inference contingency tables and amending the tendency to produce extreme transfer probability estimates previously observed in other mathematical programming procedures, these two new algorithms prove to be quite competitive and more accurate than the current linear programming baseline algorithm. Their accuracy is assessed using a unique dataset with almost 500 elections, where the real transfer matrices are known, and their sensitivity to assumptions and limitations are gauged through an extensive simulation study. The new algorithms place the linear programming approach once again in a prominent position in the ecological inference toolkit. Interested readers can use these new algorithms easily with the aid of the R package lphom.
Mariátegui and Latin American Marxist Feminism: A Necessary Revisit
Authors: Duarte Joana das Flores
Published: May 2022

Of the vast political, intellectual, artistic, and literary contribution of the Marxist José Carlos Mariátegui, the attention he gave to the feminist movement and women’s struggles in 1924 was groundbreaking even to his followers. The revolutionary character he attributed, in the light of Marxist theory, to the entry of women into the workforce was aimed at showing that the development of productive forces was inherent to struggles between capital and labor. On the eve of the centennial of the publication of his “La mujer y la politica” and “Las reivindicaciones feministas,” Mariátegui’s ideas are current from a political and organizational point of view not only with regard to class struggle but, above all, with regard the intersection between Marxist thought and contemporary Latin American feminism.

El marxista José Carlos Mariátegui cuenta con una vasta contribución política, intelectual, artística y literaria. De entre su obra, la atención que prestó al movimiento feminista y a las luchas de las mujeres en 1924 resultó innovadora incluso para sus seguidores. El carácter revolucionario que atribuía, bajo el lente de la teoría marxista, a la entrada de las mujeres en la fuerza de trabajo tenía como objetivo mostrar que el desarrollo de las fuerzas productivas era inherente a las luchas entre el capital y el trabajo. En vísperas del centenario de la publicación de sus textos “La mujer y la política” y “Las reivindicaciones feministas,” las ideas de Mariátegui resultan actuales desde un punto de vista político y organizativo no solo en lo que respecta a la lucha de clases sino, sobre todo, en relación a la intersección entre el pensamiento marxista y el feminismo latinoamericano contemporáneo.
Consensus based on output for nonlinear multi-agent systems with switching topologies
Authors: Zhang Haixiang , Chen Chong , Huang Jun , Zhang Yueyuan
Published: May 2022

This article addresses the consensus problem based on static output feedback for a kind of leader-following multi-agent systems. Traditional nonlinear constraints, such as Lipschitz and one-sided Lipschitz, cannot describe most nonlinear functions. The incremental quadratic constraints and switching topologies are considered to extend the application range and practical significance of the existing consensus control protocol. By investigating the topology having a directed spanning tree and constructing a proper Lyapunov function, this article gives sufficient conditions for the consensus problem, including the dwell time by a threshold value. Then, a design method for the static output feedback gain matrix is deduced and an algorithm for achieving consensus is presented. Finally, two simulation examples are used to verify the validity as well as the superiority of the designed protocol. It is the first piece of work to study the consensus problem of multi-agent with incremental quadratic constraints under switching topologies.
Universities, Local Economic Productivity and Quality of Institutions: Evidence From Italy
Authors: Amendola Adalgiso , Barra Cristian , Zotti Roberto
Published: May 2022

An important issue in economic geography is the link between higher education institutions and economic performance at local level. This paper exploits some aspects of the university funding system in Italy to estimate the effects of hosting higher education institutions on local productivity and furthermore tests whether local institutions have a moderating role in this relationship. The findings firstly confirm that university performance positively affects local economies. Secondly, we argue that an important channel linking universities to greater economic activity is the administrative capacity of local governments to create strong social and economic structures.
What Students Value Most: A Qualitative Examination of Learner Experiences in a Fully Online Degree Program
Authors: Pham Lam D. , Matthews Gage F. , Cravens Xiu
Published: May 2022

Background:

Enrollment in online degree programs has grown rapidly in U.S. higher education institutions, but much of the research on online learning draws from student experiences in a singular online course. Student experiences in fully online programs likely differ from the experience of taking a one-off online class, especially as students become more familiar with online learning after multiple courses. Yet, research examining student experiences in fully online programs remains sparse.

