bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment preferences for preventive interventions for rheumatoid arthritis: protocol of a mixed methods case study for the Innovative Medicines Initiative PREFER project
Authors: Falahee Marie , Simons Gwenda , DiSantostefano Rachael L , Valor Méndez Larissa , Radawski Christine , Englbrecht Matthias , Schölin Bywall Karin , Tcherny-Lessenot Stephanie , Kihlbom Ulrik , Hauber Brett , Veldwijk Jorien , Raza Karim
Published: April 2021

Introduction

Amidst growing consensus that stakeholder decision-making during drug development should be informed by an understanding of patient preferences, the Innovative Medicines Initiative project ‘Patient Preferences in Benefit-Risk Assessments during the Drug Life Cycle’ (PREFER) is developing evidence-based recommendations about how and when patient preferences should be integrated into the drug life cycle. This protocol describes a PREFER clinical case study which compares two preference elicitation methodologies across several populations and provides information about benefit–risk trade-offs by those at risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for preventive interventions.

Methods and analysis

This mixed methods study will be conducted in three countries (UK, Germany, Romania) to assess preferences of (1) first-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with RA and (2) members of the public. Focus groups using nominal group techniques (UK) and ranking surveys (Germany and Romania) will identify and rank key treatment attributes. Focus group transcripts will be analysed thematically using the framework method and average rank orders calculated. These results will inform the treatment attributes to be assessed in a survey including a discrete choice experiment (DCE) and a probabilistic threshold technique (PTT). The survey will also include measures of sociodemographic variables, health literacy, numeracy, illness perceptions and beliefs about medicines. The survey will be administered to (1) 400 FDRs of patients with RA (UK); (2) 100 FDRs of patients with RA (Germany); and (3) 1000 members of the public in each of UK, Germany and Romania. Logit-based approaches will be used to analyse the DCE and imputation and interval regression for the PTT.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been approved by the London-Hampstead Research Ethics Committee (19/LO/0407) and the Ethics Committee of the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (92_17 B). The protocol has been approved by the PREFER expert review board. The results will be disseminated widely and will inform the PREFER recommendations.
Using a behavioural approach to explore the factors that affect questionnaire return within a clinical trial: a qualitative study based on the theoretical domains framework
Authors: Lawrie Louisa , Duncan Eilidh M , Dunsmore Jennifer , Newlands Rumana , Gillies Katie
Published: April 2021

Objectives

To identify barriers and enablers to participant retention in trials requiring questionnaire return using the theoretical domains framework (TDF).

Study design and setting

We identified and subsequently invited participants who did not return at least one questionnaire during their participation in a clinical trial for one-to-one semi-structured telephone interviews. We used a behavioural framework (TDF) to explore whether any of the behavioural domains (eg, beliefs about consequences, emotion) affected questionnaire return. Thereafter, we generated a series of belief statements which summarised the content of participants’ main responses and coded these under separate themes.

Participants

We distributed invites to 279 eligible individuals and subsequently interviewed 9 participants who took part in the C-Gall trial. The C-Gall trial required participants to complete five postal questionnaires during their participation.

Results

Nine participants were interviewed. We developed 7 overarching themes which were relevant for returning postal questionnaires and identified both barriers and enablers from 11 core domains: knowledge; beliefs about consequences; environmental context and resources; reinforcement; emotion; beliefs about capabilities; behavioural regulation; social professional role and identity; skills; intentions and goals. Relevant content coded under these salient domains were categorised into seven key themes: unclear expectations of trial participation, personal attributes for questionnaire return, commitment to returning questionnaires given other priorities, sources of support in returning the questionnaires, individual preferences for presentation mode and timing of the questionnaires, internal and external strategies to encourage questionnaire return and the significance of questionnaire non-return.

Conclusion

We demonstrate how a behavioural approach may be useful for clinical trials associated with significant participation burden (e.g. trials that require multiple questionnaire responses), acting as the essential groundwork for the development of appropriate evidence-based solutions to combat retention issues.

Trial registration number

55215960; Pre-results.
Impact of stem lean on estimation of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) diameter and volume using mobile lidar scans
Authors: Garms Cory G. , Strimbu Bogdan M.
Published: April 2021

The value of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), which is the predominant commercial species in the Pacific Northwest, depends on tree verticality; trees with the same dimensions can differ substantially in value due to lean. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of tree leaning on estimation of stem dimensions using high-density terrestrial mobile lidar point clouds. We estimated lean with two metrics: the horizontal distance between stem centers at 1.3 m and 18 m, and the mean of seven successive lean angles along the tree bole (at 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, and 15 m). For modeling, we used four existing taper equations and three existing volume equations. For trees leaning >2°, we enhanced the existing volume models by including lean as a predictor. Because lean estimates depend on the distribution and number of points describing the stem, we found that including the distance from scanner to tree improved the computed volume. When diameter at breast height was replaced with diameter at heights between 7 and 10 m, the volume models for leaning trees improved significantly, whereas the vertical trees had favorable results with heights between 5 and 15 m. Our study suggests that lean magnitude improves the estimation of stem volume when lean is >2°.
MEASURING CARDIAC OUTPUT THROUGH THERMODILUTION BASED ON MACHINE LEARNING
Authors: GUO QI , WU XIAOMEI
Published: April 2021

