bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Review of Mechano-Biochemical Models for Testing Composite Restorations
Authors: Zhang A. , Ye N. , Aregawi W. , Zhang L. , Salah M. , VanHeel B. , Chew H.P. , Fok A.S.L.
Published: August 2021

Due to the severe mechano-biochemical conditions in the oral cavity, many dental restorations will degrade and eventually fail. For teeth restored with resin composite, the major modes of failure are secondary caries and fracture of the tooth or restoration. While clinical studies can answer some of the more practical questions, such as the rate of failure, fundamental understanding on the failure mechanism can be obtained from laboratory studies using simplified models more effectively. Reviewed in this article are the 4 main types of models used to study the degradation of resin–composite restorations, namely, animal, human in vivo or in situ, in vitro biofilm, and in vitro chemical models. The characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of these models are discussed and compared. The tooth–restoration interface is widely considered the weakest link in a resin composite restoration. To account for the different types of degradation that can occur (i.e., demineralization, resin hydrolysis, and collagen degradation), enzymes such as esterase and collagenase found in the oral environment are used, in addition to acids, to form biochemical models to test resin–composite restorations in conjunction with mechanical loading. Furthermore, laboratory tests are usually performed in an accelerated manner to save time. It is argued that, for an accelerated multicomponent model to be representative and predictive in terms of both the mode and the speed of degradation, the individual components must be synchronized in their rates of action and be calibrated with clinical data. The process of calibrating the in vitro models against clinical data is briefly described. To achieve representative and predictive in vitro models, more comparative studies of in vivo and in vitro models are required to calibrate the laboratory studies.
A Cumulative Risk and Resilience Model of Dyslexia
Authors: Catts Hugh W. , Petscher Yaacov
Published: August 2021

Considerable attention and legislation are currently focused on developmental dyslexia. A major challenge to these efforts is how to define and operationalize dyslexia. In this article, we argue that rather than defining dyslexia on the basis of an underlying condition, dyslexia is best viewed as a label for an unexpected reading disability. This view fits well with a preventive approach in which risk for reading disability is identified and addressed prior to children experiencing reading failure. A risk–resilience model is introduced that proposes that dyslexia is due to the cumulative effects of risk and resilience factors. Evidence for the multifactorial causal basis of dyslexia is reviewed and potential factors that may offset this risk are considered. The implications of a cumulative risk and resilience model for early identification and intervention is discussed.
Paul, Imprisonment and Crisis: Crisis and its Negotiation as a Lens for Reading Philippians
Authors: Neutel Karin B. , Smit Peter-Ben
Published: August 2021

COVID-19 has stimulated reflections on crisis as a catalyst for interpretation in both the present and the past. This article reads Philippians as embedded in different forms of crisis, most specifically the negotiation of Paul’s own context of crisis: his imprisonment. The bodily, social and spiritual dimensions of this liminal incarceration experience are here set out and the ways in which these influence the fulfilment of mission within the epistle are outlined.
Macroeconomics Meets regional science: How national economic activity is Related to regional economic activity
Authors: Beenstock Michael
Published: August 2021

Macroeconomics and regional science have developed as separate disciplines. However, the fact that the gross domestic product is the sum of gross regional products suggests that the two disciplines are related. The present study considers the implications of regional science and economic geography for macroeconomics. Specifically, a spatial econometric model for Israel is simulated to explore the implications of regional productivity and amenity shocks for gross regional products and the gross domestic product. We show that the effects of productivity shocks on the gross domestic product depend on where they occur and may even be negative. These results question estimates of the effect of productivity shocks in macroeconomic models in terms of spatial aggregation bias. They also provide empirical evidence rejecting the spatial granularity hypothesis regarding the secular relation between macroeconomic economic activity and regional economic activity. The study concludes with speculations about the implications of macroeconomics for regional science.
Intranasal Ketorolac for Acute Pain in Adult Emergency Department Patients
Authors: Gaul Elizabeth , Barbour Tracy , Nowacki Amy S. , Mace Sharon E.
Published: August 2021

Pain is a common complaint in the emergency department. An alternative to opioids is desirable. Oral medications are not feasible with gastrointestinal disorders or NPO. Intravenous medications require skill and time. Intravenous/intramuscular medications are painful with potential needlestick injury. Intranasal medications have rapid onset, easy administration, do not need skilled providers, and no risk of needlestick injury. A total of 28 adults with acute pain (numeric rating scale ≥ 4) received intranasal ketorolac. Numeric rating scale decreased in all: 32% complete pain relief, median (interquartile range) decrease −5 (−6.8 to −4) ( p < .001). Pain relief onset was median [interquartile range] 5 (2.3, 15.0) min. Vital signs remained normal. There were no nasal mucosal changes, no complications. Minor side effects, mostly nasal burning, in 43%, resolved within 5 min. Patients and nurses were satisfied with intranasal ketorolac, and would use it again. Intranasal ketorolac had a rapid onset, was effective, safe, well tolerated with minor side effects that resolved quickly.
A descriptive evaluation of causes of death in venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
Authors: Dave Sagar B , Deatrick Kristopher B , Galvagno Samuel M , Mazzeffi Michael A , Kaczorowski David J , Madathil Ronson J , Rector Raymond , Tabatabai Ali , Haase Daniel J , Herr Daniel , Scalea Thomas M , Menaker Jay
Published: August 2021

Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) has become an important support modality for patients with acute respiratory failure refractory to optimal medical therapy, such as low tidal volume mechanical ventilator support, early paralytic infusion, and early prone positioning. The objective of this cohort study was to investigate the causes and timing of in-hospital mortality in patients on VV ECMO. All patients, excluding trauma and bridge to lung transplant, admitted 8/2014–6/2019 to a specialty ICU for VV ECMO were reviewed. Two hundred twenty-five patients were included. In-hospital mortality was 24.4% ( n = 55). Most non-survivors (46/55, 84%) died prior to lung recovery and decannulation from VV ECMO. Most common cause of death (COD) for patients who died on VV ECMO was removal of life sustaining therapy (LST) in setting of multisystem organ failure (MSOF) ( n = 24). Nine patients died a median of 9 days [6, 11] after decannulation. Most common COD in these patients was palliative withdrawal of LST due to poor prognosis ( n = 3). Non-survivors were older and had worse predictive mortality scores than survivors. We found that death in patients supported with VV ECMO in our study most often occurs prior to decannulation and lung recovery. This study demonstrated that the most common cause of death in patients supported with VV ECMO was removal of LST due MSOF. Acute hemorrhage (systemic or intracranial) was not found to be a common cause of death in our patient population.
Politics at a distance: Infrastructuring knowledge flows for democratic innovation
Authors: Voß Jan-Peter , Schritt Jannik , Sayman Volkan
Published: August 2021

We study efforts at promoting deliberative mini-publics as a model of democracy. Our focus is on practices supporting the circulation of know-how for doing mini-publics. In this paper we center on the building of infrastructures for knowledge exchange in and around a network known as Democracy R&D. This is a network of mini-publics practitioners from around the world with the declared goal of adding momentum to democratic innovation by enhancing translocal connections, community building, and knowledge. We look at how the network is organized, how online communication platforms are installed, and how observatory devices draw dispersed practices together into a shared frame of mutual learning and collective action. How do such practices configure the ways in which knowledge can flow across sites? How do they constitute an instrument space, a translocal assemblage of knowing and doing democracy by means of deliberative mini-publics? Using concepts like scopic media and centers of calculation, we discuss these practices for how they enable and constrain the circulation of know-how, configure processes of mutual learning, shape the translocal innovation process, and thus, at a distance, also prefigure local ways of knowing and doing politics.
Estimating the Total Number of Workplace and Public Electric Vehicle Chargers in California
Authors: Xu Bingzheng , Davis Adam Wilkinson , Tal Gil
Published: August 2021

Allocating charging infrastructure to support the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market transition is a major challenge for policy makers and planners seeking to promote PEV adoption. Most electric vehicle charging away from home takes place at or near the workplace, but existing research is focused on public charging. This study developed a method to combine charging location data from a variety of sources including users’ self-reports to produce a combined database of workplace and public charging locations. By matching survey responses to charging locations reported in other datasets using spatial clustering methods, we estimated the number of charging locations and chargers in California. This analysis found that charger location datasets from the Alternative Fuels Data Center and Plugshare included many of the same charging locations as each other but missed many chargers that serve commuters; as a result, existing datasets significantly underrepresent the total number of chargers in California. Some 28,175 Level 2 chargers and 7,350 direct current fast chargers by were identified by combining charger location data from the Alternative Fuels Data Center and Plugshare and at least 27,000 additional chargers near commute destinations by adding locations reported in a survey of electric vehicle drivers.
Enhancing the Performance of Vehicle Passenger Detection under Adverse Weather Conditions Using Augmented Reality-Based Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Lee Jaeyun , Kang Sangcheol , Lim Jaedeok , Kim Seong Geon , Kim Changmo
Published: August 2021

