bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MNN4Rec: A relation-aware approach based on multi-view news network for news recommendation
Authors: Jiang Hao , Li Chuanzhen , Cai Juanjuan , Wang Jingling
Published: October 2023

Personalised news recommendation comprises two crucial components: news understanding and user modelling. Previous studies have attempted to model news understanding and user interests using various internal news information and external knowledge graphs (KG). However, they have overlooked the collaborative function of the external KG and the internal information among diverse news and user behaviours, resulting in serious news cold-start problems and poor interpretability of user interests. To address these issues, this article proposes a novel approach called Relation-Aware Approach based on Multi-view News Network for News Recommendation (MNN4Rec). Specifically, MNN4Rec first constructs a Multi-view News Network (MNN), which includes candidate news and user-clicked news, and represents their exclusive multi-view information as heterogeneous nodes. Furthermore, we develop explicit and implicit news relationships and design a special sampling algorithm to search for news co-neighbours. We then use a novel dual-channel graph attention mechanism to obtain the fine-grained news understanding representation. Moreover, we construct explainable user interests by modelling the interaction of user-clicked news through the multi-headed self-attention mechanism in both semantic and relation levels. Finally, we match candidate news understanding with user interests to generate a prediction score for recommendation. Experimental results on Microsoft’s news data set MIND demonstrate that MNN4Rec outperforms existing news-recommendation methods while also mitigating the cold-start problem and enhancing the interpretability of user interests. Our code is available at https://github.com/JiangHaoPG11/MNN4Rec_code .
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing augments watchful waiting in asymptomatic severe primary mitral regurgitation
Authors: Afoke Jonathan , Mohal Jagdeep , Kanaganayagam Gajen Sunthar , Casula Roberto , Bruno Vito , Howard Luke , Gibbs Simon , Punjabi Prakash
Published: October 2023

Introduction

Our aim is to describe the use of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in watchful waiting for asymptomatic severe primary mitral regurgitation.

Methods

Between October 2016 and October 2017, ten patients with asymptomatic severe primary mitral regurgitation underwent watchful waiting in a single centre. Baseline assessment included history, physical examination, transthoracic echocardiogram and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Patients were re-evaluated every 6 months with history, physical examination and transthoracic echocardiogram; and at 12 months with cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

Results

At 1 year follow up, five patients remained asymptomatic with no significant change in left ventricular ejection fraction ( p = 0.18). This was associated with no significant change in cardiopulmonary exercise testing parameters. However, five patients developed early new symptoms or changes in echocardiographic parameters with a significant fall in left ventricular ejection fraction ( p < 0.01). This was associated with a significant fall in anaerobic threshold ( p = 0.04) and four of the five patients having an abnormal percentage predicted peak VO2 at 1 year follow up.

Conclusions

Changes in symptomatic status or echocardiographic parameters during a watchful waiting approach for asymptomatic severe primary mitral regurgitation is associated with a significant reduction in cardiopulmonary exercise testing parameters.
Graded motor imagery and its phases for individuals with phantom limb pain following amputation: A scoping review
Authors: Falbo Kierra Jean , Phelan Hannah , Hackman Dawn , Vogsland Rebecca , Rich Tonya L
Published: October 2023

Objective

Three-phase graded motor imagery (limb laterality, explicit motor imagery, and mirror therapy) has been successful in chronic pain populations. However, when applied to phantom limb pain, an amputation-related pain, investigations often use mirror therapy alone. We aimed to explore evidence for graded motor imagery and its phases to treat phantom limb pain.

Data Sources

A scoping review was conducted following the JBI Manual of Synthesis and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. Thirteen databases, registers, and websites were searched.

Review Methods

Published works on any date prior to the search (August 2023) were included that involved one or more graded motor imagery phases for participants ages 18+ with amputation and phantom limb pain. Extracted data included study characteristics, participant demographics, treatment characteristics, and outcomes.

Results

Sixty-one works were included representing 19 countries. Most were uncontrolled studies (31%). Many participants were male (75%) and had unilateral amputations (90%) of varying levels, causes, and duration. Most works examined one treatment phase (92%), most often mirror therapy (84%). Few works (3%) reported three-phase intervention. Dosing was inconsistent across studies. The most measured outcome was pain intensity (95%).

Conclusion

Despite the success of three-phase graded motor imagery in other pain populations, phantom limb pain research focuses on mirror therapy, largely ignoring other phases. Participant demographics varied, making comparisons difficult. Future work should evaluate graded motor imagery effects and indicators of patient success. The represented countries indicate that graded motor imagery phases are implemented internationally, so future work could have a widespread impact.
Novice residents' endotracheal intubation skill retention on a simulated mannequin after rotating at an anaesthesiology department: a randomized controlled study
Authors: Yamamoto Yu , Kimura Shohei , Kuniyoshi Hideki , Hiroe Takanori , Terui Takako , Kase Yoichi
Published: October 2023

Objective

To compare the endotracheal intubation skill retention of the McGRATH™ MAC video laryngoscope with that of the Macintosh laryngoscope in first-year residents rotating at an anaesthesiology department.