Cardiac output (CO) refers to the amount of blood ejected from a unilateral ventricle per minute and is an important measure of cardiac function. Thermodilution is the gold standard for CO measurement because of its accuracy. However, the traditional thermodilution method requires calibration of the correction factor before measurement, which makes its practical application difficult. Therefore, conducting CO measurement by using a machine-learning-based thermodilution method is proposed in this paper, and CO is regressed and predicted through the thermodilution curve by a machine learning model. In this paper, we constructed five cardiac vascular models, and three of them were randomly selected to simulate the thermodilution process. Nine features of the thermodilution curve from the time–frequency domains were extracted and fed into the multilayer perceptron model for training. On the basis of a cross-validation method, the accuracy of the final prediction model was 97.99% ([Formula: see text]%). Simultaneously, a trained neural network was used to predict the CO of the remaining two cardiac vascular models, and the resulting error was within 5%. In this paper, an experimental system consisting of a water pump, a three-way valve and a temperature sensor is also designed, and the thermodilution curves at different quantities of flow are tested and regressed and predicted with the above model, with the error being within 10%, which met the requirement for real-world use, and thus, a method was established for measuring CO by using machine-learning-based thermodilution.
MONITORING OF NON-INVASIVE VITAL SIGNS FOR DETECTION OF SLEEP APNEA
Authors: ZHANG HAN , ZHU WEIWEI , YE SONGBIN , LI SIHUA , YU BAOXIAN , PANG ZHIQIANG , NIE RUIHUA
Published: April 2021

Sleep apnea (SA) syndrome is a respiratory disorder that occurs during the sleep. Polysomnography (PSG) has been widely applied by clinicians as a gold standard in the clinical diagnosis of SA syndrome. However, the use of PSG is inconvenient, intrusive, and significantly affects the sleep quality of patient. In this paper, we provide a nonintrusive solution for SA detection. Specifically, a force sensor was employed for the noninvasive vital sign acquisition during the patient’s sleep, where the respiratory signal was extracted adaptively by using the morphological filter. It was observed that the morphological variations before and during the occurrence of the SA events were significant for the SA discrimination. By taking advantage of the differential features with respect to the respiratory signal, the recognition of the SA event was performed using classifiers. For validation, the all-night PSG recordings of 12 volunteers with 8 SA syndrome patients were obtained from the National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease. Numerical results showed that the proposed scheme achieved an averaged accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of 83.67%, 58.57% and 85.13%, respectively, for the SA recognition.
Detecting human impacts: non-pollen palynomorphs as proxies for human impact on the environment
Authors: Gauthier Emilie , Jouffroy-Bapicot Isabelle
Published: April 2021

Non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) are widely used to detect human activities, in addition to the anthropogenic indicators used in palynology. This paper first tries to determine the best way to approach most probable number (MPN) counting for young scientists. It then looks at the anthropogenic indicators and the different types of human activity that can reveal the studied taxa. Among the different fungal spores, coprophilous fungi are very useful to evidence pastoral activities and grazing pressure. Numerous taxa related to dung are also indicators of decaying organic matter and deserve our attention. Erosion processes due to human activities increase the representation of fungal spores. Development of carbonicolous fungal spores in association with fire and algal assemblages due to eutrophication are also considered. Indeed, studies focusing on modern analogues have greatly improved our understanding of spore taphonomy, and the relationship between spore abundance and local livestock biomass and composition.
Charge–Discharge Performance of Copper Metal Positive Electrodes in Fluorohydrogenate Ionic Liquids for Fluoride-Shuttle Batteries
Authors: Yamamoto Takayuki , Matsumoto Kazuhiko , Hagiwara Rika , Nohira Toshiyuki
Published: April 2021

In search of room-temperature electrolytes for fluoride-shuttle batteries, fluorohydrogenate ionic liquids (FHILs) have emerged, showing high ionic conductivities and better operational practicality. To enhance the performance of these electrolytes, the charge–discharge behavior of copper metal as positive electrodes in FHILs was investigated in this study. In the [C2C1im][(FH)2.3F] (C2C1im = 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium) FHIL electrolyte, although the 1st discharge capacity of 599 mAh (g-Cu)−1 included the reductive reaction of surface oxide films, the 2nd discharge capacity of 444 mAh (g-Cu)−1 that corresponds to 53% of the theoretical capacity was achieved. However, the capacity declines to 167 mAh (g-Cu)−1 at the 20th cycle, indicating low capacity retention. In contrast, the adoption of [C2C1pyrr][(FH)2.3F] (C2C1pyrr = N-ethyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium) electrolyte confers improved cycleability across the cycles with a higher discharge capacity of 210 mAh (g-Cu)−1 at the 20th cycle. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy performed on the electrode surfaces confirm reduced electrode degradation characterized by suppressed aggregation of copper particles in [C2C1pyrr][(FH)2.3F] due to its low CuF2 solubility compared with [C2C1im][(FH)2.3F]. Herein, we demonstrate the use of FHILs with low CuF2 solubilities as a strategy for improving the charge–discharge performance of copper metal positive electrodes in fluoride-shuttle batteries.
Seepage Characteristics of Slurry with Particle Additives in the High-Permeability Sand Layer
Authors: Wang Yuan , Wang Zhikui , Feng Di , Liu Sijin , Xu Shujun , Zhou Kun
Published: April 2021

