bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinicoepidemiological profile and risk factors associated with mortality in traumatized cats admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital in Brazil
Authors: Nascimento Débora C , Costa Neto João M , Solcà Manuela S , Estrela-Lima Alessandra , Barbosa Vivian F
Published: July 2021

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate possible risk factors for death in traumatized cats based on the clinicoepidemiological profile, the Animal Trauma Triage (ATT) scale score and the Modified Glasgow Coma Scale (MGCS) score at the time of presentation to the hospital.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study involving cats admitted to the emergency sector (ES) and the surgical clinic sector (SCS) of a veterinary teaching hospital (VTH) in northeastern Brazil over a 12-month period (2018–2019). Probable risk factors associated with non-survival after trauma were analyzed by calculating the prevalence ratio. The prediction of non-survival was evaluated by analyzing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve employing the ATT scale score, MGCS score and rectal temperature.

Results

In 1 year, 89 traumatized cats were admitted to the VTH, of which 90% (n = 80) were young, 54% (n = 48) were male, 79% (n = 70) were intact, 59% (n = 53) were indoor cats and 92% (n = 82) were considered as mixed breed. Blunt trauma was the most prevalent cause of injuries, reported in 76% (n = 68) of the cats. Accidents involving falls (30%; n = 27) that affected the pelvic limbs (50.6%) were the most commonly reported. The prevalence of death among cats admitted to the ES was 9.44 times higher than that of animals treated at the SCS. Trauma as result of being run over and chest trauma were associated with a higher probability of death. Most of the animals that died had a lower rectal temperature than those that survived. The ATT scale score, MGCS score and rectal temperature were predictive of mortality.

Conclusions and relevance

Rectal temperature, ATT scale score and MGCS score were effective predictors of an unfavorable prognosis and point to the need for emergency procedures. Hypothermia, being run over and chest trauma were associated with a higher risk of mortality. Our findings highlight the importance of prompt and effective care for these conditions.
Predicting failure modes of 3D-printed multi-material polymer sandwich structures from process parameters
Authors: Edelen David L , Bruck Hugh A
Published: July 2021

The emergence of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, such as fused deposition modeling (FDM), have enabled the realization of structures with superior mechanical performance through lightweighting and multi-material architectures. However, the complexity associated with the internal geometric features and potential material configurations have also presented new challenges in designing these structures to optimize mechanical performance. In particular, the failure mechanisms and their relationship to the load bearing capacity of the structures may vary compared to analogous structures designed using conventional manufacturing techniques. In this work, we investigate failure modes of 3 D-printed (3DP) multi-material polymer sandwich beam structures manufactured from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polycarbonate (PC) materials and subjected to three-point bend loading. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is utilized to understand the effects of different process parameters on the mechanical response of the 3DP structures. ABS and PC dogbone tensile specimens were printed to establish the baseline properties in tension with varying raster angles and infill patterns. Multi-material sandwich beam structures were then printed with honeycomb cores using different processing and architectural parameters, and the failure modes and loads of these structures were compared with predications from a failure model for sandwich structures that accounts for the following conventional failure modes: (1) indentation, (2) face sheet bending, (3) core bending, and (4) core shear. With minor changes in the processing and geometric parameters, failure modes could be shifted from the face sheets to core bending and core shear, as evidenced by the DIC strain field measurements, and the corresponding max load-to-weight ratios could be increased. Estimations of the tensile properties of the face sheets and core were found to be sufficiently accurate when combining classical lamination theory (CLT) and rule-of-mixtures (ROM) models, while the failure model also predicted the load bearing capacity and failure mode in three-point bending with reasonable accuracy.
Establishing and Evaluating Cancer Surveillance System in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Authors: Mbeje Noluthando P , Ginindza Themba G , Jafta Nkosana
Published: July 2021

Background:

The increasing cancer burden remains a public health challenge. Quality and accurate population data is important to improve cancer control, screening, and treatment programmes for the sub-Saharan Africa region.

Aim:

The aim of this study was to establish hospital-based cancer surveillance system, thereby reporting the burden that cancer diagnosis and treatment place on 3 hospitals – an approach of health systems strengthening.

Methods:

A hospital-based cancer surveillance was established in 3 public health facilities that provide oncology services in KwaZulu-Natal. An active method was used for finding cancer cases. The cancer surveillance database was evaluated according to the criteria recommended for cancer registries. Analyses of data included descriptive and crude incidence rates.

