bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ankle Audiometry: A Clinical Test for the Enhanced Hearing Sensitivity for Body Sounds in Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome
Authors: Verrecchia Luca , Fredén Jansson Karl-Johan , Westin Magnus , Velikoselskii Aleksandr , Reinfeldt Sabine , Håkansson Bo
Published: January 2023

Introduction: The aim of this study was to develop a clinical test for body sounds’ hypersensitivity in superior canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS). Method: Case-control study, 20 patients affected by SCDS and body sounds’ hypersensitivity and 20 control matched subjects tested with a new test called ankle audiometry (AA). The AA consisted of a psychoacoustic hearing test in which the stimulus was substituted by a controlled bone vibration at 125, 250, 500, and 750 Hz, delivered at the medial malleolus by a steel spring-attached bone transducer prototype B250. For each subject, it was defined an index side (the other being non-index), the one with major symptoms in cases or best threshold for each tested frequency in controls. In 3 patients, the AA was measured before and after SCDS surgery. Results: The AA thresholds for index side were significantly lower in SCDS patients (115.6 ± 10.5 dB force level [FL]) than in control subjects (126.4 ± 8.56 dB FL). In particular, the largest difference was observed at 250 Hz (−16.5 dB). AA thresholds in patients were significantly lower at index side in comparison with non-index side (124.2 ± 11.4 dB FL). The response obtained with 250 Hz stimuli outperformed the other frequencies, in terms of diagnostic accuracy for SCDS. At specific thresholds’ levels (120 dB FL), AA showed relevant sensitivity (90%) and specificity (80%) for SCDS. AA did not significantly correlate to other clinical markers of SCDS such as the bone and air conducted hearing thresholds and the vestibular evoked myogenic potentials. The AA thresholds were significantly modified by surgical intervention, passing from 119.2 ± 9.7 to 130.4 ± 9.4 dB FL in 3 patients, following their relief in body sounds’ hypersensitivity. Conclusion: AA showed interesting diagnostic features in SCDS with significantly lower hearing thresholds in SCDS patients when compared to healthy matched subjects. Moreover, AA could identify the affected or more affected side in SCDS patients, with a significant threshold elevation after SCDS surgery, corresponding in body sounds’ hypersensitivity relief. Clinically, AA may represent a first objective measure of body sounds’ hypersensitivity in SCDS and, accordingly, be an accessible screening test for SCDS in not tertiary audiological centers.
The Third Circuit’s Scrambling of Precedent in Processed Eggs
Authors: Carstensen Peter C.
Published: January 2023

In 2020, the Third Circuit upheld a judge’s decision that the rule of reason applied to a conspiracy among egg producers to limit production of eggs by agreeing on how they engaged in production and the disposition of some eggs. A jury had found that the agreement existed and that its intent was to restrain production, but based on the instructions from the court, it also found that these restraints were “reasonable.” On its face, this decision upends more than a century of case law holding that naked restraints of competition among competitors are illegal per se. One of the restraints involved an agreement to increase the size of the cages used for the hens laying eggs. The courts appear to have concluded that an agreement among competitors to increase cage size could be a lawful cartelistic conspiracy, despite the jury finding that the intent was to restrict production. The jury instructions themselves conflated the issues of whether there was a conspiracy to restrain the production of eggs and the issue of whether the conspiracy had in fact caused any reduction in production. Hence, although the Court of Appeals decision provides defendants a basis to claim that any justification for collusion should be considered, the specifics of the case suggest that the jury may have found that the conspiracy was ineffective and so caused no harm. Such a conclusion would be consistent with existing law.
Robust iterative learning control for random switched singular systems in time domain
Authors: Cao Wei , Qiao Jin-Jie
Published: January 2023