In the process of the slurry shield construction, the formation of the filter cake is the key to maintain the stability of the excavation face. In high-permeability formation, ordinary pure bentonite slurry is easy to pass through the formation void. Therefore, it is necessary to study the slurry permeability characteristics of the high-permeability sand layer. For the purpose of researching the permeability characteristics of slurry in sandy formation, this paper studies the influence of slurry viscosity on the formation of the filter cake in high-permeability formation under different pressure gradients by the slurry permeability test. The effect of additive particle size on the film-forming gain was studied by adding additives with different particle sizes into pure bentonite slurries with different viscosities. This paper presents a method to determine the optimum slurry viscosity and particle size for high-permeability formation so as to guide the slurry shield construction in high-permeability formation.
Urban Household Energy Use: Analyzing Correlates of Charcoal and Firewood Consumption in Kampala City, Uganda
Authors: Nzabona Abel , Tuyiragize Richard , Asiimwe John Bosco , Kakuba Christian , Kisaakye Peter
Published: April 2021

Charcoal and firewood contribute to greenhouse gas emissions in rural and urban areas. Although there is information about energy types used for cooking in Kampala urban environment, less is known about the correlates of charcoal and firewood consumption. This study investigated the predictors of charcoal and firewood use for cooking using the 2014 Uganda Census data set. Analysis was conducted on 41,250 households in Kampala City. Multinomial logistic regression model was fitted to predict charcoal and firewood use. Findings indicate that older household heads were more likely to use firewood than their younger counterparts. Charcoal and firewood were more likely to be used in households whose household heads were females, married and formerly married, and lived in dwelling units with two and more rooms. Conversely, chances of using charcoal and firewood decreased with the level of education, living in detached house and flat, and residing in shelter with cement screed or tile/concrete. The findings have several implications including long-term planning for improving formal education conditions, strengthening female empowerment, and upgrading dwelling conditions of the households in Kampala City.
Admission Serum Ionized and Total Calcium as New Predictors of Mortality in Patients with Cardiogenic Shock
Authors: Yu Yue , Yu Jingwen , Yao Renqi , Wang Pei , Zhang Yufeng , Xiao Jian , Wang Zhinong
Published: April 2021

Background. Although serum calcium has been proven to be a predictor of mortality in a wide range of diseases, its prognostic value in critically ill patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) remains unknown. This retrospective observational study is aimed at investigating the association of admission calcium with mortality among CS patients. Methods. Critically ill patients diagnosed with CS in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care‐III (MIMIC‐III) database were included in our study. The study endpoints included 30‐day, 90‐day, and 365‐day all‐cause mortalities. First, admission serum ionized calcium (iCa) and total calcium (tCa) levels were analyzed as continuous variables using restricted cubic spline Cox regression models to evaluate the possible nonlinear relationship between serum calcium and mortality. Second, patients with CS were assigned to four groups according to the quartiles (Q1‐Q4) of serum iCa and tCa levels, respectively. In addition, multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to assess the independent association of the quartiles of iCa and tCa with clinical outcomes. Results. A total of 921 patients hospitalized with CS were enrolled in this study. A nonlinear relationship between serum calcium levels and 30‐day mortality was observed (all P values for nonlinear trend < 0.001). Furthermore, multivariable Cox analysis showed that compared with the reference quartile (Q3: 1.11 ≤ iCa < 1.17 mmol/L), the lowest serum iCa level quartile (Q1: iCa < 1.04 mmol/L) was independently associated with an increased risk of 30‐day mortality (Q1 vs. Q3: HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.00‐1.83, P = 0.049), 90‐day mortality (Q1 vs. Q3: HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.03‐1.80, P = 0.030), and 365‐day mortality (Q1 vs. Q3: HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.01‐1.67, P = 0.046) in patients with CS. Conclusions. Lower serum iCa levels on admission were potential predictors of an increased risk of mortality in critically ill patients with CS.
Temporal Scale Analysis of Gas Flow in Tight Gas Reservoirs considering the Nonequilibrium Effect
Authors: Li Binglin , Su Yuliang , Husein Maen , Aguilera Roberto , Lu Mingjing
Published: April 2021