In response to extreme traffic congestion in metropolitan areas that causes unnecessarily long travel times, high fuel consumption, and excessive greenhouse gas emissions, transportation agencies have implemented various strategies to mitigate traffic congestion. Managed lanes—one of the measures applied worldwide—provide benefits to road users and operating agencies by integrating advanced technologies such as electronic and dynamic tolling systems. However, those agencies already implementing or considering implementing the managed lane strategy are seeking a solution to effectively and properly charge toll rates based on vehicle occupancy and penalize violating vehicles. Vehicle passenger detection systems (VPDSs) have been developed and evaluated worldwide, but limitations still inhibit their full implementation. This study confirms that the performance of the deep learning algorithm, a core VPDS technology, declines under certain adverse weather conditions because of lack of training data sets. The performance of the “you only look once” (YOLOv3) model trained with a normal weather data set decreased by as much as 8.5% when it was tested for adverse weather conditions. In this study, augmented reality (AR) models are developed to enhance the accuracy of vehicle passenger detection (VPDA) by the VPDS by training the algorithm with AR images representing virtual adverse weather conditions. Models trained with AR image sets of various weather categories (fog, rain, and snow) attained VPDA enhanced by up to 7.9%. The final model significantly improves VPDA under adverse weather conditions. The proposed models could be considered for implementation with road weather information systems under adverse weather conditions.
Elder Abuse Vulnerability and Risk Factors: Is Financial Abuse Different From Other Subtypes?
Authors: Fraga Dominguez Silvia , Ozguler Bee , Storey Jennifer E. , Rogers Michaela
Published: August 2021

Elder abuse (EA) affects one in six older adults, and financial EA, a common subtype, severely impacts victims and society. Understanding victim vulnerability and perpetrator risk factors is essential to EA prevention and management. The limited existing evidence about these factors in relation to EA types suggests that financial EA is different. In a cross-sectional quantitative analysis of secondary data ( N = 1,238), we investigated EA vulnerability and risk factors, and victim–perpetrator family relationship, with respect to different EA types (financial only, financial co-occurring with other types, and nonfinancial abuse). Financial abuse-only cases had the lowest prevalence of vulnerability and risk factors. Most of these factors, and a familial relationship, were significantly more common in cases involving other EA types. Findings indicate that financial abuse, occurring in isolation, is distinct from other EA types. Risk assessment and future research should consider financial abuse separately to other EA forms.
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The Role of Information Sources
Authors: Bhagianadh Divya , Arora Kanika
Published: August 2021

Despite high enthusiasm surrounding the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, some older adults continue to remain hesitant about its receipt. There is limited evidence on vaccine hesitancy among community-dwelling older adults. In this study, we examine the prevalence and predictors (particularly the role played by information sources) of vaccine hesitancy in this group. We use the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and employ multivariable logistic regression models to explore this. Relative to those relying on regular news, those depending on health care providers (HCPs), social media, other internet/webpages, and family/friends as the main information source on COVID-19 expressed higher negative vaccine intent. The high negative intent with HCPs as the main information source should be interpreted with caution. This could be reflective of the timing of the survey and changing attitude toward the vaccine among HCPs themselves.
Parameter values for lot size and quality level via CAE simulation, statistical method, and mathematical programming
Authors: Jeang Angus , Chung Chien-Ping
Published: August 2021

Because of the stochastic nature of production systems, it is necessary to first build an uncertainty model for subsequent real applications. Moreover, process parameter planning, quality design, and production inventory management are interdependent elements. In this research, a computer simulation model via computer-aided engineering (CAE) was developed to determine the optimal process parameters, lot size, and back order intervals for an integrated process design and inventory management system with simultaneous quality and cost considerations. Based on the estimated process time and costs obtained using CAE, the derived production rate and unit cost were then used for production inventory applications. In consideration of the uncertainty factor, the response surface method (RSM) was employed to analyze the output, namely the total costs incurred in employing the proposed approach, as well as the inputs, which include the cutting parameters, production quantity, and back order intervals. After the RSM was used to obtain the response functions, which represent the output of the collective interests, the mathematical programming (MP) was formulated based on the response functions to determine the optimal process parameters, process quality levels, production order quantities, and back order intervals. The total cost per set time unit was minimized by determining the required quality level, process parameter values, Economic Production Quantity (EPQ), and back order intervals. A cutting example was chosen to demonstrate the proposed approach. Two cases were used for comparison: the Integrated Case (the proposed approach herein) and the Disintegrated Case.
The effect of principal component analysis in the diagnosis of congestive heart failure via heart rate variability analysis
Authors: Selek Mustafa B , Yesilkaya Bartu , Egeli Saadet S , Isler Yalcin
Published: August 2021

In this study, we investigated the effect of principal component analysis (PCA) in congestive heart failure (CHF) diagnosis using various machine learning algorithms from 5-min HRV data. The extracted 59 heart rate variability (HRV) features consist of statistical time-domain measures, frequency-domain measures (power spectral density estimations from Fourier transform and Lomb-Scargle methods), time-frequency HRV measures (Wavelet transform), and nonlinear HRV measures (Poincare plot, symbolic dynamics, detrended fluctuation analysis, and sample entropy). All these HRV features are the classifiers’ inputs. We repeated the study ten times using the first one to the first 10 principal components from PCA instead of all HRV features. Nine different classifiers, namely logistic regression, Naive Bayes, k-nearest neighbors, decision tree, AdaBoost, support vector machines, stochastic gradient descent, random forest, and artificial neuronal network (multilayer perceptron) are examined. The proposed study results in the 100% accuracy, 100% specificity, and 100% sensitivity after utilizing PCA (with the first eight principal components) using the Random Forest classifier where the maximum classifier performances are the 86% accuracy, 79% specificity, and 86% sensitivity before PCA. In conclusion, PCA is beneficial in the diagnosis of patients with CHF. In addition, we experienced the online Python-based visual machine learning tool, Orange, which can implement well-known machine learning algorithms.
Una Noche de Música: Sustaining Our Students’ Culture
Authors: Lozada Victor , Ríos-Jiménez Emilio , Hansen-Thomas Holly , Richins Liliana Grosso , South Suzan
Published: August 2021

