bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stabilization at the Expense of Peacebuilding in UN Peacekeeping Operations
Authors: Curran David , Hunt Charles T.
Published: January 2020

The “uploading” of stabilization to UN peacekeeping presents conceptual, political, and practical challenges to the UN’s role in global governance and international conflict management. While scholarly research on stabilization has generally focused on militarization, its relationship to peacebuilding in the context of UN peacekeeping is underexplored. This article examines that relationship. A survey of UN policy frameworks highlights the simultaneous emergence of stabilization and clear expressions of peacebuilding. The article then draws on fieldwork in Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo to illustrate how stabilization is displacing peacebuilding in the practices of UN peacekeeping. The article argues that the politics of stabilization impede local forms of peacebuilding, at odds with the “Sustaining Peace” agenda, and risks jeopardizing the lauded conflict resolution potential of UN peacekeeping.
‘The Protectorate of the World’: the Problem of Just Hegemony in Roman Thought
Authors: Hawley Michael
Published: January 2020

Contemporary normative theory is understandably reluctant to consider how a hegemonic power ought to conduct itself. After all, a truly just international order, characterised by principles of freedom and equality among nations, would not include one polity so able to dominate others. The natural impulse of normative theorists then is to seek to eliminate such an imbalance. Yet, a sober assessment of political reality provides little prospect for such aspirations. The more modest alternative is to examine how hegemonic power might be wielded responsibly. For most of the history of Western political thought, the problem of just hegemony was more theoretical than real, leaving few serious philosophical precedents. Yet for Roman thinkers, of both the late Republic and the early Empire, the issue presented a real and urgent problem. In this article I explore some of the attempts of Roman philosophers and historians to grapple with the unique position of the Roman state. In many cases, their theories depend in some way on Rome’s alleged special moral or constitutional qualities – and yet, they often recognised that the realities of Rome’s use of power undermined those claims to exceptionalism. I examine the Romans’ responses to this problem as they sought to think through the moral dilemmas of their situation. In classical Roman thought, we might find an interlocutor for our own attempt to think through the ethics of superpower.
Between Rhetoric, Social Norms, and Law: Liberty of Speech in Republican Rome
Authors: Arena Valentina
Published: January 2020

Although modern Republicanism, which highly values the right of freedom of speech, finds its inspiration in the historical reality of the Roman Republic, it seems that in the course of the Republican period citizens shared a recognised ability to speak freely in public, but did not enjoy equal status with one another in the domain of speech as protected by law. Of course, Republican Rome knew laws regulating free speech and perhaps even later provisions had been passed concerning iniuria. However, in these cases, as later on under Augustus, these measures acted as means of restraint and inhibition and did not directly address the right of the individual to speak freely. The fundamental question this paper addresses is why, in the course of the Republic, the right to speak freely was not protected by law and never came to be recognised as a formalised subjective right in Republican Rome. The answer, I argue, lies in the fact that in Rome speaking freely was conceived as the positive moral quality that characterised a natural ability of human beings, and thereby it could not have provided a field of legislation. It follows that the Roman Republic would not have passed the ‘straight talk test’ that modern Republicanism requires for the establishment of a free and just society. However, Republican Rome invites us to think about liberty of speech as belonging to the realm of ethics: as a moral quality sustained by contemporary social norms, not subject to legislation, which inevitably ends up protecting the interests of a group or groups and their specific speech regimes.
Metabolic Calcium Balance in Rats with Chronic Renal Failure Assessed Using 42Ca Tracer
Authors: Gao Yan , Ren Jian-Wei , Kang Zhi-Min , Fang Yan-Hui , Guo Xue-Na , Diao Zong-Li , Liu Wen-Hu
Published: January 2020

Objective: This study's objective is to explore the effect of venous calcium (Ca) load on Ca metabolism using an isotope tracer in both healthy rats and rats with chronic renal failure (CRF). Materials and Methods: The methods included inducing CRF by feeding rats with
food that containing 0.75% adenine. Both the rats in the control and CRF group received an intravenous injection of 100 mg/kg CaCl2 mixed with 0.5 mg/kg 42Ca for over 2 minutes in order to induce hypercalcemia. Blood samples, urine, and feces were collected for Ca kinetics
and metabolism testing before and 24 hours after the injection. Results: Peak blood Ca levels were presented at 5 minutes in both groups but returned to baseline levels differently: within 3 hours in the CRF group and 1 hour in the control group. 24-hour hypercalciuria and a higher
weight-corrected fecal Ca loss were consistently detected in the CRF rats before and after the injection, along with a decrease in the percent fractional Ca absorption and true fractional calcium absorption compared to the control group. The increased fecal Ca in the CRF rats primarily resulted
from changes in decreased absorption rate, which indirectly lead to an increase in endogenous fecal Ca (EFC). Body weightcorrected EFC levels in the CRF group were significantly higher than those in the control group (207.58 ± 107.18 mg/kg/day vs. 62.44 ± 20.49 mg/kg/day). In
addition, EFC was 22.6% and 26.02% of the total fecal Ca in the CRF group and the control group. Conclusion: These results may be useful in the evaluation of calcium metabolism and may have important implications for stable isotopes that are widely used in exploring calcification studies
in the CRF.
Dexmedetomidine Inhibits Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Response and Improves Neurological Function After Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats
Authors: Zang Hanqing , Li Jing , Yang Linxing , Sun Wendong , Han Jing
Published: January 2020