A robust iterative learning control algorithm is proposed for continuous-time switched singular systems disturbed by random measurement noise. Firstly, the switched singular systems is transformed into a differential-algebraic equation composed of slow subsystem and fast subsystem by nonsingular transformation. Then, the control input is continuously modified by the state measurement errors and the learning gain with attenuation characteristics. The convergence of each subsystem is strictly proved in theory, and the sufficient conditions for the convergence of this algorithm are given. Theoretical analysis shows that the algorithm can effectively suppress the measurement noise and make the system state completely track the desired trajectory in a finite time interval. Finally, compared with the fixed gain iterative learning control method, the simulation results show that the tracking accuracy of the proposed algorithm is significantly improved.
Pathways to Politics for Women Parliamentarians in Myanmar
Authors: Doneys Philippe , Kusakabe Kyoko , Chatterjee Joyee Shairee , Tun Soe Myat , Myint Khin Cho , Grimard Franque
Published: January 2023

The number of women parliamentarians in Myanmar increased during the last decade of democratization before the February 2021 coup d’état yet remained extremely low at about 15% of parliament in the 2020 election. This paper uses the concept of political pathway to explore barriers and opportunities that women parliamentarians experienced along their life course. It does so through in-depth interviews conducted in early 2020 with 20 women and 10 men parliamentarians elected in the 2015 general election. Results suggest that women tend to take distinct pathways from men and face specific opportunities and barriers through supply-driven factors such as parental socialization, experience of national crises, available peer networks, acquired professional experiences, and available family support, and through a main demand-driven factor in party recruitment and politics. This informs recommendations in the conclusion in terms of increasing resources and support available to women and addressing discrimination by political parties.
Injecting Alone. The Importance of Perceived Safety, Stigma and Pleasure for Solitary Injecting
Authors: Hanoa Kristin , Bilgrei Ola Røed , Buvik Kristin
Published: January 2023

Many people who inject drugs (PWID) inject when they are alone which increases the risk for drug-related mortality, and the majority of overdose-related deaths occur among solitary users in residential environments. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews with 80 PWID in Norway, this study explores the complex practices of solitary injecting. The analysis illustrates that the risk environments in which they participated involved high levels of distress, fear and stigma that made them prefer solitary injecting. This involved a perceived notion of safety from an unpredictable social environment. Stigma was described as causing additional harms and they therefore wanted to hide their drug-using practices. Finally, injecting drug use involved contextual pleasures that were maximised by injecting alone. The study illustrates how the risk environment the PWID inhabited caused additional harms, by which solitary injections was rationalized, despite its increased mortality risks. Future harm-reduction initiatives should reflect this important aspect.
Health and Equity Data to Teach the Next Generation of Public Health Leaders
Authors: Ofrane Rebecca H. , Breslin Samantha , Levine Shoshanna , Gourevitch Marc N. , Levy Marian
Published: January 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic restructured university learning environments while also underscoring the need for granular local health data. We describe how the University of Memphis School of Public Health used the City Health Dashboard, an online resource providing data at the city and neighborhood level for more than 35 measures of health outcomes, health drivers, and health equity for all US cities with populations >50 000, to enrich students’ learning of applying data to community health policy. By facilitating students’ engagement with population needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities’ health—key components of the master of public health accreditation process—the Dashboard supports in-person and virtual learning at undergraduate and graduate levels and is recommended as a novel and rigorous data source for public health trainees.
Social Representations of War Tourism: A Case of Ukraine
Authors: Williams Nigel L. , Wassler Philipp , Fedeli Giancarlo
Published: January 2023

War tourism is a scarcely researched topic, although the presence of spectators in war zones is attested throughout history. In addition to visiting sites of past conflict, “hot” war tourism in active war zones is on the rise. This study looks at how “war tourism” is represented within an online community of (aspiring) war tourists, taking the case of the recent conflict in Ukraine. Social Representations Theory is applied through a Topic Modeling Approach for this purpose. Findings show that war tourism is represented through “hot war travel,” “combat volunteering,” “non-combat volunteering,” and “virtual war travel.” This suggests a complicated relationship between war tourism, volunteering, and voyeurism in a new form of “hybrid war tourism” in online and offline realms. Future research should aim at a deeper understanding of these concepts and the complex links between them.
Building Community and Technical College Capacity Through State Funding
Authors: DeLoach Cara , Soliz Adela , Mesa Hidahis
Published: January 2023