Objective:

In this exploratory and theory-building study, we examine student experiences after they have taken multiple courses in a fully online degree program. Relying on the perspective of students, our goal is to better understand what elements of fully online learning programs are most valued by learners.

Setting:

We examine a fully online EdD program in leadership and learning at a private university in the United States. The program includes a series of courses that all include both asynchronous (e.g., readings and lecture videos) and synchronous activities. For synchronous sessions, students log in with their computers every week using teleconferencing software that allows them to interact with the instructor and with classmates in real time.

Research Design:

We qualitatively analyze student interview data. We employ the How People Learn Framework to guide our analysis and extend our understanding of two of its key learning-environment dimensions: the learner-centered and community-centered dimensions. We purposively sampled 31 students for the semistructured interviews. To analyze interview transcripts, we used a grounded theory approach that began with line-by-line codes that we aggregated into categorical tags that were used to support the emergent themes.

Results:

We find that students value four learner-centered program characteristics (diversity, authenticity, safety, and individuality) and five community-centered program structures (facilitating peer-to-peer interactions, establishing norms and expectations, differentiating for learning preferences, explaining the strengths and limitations of technology, and supporting student-driven initiatives).

Conclusion:

We discuss cognitive tensions in students’ self-reported perceptions of their experiences and highlight the need for future research to examine how online learning programs can be better structured to support students in diverse and inclusive learning communities.
“Let’s Create the Table”: Reengaging Democracy in Teacher Preparation Through Radical Reciprocity
Authors: Cipollone Kristin , Zygmunt Eva , Robert Scaife Pastor , Scaife Minister Wilisha
Published: May 2022

Background/Context: Scholars have long critiqued the antidemocratic forces at work in education, advocating for a more equitable, liberating, and democratic vision of schooling, with teacher education taking on a central role. Mainstream teacher preparation obstructs democratic education, as evidenced by the failure to disavow and dismantle white supremacy, the jettisoning of commitments to social justice, and a disregard for communities and community expertise, particularly Black, Indigenous, and people of color and low-income communities. Purpose: Through cogenerative dialogue between university faculty and community colleagues, we offer a case of community-engaged teacher preparation in our community to demonstrate both the tenets and the power of this approach. Centering the voices, values, and dreams of the communities within which educators work is essential if we are to reclaim the democratic promise of schooling. Research Design: Contextualized within the scholarship on democratic praxis, this conceptual piece elaborates on and elevates radical reciprocity enacted between communities and universities as a compelling and justifiable direction for the field of educator preparation. Conclusion: The authors argue that the only way to realize the democratic possibilities of public education is to commit to community-engaged teacher preparation. This hyperlocal, community-responsive, and sustaining approach can equitize traditional imbalances of power, creating a more dynamic and democratic educational landscape, both inside and outside of schools.
Connecting the individual and the other in disconnection studies
Authors: Figueiras Rita , Brites Maria José
Published: May 2022

Disconnection studies tend to put agency at the center. The possibility of opting out tends to be framed as a strategic form of individual agency, associated with self-regulatory practices and acts of self-choice. This essay aims to question this well-established perspective in disconnection literature while contributing to the debate about disconnection fostered by Crosscurrents. The essay explores the role others play in the experience of individual media non-use. Even if indirectly, individual pursuits are not achieved alone or without the involvement of others. Still, the cultural narrative of the West tends to put the self at the center of his narrative, reinforcing the individualized dimension of the self in detriment of the social aspect of it. Framed as such, this led to another level of elaboration by linking the topic of disconnection to the field of disconnection studies itself. As in any scientific discipline, disconnection research is mediated by culture, and thus it tells something about the current moment. Problematizing the limits of connection involves accessing social imaginaries that shape the scope of the field that will offer another layer of arguments to our debate about the place of the other in disconnection studies.
Queer media generations: Shifting identifications and media uses among non-heterosexual men
Authors: Dhoest Alexander , Van Ouytsel Joris
Published: May 2022