Dexmedetomidine (DEX) can inhibit neuronal apoptosis. There are multiple secondary lesions following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Our study evaluated the application of DEX in TBI by observing neurological impairment score, brain edema, nerve cells apoptosis, and endoplasmic reticulum
stress response (ERS). SD rats were selected to establish TBI model using modified Feeney method and then randomly divided into sham operation group (A), TBI group (B), TBI + DEX group (C), and TBI + DEX + endoplasmic reticulum stress inducer 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) group (D). The neurological
injury severity score (mNSS) was measured on day 1, 3, and 7 after injury. The water content of brain tissue was measured. The pathology of brain tissue was observed on the 7th day after craniocerebral injury. Caspase-12 and IRE-1 were determined by Western blot. Apoptosis was assessed by
TUNEL assay. CHOP and Glucose Regulatory Protein 78 (GRP78) expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Compared with group A, mNSS scores, brain water content, and neuronal apoptosis were increased, and caspase-12, IRE-1, CHOP, and GRP78 proteins were upregulated in groups B,
C, and D (P < 0.05). Compared to group B, the neurological function was improved, brain water content and neuronal apoptosis were decreased, and caspase-12, IRE-1, CHOP, and GRP78 protein expressions were reduced in group C (P < 0.05). Neurological impairment was aggravated,
brain water content and nerve cell apoptosis were increased, and caspase-12, IRE-1, CHOP, and GRP78 protein expressions were upregulated in group D compared to group C (P < 0.05). DEX treatment can alleviate brain edema after TBI and inhibit neuronal apoptosis, which has neuroprotective
effects. Its mechanism may be related to ERS after TBI inhibition.
Quality of Patient Education Sections on Otitis Media Across Different Website Platforms
Authors: Shetty Kunal Ramanand , Wang Rita Yu , Shetty Anisha , Levi Jessica , Aaronson Nicole Leigh
Published: January 2020

Objective:

To determine the quality, content, and readability of patient education materials pertaining to otitis media across several popular online platforms focused on otolaryngology and pediatric primary care education.

Methods:

Online patient materials related to otitis media and directed toward parents were collected from the American Association for Family Practice (AAFP), ENT-Health section of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Healthychildren.org from the American Academy of Pediatrics, KidsHealth from Nemours, WebMD, and Wikipedia. Materials were analyzed for quality, content, and readability. The DISCERN instrument was used to score quality. A unique content score was generated based on the information provided on each website and on the medical and surgical management of otitis media. Readability scores were calculated using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease Score, Gunning-Fog Index, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, Coleman-Liau Index, and Automated Readability Index.

Results:

Overall, content was well-balanced. Information from AAFP and Healthychildren.org was focused more on medical management than other sources. The average DISCERN scores showed all sources to be of good quality with minimal shortcomings. The AAFP and KidsHealth websites had some readability scores around the 8th-grade reading level, the National Institute of Health’s upper limit recommended for public health information; however, most websites were above this recommended reading level.

Conclusion:

Patient education materials related to otitis media on academic and certain popular internet sites are good sources to obtain high-quality information on the topic. Patient educational background, prior knowledge and understanding of otitis media, and physician-patient partnership goals should be taken into account when referring patients to online materials.
Investigation of the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of nano and microsized particulate-filled dental composite material
Authors: Yadav Ramkumar , Kumar Mukesh
Published: January 2020

Objective

The purpose of this study was to fabricate bisphenol-a glycidyl methacrylate /tri-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA)-based nano and micro-sized-filled dental composite and to study the effect of varying silane-treated nano hydroxyapatite on physical, mechanical and thermal properties.

Methods

The dental resin matrix was fabricated by bisphenol-a glycidyl (53 wt.%), TEGDMA (46 wt.%), camphorquinone (0.3 wt.%) and 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (0.7 wt.%). Silane-treated nano hydroxyapatite (nHA) filler content was varied from 0 to 8 wt.%, while zinc oxide (microsized) remains constant with 20 wt.%. A light curing unit was employed for polymerization of the resinous dental mixture.

Results

The result revealed that infrared spectra of untreated and treated nHA filler particles were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The dental composite filled with 6 wt.% nHA (DHZ6) exhibited maximum compressive strength (249 MPa) and Vickers hardness (49 Hv), while dental composite filled with 8 wt.% nHA (DHZ8) showed minimum depth of cure (5.12 mm), degree of conversion (54%) and polymerization shrinkage (1.12%).