Objective: This article analyzes the implementation of two state grant programs in Tennessee aimed at improving the quality of in-demand postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) programming at community and technical colleges. We use insights from our findings to propose a conceptual framework for understanding how external funding can reduce institutional capacity constraints in similar contexts. Method: Building off a previous study, we leverage in-depth interview data with 43 participants across Tennessee’s workforce development system to better understand how administrators perceived state grant goals, what processes they used to address institutional capacity constraints, and what challenges they experienced while implementing grant-funded programs. Results: We find strong alignment of perceived grant goals between the state, which developed the program, and the practitioners who implemented it. We find that the implementation strategies employed included purchasing new equipment, investing in facilities, developing work-based learning opportunities, hiring new faculty and staff, and building collaborations with outside stakeholders. Finally, our data suggest that practitioners faced challenges optimizing the use of funds to address capacity constraints. Contributions: Developing and maintaining high quality CTE credential programs is a challenge for community and technical colleges across the United States. We describe how this has been done successfully in Tennessee and use insights from this context to propose a general framework for building capacity in postsecondary CTE.
Application of bilateral sliding mode predictive compound control in photoelectric tracking system
Authors: Yan Ren , Yimin Wang
Published: January 2023

This article focuses on the stable imaging problem of photoelectric imaging system that depends on the synchronous rotation of mirror and detector. When there is a relative movement between the mirror and the detector, it will cause image rotation, resulting in information loss and reduced tracking accuracy. It is difficult to achieve the high-precision synchronous movement between the mirror and the detector using the traditional unilateral control method. Different from the existing results of the traditional unilateral tracking method, this paper introduces the bilateral control structure in the field of robot teleoperation and proposes a novel compound control strategy based on the bilateral control structure. First, a robust disturbance observer is proposed to reduce the disturbance of the system, in which a new robust H∞ mixed sensitivity control algorithm is designed to optimize the filter. Then, a novel generalized sliding mode predictive (NSMP) control strategy based on hybrid reaching law is proposed to eliminate the image rotation problem caused by time delay. Besides, a new power function is designed to replace the switching function in the reaching law to reduce chattering. Finally, the finite time theory and the Lyapunov theory are used to prove that the proposed control scheme can ensure that the system is stable and reach its steady state in a finite time. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Fast RSSD multi-target localization in NLOS environments
Authors: Zhang Yuanyuan , Wu Huafeng , Gulliver T Aaron , Xian Jiangfeng , Wang Weijun
Published: January 2023

Signal strength–based localization is commonly employed in wireless sensor networks due to its low complexity and simplicity. However, in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environments with unknown transmit power, effective and efficient multi-target localization is a challenging task. In this paper, a fast multi-target localization based on a neural network (FMLNN) is proposed. The received signal strength difference (RSSD) is employed and NLOS bias is considered. Determining the maximum likelihood (ML) estimator is a complex and highly non-convex problem, so it is solved indirectly using a neural network. First, prior data composed of known target information and RSSD values are used in offline training to learn the nonlinear relationship. Then, the locations of multiple targets are estimated online using the trained network. Results are presented which show the proposed method provides fast and efficient localization of multiple targets, and has greater robustness to NLOS bias than conventional state-of-the-art methods.
BCOR-Rearranged Sarcoma of the Tonsil
Authors: Bosco Samuel , Lyons Tanner , Shpigel Melanie , Minimo Corrado , Bhat Rehka , Zwillenberg Seth , Bhojwani Amit
Published: January 2023

A tonsillar mass in a young patient with no medical issues routinely presents as an infectious process. Practitioners must maintain a broad differential if diagnostic testing does not support an infection. Neoplasm must be excluded. Otolaryngologists must consider malignancies other than squamous cell carcinoma, the most common oropharyngeal malignancy, and lymphoma. Rare tumors, such as sarcomas, must also be considered. Otolaryngologists must be familiar with the proper management of rare oropharyngeal malignancies.
On losing the “dispensable” sense: TikTok imitation publics and COVID-19 smell loss challenges
Authors: Michell Adrianna Grace
Published: January 2023