Students in the music classroom are more culturally and linguistically diverse than ever before. Latinx students are the fastest growing population. Often, these students are neglected through deficit-based pedagogical practices with regard to their cultural and linguistic practices; however, other research into asset-based pedagogical practices such as community cultural wealth and culturally sustaining pedagogy can allow for more equitable and just music education. Accessing community cultural wealth with regard to aspirational, navigational, social, resistant, and especially familial and linguistic capital can lead to better outcomes for students. Incorporating a Noche de Música [Night of Music] at a school allows for families to demonstrate their capacity to cocreate music-based and language-based literacies among faculty, students, and their families. This can include culturally sustaining pedagogical practices that lovingly affirm and sustain students’ language, culture, and history through folk songs, folk tales, and multimodal approaches to communication.
Teaching Music Online: Using Microsoft Stream and Forms to Share Prerecorded Lessons
Authors: Norman Timothy David
Published: August 2021

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools have been teaching music online. This is the second column of a two-part series exploring this topic. In this column, I discuss how general music teachers can share prerecorded lessons that contain interactive questions using Microsoft Stream and Forms.
Health-Related Quality of Life in the

Spi

ronolactone to

R

educe

I

CD

T

herapy (SPIRIT) Trial
Authors: Liberato Ana C. S. , Raitt Merritt H. , Zarraga Ignatius Gerardo E. , MacMurdy Karen S. , Dougherty Cynthia M.
Published: August 2021

To describe health related quality of life (HRQOL) and symptoms in the SPIRIT trial and determine effects of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) shocks on HRQOL over 24 months. Ninety participants aged 66 ± 10 years, 96% men, 75% with NYHA class II, with an ICD were randomized to spironolactone 25 mg ( N = 44) or placebo ( N = 46). HRQOL was measured every 6 months for 24 months using: Patient Concerns Assessment (PCA), Short Form Health Survey-Veterans Version (SF-36V), and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ). Linear mixed modeling compared changes in HRQOL over-time and ANCOVA compared HRQOL between those getting an ICD shock or not. Over 24-months, there were no differences in HRQOL between the spironolactone versus placebo groups. Those with at least one ICD shock reported significantly lower HRQOL and more symptoms at 6- and 24-months. Patients receiving one or more ICD shocks reported significant reductions in HRQOL and higher symptoms.
Deep Learning Approach for Quantification of Fluorescently Labeled Blood Cells in Danio rerio (Zebrafish)
Authors: Thapa Samrat , Stachura David L
Published: August 2021

Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell essential for the function of the innate immune system. To elucidate mechanisms of neutrophil biology, many studies are performed in vertebrate animal model systems. In Danio rerio (zebrafish), in vivo imaging of neutrophils is possible due to transgenic strains that possess fluorescently labeled leukocytes. However, due to the relative abundance of neutrophils, the counting process is laborious and subjective. In this article, we propose the use of a custom trained “you only look once” (YOLO) machine learning algorithm to automate the identification and counting of fluorescently labeled neutrophils in zebrafish. Using this model, we found the correlation coefficient between human counting and the model equals r = 0.8207 with an 8.65% percent error, while variation among human counters was 5% to 12%. Importantly, the model was able to correctly validate results of a previously published article that quantitated neutrophils manually. While the accuracy can be further improved, this model notably achieves these results in mere minutes compared with hours via standard manual counting protocols and can be performed by anyone with basic programming knowledge. It further supports the use of deep learning models for high throughput analysis of fluorescently labeled blood cells in the zebrafish model system.
Toward a nuanced understanding of musicians’ professional learning pathways: What does critical reflection contribute?
Authors: López-Íñiguez Guadalupe , Burnard Pamela
Published: August 2021