Significance

Silane treatment of nano hydroxyapatite has a significant role in physical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Bonding strength of coupling agent has been seen between organic and inorganic materials.
Cantilever creep method for testing ceramic composites and a case study for chemically bonded phosphate ceramic composites reinforced with glass, carbon and basalt fibers, including both experiments and simulations
Authors: Colorado Henry A , Gutiérrez-Velásquez Elkin I , Hiel Clem
Published: January 2020

This paper presented the cantilever beam experiments and the method for creep in chemically bonded ceramics reinforced with glass, carbon, and basalt unidirectional fibers. The ceramic composite samples were fabricated by mixing wollastonite powder and phosphoric acid, through the resonant acoustic mixing technique. The reinforced fibers were added via pultrusion process. The manufactured materials were exposed to high temperature creep tests at 600, 800 and 1000℃, with an annealing time of 1 h, all in air environment. Some examples of real large-scale structures made manually by a company were also included. In order to understand the microstructure, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analysis were included. The presented method is simple and can be used in any inorganic ceramic slurry types, such as geopolymers, phosphate cements, clay-based materials, or Portland cement composites. The sample response in high temperature creep experiments was analyzed with a new but very simple technique, and modeled using finite element analysis over all compositions. Results revealed that fibers have a significant effect on the composite creep when compared to the ceramic without reinforcement, and particularly carbon fibers showed a quite interested effect in reducing the creep effects. Results show the limit of the materials under conditions typically found in fires and other extreme environments.
Dentoalveolar Defects in the Hyp Mouse Model of X-linked Hypophosphatemia
Authors: Zhang H. , Chavez M.B. , Kolli T.N. , Tan M.H. , Fong H. , Chu E.Y. , Li Y. , Ren X. , Watanabe K. , Kim D.G. , Foster B.L.
Published: January 2020

Mutations in PHEX cause X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH), a form of hypophosphatemic rickets. Hyp ( Phex mutant) mice recapitulate the XLH phenotype. Dental disorders are prevalent in individuals with XLH; however, underlying dentoalveolar defects remain incompletely understood. We analyzed Hyp mouse dentoalveolar defects at 42 and 90 d postnatal to comparatively define effects of XLH on dental formation and function. Phex mRNA was expressed by odontoblasts (dentin), osteocytes (bone), and cementocytes (cellular cementum) in wild-type (WT) mice. Enamel density was unaffected, though enamel volume was significantly reduced in Hyp mice. Dentin defects in Hyp molars were indicated histologically by wide predentin, thin dentin, and extensive interglobular dentin, confirming micro–computed tomography (micro-CT) findings of reduced dentin volume and density. Acellular cementum was thin and showed periodontal ligament detachment. Mechanical testing indicated dramatically altered periodontal mechanical properties in Hyp versus WT mice. Hyp mandibles demonstrated expanded alveolar bone with accumulation of osteoid, and micro-CT confirmed decreased bone volume fraction and alveolar bone density. Cellular cementum area was significantly increased in Hyp versus WT molars owing to accumulation of hypomineralized cementoid. Histology, scanning electron microscopy, and nanoindentation revealed hypomineralized “halos” surrounding Hyp cementocyte and osteocyte lacunae. Three-dimensional micro-CT analyses confirmed larger cementocyte/osteocyte lacunae and significantly reduced perilacunar mineral density. While long bone and alveolar bone osteocytes in Hyp mice overexpressed fibroblast growth factor 23 ( Fgf23), its expression in molars was much lower, with cementocyte Fgf23 expression particularly low. Expression and distribution of other selected markers were disturbed in Hyp versus WT long bone, alveolar bone, and cementum, including osteocyte/cementocyte marker dentin matrix protein 1 ( Dmp1). This study reports for the first time a quantitative analysis of the Hyp mouse dentoalveolar phenotype, including all mineralized tissues. Novel insights into cellular cementum provide evidence for a role for cementocytes in perilacunar mineralization and cementum biology.
Evolving and Diversifying Selling Practices on Drug Cryptomarkets: An Exploration of Off-Platform “Direct Dealing”
Authors: Childs Andrew , Coomber Ross , Bull Melissa , Barratt Monica J.
Published: January 2020

This is the first study to explore how cryptomarket actors are increasingly adopting encrypted messaging applications to “ direct deal” beyond the provided platforms, to obviate the protocols of cryptomarkets, and to diversify the communication experience of drug buying via the dark net. Drawing on 965 forum posts discussing encrypted messaging applications, results showed that direct dealing may be more likely to occur in the context of preestablished trust between vendors and buyers, during instances of law enforcement crackdowns, and when buyers are enticed by discounts or promotions. Our findings also suggested a general hesitancy toward direct dealing, as it was often associated with greater exposure to scams, and perceptions that direct dealing increases the risks concerning personal security and detection from law enforcement. These findings provide insight into the interconnection of online drug markets, and how actors make decisions to drift between multichannel supply points mediated by perceptions of trust and risk.
Marketing-Mix Response Across Retail Formats: The Role of Shopping Trip Types
Authors: Jindal Pranav , Zhu Ting , Chintagunta Pradeep , Dhar Sanjay
Published: January 2020