The enduring effects of COVID-19 have called into question many of the assumptions upon which media and cultural studies rest, including a fundamental mode of perception: the sense of smell. In dialog with the field of sensory studies, this paper traces digital smell loss (anosmia) communities from pre-pandemic Facebook groups to mid-pandemic TikTok challenges. This article considers digital smell loss communities on TikTok as imitation publics characterized by repetition. Via replicable TikTok challenges, digital smell-loss communities reckoned with the unmooring effects of a seemingly mild symptom. By exploring how formulaic smell-loss challenges generated support and facilitated community-building, this article demands greater attention to a sense often considered ‘disposable’.
“Mature Enough to Handle it?”: Gendered Parental Interventions in and Adolescents’ Reactions to Technology Use During the Pandemic
Authors: Steinberg Hillary , Mollborn Stefanie , Pace Jennifer
Published: January 2023

This study investigated how teenagers reacted to parental regulation of technology. Using longitudinal dyadic interviews with 24 teenagers and their 21 parents in two predominantly white middle-class communities, we explored how teenagers used technology during the COVID-19 pandemic and the differential consequences parental interventions had for teens’ well-being and confidence with technology. Parents’ narratives and actions about technology use were deeply gendered. Boys felt confident about their self-regulation of technology, and parents did not substantially limit boys’ technology use during the pandemic. Girls were less confident about their ability to self-regulate and either worked with their mothers to manage technology, distrusted parents who monitored them, or lacked access to virtual hangout spaces such as video games and social media. The findings illustrate how parent-teen dynamics around adolescent technology use can produce short-term gendered inequalities in teenagers’ well-being and result in long-term disadvantages for girls.
Interracial Couples at Risk: Discrimination, Well-Being, and Health
Authors: Pittman Patricia S. , Kamp Dush Claire , Pratt Keeley J. , Wong Jen D.
Published: January 2023

As the number of interracial couples in the U.S. continues to grow, it is important to examine stressors that may lead to decreased well-being and self-rated health due to stigma. Using AddHealth, we conducted ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions to test if individuals in Black/White interracial couples experience (1) higher stress and discriminatory experiences, (2) worse depression and self-rated health, and (3) if depression and self-rated health vary as a function of perceived stress and experiences of discrimination. Biological sex differences were assessed as well. Compared to White couples, interracial couples were, on average, more likely to experience discrimination, and higher perceived stress, more depressive symptoms, and worse overall self-rated health. Our findings suggest a potential mechanism underlying these associations might be through increased stress and discrimination. Future research should further assess additional stressors to understand if interracial couples experience worse health outcomes due to being in a stigmatized relationship.
Short hydration education video and hiker fluid selection and consumption at trails, a non-randomized quasi-experimental field study
Authors: Naldo Rebecca , Boeckman Josh , Vanos Jennifer K , Kavouras Stavros A , Wardenaar Floris C
Published: January 2023

Background: Education may improve hiker safety on trails. Aim: To investigate the impact of an educational video on hiker fluid selection and fluid consumption in a hot environment. Methods: Quasi-experimental field study at hiking trails in which the intervention group (INT) viewed a three-minute hydration education video, whereas the control group (CON) did not. Before the hike, all hikers were asked if they wanted to select extra fluid, which was provided by the research team. Results: A total of n = 97 hikers participated in the study, with n = 56 in INT (32 male) and n = 41 in CON (25 male). Despite absolute differences in environmental conditions, the differences fell within the same WBGT category. The total amount of fluid brought to the trails by participants was different between INT: 904 (503–1758) mL and CON: 1509 (880–2176) mL ( P = 0.006), but participants in the INT group selected extra fluid (41%; n = 23) significantly more often when compared with participants in the CON group (7%; n = 3; P < 0.001). As a result, there was no difference in the amount of fluid brought on the trail between INT: 1047 (611–1936) mL and CON: 1509 (932–2176) mL ( P = 0.069), nor for fluid consumption between INT: 433 (289–615) mL/h and CON: 489 (374–719) mL/h ( P = 0.18). Conclusions and Implications: A 3-min educational video may encourage hikers to select additional fluid before the start of their hike but does not appear to increase fluid intake.
Measuring bilingual language dominance: An examination of the reliability of the Bilingual Language Profile
Authors: Olson Daniel J.
Published: January 2023