Results:

A total of 2307 newly diagnosed cancer cases were reported in 2018, with a majority from Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central hospital (65.3%), followed by Greys hospital (30.8%) and then Addington hospital (3.94%). Most of the cancer cases were from the 2 major urban areas of the province (eThekwini and uMgungundlovu district). The most commonly diagnosed cancers from all combined 3 facilities for both sexes were breast, cervix, colorectal, Kaposi Sarcoma, and lung. Approximately half of the cancer cases had no staging, and 12.8% of the cases were diagnosed at stage 4. The mostly prescribed treatments for the patients were radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Conclusions:

Based on our hospital-based surveillance, cancer burden is high in the 3 facilities. Strengthening cancer screening and diagnostic policies and procedures that will allow expansion of accurate cancer surveillance system is essential in KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa as a whole.
Bioinformatics Study of Sea Cucumber Peptides as Antibreast Cancer Through Inhibiting the Activity of Overexpressed Protein (EGFR, PI3K, AKT1, and CDK4)
Authors: Wargasetia Teresa Liliana , Ratnawati Hana , Widodo Nashi , Widyananda Muhammad Hermawan
Published: July 2021

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women globally. The overexpressed proteins, including EGFR, PI3K, AKT1, and CDK4, have a role in the growth of breast cancer cells. The 3D peptide structure of sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa was modeled and then docked with EGFR, PI3K, AKT1, and CDK4 proteins using AutoDock Vina software. The docking result, which has the best binding affinity value, is continued with molecular dynamics simulation. The docking results showed that all peptides bind to the active sites of the four proteins. WPPNYQW and YDWRF peptides bind to proteins with lower binding affinity values than positive controls. The four proteins were in a stable state when complexed with the WPPNYQW peptide, which was seen from the RMSD and RMSF value. PI3K-YDWRF and AKT1-YDWRF complexes are stable, characterized by high RMSD values and increased volatility in several amino acids. WPPNYQW peptide has high potential as an antibreast cancer agent because it binds to the active sites of the four proteins with low binding affinity values and stable interactions. Meanwhile, the YDWRF peptide interacts with the four proteins with low binding affinity values, but the interaction is only stable on PI3K and AKT1 proteins.
COVID-19 Pandemic and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: Impacts, Challenges, and Mitigation Strategies
Authors: Desye Belay
Published: July 2021

Background:

In order to protect public health during the outbreaks of infectious diseases including the pandemic COVID-19, provision of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services is important. The challenges of inaccessible WASH services along with the pandemic COVID-19 in low-income countries can lead to a devastating problem.

Method:

A systematic search of published articles was identified using PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, on relevant studies of COVID-19 and WASH services. Published articles were identified using abstracts and titles of the articles, followed by assessed for eligibility, and screening of the full text reports of relevant studies.

Results:

Electronic database search identified 798 articles from which 28 full text articles were included in the systematic review. A lack of access to WASH services in households, schools, health care facilities, and other public spaces were the main identified COVID-19 related public health risks. A lack of adequate data and financial shortages were the challenges for mitigating the problems of COVI-19 and WASH services.

Conclusion:

This systematical review identified the impacts and challenges of COVID-19 in the provision of WASH services. The results implied that COVID-19 has significant impacts on WASH services that can affect the health of the public. Therefore, strengthening and ensuring access to WASH services are important for preventing COVID-19 and realizing human rights. Community engagement also can be used to support for prevention and control of COVID-19. Countries need to be expand their investment in WASH services as an important mechanism for mitigating COVID-19.
A smartphone sensor-based digital outcome assessment of multiple sclerosis
Authors: Montalban Xavier , Graves Jennifer , Midaglia Luciana , Mulero Patricia , Julian Laura , Baker Michael , Schadrack Jan , Gossens Christian , Ganzetti Marco , Scotland Alf , Lipsmeier Florian , van Beek Johan , Bernasconi Corrado , Belachew Shibeshih , Lindemann Michael , Hauser Stephen L
Published: July 2021

Background:

Sensor-based monitoring tools fill a critical gap in multiple sclerosis (MS) research and clinical care.

Objective:

The aim of this study is to assess performance characteristics of the Floodlight Proof-of-Concept (PoC) app.

Methods:

In a 24-week study (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02952911), smartphone-based active tests and passive monitoring assessed cognition (electronic Symbol Digit Modalities Test), upper extremity function (Pinching Test, Draw a Shape Test), and gait and balance (Static Balance Test, U-Turn Test, Walk Test, Passive Monitoring). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and age- or sex-adjusted Spearman’s rank correlation determined test–retest reliability and correlations with clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcome measures, respectively.

Results:

Seventy-six people with MS (PwMS) and 25 healthy controls were enrolled. In PwMS, ICCs were moderate-to-good (ICC(2,1) = 0.61–0.85) across tests. Correlations with domain-specific standard clinical disability measures were significant for all tests in the cognitive ( r = 0.82, p < 0.001), upper extremity function (|r|= 0.40–0.64, all p < 0.001), and gait and balance domains ( r = −0.25 to −0.52, all p < 0.05; except for Static Balance Test: r = −0.20, p > 0.05). Most tests also correlated with Expanded Disability Status Scale, 29-item Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale items or subscales, and/or normalized brain volume.