The fractal geometry, anisotropy, discontinuity, and non-Darcy flow of tight reservoirs exert a significant effect on well production performance. In this study, the reservoir fractal geometry is represented by exponential functions on the basis of microseismic data, while the discontinuity of the fractures is presented as a nonequilibrium effect. The impact of the nonequilibrium effect and the low velocity non-Darcy flow on the temporal scale of the wellbore pressure is predicted herein. Results showed that the time scale analysis accurately simulates gas flow in a tight reservoir. The wellbore pressure gradually increases, whereas the pressure in the matrix lags when the nonequilibrium effect is considered. The wellbore pressure is affected in the early period by the nonequilibrium effect. However, at the later stage, the pressure in the matrix is mainly affected by the non-Darcy flow. When the non-Darcy flow is dominant, the pores without gas flowing through are better presented.
O carnaval educa: um olhar a partir da primeira capital do Brasil
Authors: Brasil Anderson , Vargas Alexandre Siles
Published: April 2021

Este estudo busca compreender de que modo o carnaval pode educar as relações étnico-raciais, ao expor, por meio de dados bibliográficos e documentais, alguns acontecimentos históricos que perpetram o carnaval como um fenômeno que consente a ruptura de barreiras socioculturais e socioeconômicas. A abordagem qualitativa desta pesquisa assinala-se e conecta-se com questões subjetivas ao campo e aos sujeitos da pesquisa. Os dados permitem concluir que há um processo pedagógico por vezes invisibilizado, mas que reverbera por ser gerido dentro da maior atividade festiva do planeta, permitindo o enlace de aspectos ímpares a partir dos blocos afro de samba- -reggae da primeira capital do Brasil, a cidade de Salvador, no Estado da Bahia.
O Cortejo das rainhas: performance transdisciplinar de invocação do feminino e da água
Authors: Pereira Selma , Pérez Pilar , Fernandes-Marcos Adérito
Published: April 2021

O Cortejo das Rainhas constituiu uma performance artística com expressão transdisciplinar e uma forte ligação à cultura, ao ancestral, ao simbólico e ao espiritual. A performance, integrada na linha de reflexão e crítica denominada Reina Posbolonia, envolveu mais de 20 participantes, teve lugar na cidade de Silves, Portugal, e resultou num fator catalisador individual, do grupo e da interpelação da comunidade no seu lugar (nas ruas, vielas, castelo e teatro da cidade). Neste artigo, analisamos os arquétipos, símbolos e dualidades presentes na performance, focando-nos no processo criativo da performance-ritual e nos seus aspetos comuns com o carnaval, de modo a contribuir para a discussão da dimensão transdisciplinar da invocação simbólica a elementos da espiritualidade, da ancestralidade e do sagrado.
Apresentação
Authors: Oliveira Dennis de
Published: April 2021

Carnaval: cultura e a educação das relações étnico-raciais – imagem do íbero-ásio-afro-ameríndio
Remnant Cholesterol and Common Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness in Patients With Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Qian Sifan , You Shoujiang , Sun Yaming , Wu Qiuyi , Wang Xianhui , Tang Weiting , Dong Xiaofeng , Liu Chun-feng , Xu Tan , Cao Yongjun , Zhong Chongke
Published: April 2021

Background:

Remnant cholesterol makes great contribution to residual risk of cardiovascular disease, but population-based evidence on the relationship between remnant cholesterol and atherosclerosis is rare. Common carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) is an imaging marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. We aimed to explore the association between remnant cholesterol levels and cIMT in patients with ischemic stroke.

Methods:

One thousand four hundred ninety-six ischemic stroke patients with baseline serum lipids and carotid artery imaging data were included in this analysis. Fasting remnant cholesterol was calculated as total cholesterol minus HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol minus LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. Abnormal cIMT was defined as mean cIMT and maximum cIMT value ≥1 mm. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were used to assess the relationships between remnant cholesterol levels and abnormal cIMT.

Results:

The multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (95% CIs) for the highest versus lowest quartile of remnant cholesterol were 2.06 (1.46–2.91) for abnormal mean cIMT and 1.70 (1.23–2.35) for abnormal maximum cIMT. There were linear associations between remnant cholesterol levels and both abnormal mean cIMT (
P
for linearity, <0.001) and abnormal maximum cIMT (
P
for linearity, 0.003). Moreover, the remnant cholesterol–cIMT association remained significant in the subsample of patients with optimal LDL cholesterol levels (n=179).