Measuring language dominance, broadly defined as the relative strength of each of a bilingual’s two languages, remains a crucial methodological issue in bilingualism research. While various methods have been proposed, the Bilingual Language Profile (BLP) has been one of the most widely used tools for measuring language dominance. While previous studies have begun to establish its validity, the BLP has yet to be systematically evaluated with respect to reliability. Addressing this methodological gap, the current study examines the reliability of the BLP, employing a test–retest methodology with a large ( N = 248), varied sample of Spanish–English bilinguals. Analysis focuses on the test–retest reliability of the overall dominance score, the dominant and non-dominant global language scores, and the subcomponent scores. The results demonstrate that the language dominance score produced by the BLP shows “excellent” levels of test–retest reliability. In addition, while some differences were found between the reliability of global language scores for the dominant and non-dominant languages, and for the different subcomponent scores, all components of the BLP display strong reliability. Taken as a whole, this study provides evidence for the reliability of BLP as a measure of bilingual language dominance.
Free vibrations of Timoshenko nanoscale beams based on a hybrid integral strain- and stress-driven nonlocal model
Authors: Faraji Oskouie M , Ansari R , Rouhi H
Published: January 2023

Several non-classical elasticity theories are used for considering the size-dependent behavior of structures at small scales. The nonlocal theory is widely used to reflect the softening behavior of material at small scales, and theories like the strain gradient theory are employed to reflect the hardening behavior. In this article, the most general form of integral strain- and stress-driven nonlocal models with two nonlocal parameters is developed which is able to consider both hardening and softening influences simultaneously. To this end, it is considered that the stress field at the entire points of the domain is a function of strain field of the entire points of the domain. The free vibration problem of first-order shear deformable beams is solved herein. The integral form of governing equations and associated boundary conditions are obtained first, and then directly solved in a numerical approach. Through developing an efficient matrix formulation and using differential and integral matrix operators, the discretized governing equations are obtained. The simultaneous effects of strain- and stress-driven nonlocal parameters on the natural frequencies of fully clamped, fully simply-supported, and clamped-free nanobeams are investigated. The results indicate that the paradox related to the behavior of clamped-free nanobeams is resolved using the presented integral nonlocal formulation. Also, it is revealed that it is possible to find some specific values of nonlocal parameters at which the prediction of hybrid nonlocal model coincides with that of classical elasticity theory.
Marx’s non-speciesist concept of labour
Authors: Sommer Michael , Stache Christian
Published: January 2023

Human–animal scholars have repeatedly accused Marx of standing in the tradition of a Cartesian human–animal dualism. One central piece of evidence brought forward to substantiate the attack is Marx’s concept of labour. The present article, however, argues that Marx’s conceptualisation of labour is actually non-speciesist and recognises non-waged and other than human forms of labour as well without renouncing qualitative distinctions between them. For Marx, both useful labour and the historically specific capitalist form of social labour cannot be reduced to something peculiar to man. Useful labour encompasses a wide range of ways to transform nature. Due to the bourgeois social relations, capitalist social labour is instead limited to human productive wage labour, excluding numerous types of human labour as well as animal labour. Thus, his concept of labour proves that Marx is not just another ‘speciesist’ scholar in the long Western tradition of philosophy.
Sign Life Expectancy on Low-Volume Roads in Iowa
Authors: Veneziano David
Published: January 2023

Traffic signs provide warning and guidance information to drivers 24 h a day. They also represent a significant maintenance and replacement concern and cost for agencies with the advent of retroreflectivity requirements. In some cases, agencies choose to replace their signs in conjunction with the end of the manufacturer warranty period or other time intervals to maintain sign retroreflectivity. However, this could result in signs being replaced while they still exceed their minimum retroreflectivity requirements, with labor and material costs being incurred years before necessary. This research evaluated retroreflectivity data from in-service signs in Iowa, U.S., to determine expected sign life values. It evaluated 10,799 retroreflectivity data points across three different sheeting materials for a variety of sign types. A total of 65 linear regression models were developed to evaluate signs by sheeting type, age, and sign category (regulatory, warning, and guide), as well as directional orientation. The results indicated that all sheeting materials, sign types, and sign directions were predicted to have lives of at least 10 years before falling below Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) minimums. Plots of retroreflectivity versus age indicated that many signs remained well above the MUTCD minimums at the predicted age where failure was expected. In general, the predicted lives for a material/sign type/direction combination were greater than 5 years longer than manufacturer warranty periods. For conservative purposes, agencies could consider a sign to be approaching minimum retroreflectivity levels at approximately 5 years past the manufacturer warranty, based on the research results.
Left-Behind Children’s Cognitive Development in China: Gain in Financial Capital Versus Loss in Parental Capital
Authors: Chen Chen
Published: January 2023