Making sense of musicians’ professional learning pathways is of crucial importance to understanding their career progressions, their routes into creative employment, and the relevance of various policies to their professional lives. However, this is a far cry from understanding how critical reflection catalyzes diverse learning routes, especially when considering evidence originating from postgraduate musicians’ own accounts of their journeys into job creation. In this study, we invited five postgraduate classical musicians who were invested in professional learning through performance programs in higher education to contribute these types of personal perspectives. The article explores the value of postgraduate musicians’ own accounts of their journeys and illustrates how a more nuanced understanding of them can be arrived at through the use of visual-based tools, for example, Rivers of Musical Experience and Dixit Cards. This constructivist intervention prompted both group and individual critical reflections, as well as sense-making processes that enabled the participants to become more informed about the (typically overlooked or neglected) critical incidents that differently catalyze professional learning pathways. All of the participants articulated sociocultural influences that were situated along historical, present, and future points of departure and arrival, helping them to create meaning and understanding of themselves and their (at times unsettling) professional learning pathways. From the ensuing thematic analyses, we identified a commonality of themes across life phases with three key influential groups of people (parents, peers, and professionals) that strongly affected their professional learning pathways and learner identity-construction. The results indicate that the relationships between these phases and people are complex. The research illuminates the previously unexplored connection between the meaning-making trajectories that are instantiated through critical reflection, and adds to our understanding of the development of musicians’ professional learning pathways and learner identities.
Post-pandemic dark tourism in former epicenters
Authors: Cai Yanting , Li Gang , Liu Chang , Wen Long
Published: August 2021

As one of the first studies to explore the joint consumption of both leisure and pandemic-related tourism products in former pandemic epicenters, this research expands the scope of dark tourism to include former pandemic epicenters. The motivational determinants of intention to visit leisure and pandemic-related sites are empirically identified using an ordered logit model. This is the first study which formally proposes patriotism as a new push motive in stimulating people to visit post-disaster destinations. The identified segmentations of tourists with different levels of push–pull motives and socio-demographic features provide key stakeholders and practitioners in former epicenters with a systematic recovery plan in the post-pandemic era.
COVID-19, social isolation and the mental health of autistic people and their families: A qualitative study
Authors: Pellicano Elizabeth , Brett Simon , den Houting Jacquiline , Heyworth Melanie , Magiati Iliana , Steward Robyn , Urbanowicz Anna , Stears Marc
Published: August 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic and its policy responses have had a detrimental effect on millions of people’s mental health. Here, we investigate its impact on autistic people and their families using qualitative methods. Specifically, we addressed: how did autistic people experience an increase in social isolation during the initial lockdown? And how was their mental health impacted by lockdown? Autistic and non-autistic researchers conducted 144 semi-structured interviews with autistic adults (n = 44), parents of autistic children (n = 84) including autistic parents and autistic young people (n = 16). We deployed thematic analysis to identify key themes. The enhanced social isolation accompanying the pandemic had a serious and damaging impact on autistic people’s mental health and subjective wellbeing. They spoke of intensely missing friends and more incidental forms of social connection. They also reported intense dissatisfaction with the substitution of embodied, person-to-person connection in health services by online/telephone-based alternatives, sometimes accompanied by serious negative consequences. These findings reveal the fundamental importance of supporting autistic people to maintain direct and incidental social contact during the pandemic and beyond. They speak against established theories that downplay autistic people’s need for human connection and the extent to which they have been affected by social isolation during lockdowns.

Lay abstract

In this study, we show that autistic people and their families have found it very difficult to deal with the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Autistic and non-autistic researchers spoke to 144 people, including 44 autistic adults, 84 parents of autistic children and 16 autistic young people (12–18 years old). We asked them about their everyday lives and mental health during lockdown. People told us that they enjoyed having fewer obligations and demands compared to pre-COVID-19 life. They felt that life was quieter and calmer. But people also told us again and again how much they missed meeting people in real life, especially their friends, and their therapists and support workers. People told us that their mental health suffered because they did not have contact with their friends and services. Importantly, many people (including researchers) think that autistic people do not want friends or to be around people. But our results show that is not true. Many autistic people do want friends and to be around other people. Some people’s mental health has been damaged by not being able to see people during COVID-19. Autistic people need support in many areas of life so they can keep socialising and seeing their friends even through difficult times, like pandemics.
Queering potentials: Negotiations of gender, parenthood, and family in polyamorous relationships in the Netherlands
Authors: Roodsaz Rahil
Published: August 2021

Using a critical feminist perspective, this article provides an ethnographic account of negotiations of gender relations, parenthood, and family in polyamorous relationships in the Netherlands. A conceptual framework is developed and employed to analyze the queering potentials of polyamory by looking at (1) a difference-oriented self, (2) expansion of political community, (3) deconstructions of gender, (4) enduring and unexpected care, and (5) an awareness of existence with people we do not know. Based on a thick description of everyday negotiations, it is argued that the categories of “gender,” “parent,” and “family” are mainly stretched and diffused rather than fundamentally disrupted.
Addressing the silence: Utilising salon workers to respond to family violence
Authors: McCann Hannah , Myers Kali
Published: August 2021