Methods

This randomized controlled study enrolled first-year residents who completed a 2-month rotation at an anaesthesiology department. Each rotation group was randomly assigned to the Macintosh laryngoscope (ML) or McGRATH™ MAC video laryngoscope (MML) group. Endotracheal intubation skills were evaluated on a mannequin after the rotation and at 3 and 6 months later. The primary endpoint was the time required for intubation. The secondary endpoint was the percentage of glottic opening (POGO) score.

Results

Forty-six residents participated in this study and were assigned to the ML group ( n = 23) or the MML group ( n = 23). There were no significant differences between the sex, age and the number of endotracheal intubation procedures performed between the two groups. The time required for intubation was significantly shorter in the MML group compared with the ML group. The POGO scores did not show any significant differences between the two groups.

Conclusion

Compared with endotracheal intubation training using the Macintosh laryngoscope, the McGRATH™ MAC video laryngoscope shortened the intubation procedure and its effect remained even after 6 months.

Trial Registration

UMIN-CTR Clinical Trials, UMIN000036643, URL: https://www.umin.ac.jp
Prolonged headache with vaccine- and dose-specific headache pattern associated with vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in patients with migraine
Authors: Kuan Ai Seon , Chen Shih-Pin , Wang Yen-Feng , Wang Shuu-Jiun
Published: October 2023

Objective

To examine SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-related headache characteristics and risk factors in migraine patients.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included 732 migraine patients who had AstraZeneca Vaxzevria, Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty, or Moderna Spikevax vaccines. Participants provided information through questionnaires and headache diaries. Headache frequency before and after vaccination and factors associated with headache risk were examined.

Results

Approximately a third of patients reported increased headache the day after having primary and booster doses, with mean increase ± SD of 1.9 ± 1.2 and 1.8 ± 1.1 days/week, respectively. Proportions of migraine patients with headache (after vaccination vs. before vaccination) increased after having primary-dose Vaxzevria (35.3% vs. 22.8%, p < 0.001) but not Spikevax (23.8% vs. 26.7%, p = 0.700) or Comirnaty (33.2% vs. 25.8%, p = 0.058). Headache proportion increased after having all three boosters (Vaxzevria 27.1% vs. 17.9% p = 0.003; Comirnaty 34.1% vs. 24.5% p = 0.009; Spikevax 35.2% vs. 24.8% p = 0.031). For primary dose with Vaxzevria and Comirnaty, headache risk increased on the vaccination day, peaked on the day after vaccination, and subsided within a week, while for Spikevax headache risk rose gradually after vaccination, peaked on the seventh post-vaccination day and subsided subsequently. For booster dose, headache risk generally increased on the vaccination day, peaked on the day after vaccination, and subsided gradually with fluctuating pattern within a month. Our study also showed that headache increased on the day before primary dose but not booster dose vaccination and it may be attributable to stress associated with having to undertake new vaccines. Multivariable analyses showed that depression was associated with headache.

Conclusion

Prolonged headache with vaccine- and dose-specific headache pattern was found. Patients with higher risks of vaccine-related headache must be informed of the potential worsening headache.
Seasonality of Acute Malnutrition in African Drylands: Evidence From 15 Years of SMART Surveys
Authors: Venkat Aishwarya , Marshak Anastasia , Young Helen , Naumova Elena N.
Published: October 2023

Reduction of wasting, or low weight-for-height, is a critical target for the Zero Hunger Sustainable Development Goal, yet robust evidence establishing continuous seasonal patterns of wasting is presently lacking. The current consensus of greatest hunger during the preharvest period is based on survey designs and analytical methods, which discretize time frame into preharvest/postharvest, dry/wet, or lean/plenty seasons. We present a spatiotemporally nuanced study of acute malnutrition seasonality in African drylands using a 15-year data set of Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transition surveys (n = 412,370). Climatological similarity was ensured by selecting subnational survey regions with 1 rainy season and by spatially matching each survey to aridity and livelihood zones. Harmonic logit regression models indicate 2 peaks of wasting during the calendar year. Greatest wasting prevalence is estimated in April to May, coincident with the primary peak of temperature. A secondary peak of wasting is observed in August to October, coinciding with the primary peak of rainfall and secondary peak of temperature. This pattern is retained across aridity and livelihood zones and is sensitive to temperature, precipitation, and vegetation. Improved subnational estimation of acute malnutrition seasonality can thus assist decision makers and practitioners in data-sparse settings and facilitate global progress toward Zero Hunger.
Community Clustering of Food Insecurity and Malnutrition Associated With Systemic Drivers in Chad
Authors: Luc Gwenaelle , Keita Modibo , Houssoube Fata , Wabyona Edgar , Constant Alain , Bori Assad , Sadik Kareem , Marshak Anastasia , Osman Abdal Monium
Published: October 2023

Background:

Chad suffers from protracted hunger, facing high food insecurity (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification 3 and above), and acute malnutrition levels that surpass the emergency threshold (15% global acute malnutrition) yearly. The Food Security Sector, with European Union support, leads an inclusive effort to increase synergy between humanitarian, development, and peace-building actors to understand and address drivers of hunger.