This study proposes a framework combining economic improvement and the disruption within family interactions to disentangle the effect of parental migration on left-behind children’s development. We proposed a concept of parental capital, which refers to the cultivated interactions between the primary caregiver and the child. The disruption effect is theorized here as loss in parental capital, that the decrease in frequency and stability of interactions between children and the primary caregiver caused by parental migration. This research draws on the 2012 China Urbanization and Labor Migration Survey (CULMS), a nationally representative dataset including a substantial migrant population. Our results show that the loss in parental capital mediates almost all of the adverse effects of parental absence. In addition, parental capital doesn’t significantly mediate the effect of father migration on children’s cognitive development, but it has substantial explaining power in the disadvantage of children with dual-parent migration.
Pride and Protest: Horizontal and Vertical Emotional Response in the Aftermath of the 2019 Chilean Spring
Authors: Olivos Francisco , Ayala Cristián , Leyton Alex
Published: January 2023

A large body of literature has shown that emotions can motivate collective action. Nevertheless, the effect that collective actions could have on emotion has been less researched. This study examined the effect of protests on bystanders’ pride, using the case of the 2019 “Chilean Spring.” Our findings indicate that a set of indicators of pride, representing the country, the status quo, and the social structures, were negatively affected by the crisis, which suggests vertical emotional response. Protests’ frame signaled that not everything in the country was as thought, generating a moral shock that affected shared emotions about the country. However, pride toward fellow citizens was positively affected. Some of these effects are stronger for people with an intermediate educational level. These findings contribute to the literature on the impact of protests showing that unexpected, loosely organized, and massive movements can trigger generalized emotions.
Sexual and Sexist Violence in the Universities of Southern Spain
Authors: Hervías Parejo Vanesa
Published: January 2023

Situations of sexual and sexist harassment are the result of daily and widespread practices that also occur in universities. This study aims to investigate experienced and perceived situations of sexual and sexist violence in universities in southern Spain. The methodology consists of a review of the literature and the production of primary data using the quantitative method and the questionnaire technique. The sample consisted of 1,583 members of the university community of one of the ten universities in southern Spain, with a total population of 23,500 people. The results, in terms of harassment experienced (real or technical), reveal that the main victims of sexual and sexist harassment in the universities of southern Spain are women and people with different sexual identities (more than 83% of cases), between 19 and 50 years, and belonging to the student, teaching and research staff, and administration and services staff, without a permanent position. Female students are the most vulnerable, while men, in any of the categories, are victims in less than 17% of cases. Likewise, in 86% of the cases the harasser is a male, while women are harassers in 10.5% of the cases and people with diverse sexual identity are harassers in 3.5% of the situations. With regard to perceived (declared) harassment, the study concludes that the sex of the people surveyed, their level of studies, the university campus to which they belong and gender stereotypes are determining factors in the degree of perception of harassment situations. On the other hand, age, status, and employment status do not play a significant role in the respondents’ perceptions.
Unmet Needs for Help With Mobility Limitations Among Older Adults Aging in Place: The Role of Rurality
Authors: Henning-Smith Carrie , Lahr Megan , Mulcahy John , MacDougall Hannah
Published: January 2023

Objectives

This study identifies differences in unmet mobility needs among older adults living in rural versus urban areas.

Methods

We used data from Round 9 of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), limiting our analyses to respondents who had not moved since baseline (average housing tenure of 27 years; n = 3343). We conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to detect rural/urban differences in unmet mobility needs, adjusting for socio-demographics, health status, and housing characteristics.