Conclusion:

The Floodlight PoC app captures reliable and clinically relevant measures of functional impairment in MS, supporting its potential use in clinical research and practice.
Optical coherence tomography angiography indicates subclinical retinal disease in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders
Authors: Aly Lilian , Strauß Eva-Maria , Feucht Nikolaus , Weiß Isabella , Berthele Achim , Mitsdoerffer Meike , Haass Christian , Hemmer Bernhard , Maier Mathias , Korn Thomas , Knier Benjamin
Published: July 2021

Background:

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are neuroinflammatory diseases of the central nervous system. Patients suffer from recurring relapses and it is unclear whether relapse-independent disease activity occurs and whether this is of clinical relevance.

Objective:

To detect disease-specific alterations of the retinal vasculature that reflect disease activity during NMOSD.

Methods:

Cross-sectional analysis of 16 patients with NMOSD, 21 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, and 21 healthy controls using retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT), optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A), measurement of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) serum levels, and assessment of visual acuity.

Results:

Patients with NMOSD but not multiple sclerosis revealed lower foveal thickness (FT) ( p = 0.02) measures and an increase of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) ( p = 0.02) compared to healthy controls independent to optic neuritis. Reduced FT ( p = 0.01), enlarged FAZ areas ( p = 0.0001), and vessel loss of the superficial vascular complex ( p = 0.01) were linked to higher serum GFAP levels and superficial vessel loss was associated with worse visual performance in patients with NMOSD irrespective of optic neuritis.

Conclusion:

Subclinical parafoveal retinal vessel loss might occur during NMOSD and might be linked to astrocyte damage and poor visual performance. OCT-A may be a tool to study subclinical disease activity during NMOSD.
Functional connectivity in multiple sclerosis modelled as connectome stability: A 5-year follow-up study
Authors: Høgestøl Einar August , Ghezzo Samuele , Nygaard Gro Owren , Espeseth Thomas , Sowa Piotr , Beyer Mona K , Harbo Hanne Flinstad , Westlye Lars T , Hulst Hanneke E , Alnæs Dag
Published: July 2021

Background:

Brain functional connectivity (FC) in multiple sclerosis (MS) is abnormal compared to healthy controls (HCs). More longitudinal studies in MS are needed to evaluate whether FC stability is clinically relevant.

Objective:

To compare functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-based FC between MS and HC, and to determine the relationship between longitudinal FC changes and structural brain damage, cognitive performance and physical disability.

Methods:

T1-weighted MPRAGE and resting-state fMRI (1.5T) were acquired from 70 relapsing-remitting MS patients and 94 matched HC at baseline (mean months since diagnosis 14.0 ± 11) and from 60 MS patients after 5 years. Independent component analysis and network modelling were used to measure longitudinal FC stability and cross-sectional comparisons with HC. Linear mixed models, adjusted for age and sex, were used to calculate correlations.

Results:

At baseline, patients with MS showed FC abnormalities both within networks and in single connections compared to HC. Longitudinal analyses revealed functional stability and no significant relationships with clinical disability, cognitive performance, lesion or brain volume.

Conclusion:

FC abnormalities occur already at the first decade of MS, yet we found no relevant clinical correlations for these network deviations. Future large-scale longitudinal fMRI studies across a range of MS subtypes and outcomes are required.
Ageing Activisms: A Narrative Exploration of Older Adults’ Experiences of Political Participation
Authors: Serrat Rodrigo , Chacur-Kiss Karima , Villar Feliciano
Published: July 2021

Studies on older adults’ political participation have been scarce. Moreover, there is a lack of evidence concerning the experience and meaning of this participation from the perspective of those involved. This study aimed at exploring older adults’ personal narratives of political participation episodes. We conducted 40 life-story interviews with Spanish lifetime activists. Their narrative accounts of positive participation experiences were analysed; thematic analysis was used for the content and Christopher Booker’s plotline classification was used for the structure. The participants’ stories revolved around political successes, leaving a legacy to younger generations, and personal growth processes. Generativity emerged as a key element of the positive political participation experiences. Although the emplotment strategies they used varied, most incorporated redemption sequences in which negative events were transformed by the protagonist’s action into positive events.
CLIL as a pathway for cross-curricular and translingual classroom practices: A comparative quantitative study on Scottish and Spanish teachers’ views
Authors: San Isidro Xabier
Published: July 2021

Despite the numerous attempts to characterize Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), the specialized literature has shown a dearth of cross-contextual studies on how stakeholders conceptualize classroom practice. This article presents the results of a two-phase comparative quantitative study on teachers’ views on CLIL design, implementation and results in two different contexts, Scotland ( n = 127) and Spain ( n = 186). The first phase focused on the creation, pilot-testing and validation of the research tool. The second phase consisted in administering the final questionnaire and analysing the results. The primary goals were (1) to ascertain whether practitioners’ perceptions on CLIL effects and classroom practices match the topics addressed by research; and (2) to analyse and compare teachers’ views in the two contexts. The study offers interesting insights into the main challenges in integrating language and content. Besides providing a conceptual framework for identifiable classroom practice, findings revealed that both cohorts shared broadly similar perceptions, although the Spanish respondents showed more positive views and significantly higher support for this approach.
Boundaries, obligations and belonging: The reconfiguration of citizenship in emergency criminal regimes
Authors: Ballas Irit
Published: July 2021