Conclusions:

Elevated fasting remnant cholesterol levels were positively associated with mean cIMT and maximum cIMT in patients with ischemic stroke, even in patients with optimal LDL cholesterol levels. Future prospective studies are needed to verify our findings and to assess the effect of remnant cholesterol–lowering interventions in patients with ischemic stroke.
Does In-Group Consolidation Polarize Attitudes Toward Immigrants?
Authors: Leino Mikko , Ylisalo Juha
Published: April 2021

Scholars have identified a host of individual-level and contextual factors associated with variation in people’s attitudes toward immigrants. In this article, we argue that individual traits that are conducive to a positive or negative attitude toward immigrants tend to be more strongly connected to attitudes the larger the share of people with similar traits in the individual’s immediate living environment. This is because interacting with like-minded people is likely to strengthen one’s pre-existing views. We test this reasoning using data on more than 3000 individuals nested within more than 100 neighborhoods in the city of Turku, Finland. We find that the attitudes of young adults tend to be more positive the more people with characteristics predicting a positive attitude there are in their neighborhood, while their attitudes tend to be more negative the more people there are with a low level of education, a strong predictor of negative attitudes.
Evoking Equality: The Gender Sensitivity of Parliaments through their Symbolic Function
Authors: Verge Tània
Published: April 2021

This article examines parliaments as symbol-makers beyond the actions of individual Members of Parliament or parliamentary party groups. In doing so, it develops an analytical framework for studying how legislatures symbolically represent women and, more generally, how they stand for gender equality. The article identifies who are the symbol-makers on behalf of the institution and outlines several indicators that allow assessing how the symbolic may further the gender sensitivity of parliaments. The indicators are clustered into two domains: on one hand, physical spaces, and, on the other hand, communications and public outreach. Drawing on examples from parliaments around the world, the article documents the wide range of available repertoires aimed at eroding the association between politics and masculinity. It also discusses the expected impact of symbolic activity on the targeted audiences and pinpoints the ways in which descriptive, substantive and symbolic representation build onto each other.
Order, Reform, and Abolition: Changes in Catholic Theological Imagination on Prisons and Punishment
Authors: Getek Soltis Kathryn , Walker Grimes Katie
Published: April 2021

Catholic thinking on prisons and punishment is in a state of flux. For most of its history, the church promoted a theology of order and obedience. Yet, a humanitarian revolution appears underway as the church now opposes punishments it once prescribed, namely torture, slavery, and the death penalty. Crafted largely in response to the prison system in the United States, recent alternatives to the moral-order approach appeal to human dignity, restorative justice, conversion, and social justice. Even so, the trajectory of Catholic moral imagination on punishment bears a particular compatibility with prison abolition.
Infectious epidemics and the research output of nations: A data-driven analysis
Authors: Turki Houcemeddine , Hadj Taieb Mohamed Ali , Ben Aouicha Mohamed , Pouris Anastassios
Published: April 2021

During the last years, several infectious diseases have caused widespread nationwide epidemics that affected information seeking behaviours, people mobility, economics and research trends. Examples of these epidemics are 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in mainland China and Hong Kong, 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic in Guinea and Sierra Leone, 2015–2016 Zika epidemic in Brazil, Colombia and Puerto Rico and the recent COVID-19 epidemic in China and other countries. In this research article, we investigate the effect of large-scale outbreaks of infectious diseases on the research productivity and landscape of nations through the analysis of the research outputs of main countries affected by SARS, Zika and Ebola epidemics as returned by Web of Science Core Collection. Despite the mobility restrictions and the limitations of work conditions due to the epidemics, we surprisingly found that the research characteristics and productivity of the countries that have excellent or moderate research traditions and communities are not affected by infectious epidemics due to their robust long-term research structures and policy. Similarly, large-scale infectious outbreaks can even boost the research productivity of countries with limited research traditions thanks to international capacity building collaborations provided by organisations and associations from leading research countries.
Software, Sovereignty and the Post-Neoliberal Politics of Exit
Authors: Smith Harrison , Burrows Roger
Published: April 2021

This paper examines the impact of neoreactionary (NRx) thinking – that of Curtis Yarvin, Nick Land, Peter Thiel and Patri Friedman in particular – on contemporary political debates manifest in ‘architectures of exit’. We specifically focus on Urbit, as an NRx digital architecture that captures how post-neoliberal politics imagines notions of freedom and sovereignty through a micro-fracturing of nation-states into ‘gov-corps’. We trace the development of NRx philosophy – and situate this within contemporary political and technological change to theorize the significance of exit manifest within the notion of ‘dynamic geographies’. While technological programmes such as Urbit may never ultimately succeed, we argue that these, and other speculative investments such as ‘seasteading’, reflect broader post-neoliberal NRx imaginaries that were, perhaps, prefigured a quarter of a century ago in The Sovereign Individual.
The hopeful labour of begging – Homeless people’s struggles for a better life in Paris
Authors: Lenhard Johannes
Published: April 2021

Both in public imagination and scholarship, begging is often associated with passivity, waiting, inactivity and as such defined as the opposite of ‘real work’. During two years of fieldwork with people sleeping rough in Paris, I observed my informants to the contrary describe begging as their occupation. In this paper, I present an ethnographically grounded argument that the people experiencing homelessness I accompanied over the course of two years experienced begging as labour which involved constructing and supporting emotional narratives of neediness, deservingness and personal connections in scripts, stories and hustles. My interlocutors often understood this labour to be a hopeful one, one that structured their day (and thoughts) but also one that enabled their projets de vies, their struggles into the future. In the wake of overwhelming suffering and structural violence, I observed begging not only a short-term fix for consumption but also as keeping the future open – the more long-term future of eventually leaving the street behind.
Influences of bioplastic polylactic acid on near-infrared-based sorting of conventional plastic
Authors: Chen Xiaozheng , Kroell Nils , Li Ke , Feil Alexander , Pretz Thomas
Published: April 2021