Results

Rural residence was associated with higher odds of any unmet mobility needs for older adults aging in place (adjusted odds ratio: 1.64, 95% confidence interval: 1.10–2.44, p < .05). The relationship between rurality and unmet needs for help with mobility limitations remained significant in fully adjusted models.

Discussion

Rural older adults aging in place have greater unmet needs for help with mobility limitations. This study highlights several important gaps in supporting rural older adults aging in place.
Habits, Triggers and Moral Formation
Authors: Knobel Angela
Published: January 2023

This article examines moral change, primarily through the lens of Summa Theologiae I-II 49–50. I argue that the specific difference Aquinas asserts between habits and dispositions allows for the possibility that virtuous habits can sometimes exist alongside problematic bodily dispositions. While in the typical case the actions that bring about a habit also bring about appropriate bodily dispositions, it is my contention that the cultivation of a habit need not eliminate all contrary bodily dispositions. This implies that one's past, whether it be one's pre-rational conditioning or past choices, can create bodily obstacles to the cultivation of virtue that later moral reformation may never entirely eliminate.
Relevance analysis of the bushing stiffness of rear multi-link suspension to handling stability and ride comfort of vehicle and optimization research to improve both performances
Authors: Gao Jin , Qi Xiaoping
Published: January 2023

This study focuses on the relevance of bushing stiffness for E-type multi-link suspension to handling stability and ride comfort of vehicle. The influence of bushing stiffness on suspension performance is illustrated theoretically from the force point of view. The principle of the influence of bushing stiffness on vehicle handling stability and ride comfort is described. In simulation study, the influences of specific bushing stiffness on vehicle handling stability and ride comfort are analyzed. The simulation results show that the bushings stiffness of the upper and lower control arm of the suspension significantly influences vehicle handling stability and the influences are more significant in the low frequency range. The vehicle ride comfort on the random road is mainly influenced by the bushing stiffness of the top mount of shock absorber, and on bump road by the bushing stiffness of the trailing arm mostly. Finally, the NSGA-II and MOPSO algorithms are used to optimize handling stability and ride comfort. The optimization results show that the handling stability and ride comfort of the vehicle could be improved with reasonable adjustment of the bushing stiffness. The results obtained in using the NSGA-II algorithm are more suited to the optimization requirements of this study.
Study on the braking distance of composite brake blocks covered with ice for freight trains in winter
Authors: Zhang Yanjun , Liu Zhendong , Stichel Sebastian
Published: January 2023

In winter, some freight trains with composite brake blocks experience unexpected long braking distances, which seriously jeopardizes running safety. The reasons for the long braking distances are still not completely understood, and therefore it is difficult to suggest preventive measures. Up to now, it has not really been studied how a layer of ice that is often found between the brake block and the wheel influences the braking process. To investigate whether ice influences the braking distance, a numerical model is built. Ice thickness, ambient temperature, initial speed, and axle load/brake pressure are parameters that can be varied in the model. Results are checked against available on-track tests. The simulation results show that ice significantly influences the braking distance. The impact of ice on the braking distance increases when the ambient temperature, initial speed, and brake pressure are low, which is consistent with available field test reports. The results also show that a conditioning brake, a high brake pressure and a small clearance between the wheel and brake block can efficiently reduce the impact of ice on the braking distance of freight trains with composite brake blocks in winter.
Divided infrastructure: legal exclusion and water inequality in an urban slum in Mumbai, India
Authors: Lubeck-Schricker Maya , Patil-Deshmukh Anita , Murthy Sharmila L , Chaubey Munni Devi , Boomkar Baliram , Shaikh Nizamuddin , Shitole Tejal , Eliasziw Misha , Subbaraman Ramnath
Published: January 2023