In national emergencies, states may establish special criminal regimes that criminalize behaviours legal under ordinary law, use more oppressive measures of enforcement and reduce procedural rights. Scholars associate such regimes with the exclusion of offenders from the political community. However, in some emergency criminal regimes, often dealing with economic crises and recently with pandemics, the reduction of rights can also imply inclusion. By examining two emergency regimes in Israel in 1948, a military regime imposing movement restrictions on the Palestinian minority, and an austerity regime imposing restrictions on trade in food products on all citizens, the article argues that different emergency criminal regimes can affect two different tenets of ordinary criminal law: the reinforcing of the boundaries of the community, and the set of obligations between members of that community. Hence, such regimes can foster multiple configurations of citizenship. When simultaneously enforced on marginalized groups, they render their citizenship equivocal.
Biometric statehood, transnational solutionism and security devices: The performative dimensions of the IOM’s MIDAS
Authors: Singler Samuel
Published: July 2021

This article contributes to border criminology and transnational criminal justice research into the role of transnational actors in shaping practices of global justice, punishment and control, as well as to the criminological analysis of penal technologies. I examine the performative effects of the Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) developed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and I argue that these effects are multidimensional. For beneficiary states, the deployment of MIDAS constitutes a performance of sovereign territorial power, affirming membership in the international society of (biometrically capable) states. For the IOM, the development and deployment of MIDAS and carrying out training sessions operate as pedagogical interventions legitimizing the organization as a neutral, technical expert of migration management. Finally, MIDAS itself performatively acts upon its targets, constituting ‘the migrant’ as a governable, potentially risky subject and constituting ‘migration’ as a problem amenable to depoliticized techno-solutionist interventions.
Application of an automated machine learning-genetic algorithm (AutoML-GA) coupled with computational fluid dynamics simulations for rapid engine design optimization
Authors: Owoyele Opeoluwa , Pal Pinaki , Vidal Torreira Alvaro , Probst Daniel , Shaxted Matthew , Wilde Michael , Senecal Peter Kelly
Published: July 2021

In recent years, the use of machine learning-based surrogate models for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations has emerged as a promising technique for reducing the computational cost associated with engine design optimization. However, such methods still suffer from drawbacks. One main disadvantage is that the default machine learning (ML) hyperparameters are often severely suboptimal for a given problem. This has often been addressed by manually trying out different hyperparameter settings, but this solution is ineffective in case of a high-dimensional hyperparameter space. Besides this problem, the amount of data needed for training is also not known a priori. In response to these issues that need to be addressed, the present work describes and validates an automated active learning approach, AutoML-GA, for surrogate-based optimization of internal combustion engines. In this approach, a Bayesian optimization technique is used to find the best machine learning hyperparameters based on an initial dataset obtained from a small number of CFD simulations. Subsequently, a genetic algorithm is employed to locate the design optimum on the ML surrogate surface. In the vicinity of the design optimum, the solution is refined by repeatedly running CFD simulations at the projected optima and adding the newly obtained data to the training dataset. It is demonstrated that AutoML-GA leads to a better optimum with a lower number of CFD simulations, compared to the use of default hyperparameters. The proposed framework offers the advantage of being a more hands-off approach that can be readily utilized by researchers and engineers in industry who do not have extensive machine learning expertise.
Supporting literacies for children of color: A strength-based approach to pre-school literacy by (Daniel R )
Authors: Rosenberg Rachel
Published: July 2021

Supporting Literacies for Children of Color is half theoretic examination, half guidebook; the text revolves around the research that pre-school students of Color, historically underestimated, have cultural and linguistic strengths that should be recognized and supported in learning spaces. Meier establishes a strengths-based approach to literacy—stressing the importance of creating a developmentally engaging curriculum that includes books, oral storytelling, personal journals, drawings, and writings. A strong benefit of Meier’s text is that by using his own experiences, those of colleagues, and of families of Color, he connects theories to real life in a way that makes them accessible enough that educators and librarians of all levels will find value in adding it to their collection of professional development books.
Evaluating animentary’s potential as a rhetorical genre
Authors: Plomp Anniek , Forceville Charles
Published: July 2021