Bioplastics are developed to replace oil-derived plastics due to the high consumption of oil and related environmental impacts of oil-derived plastics. It was predicted that bioplastics can potentially replace 94% of conventional plastic production. With their increasing market share, more bioplastics will end in conventional post-consumer plastic waste streams. Although part of bioplastics is biodegradable and could be biologically decomposed, mechanical recycling achieves higher ecological benefits mainly because of its low pollution risk and the reduction in requirement for virgin feedstock. In this study, the classification of lightweight packaging waste with inflow of bioplastics, more specifically polylactic acid (PLA), was analysed with near-infrared spectroscopy to evaluate the influence of bioplastics on sorting processes of conventional plastics. Besides which, the sortability of PLA was determined through investigating the physical and the spectroscopic characteristics of both non-degraded and degraded PLA. The results show that the classification of all the materials was possible with a pixel-based accuracy of higher than 97.4% and PLA does not influence the sorting process of conventional plastics regarding detection and classification. Furthermore, the sorting of PLA from post-consumer waste is possible, which makes further recycling theoretically achievable.
A Reflexive Approach to Teaching Writing: Enablements and Constraints in Primary School Classrooms
Authors: Ryan Mary , Khosronejad Maryam , Barton Georgina , Kervin Lisa , Myhill Debra
Published: April 2021

Writing requires a high level of nuanced decision-making related to language, purpose, audience, and medium. Writing teachers thus need a deep understanding of language, process, and pedagogy, and of the interface between them. This article draws on reflexivity theory to interrogate the pedagogical priorities and perspectives of 19 writing teachers in primary classrooms across Australia. Data are composed of teacher interview transcripts and nuanced time analyses of classroom observation videos. Findings show that teachers experience both enabling and constraining conditions that emerge in different ways in different contexts. Enablements include high motivations to teach writing and a reflective and collaborative approach to practice. However, constraints were evident in areas of time management, dominance of teacher talk, teachers’ scope and confidence in their knowledge and practice, and a perceived lack of professional support for writing pedagogy. The article concludes with recommendations for a reflexive approach to managing these emergences in the teaching of writing.
Analyse des réseaux de personnages dans les textes de Leslie Kaplan : du postmodernisme à l’inconscient
Authors: El Hajj Murielle
Published: April 2021

The texts of Leslie Kaplan question the irreducible opposition between the real and the non-real. Her characters and their intentional absence confuse the repository and fictional worlds, not only to point out the thin margin between reality and fiction, but to underline the impossible delimitation between the real and the fictional, or even between the text and the world. This article studies the characters of Kaplan and aims to demonstrate their identity crisis through the study of their literary onomastic and the use of the neutral pronoun ‘it’ and allegoric expressions. In addition, the objective of this article is to shed light on the Kaplanian characters as Kunderian models, while stressing the particularity of their physionomy, which consists to present ‘fuzzy’ characters that are present and absent at the same time, engaging the reader in the fictional process as a try to complete the missing details. This article concludes that the Kaplanian characters are not only the prototypes of the postmodern being, but they are also introverted, psychopaths and a demonstration of different facets of the unconscious.
Metabolic profiling of 19 amino acids in triptolide-induced liver injured rats by gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry
Authors: Hu Cong , Li Hongwei , Wu Linjing , Ke Jiaqun , Yu Xuechun , Xiong Yinhua , Tang Xilan
Published: April 2021

The liver is an important organ for amino acid metabolism, and its damage can be reflected in the changes of amino acid level in the body. Triptolide (TP) has broad anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities, but its clinical application is limited due to hepatotoxicity. In this work, a simple, accurate and sensitive gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-QqQ-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for evaluating the serum levels of amino acids from control and TP-induced liver injured rats, and chemometric analysis was employed for amino acid metabolic profiles analysis. It was found that 11 amino acids showed significant changes after TP administration, and they were mainly involved in 5 metabolic pathways that are phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, glutamine and glutamate metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism and arginine biosynthesis. Five amino acids including tyrosine, glutamine, glutamic acid, tryptophan and alanine were identified as biomarkers of TP hepatotoxicity by further analysis. These results indicated that the novel amino acid metabolic profiling study based on the GC-QqQ-MS/MS provided not only exact concentrations of serum amino acids, but also a prospective methodology for evaluation of chemically induced liver injury.
Association of antiphospholipid antibodies with clinical activity and renal pathological activity in patients with lupus nephritis
Authors: Zhang Jianna , Zhang Ji , Zhou Qiongxiu , Lu Guoyuan , You Xiaohan
Published: April 2021

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate the association of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) with clinical activity and renal pathological activity in patients with lupus nephritis (LN).