This paper explores the role of media among different generations of non-straight men. Based on generational theory, combining the notions of “queer generations” and “media generations,” it empirically explores the role of both legacy and digital media in the processes of sexual identity formation in four post-war generations (Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z). A mixed-method approach was used, combining a quantitative survey ( N  =  684) to measure the importance of different media with in-depth interviews ( N  =  80) to better understand the role of media in relation to sexual identity. The results show significant generational differences in the importance of media used at the time of sexual identity exploration as well as in the past year. Digital media became increasingly important for the younger generations but also play a key role in the sexual lives of older participants, while film and television remain important sources of representation, across all generations.
A 10-year experience of leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava
Authors: Pan Jun , Qiu Chen-yang , He Yang-yan , Xue Xing , Li Dong-lin , Tian Lu , Cheng Fei , Wu Zi-heng , Zhang Hong-kun
Published: May 2022

Objectives

Leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is rare. The study reviewed patients with IVC leiomyosarcoma in our hospital in the past ten years.

Methods

Twenty patients diagnosed with IVC leiomyosarcoma between October 2010 and October 2020 were enrolled. Their clinical manifestations, treatments, and follow-up results were analyzed.

Results

The sarcoma was located in the lower IVC segment in six patients, with 13 in the middle and one in the upper IVC segment. Eighteen patients underwent R0 resection. After resection, 16 patients (80%) had primary repair of the IVC, while four patients underwent ligation. During a mean follow-up of 37.7 months, seven patients died due to tumor metastasis, four patients were alive with the tumor recurrence and other nine patients were alive without recurrence.

Conclusion

The management of the IVC after tumor resection depended on the tumor location and size. R0 resection provided a chance for long term survival.
Prevalence of Paget’s disease of bone: review of consecutive abdominopelvic CT scans and literature
Authors: Husseini Jad S , Oganesyan Ruben , Staffa Steven J , Huang Emily , Habibollahi Sina , Hemke Robert , Chang Connie
Published: May 2022

Background

Previous studies suggest an overall decrease of Paget's disease of bone (PDB) prevalence. However, a large number of asymptomatic patients make previously reported prevalence likely underrepresented.

Purpose

To evaluate the prevalence of PDB in our patient population.

Material and Methods

We retrospectively identified 1295 (mean age = 59 years; age range = 18–98 years) consecutive abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) scans over a 15-day period in 2014. Abdominopelvic CT images were reviewed to assess for the presence of PDB in the lower thoracic spine, lumbar spine, pelvis, or proximal femora. This prevalence was compared with prevalence reported in earlier literature using Fisher’s exact test

Results

Of the included patients, 5/1295 (0.39%) patients had imaging findings of PDB on abdominopelvic CT. Those five patients were all aged ≥55 years and had pelvic bone involvement, with one patient having additional involvement of multiple lower thoracic vertebral bodies. In our studied cohort, 812/1295 (62.7%) patients were aged ≥55 years, which corresponds to a prevalence of 0.62% (5/812) of PDB in patients aged ≥55 years. When accounting for fact that bones of the pelvis are involved in 40%–91% of patients with PDB, the prevalence is estimated at 0.43%–0.98% in the total adult population and estimated at 0.68%–1.55% in older adults. The prevalence was greater than two studies before 1960, and less than some studies during 1960–2019.

Conclusion

We found that the prevalence of PDB on abdominopelvic CTs was 0.39% of all adult patients with an increase after the age of 55 years.
The FLT3 Y842D mutation may be highly sensitive to midostaurin: a case report
Authors: He Shujiao , Zhang Minjie , Li Jieying , Zhao Weiqiang , Yu Li , Han Ying , Pang Yanbin
Published: May 2022

A Y842D mutation within the activation loop of fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) has been shown to confer strong resistance to sorafenib in vitro. Whether this type of mutation exerts clinically significant effects in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) remains unclear. Here, a novel Y842D activating mutation within the kinase domain of FLT3, in a pregnant patient with de novo hyperleucocyte acute myeloid leukaemia, is described. Following induction failure with standard dose idarubicin and cytarabine (IA), the patient received re-induction combined with midostaurin, a promising agent targeting mutant-FLT3, and IA regimen. Fortunately, morphological remission was achieved. During the period of midostaurin treatment, the patient exhibited a symptom that was characteristic of differentiation syndrome, which disappeared following treatment with methylprednisolone. The present case revealed that Y842D, an uncommon activating mutation in the activation loop of FLT3, may be a midostaurin-sensitive mutation type in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia.
Effects of photographer physical attractiveness on photograph aesthetic value assessment
Authors: Zhu Cui , Liu Zan , Pei Meng , Su Yanjie
Published: May 2022