Community programs designed to train salon workers to address the issue of family violence are becoming increasingly commonplace. This article draws on interviews with trainees of one such program called HaiR-3Rs, run by the Eastern Domestic Violence Service (EDVOS) and launched in January 2018 in Victoria, Australia. HaiR-3Rs trains salon workers in recognising, responding to, and referring clients experiencing family violence. Using data collected from qualitative interviews this article reflects on trainee experiences of the HaiR-3Rs program. This article offers insights into whether training salon workers to respond to the issue of family violence places an additional burden of expectation on workers, as well as practical issues and limits of the training. The results of this study suggest that programs like HaiR-3Rs tap into deeper issues about the emotional nature of salon work, and has implications for the hair and beauty industry more broadly.
Hybrid spiral-bacterial foraging algorithm for a fuzzy control design of a flexible manipulator
Authors: Kasruddin Nasir Ahmad Nor , Ahmad Mohd Ashraf , Tokhi M.Osman
Published: August 2021

A novel hybrid strategy combining a spiral dynamic algorithm (SDA) and a bacterial foraging algorithm (BFA) is presented in this article. A spiral model is incorporated into the chemotaxis of the BFA algorithm to enhance the capability of exploration and exploitation phases of both SDA and BFA with the aim to improve the fitness accuracy for the SDA and the convergence speed as well as the fitness accuracy for BFA. The proposed algorithm is tested with the Congress on Evolutionary Computation 2013 (CEC2013) benchmark functions, and its performance in terms of accuracy is compared with its predecessor algorithms. Consequently, for solving a complex engineering problem, the proposed algorithm is employed to obtain and optimise the fuzzy logic control parameters for the hub angle tracking of a flexible manipulator system. Analysis of the performance test with the benchmark functions shows that the proposed algorithm outperforms its predecessor algorithms with significant improvements and has a competitive performance compared to other well-known algorithms. In the context of solving a real-world problem, it is shown that the proposed algorithm achieves a faster convergence speed and a more accurate solution. Moreover, the time-domain response of the hub angle shows that the controller optimised by the proposed algorithm tracks the desired system response very well.
The inter-institutional impact of digital platform companies on democracy: A case study of the UK media’s digital campaigning coverage
Authors: Dommett Katharine
Published: August 2021

Digital platforms, such as Google and Facebook, are under increased scrutiny as regards their impact on society. Having prompted concerns about their capacity to spread misinformation, contribute to filter bubbles and facilitate hate speech, much attention has been paid to the threat platforms pose to democracy. In contrast to existing interventions considering the threats posed by interactions between platforms and users, in this article, I examine platforms’ impact on the democratic work of other bodies. Considering the relationship between platforms and the media, I reveal how platforms affect journalists’ ability to advance their democratic goals. Using a case study of journalistic coverage of digital campaigning at the 2019 UK general election, I show how platforms have hindered journalistic efforts to inform citizens and provide a watchdog function. These findings are significant for our understanding of platforms’ democratic impact and suggest policy makers may wish to regulate platforms’ inter-institutional impact upon democracy.
Control-oriented modeling of the gas exchange process in rebreathing homogeneous charge compression ignition engines
Authors: Takeshita Akihiro , Yamasaki Yudai , Muto Mitsuhiro , Hikita Takayuki , Fujii Takuma , Mizuno Saori
Published: August 2021

The purpose of this study is to develop a model for the gas exchange process in a rebreathing homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine. HCCI engines are attracting significant attention due to their low emissions and high efficiency. To design the control system of an HCCI engine, it is necessary to develop a control-oriented engine model. The developed model lowers its computational load by combining two types of models. The model consists of a discrete model for the exhaust process (the first half of the gas exchange process) and a continuous model with a variable calculation step size for the rebreathing process (the latter half of the gas exchange process). Also, the constructed model maintained its prediction accuracy, as the pressure pulsation in the exhaust port was modeled, and an unsteady flow equation was used. It was confirmed that the model developed for the gas exchange process calculated in about half time of one cycle and reproduced the results of 1D engine simulation software with a maximum error of about 10% in the in-cylinder pressure, temperature, and trapped mass.
Preventing outlaw biker crime in the Netherlands or just changing the dark figure? Estimating the impact of the Dutch whole-of-government approach on outlaw biker crime using interrupted time series analysis
Authors: Klement Christian , Blokland Arjan
Published: August 2021

Confronted with growing public concern about violence and other serious crime committed by outlaw motorcycle clubs, in 2012 the Dutch government launched a whole-of-government approach to discourage club membership and organized criminal behaviour. The whole-of-government approach included a zero tolerance policy towards crimes committed by outlaw bikers and increased law enforcement and prosecutorial attention towards members of outlaw motorcycle groups (OMCG members) and their support clubs. In this study, we estimate the effects of the whole-of-government approach on the level of prosecutorial charges levied against the Dutch biker population. We do so by applying (quasi-experimental) interrupted time series analysis to the conviction data available on 1617 Dutch OMCG members and 473 support club members in four recorded crime categories: overall crime, violent crime, organized crime and traffic offences. Although caveats remain, results indicate that the whole-of-government approach has a causal effect on the criminal involvement of OMCG and support club members, but that the nature of this effect depends on the type of crime and the subsample in question. Overall crime in the total sample seems unaffected by the approach, whereas organized crime committed by OMCG members is shown to decrease. We discuss whether the patterns observed are due to behavioural changes in OMCG and support club members, or whether they result from changes in police practices and, consequently, a changing dark figure of crime. We conclude our article with some reflections on future research.
Retrograde Revascularization of Tibial Arteries in Patients with Critical Limb Ischemia: Plantar-Arch Versus Transpedal Approach
Authors: Stahlberg Erik , Stroth Andreas , Haenel Alexander , Grzyska Ulrike , Wegner Franz , Sieren Malte , Horn Marco , Barkhausen Jörg , Goltz Jan Peter
Published: August 2021