The authors study differences in the effects of prices, nonprice promotions, and brand line length on brand shares at different retail formats. Their conceptual framework rests on the presence of trip-level fixed and category-level variable utility components and shows how the trade-off between these components results in (1) different formats visited on different types of shopping trips and (2) differential marginal sensitivities of brand shares to changes in marketing-mix variables across trip types. Together, these provide predictions on how marketing-mix variables differentially affect brand shares at various retail formats. The authors use Nielsen Homescan and store-level data from 2011–2014 and analyze the top ten spending product categories across four retail formats—convenience stores, drugstores, supermarkets, and mass merchandisers—in over 200 Nielsen markets. Implications for brand manufacturers managing the marketing mix across different formats are offered. JEL codes: M310, L11, D4
Efficient evaluation model of beam pumping unit based on principal component regression analysis
Authors: Ye Zhewei , Liu Zhiyang , Cheng Cheng , Tan Lang , Feng Kang
Published: January 2020

The beam pumping unit is widely used in oil fields as an oil extraction machine. However, due to its structural characteristics and the changing conditions of underground reservoirs, there are many factors affecting the efficiency of the beam pumping unit. How to quickly and accurately reflect the inefficient factors, and whether the efficiency of the pumping unit is reasonable, it is an urgent problem to be solved. In this article, we propose a pumping unit efficiency evaluation model consisting of the scoring model and the predictive model. The scoring model reflects the inefficient factors, and the predictive model judges whether the efficiency of the pumping unit is reasonable. Finally, the actual production data of the oilfield were used to verify the effectiveness of the method.
From fighting animals to the biosocial mechanisms of the human mind: A comparison of Selten’s social defeat and Mead’s symbolic interaction
Authors: Fletcher James Rupert , Birk Rasmus Hoffmann
Published: January 2020

Social defeat is a psychiatric theory accounting for the role of social environment in the aetiology of psychosis via the mechanism of stress. Social defeat stems from animal studies of stress, whereby a small rat is introduced into a larger rat’s cage and is subsequently attacked and defeated by its larger foe. The defeated rat is subjected to behavioural and hormonal analyses to explore its stress levels. The idea is that social defeat leads to social stress which may cause psychoses. In this article, we draw on the work of Jean-Paul Selten to critique the epistemics that are bound up with social defeat research. For comparative analysis, we use Mead’s Mind, Self and Society to tease out the problems of social defeat and suggest potential remedies. We contend that, in seeking to equate animal and human sociality, social defeat portrays human interaction as hostile and pathological, and minority groups as inevitably defeated. In contrast, Mead’s symbolic interaction presents human sociality as progressively organizational. Mead’s account is grounded in human exceptionalism and lacking attention to structural inequalities. Nevertheless, symbolic interaction has much to offer contemporary social defeat research, albeit whilst echoing some of its thin sociology.
Political Theory and American Literature: A Guide through the Archive
Authors: Charette Danielle
Published: January 2020

This Guide to the archive presents political theory’s engagement with American literature via a focus on the tension between the real and the imaginative as a source for politics.
Exam Wrappers in Psychology
Authors: Edlund John E.
Published: January 2020

Improving student performance on exams is a key issue that many psychology instructors face in their classrooms. One potentially easy to deploy option for improving student performance is an exam wrapper. In this article, I detail two studies that compared exam wrappers to a control condition (a previous semester in Study 1 and a within course control condition in Study 2). Both studies found notable improvements in student exam performance above what is typically seen in the course. This suggests that the exam wrapper is an easy-to-employ tool for your students to use to improve their test preparation and performance.
Informed Consent to Vaccination: Theoretical, Legal, and Empirical Insights
Authors: Reiss Dorit Rubinstein , Karako-Eyal Nili
Published: January 2020

Informed consent matters — so does protecting people from infectious diseases. This paper examines what the appropriate informed consent process for vaccines should look like and how the process is conceptualized by law and health authorities. Drawing on the extensive theoretical and empirical literature on informed consent and vaccination, this article sets out what an ideal informed consent process for vaccination would consist of, highlighting the need for autonomous decisions. To be autonomous, decisions need to be based on full, accessible information and reached without coercion. We suggest that the information provided must address the nature of the procedure — including benefits to the child, benefits to society, and risks. Parents should have their concerns and misconceptions addressed. The information needs to be accessible and include an opportunity to ask questions. Based on this ideal model we examined in detail the legal framework surrounding informed consent to vaccination and the process as conceptualized by health authorities in two countries, Israel and the United States, to assess whether they meet the requirements. These two countries are similar in some of their values, for example, the importance of individual autonomy, and face similar problems related to vaccine hesitancy. At the same time, there are meaningful differences in their vaccine policies and the current structures of their informed consent processes, allowing for a meaningful comparison. We found neither country met our ideal informed consent process, and suggested improvements both to the materials and to the processes used to obtain informed consent.
Using Contingency Contracting to Promote Social Interactions Among Students With ASD and Their Peers
Authors: Alwahbi Abdullah , Hua Youjia
Published: January 2020