Objective:

To understand the spatial distribution of child wasting and household food insecurity and systemic drivers (conflict, livelihoods, vegetation, cultural norms) as well as better understand the relationship between child wasting and household food insecurity in Kanem and Bahr el Ghazal (BeG) region, Chad, with the goal of improving nexus programming and targeting.

Methods:

A cross-sectional randomized cluster survey was conducted in August 2021 in Kanem and BeG across 86 villages, reaching 7002 households and 6136 children. Data were collected on child anthropometry, household food security, and livelihoods. Using mixed methods, primary data were triangulated with secondary geospatial data on vegetation index and conflicts as well as qualitative interviews with local actors. Analysis was conducted using comparison tests, linear and logistic crude, and adjusted models, as well as looking at the design effect as a measure of clustering of outcomes at the community level.

Results:

The geospatial distribution of hunger indicators shows child wasting and food insecurity are highly clustered. However, communities with a high prevalence of child wasting were not those with the highest levels of food insecurity, indicating different pathways. Clustering of food insecurity and child wasting is due to basic drivers of conflict, health, and seasonal access to natural resources.

Conclusions:

The high levels of food insecurity and child wasting are each concentrated in specific survey clusters and are not necessarily connected. They result from different causal pathways at the community level linked to the systemic drivers of the rule of access to natural resources, environmental seasonality, and livelihoods. This suggests a greater need for an integrated humanitarian, development, and peace-building interventions to address the persistent high prevalence of food insecurity and child wasting. It also suggests that these community-level and systemic drivers require greater consideration from the start in research design and data collection.
Restoring Food Systems with Nutritious Native Plants: Experiences from the African Drylands
Authors: Sacande Moctar , Muir Giulia
Published: October 2023

Background:

Twenty-seven African countries have committed to restore more than 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 as part of the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100). In addition, for the same period of time, the African-led Great Green Wall initiative seeks to restore 100 million hectares of degraded agro-sylvo-pastoral lands in the Sahel. The current UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) moreover marks an unprecedented opportunity to shape future landscapes, and forge more biodiverse and nutritious food systems. Yet most large-scale restoration actions continue to be largely isolated from socioeconomic challenges facing dryland communities, not least food security and acute malnutrition. Such isolations contribute to low restoration successes and outcomes in Africa’s drylands. At the same time, international interventions aimed at improving acute malnutrition in the drylands have not adequately considered the agriculture-nutrition linkages, particularly “pre-farm gate”—including consumption pathways which optimize the use of native plant diversity.

Objectives:

This article identifies priority action areas emerging from experiences over 5 years of restoration activities carried out in the Sahel through Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Action Against Desertification Programme supporting the implementation of Africa’s Great Green Wall. These actions aim to inform development and humanitarian interventions on the ground to render restoration interventions nutrition-sensitive and hence more effective in practice.

Results:

Recognizing the symbiotic relationship between landscapes and livelihoods, FAO developed a blueprint for large-scale restoration that combines biophysical and socioeconomic aspects for the benefit of rural communities. The approach builds climate and nutritional resilience into its restoration interventions as a preventative approach to reverse land degradation and ultimately improve livelihoods, food security, and nutrition.

Conclusions:

FAO’s experience demonstrated that what is planted and when has the potential to not only significantly improve biodiversity and reverse land degradation, but also positively influence nutrition outcomes. Future interventions in the drylands must involve joint efforts between nutritionists and natural resource managem prove both human and planetary health.
The Livestock for Health Study: A Field Trial on Livestock Interventions to Prevent Acute Malnutrition Among Women and Children in Pastoralist Communities in Northern Kenya
Authors: Thumbi Samuel M. , Muema Josphat , Mutono Nyamai , Njuguna Joseph , Jost Christine , Boyd Erin , Tewoldeberhan Daniel , Mutua Immaculate , Gacharamu George , Wambua Francis , Allport Rob , Olesambu Emmanuella , Osman Abdal Monium , Souza Darana , Kimani Irene , Oyugi Julius , Bukania Zipporah , Oboge Harriet , Palmer Guy H. , Yoder Jonathan
Published: October 2023

Background:

Livestock-dependent communities in Africa’s drylands disproportionately experience acute malnutrition, especially during drought seasons. We detail the design and implementation of the Livestock for Health (L4H) study aimed at determining the effect of providing livestock feed and nutritional counselling to prevent seasonal spikes of acute malnutrition.