Existent studies have demonstrated that being physically attractive leads to preferences and rewards in various scenarios involving performance evaluation. In this study, we explored whether a photographer’s physical attractiveness could affect others’ assessment of a photograph’s aesthetic value. Participants ([Formula: see text]) accomplished an online task to pair portraits and non-portrait photographs, followed by completing two questionnaires on cognitive reflection and empathy. Analytical results revealed that an attractive photographer was more likely to be associated with a highly aesthetic photograph, and this bias was moderated by the participant’s level of cognitive reflection and empathy. Meanwhile, it could be reduced by the participant’s professional experience.
Making all the right moves: Clinician-led development and pilot of an evaluative toolkit for a community-based school readiness group program
Authors: Henderson Jacqueline , Hughes Rod , Coxon Kristy
Published: May 2022

Introduction

Children often present to occupational therapy with delays in pre-school occupations, with underlying skill deficits. If unaddressed, deficits may affect adjustment to school, jeopardising educational progress. Although evidence supports group-based interventions, evaluation can be time-intensive and expensive. We developed and piloted an evaluative toolkit to measure and report outcomes for short school readiness groups.

Method

We sought measures that were inexpensive, reliable and responsive to change in key domains. Skills and pre-school occupations were measured in children [ n = 58; mean = 5 years] before and after our school starters group program. Parents rated their children’s skills, school readiness and level of school-related anxiety.

Results

Our resource-efficient, multi-measure, skills-based evaluative toolkit reliably recorded changes in children’s performance in our school readiness program. Measures were adapted for groups. Children demonstrated improvements in skills important for successful school transition pre-post program; including static and dynamic balance, pencil grasp/control, pre-writing/drawing skills and name writing. Parents’ confidence in their child’s readiness for school increased, while school-related-anxiety decreased.

Conclusion

The evaluative toolkit proved responsive to change and showed excellent inter-rater reliability. Measures were practicable for groups, easy to administer and score, and engaged parents in their child’s progress. In our six-session School Starters group, important pre-school skills were improved in participating children.
Intra-gully mapping of the largest documented gully network in South Africa using UAV photogrammetry: Implications for restoration strategies
Authors: le Roux Jay , Morake Lefa , van der Waal Bennie , Leigh Anderson Ryan , Hedding David William
Published: May 2022

Gully erosion can reach alarming dimensions, and in several cases contributes significantly to soil loss and sediment yield in catchments. The studied example is one of the largest known gully networks in the world (its surface area is approximately 0.5 million m2 and volume 5 million m3), more than twice as large compared to the largest gullies described in peer-reviewed literature. To improve gully management strategies, it is not only critical to understand the factors that lead to erosion, but also to identify the extent of in-channel erosional and depositional features. Few studies consider in-channel patterns of erosion and deposition within gully systems. This study utilises a fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry to create a high resolution orthomosaic and Digital Surface Model (DSM) to determine the position and spatial extent of erosional and depositional features within a large gully network in South Africa. Formation of such a large gully in relation to a relatively small drainage area is unusual but can be explained by the presence of dispersive soils and regional landscape incision. Longitudinal and cross-sectional profiles indicate that the gully network consists of three channel types (i.e. V-shaped, U-shaped and trapezoidal), each with a unique combination of erosional and depositional features. This study demonstrates the value of identifying and mapping of intra-gully features to better understand sediment transfer within the gully network to implement appropriate restoration strategies, which in this instance should focus on depositional zones to enhance channel decoupling.
Abnormal audit fees and audit quality: Australian evidence
Authors: Hossain Sarowar , Wang Jenny Jing
Published: May 2022

We examine the association between abnormal audit fees and audit quality using Australian data. We find that audit quality, measured by auditors’ propensity to issue going concern opinions for financially distressed companies, discretionary accruals, and clients’ propensity to meet or beat earnings benchmarks, declines as positive abnormal audit fees increase in magnitude. Our findings support an economic bonding argument that positive abnormal audit fees reflect the extent of economic bonding between the auditor and the client. We also find that negative abnormal audit fees are negatively associated with the absolute value of discretionary accruals. Our findings suggest that academic researchers, practitioners, regulators, and others interested in assessing the effect of auditor remuneration on auditor independence and audit quality should be concerned with audit fees that are above a normal level rather than audit fees that are below a normal level of audit fees.