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of peer training implemented alone and the effect of combining contingency contracting with peer training on promoting social interactions among students with ASD and their peers. Three students with ASD and six typically developing peers enrolled in an inclusive elementary school participated in the study. Ten-minute observations were conducted during recess time to collect data on the participants’ social interactions. The data obtained showed that peer training alone did not result in improvement in social interactions. However, upon the introduction of contingency contracting, which facilitated the use of prompting and reinforcement, the participants engaged in a significantly higher number of social interactions. The findings about the effect of peer training and contingency contracting were consistent across the participants. The study results suggest several implications for practice and directions for future research.
Translating People and Policy: The Role of Maid Agents in Brokering between Employers and Migrant Domestic Workers in Singapore’s Migration Industry
Authors: Wee Kellynn , Goh Charmian , Yeoh Brenda S.A.
Published: January 2020

There has been a surge of recent interest in the migration industries that facilitate the movement of migrants, particularly that of low-waged laborers engaged in temporary contracts abroad. This article extends this research to include migration brokers working in destination contexts, thus drawing analytical attention to the arrival infrastructures that incorporate migrants into host societies. Based on ethnographic research involving the employment agents who recruit women migrating from Indonesia to work as migrant domestic workers in Singapore, we use the concept of “translation” as a broad theoretical metaphor to understand how brokers actively fashion knowledge between various actors, scales, interfaces, and entities. First, we argue that through the interpretation of language, brokers continually modulate meaning in the encounters between potential employers and employees at the agency shopfront, reproducing particular dynamics of power between employers and workers while coperforming the hirability of the migrant worker. Second, we show how brokers operate within the discretionary space between multiple sets of regulations in order to selectively inscribe the text of policy into migrant workers’ lives. By interrogating the process of translation and clarifying the latitude migration brokers have in shaping the working and living conditions of international labor migrants, the article contributes to the growing conceptual literature on how labor-market intermediaries contour migration markets.
Effects of graduated compression stockings, local vibration and their combination on popliteal venous blood velocity
Authors: Espeit Loïc , Lapole Thomas
Published: January 2020

Objectives

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine and compare the effects of graduated compression stockings, local vibration, and combined graduated compression stockings and local vibration on popliteal venous blood velocity.

Method

Twenty-four healthy subjects received four 15 min interventions (control, graduated compression stockings alone, local vibration alone, and combined graduated compression stockings and local vibration), while resting inactive in the prone position. Popliteal vein blood velocity was investigated before (PRE) and at the end (POST) of each intervention using Doppler ultrasound.

Results

At POST, peak velocity was reported to be 26.3 ± 53.5% ( p <  0.05) greater for local vibration than control (CONT). Peak velocity was 46.2 ± 54.6% ( p <  0.001) and 21.1 ± 37.6% ( p <  0.01) higher for graduated compression stockings than CONT and local vibration, respectively. Graduated compression stockings + local vibration presented 64.1 ± 58.0% ( p <  0.001), 38.4 ± 52.4% ( p <  0.001) and 15.0 ± 31.6% ( p <  0.05) greater values than CONT, local vibration and graduated compression stockings, respectively.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated an increase in popliteal venous blood velocity after graduated compression stockings and local vibration application. Their combination provided the greatest effects.
Do journals contribute to the international publication of research in their field? A bibliometric analysis of palliative care journal data
Authors: Walshe Catherine , Ahmed Faraz , Preston Nancy
Published: January 2020

Background:

Research is important internationally, impacting on health service provision and patient benefit. Journals play an important dissemination role, but there may be geographical bias, potentially affecting access to evidence.

Aim:

To understand if there is a relationship between the continent of journals and that of contributing authors.

Design:

Bibliometric analysis of journal citation report data (June 2018). Odds ratio of association of an author being from region, region of journal publication, publication model and the number of papers.

Setting:

Journals specialising in palliative care research, with an impact factor above the median impact factor for their most common indexing category.

Results:

Five journals: three published in Europe ( Palliative Medicine, BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care, and BMC Palliative Care) and two in North America ( Journal of Pain and Symptom Management and Journal of Palliative Medicine). Authors were from 30+ countries, but mostly North America (54.18%) or Europe (27.94%). Preliminary sensitivity tests show that the odds of an author being from a North American institution increase 16.4 times ( p < 0.01; 95% confidence interval: 12.9, 20.8) if the region of journal publication is North America. The odds of an author being from a European institution is 14.0 times ( p < 0.01; 95% confidence interval: 10.9, 17.9) higher if the region of journal publication is Europe.

Conclusion:

Publishers, editors and authors are concentrated in North America or Europe. North American authors are more present in North American journals and European authors in European journals. This polarised approach, if replicated across readerships, may lead to research waste, duplication, and be sub-optimal for healthcare development.
Tectonic keratoplasty using small incision lenticule extraction-extracted intrastromal lenticule for corneal lesions
Authors: Pant Om Prakash , Hao Ji-long , Zhou Dan-dan , Pant Manju , Lu Cheng-wei
Published: January 2020

Objective

This study investigated an alternative approach for obtaining donor corneas for keratoplasty that can be used in nations with high corneal demand and high costs for treatment of non-healing ulcers or lesions.