Methods

Levels of anticardiolipin () antibodies, anti-β2-glycoprotein I (anti-β2-GPI) antibodies and lupus anticoagulant (LAC) were measured, and other clinical and pathological data were also obtained during the same period before renal biopsy.

Results

A total of 83 patients with LN were included in this study, 40 patients (48.2%) in the s positive group and 43 patients in the aPL negative group. LN patients with positive aPL had significantly higher SLEDAI (p = 0.012), more hematuria (p = 0.043), lower serum C3 (p = 0.003) and C4 (p = 0.014), and a higher pathological activity index (p = 0.012), more micro-thrombosis (p = 0.046) and more C3 deposits (p = 0.038) in the glomerulus than patients with negative aPL The level of IgG- was significantly correlated with SLEDAI and serum level of C3 (r = 0.44, p < 0.001; r = −0.39, p = 0.003, respectively). The level of IgM- was significantly correlated with SLEDAI, and serum levels of C3 and C4 (r = 0.27, p = 0.014; r = −0.22, p = 0.041; r = −0.23, p = 0.035, respectively).

Conclusions

Our work suggests that aPL, especially, are correlated with both clinical activity and renal pathological activity in patients with LN.
Antioxidant properties of Klunzinger’s mullet (Liza klunzingeri) protein hydrolysates prepared with enzymatic hydrolysis using a commercial protease and microbial hydrolysis with Bacillus licheniformis
Authors: Rabiei Sana , Rezaei Masoud , Nikoo Mehdi , Khezri Mohammad , Rafieian-Kopai Mahmoud , Anjomshoaa Maryam
Published: April 2021

Antioxidant activity of Klunzinger's mullet ( Liza klunzingeri) muscle hydrolysates obtained using Bacillus licheniformis fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis was determined. Hydrolysates obtained after 6 days of fermentation with B. licheniformis showed the highest free radical scavenging activity, metal chelating ability and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) (P ≤ 0.05). Microbial fermentation led to a higher percentage of small peptides and higher solubility compared with Alcalase hydrolysis (P ≤ 0.05). Hydrolysates showing the highest antioxidant properties attenuated serum, liver, and kidney oxidative stress biomarkers in male Wister rats stressed by carbon tetrachloride (P ≤ 0.05). At 300 mg/kg oral administration, hydrolysates increased serum, renal, and hepatic total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (P ≤ 0.05) and reduced their elevated levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO•), and serum liver enzymes (AST, ALP, and ALT) (P ≤ 0.05). The hydrolysates were able to ameliorate hepatic damage by reducing necrosis, fatty changes, and inflammation. Results showed the antioxidant and hepato-toxic protective activities of Klunzinger’s mullet muscle hydrolysates obtained using microbial fermentation, which may, therefore, potentially be considered as a functional food ingredient.
Gender differences in the risk and protective factors of marijuana use among U.S. College students
Authors: Park Sung-Yeon , Yun Gi Woong , Constantino Nora , Ryu So Young
Published: April 2021

Gender differences in the risk and protective factors of marijuana use among college students were explored by analyzing online survey responses from 464 undergraduates. Women perceived higher risk and used marijuana less than men, with no gender difference in peer disapproval. In addition, women had higher objective knowledge regarding the health effects of marijuana, although they exhibited lower confidence in their knowledge. In subsequent regression analyses, health knowledge, confidence in knowledge, perceived risk, and peer disapproval predicted women’s marijuana use, whereas only confidence in knowledge and perceived risk predicted men’s use. These findings can help devise effective intervention strategies.
Texas sheriffs’ perceptions on firearm regulations and mass shootings
Authors: Meitl Michele Bisaccia , Wellman Ashley , Kinkaid Patrick
Published: April 2021

Criminal justice research often focuses exclusively on municipal police departments. Sheriffs’ departments are largely ignored in this research despite this population’s reach and role. There are nearly 3,000 sheriffs’ offices around the United States and they often serve as the only law enforcement body in rural areas. This study sought to address the scarcity of this research and focused on Texas sheriffs’ views regarding firearm regulations and the causes of mass shootings. An 18-question instrument created in consult with the Texas Narcotic Officers Association was sent to each sheriff in the 254 counties of Texas to assess their perceptions regarding solutions to mass shootings, disqualification criteria for gun ownership, and civilian access to certain types of firearms and ammunition. Responding sheriffs, as a whole, were reluctant to limit access to guns and ammunition as a general matter, but strongly agreed that certain discrete populations should have limited or no access to firearms. Policy implications are discussed.
Analysis of woven fabric behavior under punching force
Authors: El Messiry Magdi , Eltahan Eman
Published: April 2021