JEL Classification: M42, M49
Levosimendan’s effect on venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation weaning
Authors: Hau Melanie , Fong Ka-Man , Au Shek-Yin
Published: May 2022

Background:

Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO) provides temporary haemodynamic support in refractory cardiogenic shock. Recent retrospective studies on levosimendan on V-A ECMO weaning had conflicting results. This study aimed to determine the association between levosimendan on V-A ECMO weaning success in a tertiary centre in Hong Kong.

Methods:

This retrospective study was conducted in an intensive care unit in Hong Kong. All adult patients requiring V-A ECMO from January 2016 to September 2020 were included. Patients who were given levosimendan were compared to patients who were not, on rates of successful V-A ECMO weaning. The groups were also compared after propensity matching based on covariates closely associated with the use of levosimendan.

Results:

A total of 119 patients were included in the study, with 38 in the levosimendan group and 81 in the non-levosimendan group. Patients treated with levosimendan trended towards improved weaning success, but the difference was not statistically significant (63% vs 53%, p = 0.404). In the propensity-matched groups, there was no difference in weaning success (odds ratio 1.00, 95% CI 0.23–8.00). The levosimendan group was associated with lower vasopressor requirement, lower lactate levels, and more significant drop in lactate in the first 2 days of V-A ECMO. The levosimendan group had longer ECMO duration. There was no difference in other secondary outcomes including mortality, length of stay in ICU and hospital and duration of mechanical ventilation. There was no difference in the rate of ventricular arrhythmias.

Conclusion:

Levosimendan did not improve V-A ECMO weaning success in our cohort with refractory cardiogenic shock.
Validation of Mathematics Construct and Diagnostic Profiles Using a Differential Item Functioning Approach
Authors: Chen Yi-Hsin
Published: May 2022

The quality of diagnostic profiles and probability assignment depends on the validity of the proposed attributes and Q-matrix. The rule-space method (RSM), one of diagnostic classification models, provides the quality indices of diagnostic profiles, such as the classification rate and the squared Mahalanobis distance. The study aims to further validate the attributes and Q-matrix that represent construct validity of mathematics tests as well as diagnostic profiles by applying differential item functioning (DIF) analysis along with a different grouping technique. The grouping technique is based on the Q-matrix and diagnostic profiles (i.e., attribute mastery patterns and probabilities) from the RSM. For the validity evidence, it is expected to exhibit DIF for all test items in this study. The results indicated that approximately 90% of items were identified as DIF items that all favored the mastery groups. This suggests that the proposed attributes and Q-matrix with RSM work well to map Taiwanese students into appropriate attribute mastery patterns and to assign appropriate attribute mastery probabilities to them. This study also provides evidence that a DIF approach with the new grouping technique is a viable method for the validation research. More discussion and suggestions are presented in the paper.
Novel deoxyribonucleic acid methylation perturbations in workers exposed to vinyl chloride
Authors: Zhao Xiaotian , Hao Yan , Wang Qian , Shen Yongmei , Cheng Ying , Li Ben , Gao Yi , Wang Tong , Qiu Yulan
Published: May 2022