Multimodality scholarship has hitherto mainly focused on the combination of static visuals and written language (see Bateman et al., Multimodality: Foundations, Research and Analysis -- A Problem-Oriented Introduction, 2017; Tseronis and Forceville, Multimodal Argumentation and Rhetoric in Media Genres, 2017; and Forceville, ‘Multimodality’, in press, for discussion and bibliographies). However, drawing on visuals, written language, spoken language, music and sound, film is a multimodal medium par excellence. In this article, the authors specifically focus on documentary film. Documentary can be considered to be the cinematic equivalent of audiovisual rhetorical discourse, aiming to persuade its envisaged audience of something. Obviously, it is crucial for the credibility of documentaries that they are seen as indexically rooted in reality. But, recently, documentary film has witnessed the flourishing of a subgenre that may seem to challenge this indexicality: the ‘animentary’ – a documentary that consists to a considerable extent of animated images. While the completely constructed nature of animation means that animentaries’ indexical relation between audiovisual representation and represented world is loosened, or even absent, animentaries also – and importantly – enable perspectives on reality that live-action documentary cannot. This article analyses how the visual, verbal, sonic and musical modes function rhetorically in four feature-length animentaries that share the theme of ‘war’: Waltz with Bashir (dir. Ari Folman, 2008), 25 April (dir. Leanne Pooley, 2015), Chris the Swiss (dir. Anja Kofmel, 2018) and Another Day of Life (dir. Raúl de la Fuente and Damian Nenow, 2019). The authors conclude that the written and spoken verbal modes play a crucial role in safeguarding animentaries’ referential relation to reality.
Research with children in rural China: Reflecting on the process
Authors: Wu Shuang , Cree Viviene E
Published: July 2021

Conducting research with children raises significant ethical and practical difficulties; when the context is rural China, where there has been no tradition of qualitative research with children, these become especially heightened. This article, written by a student and her supervisor, introduces a pilot study conducted in 2018 as part of a Master’s degree programme at a Scottish university. The study was designed to trial two child participatory methods with the aim of scaling these up in a full PhD project; the research focused on the experiences and needs of ‘left-behind children’ in a town of South-West China. The study threw up a number of challenges for the student which are explored in the article. Whilst not wishing to over-claim on the basis of a student project, we suggest that these highlight the reality that methodologies and ‘good practice’ guidelines developed in a ‘Western’/’minority world’ context may not always be wholly compatible with a very different research environment such as this one. This conclusion presents a significant challenge for all those who are conducting research with children in the ‘Global South’/’majority world’, as well as for those who are supporting research students who may experience similar dilemmas in the ‘real world’ of research.
Investigations of three over-the-rotor liner concepts at various technology readiness levels
Authors: Sutliff Daniel L , Bozak Richard F , Jones Michael G , Nark Douglas M
Published: July 2021

The emphasis on increased turbofan fuel efficiency requires advanced turbofan designs that will integrate higher engine bypass ratios and shorter nacelles. The resulting acoustic signature of these designs will have a more broadband character as well as a smaller available area for liner installation. This two-fold impact compels a need for an improvement in the state of the art in liner technology. Increasing the acoustic absorption efficacy over a broader frequency range is a means to address this need. NASA investigated over-the-rotor acoustic liners for turbofan applications as a potential solution. This type of liner represents a significant advance over traditional liners due to placement in close proximity to the rotor. An advantage of placing treatment in this region is a modification of the acoustic near field, thereby inhibiting noise generation mechanisms. This can result in higher attenuation levels than could be achieved by the conventional sound absorption means. In addition, there is potential to integrate the liner with fan rub-strip and containment components, reducing engine components and thus weight, enabling a systematic enhancement in noise reduction and engine performance. This article reviews the development and evaluation process of three unique over-the-rotor concepts focusing on the discrete tests conducted across the Technology Readiness Level span.
The Misconceptions About Multimedia Learning Questionnaire: An Empirical Evaluation Study With Teachers and Student Teachers
Authors: Eitel Alexander , Prinz Anja , Kollmer Julia , Niessen Lea , Russow Jessica , Ludäscher Marvin , Renkl Alexander , Lindner Marlit Annalena
Published: July 2021

In this study, we present the newly developed Misconceptions about Multimedia Learning Questionnaire (MMLQ), we evaluate its psychometric properties (item difficulties, scale reliabilities, and internal structure), and we use it to examine the prevalence of four different misconceptions about multimedia learning in student teachers and teachers. A total of 311 participants (176 teachers and 135 student teachers) responded to the items of the MMLQ. The results revealed moderate reliabilities of the MMLQ scales. Moreover, an a priori assumed four-factor structure of misconceptions about multimedia learning was most compatible with teachers’ and student teachers’ answers to the MMLQ items. These four factors were learning styles (multimedia instruction needs to be adapted to students’ learning styles [visual or auditory]), hemispheric isolation (multimedia instruction enables hemispheric communication), naïve summation (multimedia instruction is more effective the more sensory channels are used), and motivation primacy (multimedia instruction is mainly effective because it is motivating). The majority of teachers and student teachers endorsed three of the four misconceptions about multimedia learning (i.e., learning styles [78.1%], hemispheric isolation [58.8%], and naïve summation [81.4%]) as assessed by the MMLQ. This finding may provide valuable information for teacher education and training regarding this specific issue.
Sparse wavenumber analysis of guided wave based on hybrid Lasso regression in composite laminates
Authors: Hu Yue , Cui Fangsen , Li Fucai , Tu Xiaotong , Zeng Liang
Published: July 2021