Methods:

The L4H study employed a 3-arm cluster randomized controlled trial to compare households in pastoralist settings in northern Kenya receiving livestock feeds during critical dry periods, with or without nutritional counseling, with control households. Over 4 dry seasons, 2019 to 2021, the study collected data on household milk production, consumption patterns, mothers’/children’s nutritional status, household socioeconomic status, herd dynamics, and human and animal health status every 6 weeks.

Results:

L4H recruited 1734 households, with 639, 585, and 510 households assigned to intervention arms 1 and 2 and control arm 3, respectively. From these households, 1734 women and 1748 children younger than 3 years were recruited. In total, 19 419 household visits were completed, obtaining anthropometric measures 9 times on average for each child and mother. Eighty-one households (5%) were lost from the study due to the mother’s death, child’s death, migration, and withdrawal for other reasons.

Discussion:

L4H’s success in a challenging environment was possible due to strong community engagement, formative studies to inform trial design, collaboration with local authorities, and effective interdisciplinary collaboration. Subsequent manuscripts will report the study findings.

Trial Registration:

The study was registered October 29, 2020, and is online at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT04608656).
Food and Power in Protracted Crisis: How Systems and Institutions Influence Livelihoods, Food Security, and Nutrition
Authors: Jaspars Susanne
Published: October 2023

This article examines how systems and institutions influence the distribution of resources in society and, as such, affect livelihoods, food security, and nutrition. It draws on research on the political economy of food, and the governance effects of food aid practices, conducted in Sudan and Somalia and on the role of a social approach to nutrition in situations of famine and mass starvation. This article argues first for the importance of examining political structures as basic causes of malnutrition as they influence whether and how institutions function (in relation to land, markets, employment, aid, or justice). Second, this article illustrates how, in situations of crisis, the manipulation of institutions can create power for some and vulnerability to malnutrition in others. Third, it argues that a focus on treatment of malnutrition and behavior (hygiene and feeding practices) has drawn attention away from systems and institutions and feeds into discrimination as a basic cause.
Forecasting Seasonal Acute Malnutrition: Setting the Framework
Authors: N. Naumova Elena
Published: October 2023

Background:

Malnutrition is an umbrella term that refers to an impairment in nutrition indicative of subsequently compromised human well-being. The term covers the full spectrum of nutritional impairments from a small yet detectable departure from a “norm” to a terminal stage when severe malnutrition could result in death. This broad spectrum of nutritional departures from “the optimum” dictates the need for an ensemble of metrics to capture the complexity of involved mechanisms, risk factors, precipitating events, short-term, and long-term consequences. Ideally, these metrics should be universally applicable to vulnerable populations, settings, ages, and times when people are most susceptible to malnutrition. We should be able to characterize and intervene to minimize the risk of malnutrition, especially child acute malnutrition that could be assessed by anthropometric measurements.

Objectives:

The main challenge in reaching such an ambitious goal is the complexity of measuring, characterizing, explaining, predicting, and preventing malnutrition at any dimension: temporal or spatial and at any scale: a person or a group. The expansive body of literature has been accumulated on many temporal aspects of malnutrition and seasonal changes in nutritional (anthropometric) status. The research community is now shifting their attention to predictive modeling of child malnutrition and its importance for clinical and public health interventions. This communication aims to provide an overview of challenges for understanding child malnutrition from a perspective of predictive modeling focusing on well-documented seasonal variations in nutritional outcomes and exploring “the systems approach” to tackle underlining conceptual and practical complexities to forecast seasonal malnutrition in an accurate and timely manner. This generalized approach to forecasting seasonal malnutrition is then applied specifically to child acute malnutrition.
What is capitalism? Toward a working definition
Authors: Harris Neal , Delanty Gerard
Published: October 2023

Since the 2007–2008 financial crisis, capitalism has returned as a major concept within the social sciences. While this has led to important interventions, there is yet to be a widely accepted definition of the concept. Such a definition matters, both for assessing the merits of recent scholarship but also because attempts at thinking ‘beyond capitalism’ require an understanding of what one is trying to overcome. For it to be of use, we need a definition of capitalism that serves to encompass its varieties yet circumscribed enough to remain meaningful. In this article, we review existing definitions of capitalism and offer our own approach, in the form of a Weberian ideal-typical definition of capitalism. Our approach is to view capitalism as being based on an economic logic consisting of seven elements: (1) free enterprise and the competitive market, (2) the pursuit of profit and its private appropriation, (3) wage labor and the production of commodities, (4) property rights, (5) the financial infrastructure of money and investment that makes possible credit and debt, (6) a highly variable degree of state regulation, and (7) a propensity for growth as the productive re-investment of profit. The economic logic of capitalism interacts with other institutional orders of society to produce the overall shape of capitalism. We argue that this approach can meaningfully help researchers consider the extent to which a given society is capitalist, based on how closely it approximates the ideal-typical definition we have provided.
A Dystopian Post-Civil Rights Era: Black Lives Matter and the Rhetoric of Change 2023 PSA Presidential Address
Authors: Jackson Shirley A.
Published: October 2023