Methods

Eighteen patients (18 eyes) who underwent tectonic keratoplasty using small incision refractive lenticule extraction (SMILE)-extracted lenticule were included. Data were recorded regarding age, corneal status, corneal lesion location and size, preoperative and postoperative visual acuity, lenticule layer, and additional medical history.

Results

Corneal thinning and corneal perforation in 13 and 5 patients, respectively, were treated with tectonic keratoplasty using SMILE-extracted lenticule. After tectonic keratoplasty, globe integrity was maintained in 16 of the 18 patients. The mean decimal visual acuity improved from 0.2555±0.3326 preoperatively to 0.3303±0.3487 at the final follow-up. Visual acuity improvement was greater in patients with corneal perforation than in patients with corneal thinning. In addition, visual acuity was most improved in patients with infratemporal lesions.

Conclusion

Tectonic keratoplasty using SMILE-extracted lenticule is a comparatively safe, effective, and reliable alternative approach for the treatment of corneal lesions.
Anterior vaginal wall protrusion in pregnancy: a case report
Authors: Lu Dajiang , Liu Fang , Ning Xue , Zhang Hua , Huang Yan
Published: January 2020

Vaginal prolapse rarely complicates pregnancy. We experienced a 36-year-old, gravida 3, para 1 woman who presented at 37 weeks’ gestation with gestational diabetes mellitus and a large anterior vaginal prolapse that could not be reduced manually or by bed rest. After obtaining consent, a cesarean section was successfully performed, and a live neonate delivered. The prolapsed anterior vagina recovered spontaneously following the cesarean operation. A vaginal prolapse in pregnancy is rare. Elective or emergency cesarean section is a possible treatment option when the prolapse cannot be reduced manually or by bed rest. Our case highlights the importance of routine obstetric examinations for early detection of a vaginal wall prolapse.
Fracture Resistance of Commonly Used Self-drilling Mini-implants of Various Diameters
Authors: S. Vinodh , Sangamesh B. , V. Neelakantha Patil , Ahmed Sameer , B. Venkat Naidu
Published: January 2020

Context: Self-drilling mini-implants are commonly used in orthodontic treatment procedures, but there is limited information regarding their fracture resistance in areas of high-density bone without predrilling.

Aims: The objective of this study is to compare and evaluate the maximum insertion torque and fracture resistance of 3 commonly used self-drilling mini-implants in India, and to assess the influence of variation in diameter in torque generation.

Materials and methods: 90 mini-implants from 3 different manufacturers with 2 different diameters were drilled into acrylic blocks using a dial indicating torque screwdriver. All mini-implants were drilled at the rate of 20-30 rotations/min, implants were drilled until they fractured. Torque generated at the point of fracture is shown on the dial of the screwdriver. Measurements of the peak insertion torque value for each manufacturer were recorded separately.

Statistical analysis: Analysis of variance, post hoc Bonferroni test.

Results: Analysis of variance test showed a significant difference among all the manufacturers in both the diameters with P < .05. Implants of 1.6 mm diameter of Ancer group have the highest fracture resistance value when compared with the same diameter of JJ Orthodontics and SK Surgicals. Implants with higher diameter have more resistance than those with lower diameter.

Conclusions: The observed highest fracture resistance is 47 Ncm by Ancer and least fracture resistance is 16 Ncm by JJ Orthodontics. The values are higher than the torque required to place mini-implants intraorally. Ancer mini-implants have the highest peak fracture torque, thus more than SK Surgicals and JJ Orthodontics.
The developing role of occupational therapists in school-based practice: Experiences from collaborative action research in Pakistan
Authors: Kramer-Roy Debbie , Hashim Denise , Tahir Nighat , Khan Areeba , Khalid Asma , Faiz Nasira , Minai Rabeea , Jawaid Samreen , Khan Shaheen , Rashid Rakhshanda , Frater Tai
Published: January 2020

Introduction

Occupational therapists around the world increasingly seek to support the participation of children with disabilities and special educational needs in mainstream education. Contemporary school-based occupational therapy practice is progressing from an individual, impairment focus towards collaborative, universal interventions at the whole class and whole school level. Participation-focused practice and collaboration is particularly important, but uncommon, in low-resource contexts such as Pakistan.

Methods

This article reports on collaborative action research that developed the role of occupational therapy in inclusive education in Karachi, Pakistan. A research team consisting of occupational therapists and teachers worked with five local primary schools, using the action research cycles of plan–implement–observe–reflect to develop practical strategies, materials and inclusive lesson plans to facilitate the participation of all children in all school-based occupations.