The guided wave is an efficient and reliable tool for the structural health monitoring (SHM) of the composite laminates. In the guided wave-based SHM methods, extracting the dispersion curves is essential for integrity evaluation. In this study, a sparse wavenumber analysis based on hybrid least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression is proposed to extract the dispersion curves in the frequency–wavenumber distribution (FKD) for the composite laminate. The hybrid Lasso regression model is constructed based on the guided wave propagation mechanism. Considering that responses of some wave modes are very weak at specific frequencies due to the guided wave attenuation in the composite laminates, the group-sparsity and continuity regularizations are imposed in this model to improve frequency–wavenumber resolution and remove noises. Only few sensors are required for the proposed method to extract the dispersion curves. Both the simulation and the experiment are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Furthermore, the material property of the composite laminate in the experiment is non-destructively estimated by using the dispersion curves extracted by the proposed method.
Understanding the Components and Determinants of Police Attitudes Toward Intervention in Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: A Systematic Review
Authors: Serrano-Montilla Celia , Lozano Luis M. , Alonso-Ferres María , Valor-Segura Inmaculada , Padilla Jose-Luis
Published: July 2021

Police officers are society’s first interveners in intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) and are essential for victim safety. Despite IPVAW laws, police attitudes influence their real actions during IPVAW intervention. However, the fuzzy conceptualization of the construct deters the pursuit of conclusive evidence. This systematic review sought to identify the components of police attitudes toward intervention in IPVAW and their determinants. A search was conducted through several databases (e.g., Web of Science). Papers were included if they (a) provided original empirical findings or were review studies, (b) were published between 1990 and 2019, (c) were written in Spanish or English, (d) alluded to police officers, and (e) focused on police attitudes toward intervention in IPVAW or their determinants. Fifty-seven papers were included. The studied components of police attitudes toward intervention in IPVAW extracted from the literature were tolerance of IPVAW, minimal police involvement, unsupportive and supportive attitudes toward the legal system and legislation against IPVAW, understanding of the complex nature of abuse, and IPVAW intervention as an important police task. Moreover, the central role of individual and situational determinants in police attitudes toward intervention in IPVAW was confirmed, whereas organizational and societal determinants were studied scarcely. This review proposes a framework upon which to build operational definition of police attitudes toward intervention in IPVAW and includes remarks on police backgrounds and the situational characteristics of IPVAW events that are essential in shaping police procedures for managing them. Empirical evidence should be transferred to police training and standard operating procedures.
Who Benefitted From the PyeongChang Olympic Announcement? Evidence From the South Korean Stock Market
Authors: Hayduk Ted
Published: July 2021

Understanding the market effects of Olympic host announcements is popular in academic research. Contrary to prior studies, announcing PyeongChang as the 2018 host had a positive effect on South Korea's Stock Market, with conservative estimates suggesting a peak of +3.8% during the 15 trading days post announcement (an increase equivalent to $34.962 billion). The degree to which firms benefitted varied by industry and lifecycle stage. Older and lower-growth financial and information technology firms saw larger abnormal returns compared to other firms. These findings suggest that academics and investors pay greater attention to idiosyncratic price adjustments to systematic market shocks.
Shear type and magnitude affect aortic valve endothelial cell morphology, orientation, and differentiation
Authors: Deb Nandini , Ali Mir S , Mathews Ashley , Chang Ya-Wen , Lacerda Carla MR
Published: July 2021

Valvular endothelial cells line the outer layer of heart valves and can withstand shear forces caused by blood flow. In contrast to vascular endothelial cells, there is limited amount of research over valvular endothelial cells. For this reason, the exact physiologic behavior of valvular endothelial cells is unclear. Prior studies have concluded that valvular endothelial cells align perpendicularly to the direction of blood flow, while vascular endothelial cells align parallel to blood flow. Other studies have suggested that different ranges of shear stress uniquely impact the behavior of valvular endothelial cells. The goal of this study was to characterize the response of valvular endothelial cell under different types, magnitudes, and durations of shear stress. In this work, the results demonstrated that with increased shear rate and duration of exposure, valvular endothelial cells no longer possessed the traditional cuboidal morphology. Instead through the change in cell circularity and aspect ratio, valvular endothelial cells aligned in an organized manner. In addition, different forms of shear exposure caused the area and circularity of valvular endothelial cells to decrease while inducing mesenchymal transformation validated through αSMA and TGFβ1 expression. This is the first investigation showing that valvular endothelial cells alignment is not as straightforward as once thought (perpendicular to flow). Different types and magnitudes of shear induce different local behaviors. This is also the first demonstration of valvular endothelial cells undergoing EndMT without chemical inducers on a soft surface in vitro. Findings from this study provide insights to understanding the pathophysiology of valvular endothelial cells which can potentially propel future artificial engineered heart valves.
[De]-Centering the Victim: Police Perceptions of Victims of Sexual Violence through a Comparative Lens of Evidence Collection and Processing
Authors: White Deborah , McMillan Lesley
Published: July 2021