Universities and colleges, K-12 schools, corporations, professional associations, and other social institutions advocate for change at the same time they are taking steps to prevent it from actually occurring. The result is an endless cycle of words of support followed by inaction, obfuscation, and outright lies. It is no wonder that burnout and frustration face those who would like to do some good but are experiencing gaslighting by those determined to set society back to what it has always been—one that excludes those who deign to speak truth to power. This presidential address sheds personal and professional insight into the difficulties that I have faced at my institution and within the Pacific Sociological Association as a Black woman. Having been witness and victim of those who are incapable or unwilling to see the inconsistency in what they are like and what they would actually like to be has shown me how difficult changing the status quo can be. Individual and institutional claims to “do better” in the future ignore the fact that one is likely part of the problem if they are just now realizing they need to do better. It is my sincerest hope that the increasing numbers of diverse voices that were present at the 2023 PSA conference can move the organization as well as their institutions forward to make them better places for all of us and not just some of us.
The synergistic and reinforcement mechanism of SiC nanostructures on the ablation properties of silicone rubber composites
Authors: Hui Kun , Wang Le , Lei Zixuan , Yang Jian , Qu Hongjian , Li Jiang , Yan Ning
Published: October 2023

With improvements to the performance of ramjets, the ablation environment in afterburning chambers has become more severe, leading to an urgent demand for high-performance thermal protection materials (TPMs). In this study, the reinforcing effects of silicon carbide (SiC) nanowhiskers and nanopowders on silicone rubber composites and their synergistic effects were investigated. Both SiC nanowhiskers and nanopowders improved the thermal stability of the TPMs. SiC nanowhiskers enhanced the thermal conductivity of the TPMs by forming thermal conductivity pathways. Furthermore, SiC nanofillers can reinforce the ablation resistance of the TPM. The best performance was demonstrated by the TPM formulated with five parts SiC nanowhiskers and five parts SiC nanopowders. The ablation rate was reduced by 72.7% relative to the TPM with a basic formulation, and the back temperature increased by only 27.1%. In this study, the SiC nanofiller improved the ablation resistance of composites by densifying the pore structure and strengthening the skeleton of the char layer. Furthermore, the more compact char layer improved the thermal conductivity of the composites. The increase in the thermal conductivities of the composites and the char layer led to a decrease in the thermal insulation properties of the composites.
How Plan Monitoring Improves Plan Implementation: A Longitudinal Evaluation of the Neighborhood Planning Process
Authors: Gao Shuqi , Morgan Anna , Ryan Brent D.
Published: October 2023

Plan monitoring is broadly believed to address plan obsolescence. We inquire to what extent neighborhood plan monitoring meetings enhanced implementation conformance over that achieved by original plans in the shrinking city of Youngstown (OH), via a monthly-based longitudinal evaluation of demolitions. We find that monitoring meetings’ recommendations diverged rapidly from original plans; that a combination of monitoring and plans maintained a stable conformance ratio; and that plan monitoring is more important for politically unstable implementation actors than independent actors. We conclude that plan monitoring is a valuable but challenging tool to react to uncertainty by offering suggestions for improved plan monitoring.
Determinants of Cross-border Acquisition Completion: A Study of Acquisitions by Indian Firms
Authors: Ahuja Sugandh , Singh Shveta , Yadav Surendra Singh
Published: October 2023

While cross-border acquisitions by emerging economies are increasing over time, a significant percentage of deals are withdrawn before completion. By integrating the ‘organizational learning lens perspective’ with the ‘signalling lens perspective’, this study aims to investigate deal-specific, firm-specific and country-specific factors that can increase the likelihood of deal completion. The analysis is based on 16 years of data from a prominent emerging economy: India, from 2005 to 2021. A binary logistic regression model is used to understand the determinants of deal completion. Additionally, standard event study methodology is deployed for a particular firm-specific determinant (market reaction to deal announcement) to develop a proxy for the variable. Our findings indicate that factors which enhance learning during the acquisition process and communicate strong and positive signals to build trust between the acquirer and target positively impact the completion of announced acquisitions. Specifically, we report that acquisitions using cash as the payment method and those that receive positive market reactions at the time of acquisition announcement exhibit a higher likelihood of completion. In contrast, the prior failure experience of the acquirer has a detrimental impact on the likelihood of deal completion. The empirical results have important implications for improving the success of cross-border deals from emerging nations.
Mitigating Infectious Complications of Injection Pharyngoplasty with Calcium Hydroxyapatite for Velopharyngeal Insufficiency: Retropharyngeal Abscess and Osteomyelitis
Authors: Corbisiero Michaele Francesco , Smyth Anthony , Stellern Jordan , Leoniak Steven , Raines Melissa M. , Axford Brandi , Dobbie Allison M.
Published: October 2023