Purpose:

To compare retrograde plantar-arch and transpedal-access approach for revascularization of below-the-knee (BTK) arteries in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) after a failed antegrade approach.

Materials and Methods:

Retrospectively we identified 811 patients who underwent BTK revascularization between 1/2014 and 1/2020. In 115/811 patients (14.2%), antegrade revascularization of at least 1 tibial artery had failed. In 67/115 (58.3%), patients retrograde access to the target vessel was achieved via the femoral access and the plantar-arch (PLANTAR-group); and in 48/115 patients (41.7%) retrograde revascularization was performed by an additional retrograde puncture (TRANSPEDAL-group). Comorbidities, presence of calcification at pedal-plantar-loop/transpedal-access-site, and tibial-target-lesion was recorded. Endpoints were technical success (PLANTAR-group: crossing the plantar-arch; TRANSPEDAL-group: intravascular placement of the pedal access sheath), procedural success [residual stenosis <30% after plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA)], and procedural complications limb salvage and survival. Correlations between calcification at access site/tibial-target-lesion and technical/procedural-success were tested.

Results:

Technical success was achieved in 50/67 (75%) patients of the PLANTAR-group and in 39/48 (81%) patients of the TRANSPEDAL-group (p=0.1). Procedural success was obtained in 23/67 (34%) patients of the PLANTAR-group and in 25/48 (52%) patients of the TRANSPEDAL-group (p=0.04). In 14/49 (29%) cases with calcification at the pedal–plantar loop, technical success was not achieved (p=0.04), and in 33/44 (75%) patients with calcification at the tibial-target-lesion, procedural success was not attained (PLANTAR-group) (p=0.026). In the TRANSPEDAL-group, correlations between calcification at access site/tibial-target-lesion and technical/procedural-success were not observed (p=0.2/p=0.4). In the PLANTAR-group, minor complications occurred in 13/67 (19%) and in the TRANSPEDAL-group in 4/48 patients (8%) (p=0.08). Limb salvage at 12 (18) months was 90% (82%) (PLANTAR-group; 95%CI 15.771–18.061) and 84% (76%) (TRANSPEDAL-group; 95%CI 14.475–17.823) (Log-rank p=0.46). Survival at 12 (18) months was 94% (86%) (PLANTAR-group; 95%CI 16.642–18.337) and 85% (77%) (TRANSPEDAL; 95%CI 14.296–17.621) (Log-rank p=0.098).

Conclusion:

Procedural success was significantly higher using the transpedal-access approach. Calcifications at pedal–plantar loop and target-lesion significantly influenced technical/procedural failure using the plantar-arch approach. No significant difference between both retrograde techniques in terms of feasibility, safety, and limb salvage/survival was found.
Bail-Out Pull-Through Pull-Back Technique for Accidental Coverage of the Left Common Carotid Artery During Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair
Authors: Okamura Homare , Arakawa Mamoru , Kitada Yuichiro , Miyagawa Atsushi , Adachi Hideo
Published: August 2021

Purpose:

We describe a pull-through pull-back technique to revascularize the left common carotid artery (LCCA) that was unintentionally covered during thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR).

Case Report:

A 69-year-old man presented with back pain secondary to acute type B aortic dissection with an intimal tear in the proximal descending aorta. Serial computed tomography (CT) revealed an enlarged descending aorta and proximal progression of the aortic dissection. He underwent left carotid-subclavian artery bypass and TEVAR, 10 days after admission. The Valiant Navion stent graft without a bare stent was deployed proximally; however, the LCCA was unintentionally covered by the stent graft during this procedure. A pull-through form was created between the left axillary and femoral arteries using a 0.035-inch guide wire. The pull-through guide wire was gently pulled, and the greater curvature of the proximal end of the stent graft was displaced distally. Angiography confirmed restoration of antegrade blood flow into the LCCA. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful. Follow-up CT performed 6 months postoperatively confirmed preserved blood flow into the LCCA without endoleak nor stent migration.