Police are central to the statutory response to sexual violence, shaping the direction an investigation may take. Evidence provided by victims is also key to the processing of sexual assault cases. From a 2013 comparative qualitative study involving interviews with police officers in one province in Canada ( n = 11) and one region in Scotland ( n = 10) who investigate such cases, we discovered striking unanticipated differences between the two groups in terms of how they perceived victims and the evidence they provide. This paper presents a thematic analysis of these data and considers possible implications and explanations.
Dorsoradial Ligament Reconstruction in Trapeziometacarpal Joint Arthritis
Authors: Kittithamvongs Piyabuth , Uerpairojkit Chairoj , Wangtanabadeekul Saksri , Anantavorasakul Navapong , Malungpaishrope Kanchai , Leechavengvongs Somsak
Published: July 2021

Background

The main purpose of the study is to present the alternative novel surgical technique in treating patients with trapeziometacarpal (TMC) joint arthritis using dorsoradial ligament (DRL) reconstruction technique and report the clinical outcomes.

Methods

Patients who were diagnosed with TMC joint arthritis and underwent DRL reconstruction were evaluated. Visual analog pain score; Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) score; grip, tip pinch, tripod pinch, and key pinch strengths along with range of motion of the thumb; and Kapandji score were recorded in the preoperative period and at follow-up. Stress examination was also performed under a fluoroscope.

Results

Eleven patients were included in the study. Median follow-up time was 13 months. At follow-up, postoperative visual analog scale and QuickDASH score improved in all patients. Grip, tip pinch, tripod pinch, and key pinch strengths also improved. The range of motion and Kapandji score were slightly improved compared with the preoperative period except for the thumb metacarpophalangeal flexion. Two patients had numbness at the thumb and spontaneously recovered after 3 months.

Conclusions

According to recent evidence which proposed the importance of DRL in TMC joint stability, our DRL reconstruction technique may be an alternative treatment in treating patients presented with TMC joint arthritis. Further study with a longer follow-up period is needed.
CFD numerical simulation of sand-contained cavitation characteristics of axial-flow pump
Authors: Lin Peng , Hu Dong , Lu Jing-Man , Wang Shu
Published: July 2021

To study the effect of sediment on the cavitation in the axial-flow pump, the method of CFD is employed to experiment on the internal flow field of the pump in the case of cavitation in clean water and sandy water separately. The calculation is done with different particle sizes and sediment concentrations. The results show that as the sediment concentration increases, the vortex range and cavitation area of the blade will further increase, and the flow pattern in the impeller becomes more disordered. The mechanism of action of particle size on cavitation is similar to that of sediment concentration. However, cavitation in clean water is quite different from that in sandy water in that the cavitation value and range in sandy water are significantly larger than that in clean water. By contrast, the particle size has little effect on the cavitation value and range. It proves that particle size does not have a great influence on cavitation distribution, but sediment concentration is the main factor affecting the cavitation performance of the pump. Moreover, sediment will disrupt the internal flow pattern of the pump, promote the development of cavitation and further reduce the cavitation performance of the pump.
Mechanical analysis of enhancement in tensile performance of thin-walled circular tubes by internal support
Authors: Gao Yue , Fei Shao , Qian Xu , Pengxian Fan , Lei Gao , Linyue Bai , Xintong Yan , Huishuang Zhao
Published: July 2021

Fillers can improve the tensile performance of ductile tubes. Mechanical analyses of tensile tubes with filler have generally focused on experimental and numerical studies on concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) components, while mechanical performance of tensile tubes with flexible supporting fillers has rarely been investigated. In the current research, we have proposed a “steel tube+pre-stressed flexible internal support” structure. Meanwhile, strengthening of tensile thin-walled tubes with internal supports was studied in terms of stress and deformation. The trends of yield strength and ultimate strength of tensile tubes were determined and calculation equations of yield strength and normal ultimate strength of tensile tubes with internal support were derived. Strengthening coefficient variations as functions of radius-thickness ratios of steel tubes and elastic moduli of internal supports as well the optimized internal support p corresponding to maximum increment of tensile performance of tubes were also determined. It was experimentally verified that the initial supporting pre-stress of internal support on steel tubes could be achieved by cold shrink fitting technique. Experimental results revealed that the developed composite structure significantly enhanced the mechanical performance, fracture toughness, and energy consumption characteristics of tensile tubes. Hence, the proposed structure was confirmed to have promising applications.
Surgical repair of a special category of arteriovenous fistula outflow stenosis caused by venous valve hyperplasia
Authors: Yao Chenliang , Tan Zhengli , Miao Peng , Tian Ran , Chen Xin , Yu Zhengya
Published: July 2021

Objective

This study evaluated a special category of arteriovenous fistula outflow stenosis caused by venous valve hyperplasia and explored the effectiveness of surgical repair in dealing with this kind of stenosis.