Velopharyngeal insufficiency is a complex condition with various treatment options. In this case, a patient with a cleft palate who was treated for velopharyngeal insufficiency with calcium hydroxyapatite injection pharyngoplasty developed persistent cervical pain on postoperative day 6. CT imaging showed a hypodense structure in the right retropharyngeal tissue, and cultures tested positive for Streptococcus intermedius and Staphylococcus aureus. An MRI later revealed skull base osteomyelitis. The infection was controlled via surgical intervention and antibiotics. This case highlights potential severe complications from injection pharyngoplasty and it underscores the importance of early recognition and management of infectious complications.
The Impact of PTSD and Depression on Romantic Attachment Within Incarcerated Romantic Relationships
Authors: Tadros Eman , Vlach Alyssa , Sipla Jasmine
Published: October 2023

There are currently 2.3 million Americans incarcerated. In 2018, Black males were 5.8 times more likely to be incarcerated than White males. Every aspect of incarcerated individuals’ lives is immensely impacted by the criminal justice system, this includes their romantic relationships. The purpose of this study is to examine if PTSD and depression impact romantic attachment. Using data from the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting, and Partnering study, our independent variables PTSD and depression used the 4-point Primary Care PTSD Scale (PC-PTSD) and The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The dependent variable of romantic attachment consisted of four questions regarding close relationships. Our results showed that race, PTSD, and depression are all significant predictors of romantic attachment within incarcerated males and their non-incarcerated romantic partners. Clinical implications and future directions for incarcerated men and their nonincarcerated female romantic partners are provided.
Study on the asynchronous effect of projectile starting and blocking sheet opening in recoilless gun
Authors: Jiang Zhonghui , Tao Gang , Li Zhiyu , Wen Peng
Published: October 2023

As the switch for the start-up of the nozzle at the rear of the recoilless gun, the opening pressure of the blocking sheet directly affects the balance of the recoilless gun during the shooting process. The opening time of the blocking sheet is obtained through high-speed camera by capturing the tail flame. Using piezoelectric pressure sensors, the pressure at different positions along the barrel were measured. Furthermore, the pressure at the moment of opening the blocking sheet was determined based on its opening time. A significant force jump (Δ f = 146.9 kN) in the unbalanced recoil experienced by the recoilless gun during the initial firing stage was identified based on the theory of one-dimensional recoilless gun balanced interior ballistics. This jump arises from the opening pressure of the blocking sheet surpassing the projectile's starting pressure ( P0). This research can provide a reference for the design of recoilless weapons related to unbalanced force.
Doubly curved truss core composite shell system for broadband diffuse acoustic insulation
Authors: Asadi Jafari Mohammad Hossein , Zarastvand MohamadReza , Zhou Jianhui
Published: October 2023

The lattice sandwich structure as a new periodic sandwich model involves high stiffness and superior strength to density ratio, which can be applied for modeling lightweight systems. Compared to conventional sandwich models, it includes additional potential due to the presence of open space in the core. In other words, because of the property of 3D open-pore, the pyramid truss core can be considered as a creative model in process technology. Nevertheless, the acoustic characteristics of these types of cores can also be important in vibroacoustic performance of doubly curved sandwich systems. Accordingly, this study develops an analytical model for the first time to determine the sound transmission loss (STL) coefficient of a doubly curved sandwich shell with solid trusses considering various unit cells containing pyramidal, tetrahedral, and 3D-kagome. Modeling the system based on diffuse field, a numerical strategy is developed to obtain the limiting angle wherein no sound transmits into the system. To verify the accuracy of the offered formulation based on shear deformation shallow shell theory (SDSST), the results are validated with those experimental and numerical outcomes. It is found that modeling a shell as a truss core sandwich structure either attenuates the sound transmitted into the system or shifts the first dip point of the STL curve (curvature frequency) to lower frequencies. Numerical simulations indicate that the various terms of truss core have a different effect on STL of the modeled structure.
Identification of common cricket (Acheta domesticus) proteins, extracted by acid and alkaline methods
Authors: Urbina J. P. , Marin C. , Rodrigo D. , González-Tejedor G.
Published: October 2023