To explore the epigenetic mechanism of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage induced by vinyl chloride (VC), we studied the micronuclei of peripheral blood lymphocytes in 193 subjects (92 in a VC exposure group employed in a chlorine-alkali plant; 101 in a control group employed in a power plant) and selected three pairs from the subjects (exposed and control) for whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS). The results showed that the rate of micronucleus formation in the VC exposure group was higher than that of control group (6.05 ± 3.28‰ vs. 2.01 ± 1.79‰). A total of 9534 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified by WGBS, of which 4816 were hypomethylated and 4718 were hypermethylated. The Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway and gene ontology (GO) analyses showed the top three KEGG pathways were cancer , neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, and axon guidance, and the top three GO-BP pathways enriched were multicellular organismal process, developmental process, and anatomical structure development. In the most enriched DMR pathway (pathways in cancer), we found that BCL2, TJP2, TAOK1, PFKFB3, LIPI, and LIPH were hypermethylated, and the methylation levels of BNIP1 and GRPEL2 were decreased. The methylation of differentially methylated genes (DMGs) mentioned above were verified by methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) in 50 pairs of subjects, where the coincidence rate was 60–100%. In conclusion, the epigenetic perturbations of specific DMGs ( BCL2, TJP2, TAOK1, PFKFB3, LIPI, LIPH, BNIP1, and GRPEL2) may be associated with DNA damage from vinyl chloride exposure.
Reconsolidation effect on impact, compression after impact and thermal properties of poly (aryl ether ketone) composites for aeronautical applications
Authors: Conejo Luiza dos Santos , Santos Luis F de P , Ribeiro Bruno , Kok Winand , Warnet Laurent , Costa Michelle L , Botelho Edson C
Published: May 2022

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the reconsolidation of a carbon fiber composite with poly (aryl ether ketone) (PAEK)/carbon fiber laminates after suffering impacts from different energy levels (5, 10 and 30 J) and being restored by reconsolidation. For this comparison, thermal analysis, and compression after impact tests were performed to evaluate the properties of the material before and after the reconsolidation process. According to the found results, it was observed that with small damages it is possible to fully recover the material after new consolidation and for larger damages there is also a partial recovery compared to the base laminate. The material remains thermally stable in all situations, in other words, its thermal properties remain even after impact tests and reconsolidation process.
Impedance control and parameter optimization of surface polishing robot based on reinforcement learning
Authors: Ding Yufeng , Zhao JunChao , Min Xinpu
Published: May 2022

Polishing robot is an automatic system in which the robot controls the end effector to fix the polishing tool and finish the workpiece polishing efficiently. In order to solve the problem of how to maintain the stability of actuator contact force in the robot automatic polishing system, a learning algorithm of robot impedance control parameters based on reinforcement learning is proposed and the impedance control model is established in this paper. The influence parameters (inertia M, damping B, stiffness K) of impedance performance are analyzed by numerical simulation method and the optimized impedance parameters are obtained at last. Due to the small number of iterations and high data utilization rate, reinforcement learning algorithm is more suitable for robot constant force tracking. In the process of applying reinforcement learning algorithm, a combination of dynamic matching method and linearization method is proposed to predict the output distribution of the state, which greatly improves the cost function of the evaluation strategy, and impedance parameters corresponding to the optimal strategy are obtained. Finally, steam turbine blade is taken as polishing test part. The average roughness of the selected points of test part after polishing is only 0.302μm, and much less than 1.151μm before polishing, which verifies the feasibility of the proposed impedance control method.
Simulation and experimental investigation on vibration of a radial turbine wheel using a two-way FSI approach
Authors: Chen Shaolin , Ma Chaochen , Zhang Hong , Hu Liaoping , Lei Fen , Jin Peng , Feng Tao , Cao Gang
Published: May 2022

When turbine blades of a radial turbocharger are subjected to an unsteady aerodynamic load excitation force, high cycle fatigue of the turbine blades will occur when the excitation force reaches a certain level. The fatigue of the radial turbine wheel is affected by both static and dynamic stresses, and high cycle fatigue occurs when the dynamic stress reaches a certain amplitude. In this study, a two-way fluid–structure interaction (FSI) analysis method was used to predict the dynamic excitation force and dynamic response of the turbine wheel, which can precisely predict the forced vibration of the turbine wheel under the condition of rotor–stator interaction. A resonance intersection point was excited by the stator (turbine housing vortex tongue) of the radial turbocharger as the operating boundary condition, and the aerodynamic excitation caused by the rotor–stator interaction and the vibration amplitude of the turbine blade was predicted and analysed. A turbine blade dynamic measurement system (tip timing) was used to measure the dynamic deformation of turbine blades for turbochargers in real time. The simulation and measurement results showed that the errors of the predicted vibration displacements and measured mistuning blades were within the acceptable range, and the two-way FSI analysis method can precisely predict the forced vibration of the model.
Impacts of biomass hybridization on exergetic sustainability of a solar organic Rankine cycle power plant
Authors: Oyekale Joseph , Emagbetere Eyere
Published: May 2022