Conclusion:

The pull-through pull-back technique is a feasible troubleshooting strategy for accidental coverage of supra-aortic vessels during TEVAR.
Penetration of Dissected Membrane for False Lumen Embolization in a Case of Chronic Aortic Dissection
Authors: Ichihashi Shigeo , Nagatomi Satoru , Iwakoshi Shinichi , Hirose Tomoaki , Bolstad Francesco , Kichikawa Kimihiko
Published: August 2021

Background: Patent false lumens carry a high risk of aortic events including rupture. False lumen embolization is a useful method to promote thrombosis of false lumen. In the case presented here, direct penetration of the dissected membrane was employed to obtain access to the false lumen, enabling embolization. Case report: The case was a 64-year-old female who developed a Stanford type A acute aortic dissection. Replacement of ascending aorta and aortic arch with frozen elephant trunk technique was performed. After the operation, there was a residual flow through the false lumen in the descending thoracic and abdominal aorta. Twenty months later, the patient complained of sudden back pain, and a CT scan demonstrated another new dissection at the distal edge of the open stent. Additionally, the false lumen that had remained since the onset of the type A aortic dissection enlarged during the observation period. An endovascular procedure was planned to exclude the false lumen. Despite closing all communicating channels between true and false lumen using a vascular plug, coils, and stent grafts, the false lumen continued to expand due to the residual flow at the visceral segment. The origin responsible for the flow was not identified. To perform an embolization of the false lumen, access into the false lumen was obtained by penetration of the dissected flap using a trans-septal needle. Following the successful penetration of the flap, embolization of the false lumen was performed using coils and glue. After the embolization, an angiogram of the false lumen confirmed the significant reduction of leakage into the true lumen. The size of the aorta and false lumen decreased after the embolization. Conclusion: Direct penetration of the dissected membrane of the aorta was a safe and useful measure for regaining access to the false lumen and for the following endovascular intervention.
Treatment Intensity: Considering Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability Who Have Complex Communication Needs
Authors: Reichle Joe , Ganz J. B. , Pierson Lauren , Rodriguez Daira
Published: August 2021

Treatment intensity is an aspect of communication intervention that has received limited empirical attention. In this article, we discuss key parameters of treatment intensity related to individuals with complex communication needs who use augmentative and alternative communication. We advocate for an examination of treatment intensity along with learner and intervention characteristics that may moderate or mediate treatment intensity. In addition, we discuss the influence that contextual fit/treatment acceptability may have on intervention success. We also discuss the challenges created by a number of interacting variables that make determining optimal dosage for groups of individuals difficult. Finally, treatment intensity is briefly discussed in terms of its possible influence on maintenance and generalization.
The Immortal Regiment and its glocalisation: Reformatting Victory Day in Bulgaria
Authors: Koleva Daniela
Published: August 2021

The article explores a case of memory ‘travel’: a commemorative practice, which emerged as a grassroots initiative in Russia to mark Victory Day, and quickly spread up the state hierarchy and across borders, becoming in a sense global. The focus is on the transformations in the course of its expansion and its subsequent adoption in Bulgaria. I examine how this practice changed the format of Victory Day in Bulgaria, and, on the other hand, how the agents, contents/messages, practices and forms of remembrance changed, in intended and unintended ways, in the course of their adaptation to the Bulgarian context.
Remembering and silencing complexity in post-genocide memorialisation: Cambodia’s Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
Authors: Williams Timothy
Published: August 2021

In genocide, complex political actors can take on changing roles of perpetrator, victim or hero at different points in time. In post-genocide societies, political actors seek to shape memory of the violent past to forward their own interests, often undermining this complexity and painting a more black-and-white picture that ties in with Transitional Justice practitioners’ dichotomous assumptions about perpetrators and victims. This article looks at how complexity is remembered and silenced in a post-genocide memorial space that included many complex political actors during its tenure as a security centre: Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Cambodia. Here, the audio guide and permanent and temporary exhibitions (as well as changes to these) allow for a co-existence of competing memories, demonising the Khmer Rouge regime for its immense cruelty and simultaneously constructing victimhood for former Khmer Rouge cadres. This could serve as a starting point for discussing complexity, but instead silences in the exhibitions and audio guide create an ambivalence in attributing these roles that masks this complexity.
In the eyes of all mankind: Interests and independence in Vattelian statehood
Authors: Frost Catherine , Pullen Rebekah K
Published: August 2021

Emer de Vattel’s argument that states should be understood as free and independent bodies operating as moral persons in the international sphere is credited with launching a doctrine of sovereignty that hardened national borders against external interference or obligation. It also helped launch one of the world’s first modern states through its influence on the American founding. Vattel’s theory rests upon the critical role of judgment, specifically, the judgment of interests. That doctrine requires that states must always think for themselves, but not only about themselves. Offering some justification for international action, even in the midst of disagreement or war, is what separates civilized from villainous nations for Vattel, and this grounds interests in the communicative habits of an international community. Because the judgment of interests incorporates a communicative element, Vattelian internationalism cannot become exclusively self-regarding, and state interests cannot be entirely contained within national borders. Instead, Vattel’s distinctive combination of independence and interests is set within a global community that makes the fate of outsiders the business of every state.