Edible insects currently represent an interesting alternative protein source to the animal ones. The objective of the present wok is to characterize proteins isolated from common cricket ( Acheta domesticus). Powder samples of this insect-based flour were obtained using two extraction methods, i.e. acid and alkaline. Subsequently, the proteins isolated have been characterized. The fractionation of proteins in the flour of Acheta domesticus by acid or alkaline-based methods, gave rise to isolates with up to 71.6% in protein content. Extraction in an alkaline medium of insoluble proteins (pellet) resulted in the best performance on protein recovery. These isolates present a wide variety of peptides and proteins, having identified the following ones in the pellet fraction obtained with the acid method: myosin heavy-chain isoforms C, E and Miosin heavy chain (Mhc); tropomyosin; troponin; α and β actin, and some enzymes such as the β subunit ATP synthetase. The characterization results provide information which will enable us to predict the possible physicochemical (gel formation, solubility, water retention capacity, etc.) changes that could take place in the cricket protein during processing in the food and feed industry.
Ocular hemodynamics in epileptic children treated with antiepileptic drugs
Authors: Gultutan Pembe , Nalcacioglu Pinar , Icoz Mehmet , Yilmaz Deniz , Citak Kurt Aysegul Nese
Published: October 2023

Purpose

To evaluate the quantitative measurements obtained for vessel density (VD) of the optic nerve head, macula, peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (p-RNFL) and total retinal thicknesses (Trt) by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) and the choroidal vascular structure using an image binarization method in children with epilepsy using three different antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and to compare these measurements with healthy participants.

Methods

This observational, cross-sectional study included 124 patients divided into 4 groups: Group-1: patients receiving carbamazepine(n = 30), group-2: patients receiving levetiracetam (n = 31), group-3: patients receiving valproic acid (n = 32), and group 4: healthy controls (n = 31).A fully automated microstructural analysis of the VD of the retinal superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and the choriocapillaris (CC) layers and radial peripapillary capillary, and Trt, p-RNFL thickness were analyzed by using OCT-A. Enhanced depth imaging (EDI)-OCT scans of the macula were obtained and the images were binarized using the ImageJ software.

Results

The mean age, gender distribution and the duration of epilepsy were similar in all groups. Evaluation of the p-RNFL thickness and perifoveal Trt between the groups showed a statistically significant difference in all quadrants.The p-RNFL thickness was lower in patients receiving carbamazepine and valproic acid. The lowest values of the luminal area and choroidal vascular index (CVI) were found in patients receiving valproic acid; comparison with matched healthy controls showed statistically significant differences.

Conclusion

Valproic acid and carbamazepine are associated with thinning of the p-RNFL in epilepsy patients, but the macular and radial peripapillary VD were not affected.However, a reduction of choroidal vascular blood flow was found in epilepsy patients taking valproic acid.
The evolution of antiseizure medication therapy selection in adults: Is artificial intelligence -assisted antiseizure medication selection ready for prime time?
Authors: Gunasekera Charlene L. , Sirven Joseph I. , Feyissa Anteneh M.
Published: October 2023

Antiseizure medications (ASMs) are the mainstay of symptomatic epilepsy treatment. The primary goal of pharmacotherapy with ASMs in epilepsy is to achieve complete seizure remission while minimizing therapy-related adverse events. Over the years, more ASMs have been introduced, with approximately 30 now in everyday use. With such a wide variety, much guidance is needed in choosing ASMs for initial therapy, subsequent replacement monotherapy, or adjunctive therapy. The specific ASMs are typically tailored by the patient’s related factors, including epilepsy syndrome, age, sex, comorbidities, and ASM characteristics, including the spectrum of efficacy, pharmacokinetic properties, safety, and tolerability. Weighing these key clinical variables requires experience and expertise that may be limited. Furthermore, with this approach, patients may endure multiple trials of ineffective treatments before the most appropriate ASM is found. A more reliable way to predict response to different ASMs is needed so that the most effective and tolerated ASM can be selected. Soon, alternative approaches, such as deep machine learning (ML), could aid the individualized selection of the first and subsequent ASMs. The recognition of epilepsy as a network disorder and the integration of personalized epilepsy networks in future ML platforms can also facilitate the prediction of ASM response. Augmenting the conventional approach with artificial intelligence (AI) opens the door to personalized pharmacotherapy in epilepsy. However, more work is needed before these models are ready for primetime clinical practice.
Caste(d) knowledges: (Self)-problematising epistemic impunity and caste-privilege in academia
Authors: Dixit Anukriti
Published: October 2023

How can socially privileged researchers engage with as well as analyse marginalising discourses without co-opting the experiences and knowledges of marginalised communities? This inquiry forms the focus of the present article. I discuss the lack of accountability for ‘upper’ caste academics and the resulting impunity for us as ‘knowledge’ producers. I explain how I acknowledge(ed) my complicity in maintaining and reproducing the caste-system and worked towards evolving ethical research practices. A form of inquiry called ‘self-problematisation’ is invoked herein as a ‘practice of the self’, in which researchers must ask ourselves what we come to problematise and what is left unproblematic in our work? This analysis has relevance for questions of ethics and the politics of knowledge production. I appeal to the researchers pondering on questions of positionality and privilege to ask – what can we ‘speak’ about when we speak of (caste) privilege and how must we confront the assumptions of ‘superiority’ in the ‘knowledge’ produced through us?
Experiences of ethnic minoritised young people in a specialist child and adolescent mental health service: A qualitative analysis as part of a mixed methods service evaluation
Authors: Sarr Rachel
Published: October 2023

Background

There have been several reports of inequalities for ethnic minoritised service users across National Health Service mental health services in the United Kingdom. This research aims to explore the perspectives and experiences of young people from ethnic minoritised groups accessing psychological therapy in a National Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in England.