Due to the low thermo-economic performance of solar ORC plants, several studies are ongoing to investigate the potential merits/demerits of biomass hybridization as a retrofit. Although many of such studies have examined the technical and economic viabilities of various hybrid solar-biomass concepts, due attention has not been directed to the area of their sustainability based on the Second Law of Thermodynamics. This study was aimed at investigating the potential effects of biomass hybridization on the exergetic sustainability of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power plant. Design data of an existing solar ORC plant currently operational at Ottana (Italy) were employed for analysis. The referenced ORC plant is rated at about 630 kWe, powered at the moment solely by a concentrated solar power (CSP) field, which integrates linear Fresnel collectors with two-tank thermal energy storage (TES) device. Five different exergetic sustainability indicators were employed in this study to assess the aforementioned ORC plant when fed by hybrid solar-biomass energy resources. Results showed the hybrid plant's destruction factor (DF), exergetic sustainability index (ESI), environmental effect factor (EEF), improvement potential rate (IPR), and recoverability ratio (RECR) of 89.40%, 0.119, 8.435, 4744.8 kW, and 0.89, respectively. Additionally, a comparison of the solar-only and the hybrid solar-biomass schemes revealed that biomass hybridization would improve the exergetic sustainability of the ORC plant. Nevertheless, the high value of IPR obtained suggests that ample opportunities would yet exist to further enhance sustainability indices of the studied ORC plant post biomass hybridization. In sum, biomass hybridization of the solar ORC plant considered in this study would enhance sustainability performance but more opportunities would yet exist to further optimize the system.
Optimization of variable-temperature drying of Camellia oleifera seeds
Authors: Men Kaiyang , Huang Dan , Qin Yiting , Zhang Xiyang , Tang Xiaohong , Gong Guiliang , Li Lijun
Published: May 2022

The processing method of Camellia oleifera fruit used in the industry was investigated, that is, fresh C. oleifera fruit was shelled in the drying equipment first and then the remaining C. oleifera seeds returned until the target moisture content (about 10% d.b.) was reached. The variable-temperature drying of C. oleifera seeds was investigated for the first time and the drying process was optimized and compared with constant-temperature drying. Two independent variables, including hot air drying temperature and air velocity, were studied by central composite design. The responses were drying time and quality of Camellia oil, including acid value and peroxide value. Results showed that the optimal constant-temperature drying conditions were drying at a temperature of 60.5°C and air velocity of 2.1 m/s. Under this condition, the total drying time was 607 min, and the acid and peroxide values were 1.72 mg/g and 0.12 g/100 g, respectively. The optimal variable-temperature drying conditions were drying at a constant air velocity of 2 m/s and a drying temperature of 55°C for 67 min, then 60°C for 213 min, and finally 65°C for 297 min. Under these conditions, the acid value was 1.75 mg/g and the peroxide value was 0.1 g/100 g. The optimal variable-temperature drying efficiency was 16.7% higher than that of constant-temperature drying when the optimization objective of drying time, acid value and peroxide value was 2:1:1.
Mean value-based collaborative method for structural optimization of aircraft family
Authors: Chao Xu , Weixing Yao
Published: May 2022

In order to improve the efficiency of the general platform optimization, a new mean value-based collaborative method (MVCM) for structural optimization of general platform is proposed. The key idea of this method is to decompose the general platform optimization problem into a system-level optimization problem and several independent subsystem-level optimization problems by introducing coordination variables. While meeting the design requirements and performance requirements, the subsystem optimizes each aircraft so that the design variables of each aircraft are as close as possible to coordination variables. The system-level coordination adjusts the coordination variables according to the results of each subsystem. With the continuous iteration between the system and the subsystems, the coordination variables that can maximize the generality of the product family are finally found. The numerical test results show that the MVCM can greatly improve the efficiency of the general platform optimization.