Findings

Support from school management and interdisciplinary collaboration were crucial for implementing change. In addition, strategies like inclusive lesson planning were found to benefit all children in class. Collaborative action research led to increased professional confidence in the teachers and occupational therapists, and skill development through developing a resource guide, running workshops and presenting at (inter)national conferences.

Conclusion

Collaborative action research was an effective means to develop the occupational therapy role in inclusive education practices in Pakistan, develop culturally appropriate educational resources, and upskill local therapists and teachers.
Tributary-junction alluvial fan response to an ENSO rainfall event in the El Huasco watershed, northern Chile
Authors: Cabré Albert , Aguilar Germán , Mather Anne E. , Fredes Víctor , Riquelme Rodrigo
Published: January 2020

Tributary-junction alluvial fans situated at the intersection of confined valleys with <100 km2 tributary catchments are of special interest to evaluate the heterogeneous consequences of extreme rainfall events in arid zones. These fans record the episodic sedimentological behaviour of the hillslope response to rainstorm events within tributary catchments, together with the influence on the main fluvial systems. In this paper, we benefit from the March 2015 event (23–26 March 2015), which produced 75–46 mm of precipitation over four days in the southern portion of the Atacama Desert. This storm event triggered several debris flows in El Huasco River watershed tributaries and, therefore, tributary-junction alluvial fans received a total of ∼106 m3 of sediments across 49 activated catchments. We find that the characteristic storm signature across the catchments can be synthetised in a conceptual fan formation model based on field mapping of facies (F1 to F6) present in the fans. The characteristic signature is a record of initially high sediment-to-water flows restricted to the fan environments (mainly debris flows) followed by later, more dilute (mainly hyper-concentrated to fluvial) flows that incise the tributary-junction alluvial fan deposits and link tributary catchments with the main river. These later-stage flood event deposits, locally, are capable of ponding and compartmentalising the main river where the longitudinal connectivity of the tributary-junction catchment is effective. This situation improves tributary-junction fan slope and main-trunk-channel linkages. This approach provides a reference framework for understanding the distribution and routing of effective runoff from similar rainfall events that control the aggradation and incision of the fluvial system, which is of great value when studying past stratigraphic arrangements in these arid alleys.
HLA class I alleles are associated with clinic-based migraine and increased risks of chronic migraine and medication overuse
Authors: Huang Claire , Chen Shih-Pin , Huang Yu-Han , Chen Hsuan-Yu , Wang Yen-Feng , Lee Mei-Hsuan , Wang Shuu-Jiun
Published: January 2020

Objective

We aimed to evaluate associations of human leukocyte antigen variants with migraine or headache in hospital and population-based settings.

Methods

The case-control study population, aged 30–70, included 605 clinic-based migraine patients in a medical center and 8449 population-based participants in Taiwan Biobank (TWB). Clinic-based cases were ascertained by neurologists. Participants in Taiwan Biobank were interviewed by a structured questionnaire including headache and migraine history; among them, 2394 had headache or migraine history while 6055 were free of headache and served as controls. All subjects were genotyped by Axiom Genome-Wide Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Arrays and imputed for eight classical human leukocyte antigen genes. Human leukocyte antigen frequencies were compared between clinic-based and self-reported patients and controls. We utilized likelihood ratio tests to examine human leukocyte antigen-disease associations and logistic regressions to estimate the effect of human leukocyte antigen alleles on migraine.

Results

Human leukocyte antigen -B and C showed significant associations with clinic-based migraine ( q-value < 0.05). Human leukocyte antigen -B*39:01, human leukocyte antigen -B*51:01, human leukocyte antigen -B*58:01 and human leukocyte antigen -C*03:02 were significantly associated with migraine, with age and sex-adjusted odds ratios (95% CIs) of 1.80 (1.28–2.53), 1.50 (1.15–1.97), 1.36 (1.14–1.62) and 1.36 (1.14–1.62), correspondingly. Clinic-based migraineurs carrying human leukocyte antigen -B*58:01 or human leukocyte antigen -C*03:02 had 1.63 (1.11–2.39) -fold likelihood to have chronic migraine with medication-overuse headache compared to episodic migraine. However, no human leukocyte antigen genes were associated with self-reported headache or migraine in the community.

Conclusions

Human leukocyte antigen class I genetic variants are positively associated with risk of clinic-based migraine but not self-reported migraine or headache and may contribute to migraine chronification and medication overuse.
Anti-littering in developing countries: Motivating the people of Jordan
Authors: Moqbel Shadi , El-tah Ziad , Haddad Assal
Published: January 2020