Method

Semi-structured interviews were conducted to investigate how young people perceived their ethnicity and how it was considered during psychological therapy. Nine young people were interviewed, and a thematic analysis was conducted.

Results

Qualitative analysis revealed five themes: (1) adolescence, ethnicity, and identity; (2) ethnicity as a meaningful part of the therapeutic intervention; (3) therapeutic alliance to facilitate dialogue; (4) aversion to ethnicity exploration; and (5) treading lightly: a fine line between sensitive and overly cautious.

Conclusions

The study illustrated the complexity of considering ethnicity in therapy due to conflicting views and preferences and the need for further research.
Online learning experiences of social work students in India
Authors: Krishnan S. Rama Gokula , Joseph Jeffine J.
Published: October 2023

Ever since the pandemic first broke out in 2020, there has been a swift shift from offline to online mode of education. The present study is aimed at examining the online learning experience among a sample of social work students in India (n = 202) in order to understand the crucial factors that can help improve their learning experience and so that they become effective social workers in the future.

Findings

The results have highlighted several independent factors such as the mode of connecting to the internet, number of hours of online classes per day, type of field work, rural/urban location of the students, and hours of sleep, among other variables, that are significantly associated with important indicators of the online learning experience of students.

Applications

The results point to the urgent need to reduce the number of hours of online classes, educate students on the importance of sleep, improve internet accessibility along affordability of learning tools such as laptops, especially for those residing in rural areas, and promote classroom discussion during online classes, so as to improve the online learning experience of social work students in India and to produce effective social work practitioners.
Potential for twin spark plug configurations to improve emissions and fuel economy
Authors: Lee Cho-Yu , Vo Dai-Qui , Chen Yong-Jie
Published: October 2023

From 2020, Euro 5 emission standards have required CO, NOx, and THC to be reduced by 12%, 14.29%, and 73.68%, respectively. The cost-effective twin spark plug (TSP) configuration seems to be a promising solution to reduce HC. In this study, the experimental and numerical work were both tested for a 125 c.c. engine adopting either single spark plug (SSP) or TSP configuration. Compared to the SSP engine, the TSP reduced the ignition delay and burn duration by an average of 10%–12.26% and 10.89%–15.20%, respectively. TSP can operate with a 13.60% leaner mixture without facing knock or compromising performance. Therefore, 12.73% lower fuel economy, 47.07% lower ISCO and 29.14% lower ISHC achieved for a compromise of ISNOx of 2 times at WOT. According to the numerical work, simultaneous ignition under TSP helps shorten the ignition delay, while the interaction between turbulence and flame propagation of two flames reduces the burn duration.
Long-distance nationalism, diaspora mobilisation, and the struggle for Biafran self-determination in Nigeria
Authors: Onyemechalu Stanley Jachike , Ejiofor Promise Frank
Published: October 2023

Existing works on the sources of secessionist agitations in postcolonial Africa tend to be methodologically nationalist but also circumvent the diasporic dimension. Particularly, the resurgent ethnic separatism amongst Igbos in southeastern Nigeria has been predominantly analysed from the theoretical standpoints of relative marginalisation and material deprivation that focus on domestic politics in post-war Nigeria. We broaden this literature by underscoring the diasporic dimension of this secessionist conflict. Drawing on the literature on diaspora nationalism with a focus on the case of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)—a transnational separatist movement—we reveal evidence showing how the Igbo diaspora instigate and exacerbate separatist tensions in the homeland by reviving collective memories of the macabre Nigeria-Biafra war (1967–1970) and reimagining alternative political futures for ethnic Igbos devoid of the state’s grand narratives of nationhood. We contend that the diasporic dimension is profoundly critical to comprehending separatist agitations in southeastern Nigeria with implications for wider postcolonial African contexts.
‘Won the Battle but Lost the War?’ ‘County Lines’ and the Quest for Victim Status: Reflections and Challenges
Authors: Shaw Julie
Published: October 2023

Despite the existence of a seemingly welfare-oriented policy approach, the victim status of criminally exploited children in the United Kingdom remains uncertain in frontline responses, where a culture of criminalisation endures. Drawing upon original research data, this article seeks to unpick and confront some of the complexities and tensions surrounding the assignment of victim status to children who are criminally exploited, specifically via ‘county lines’ drug dealing. It argues for an urgent reconsideration of how ‘county lines’ victimisation is framed in wider discourse, policy documentation and practitioner training, to reflect and acknowledge the experiences of children and young people.