In several applications, the industrial and protective fabrics might be subjected to punching by the rigid sharp spikes. Fabric resistance to the penetration of the puncher at a constant rate was studied. The analysis of the factors influencing the resistance of the fabric and an explanation of the puncture mechanism were generated. Punching force-displacement curves were obtained and four noticeable fabric failure modes were observed. A special setup was designed so that the fabric sample can be subjected to the biaxial stresses during the puncture tests. This paper studies the puncture behaviors of the plain, twill 1/3, and twill 2/2 woven fabric designs. It was found that the increase in the number of fabric layers from one to three and the number of picks/cm from 17.6 to 27.2 would elevate the punching resistance and the punching energy by 354% and 333%, respectively, with the insignificant change in the values of specific punching force and energy. Plain weave design proved to have higher values than twill design. A high correlation was observed between fabric tensile strength, fabric Young’s modulus, fabric failure energy and its punching force and punching energy.
Continuous Ketone Monitoring: A New Paradigm for Physiologic Monitoring
Authors: Zhang Jennifer Y. , Shang Trisha , Koliwad Suneil K. , Klonoff David C.
Published: April 2021

In this issue of JDST, Alva and colleagues present for the first time, development of a continuous ketone monitor (CKM) tested both in vitro and in humans. Their sensor measured betahydroxybutyrate (BHB) in interstitial fluid (ISF). The sensor was based on wired enzyme electrochemistry technology using BHB dehydrogenase. The sensor required only a single retrospective calibration without a need for further adjustments over 14 days. The device produced a linear response over the 0-8 mM range with good accuracy. This novel CKM could provide a new dimension of useful automatically collected information for managing diabetes. Passively collected ISF ketone information would be useful for predicting and managing ketoacidosis in patients with type 1 diabetes, as well as other states of abnormal ketonemia. Although additional studies of this CKM will be required to assess performance in intended patient populations and prospective factory calibration will be required to support real time measurements, this novel monitor has the potential to greatly improve outcomes for people with diabetes. In the future, a CKM might be integrated with a continuous glucose monitor in the same sensor platform.
Politics of Knowledge in Development: Explorations in Seed Sovereignty
Authors: Singh Pushpa
Published: April 2021

There is an existing debate on the epistemic hegemony of the knowledge system of industrial agriculture. The two sides posit a critique and offer alternatives from already existing practices of agriculture. Most often, the critique is on hard material grounds, while the alternatives are offered in terms of the recovery of a cultural set of practices. This article posits a fresh critique to complement the existing one and expands the scope of the alternative to make critical appraisals of existing knowledge systems. For the first, it critically analyses each of the presumptions that underlie the argument of the dominant vision and for the second, this article identifies, analyses and aims to foreground those perspectives that contested major policy decisions and the reasons for their subsequent marginalization. The issue of seed sovereignty—that of women farmers specially, retaining the authority to breed and propagate seeds for farming—is the focal point of this study.
The Dilemma of Social Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise: An Exercise
Authors: Opatrny-Yazell Chris M. , Jensen Daniel H. , McCord Mary H.
Published: April 2021

Social equilibriums can be both positively and negatively affected through the actions of social enterprises and social entrepreneurs and have both intended and unintended consequences. Many learners have considered only the light, or positive, viewpoint of social enterprise and social entrepreneurship. There are also potential dark aspects. In our increasingly ‘woke’ world, it is critical that we spur discussion of both light and dark issues. To deepen critical thinking about the implications of giving to ‘do good’, learners should consider potential dark motivations to increase the social enterprise’s competitive advantage through ‘green-washing’ tactics which could create dynamics of dependency, unneeded/unwanted assistance, or the disruption of local economies. The participants in the exercise experience the consequences of their decisions along with debrief opportunities for dark-light language. The authors provide a suggested pre-exercise reading assignment to prepare learners, the exercise and debrief guidance.
Management of renal tumors during pregnancy: case reports
Authors: Zhao Yi , Yang Ziyi , Xu Weifeng , Ji Zhigang , Dong Jie
Published: April 2021

Background

Renal tumors during pregnancy are rare and the treatment requires evaluation of both the patient and the fetus. No consensus or guidelines has been proposed or verified in this field. We successfully managed three renal tumor cases during pregnancy and reviewed the relative literature.

Case presentation

In the first renal cell carcinoma case diagnosed in the 21st week of pregnancy, laparoscopic retroperitoneoscopic partial nephrectomy was performed in the 26th week of pregnancy. In the second renal cell carcinoma case diagnosed in the 3rd week of pregnancy, laparoscopic retroperitoneoscopic radical nephrectomy was carried out after the abortion. In the third angiomyolipoma case who was diagnosed before pregnancy but received no treatment, we performed laparoscopic retroperitoneoscopic partial nephrectomy during the 17th week of pregnancy due to the rapid enlargement of the tumor.

Conclusion

Although no consensus or guidelines for the management of renal tumors in pregnant patients has been proposed or verified, the general rules of kidney tumor management in non-pregnant patients and the guidelines for surgery in pregnancy could be referred to. Renal tumors found in pregnant patients require an individualized treatment regimen involving surgical timing, routes, techniques, and excision ranges, which should be decided by both the patients and the surgical teams.
Correction to: Symptoms of anxiety disorders in Iranian adolescents with hearing loss during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Ariapooran Saeed , Khezeli Mehdi
Published: April 2021

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.