Littering in developing countries remains a problem that has not been overcome, and past research based on a trial-and-error approach has not solved the problem. In this study, a questionnaire was constructed and distributed to the people of Jordan. People were asked to indicate what motivates them to use the litter bins. The motivators were divided into intrinsic motivators and extrinsic motivators. The responses to the questionnaire were statistically analysed according to the score for each motivator and the responders’ attributes. The highest level intrinsic motivators were the ‘sense of morals and ethics’ and ‘following the way they were raised’. The highest impact of extrinsic motivators was the presence of children followed by increasing number of receptacles, being in a clean place and the presence of recycling programmes. Studying the respondents’ attributes showed there are differences in people’s responses to intrinsic motivators according to socio-demographical factors, while for extrinsic motivators these factors tend to diminish and people react almost the same. The results of this study can explain some of the differences in reported results in the literature on littering behaviour according to socio-demographic factors. To have an effective anti-littering approach in Jordan, the authorities should consider using a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. In the intrinsic motivators, the authorities should praise and remind people of their core values, morals and their children’s behaviour and future. For the extrinsic motivators, the following descending order is suggested: convenient infrastructure, recycling programmes, anti-littering campaigns, rewards, penalties.
Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) v2018: Review of the CT/MRI Diagnostic Categories
Authors: Kanmaniraja Devaraju , Dellacerra Gary , Holder Justin , Erlichman David , Chernyak Victoria
Published: January 2020

Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) is a comprehensive system that provides standardization in the interpretation and reporting of observations in patients at risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (CT/MRI) LI-RADS v2018 includes 8 diagnostic categories, which reflect the probability of benignity, malignancy in general, or HCC specifically. This article reviews the diagnostic categories of CT/MRI LI-RADS v2018, highlighting the key imaging features, diagnostic criteria, and management implications.
Imaging of the Spontaneous Low Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure Headache: A Review
Authors: Martineau P. , Chakraborty S. , Faiz Khunsa , Shankar Jai
Published: January 2020

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a significant cause of chronic, postural headaches. Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is generally believed to be associated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, and these leaks can be posttraumatic, iatrogenic, or idiopathic in origin. An integral part of the management of patients with this condition consists of localizing and stopping the leaks. Radiologists play a central role in the workup of this condition detecting leaks using computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or nuclear imaging. In this article, we briefly review SIH and the various imaging modalities, which can be used to identify and localize a spontaneous CSF leak.
Beyond Logic and Intuition: Development and Validation of a Career Discernment Scale
Authors: Yip Jeffrey , Li Haoxiong , Ensher Ellen A. , Murphy Susan E.
Published: January 2020

Past research on career decision-making has focused on two distinct modes of decision-making: logic and intuition. In this study, we extend that two-system model of career decision-making and examine the role of two additional decision-making modalities: advice seeking and spiritual discernment. We conducted two independent studies through which we develop and validate a Career Discernment Scale by examining its dimensions and internal reliability (Study 1), followed by research to establish discriminant and convergent validity (Study 2). Results provide initial support for the dimensionality and reliability of four distinct career decision-making factors, demonstrated by a clear factor structure and internal consistency. In addition, our results show evidence of convergent and discriminant validity through expected correlations across a nomological network of individual differences. Overall, this article highlights the unique role of spirituality and advice seeking in career decision-making with implications for career development and practice.
The stranger in my room: The fellow patient as the fourth dimension of patient satisfaction
Authors: Hantel Saskia , Benkenstein Martin
Published: January 2020

Objective

To test the hypothesis that the fellow patient is a relevant dimension of patient satisfaction and has a notable influence on patient evaluations of hospitals.

Data sources/study setting

An empirical survey was conducted to collect primary data. In the study, patients in German hospitals were asked about their perceived satisfaction with fellow patients, physicians, nursing staff, and facilities.

Study design

Linear regression models were used to estimate the influence of each dimension on patient satisfaction. Various quality criteria further confirmed the quality of the extended patient satisfaction model.

Principal findings

The study confirmed fellow patient influence as a fourth dimension of patient satisfaction. The fellow patient had the highest impact on patient satisfaction and increases the variance of the patient satisfaction model significantly.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that patient satisfaction models should include the fourth dimension, “fellow patient.” In addition to the impact of the other satisfaction dimensions, both studies highlighted the significant influence of the fellow patient on patient satisfaction. Moreover, hospital managers should try to use the impact of the fellow patient to create satisfaction, which would benefit both hospitals and patients.
A frame-independent comparison metric for discrete motion sequences
Authors: Zhao Ping , Wang Yong , Zhu Lihong , Li Xiangyun
Published: January 2020

To evaluate the kinematic performance of designed mechanisms, a statistical-variance-based metric is proposed in this article to measure the “distance” between two discrete motion sequences: the reference motion and the given task motion. It seeks to establish a metric that is independent of the choice of the fixed frame or moving frame. Quaternions are adopted to represent the rotational part of a spatial pose, and the variance of the set of relative displacements is computed to reflect the difference between two sequences. With this variance-based metric formulation, we show that the comparison results of two spatial discrete motions are not affected by the choice of frames. Both theoretical demonstration and computational example are presented to support this conclusion. In addition, since the deviation error between the task motion and the synthesized motion measured with this metric is independent of the location of frames, those corresponding parameters could be excluded from the optimization algorithm formulated with our frame-independent metric in kinematic synthesis of mechanisms, and the complexity of the algorithm are hereby reduced. An application of a four-bar linkage synthesis problem is presented to illustrate the advantage of the proposed metric.