Study design

This retrospective cohort study was conducted from February 2016 to January 2020 in our center. Patients with arteriovenous fistula dysfunction, including flow rate insufficiency, venous hypertension, thrombosis, and aneurysm dilation enlargement, were selected. Stenosis lesions presenting with venous valve hyperplasia were selected after ultrasound screening. All patients underwent surgical repair and were followed up every 6 months after surgery.

Results

Forty-three patients (median age, 54.5 ± 11.2 years; 65.1% men) were included. All procedures were technically successful. Based on intraoperative exploration, 56.5% were reconstructed via autologous vein patch, 17.4% of patients were reconstructed with end-to-end reconstruction after cutting the stenotic segment, 13.0% of cases simply had the valve resected, and 13.0% of cases involved a longitudinal incision and transverse suture. All patients returned to routine dialysis the following day and avoided catheter insertion. The mean follow-up time was 22.5 ± 14.0 (range, 1.3–49.8) months. The patency rates at 2 and 4 years were 92.2% and 79.0%, respectively. Valves harvested from patients were analyzed via Masson staining and immunohistochemical staining, indicating collagen fiber and myofibroblast hyperplasia in outflow venous valve hyperplasia (OVVH).

Conclusions

Outflow venous valve hyperplasia can lead to fistula dysfunction. Ultrasound is the main method to diagnosis OVVH. Special surgical repair can preserve valuable vascular resources and relieve stenosis, is safe and effective, and has a high patency rate.
Experiences of barriers to self-monitoring and medication-management among Indian patients with type 2 diabetes, their primary family-members and physicians
Authors: Chittem Mahati , Sridharan Subha Gomathy , Pongener Matsungshila , Maya Sravannthi , Epton Tracy
Published: July 2021

Objectives

This study explored the subjective accounts of the main barriers to self-monitoring of blood-glucose (SMBG) and medication-management among Indian patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), their primary family-members (PFMs) and physicians.

Methods

Using convenience sampling, patients with T2DM, their PFMs, and physicians, residing in a South Indian capital city, were recruited for semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

Results

Fifty patients (female = 14; mean age = 42.5 years) and their PFMs (female = 38; mean age = 39 years), and 25 physicians (female = 4; mean age = 49.8 years) were recruited. Three superordinate themes were identified: (i) complex medication-regimen: confusion, forgetting and reduced motivation, (ii) family recommendations of alternative therapies due to the social pressures of avoiding stigma, intrusiveness and being misrepresented for injecting insulin, and (iii) an expensive illness: choosing to spend money on only medication.

Discussion

Implications of the findings highlight the need to (i) train physicians in communication and empathy skills, (ii) empower patients to communicate their barriers to physicians through triadic communication models and question-prompt lists, (iii) educate communities on the benefits of insulin for managing T2DM to reduce stigma, and (iv) equip communities with information about health insurance to address the financial toll of T2DM management.
Exploring barriers of quitting smokeless tobacco among coronary artery disease patients of India: A qualitative study
Authors: Singh Arti , Dixit Shikha
Published: July 2021

Background

Cessation of all forms of tobacco is necessary for controlling mortality associated with coronary artery diseases (CADs). In India, smokeless tobacco (SLT) is the most used form of tobacco. With around 60% of the world’s smokeless tobacco users living in India, the task of tobacco cessation has become daunting and complicated for Indian researchers and policy makers.

Objective

We conducted the present study to understand CAD patients’ perspectives towards their SLT use and to identify barriers of SLT cessation.

Methods

Using a semi-structured interview method, we obtained data from 12 CAD patients who were currently using some form of SLT.

Results

Thematic analysis suggests that CAD patients were unable to quit SLT addiction due to (a) certain socio-environmental factors that support SLT, (b) prevalence of misconceptions about the link between SLT use and their cardiac condition, (c) perceived lower self-efficacy to quit, (d) fatalistic attitude towards health outcomes and (e) substituting addiction with perceived lesser harmful products.

Discussion

The findings reveal that factors responsible for the continuation of SLT usage are multipronged. Current SLT users’ perspectives can facilitate the development of effective intervention and rehabilitation programs aimed at de-addiction of cardiac patients.
The Loss in Academic Freedom
Authors: Sitze Adam
Published: July 2021

This essay takes up the relation between free speech and academic freedom by inquiring into the problem of academic conscience. Its claim is that academic conscience originates in a certain kind of unmourned loss. To substantiate this claim, it comments on a text written by Hannah Arendt in 1958, one year after the Supreme Court for the first time recognized academic freedom as a First Amendment right. It concludes by explaining the reason why we should understand these two freedoms in terms of academic conscience: the more we comprehend the vicissitudes unique to academic conscience, the more we can comprehend how it risks closing down the same space it inaugurates and, at best, holds open.