Inadequate water access is central to the experience of urban inequality across low- and middle-income countries and leads to adverse health and social outcomes. Previous literature on water inequality in Mumbai, India’s second-largest city, offers diverse explanations for water disparities between and within slums. This study provides new insights on water disparities in Mumbai’s slums by evaluating the influence of legal status on water access. We analysed data from 593 households in Mandala, a slum with legally recognized (notified) and unrecognized (non-notified) neighbourhoods. Households in a non-notified neighbourhood suffered relative disadvantages in water infrastructure, accessibility, reliability and spending. Non-notified households also used significantly fewer litres per capita per day of water, even after controlling for religion and socioeconomic status. Findings suggest that legal exclusion may be a central driver of water inequality. Extending legal recognition to excluded slum settlements, neighbourhoods and households could be a powerful intervention for reducing urban water inequality.
Proportional–integral and proportional–derivative controller design based on analytically computed centroid point for controlling integrating processes
Authors: Alyoussef Fadi , Kaya Ibrahim
Published: January 2023

The proportional–integral and proportional–derivative controller is characterized by its capability to effectively control integrating processes compared with proportional–integral/proportional–integral–derivative controllers. Recently, several graphical methods have been proposed for tuning the PI-PD controller parameters by computing the centroid point of the stability boundary locus. However, these approaches are time-consuming because they entail plotting the stability boundary locus for finding the centroid point. Another disadvantage of those design methods is that the design procedure has to be redone as the transfer function changes. In this article, a generalized stability boundary locus is constructed in terms of the controller and assumed plant transfer function model parameters to enable the designer to avoid replotting the stability boundary locus as the process transfer function changes. More importantly, two analytical approaches, which simplify the design of the proportional–integral and proportional–derivative controller very much, are proposed to compute the centroid point of the generalized stability boundary locus. Analytical expressions for computing the performance measures of the designed closed-loop system have also been provided so that one can predict the performance of the designed closed-loop system. It has been shown by simulation examples that the analytical centroid of convex stability region method provides quicker responses with faster disturbance rejections compared to other reported design methods. Also, the simulation results have displayed that analytical weighted geometrical center gives more robust closed-loop responses in terms of gain margin, phase margins, and maximum sensitivity than analytical centroid of convex stability region. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed methods is tested using a real-time application based on an aerodynamical system. Real-time results have demonstrated that the analytical centroid of convex stability region and analytical weighted geometrical center methods give quicker responses with small overshoots compared to other reported methods.
“The chilling effect”: Medical scientists’ responses to audience feedback on their media appearances during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Nölleke Daniel , Leonhardt Birte M. , Hanusch Folker
Published: January 2023

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many medical scientists became public personas as a result of their media appearances. However, this prominence also made them likely targets of harassment from an increasingly science-skeptic public. Such experiences may lead to scientists cutting back on their public engagement activities, threatening the quality of science communication. This study examines how medical scientists evaluate feedback they received as a result of their media appearances, and how they relate their experiences to general views of the public, as well as their motivations to serve as media experts. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 24 Austrian medical scientists who served as media experts during the first year of the pandemic, we find substantial amounts of online abuse. Yet, this did not cause our respondents to avoid future media appearances, because their motivations to meet the needs of an unsettled public outweighed the experience of being harassed online.
Adaptation Process of Korean Elderly Women to Foreign Daughters-in-Law in Multicultural Rural Families: A Grounded Theory Method
Authors: Cho Youngmi , Kim Sun Hui , Sok Sohyune
Published: January 2023

Introduction:

In South Korea, the number of multicultural families is steadily increasing. The purpose of the study was to examine and identify the process of adaptation of elderly women to foreign daughters-in-law in multicultural families in rural settings.

Method:

This is a qualitative study and applies a grounded theory method. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews between February and April 2019, involving 15 elderly women with foreign daughters-in-law, and analyzed employing Corbin and Strauss’s grounded theory.

Results:

The results are demonstrated through the “Chaotic,” “Resistive,” “Exploratory,” “Transitional,” and “Receptive” periods, based on the flow of time.

Discussion:

The findings contribute to the practice and intervention of multicultural nursing by examining the adaptation process and providing future direction on the adaptation of elderly women who are part of multicultural families.
Investigation of the Sleep Quality Among Hospitalized Cardiovascular Patients Using Regression Models and Qualitative Comparative Analysis
Authors: Guo Xinmeng , Qin Zeying , Meng Cuicui , Lv Jianping , Hu Yueyang , Fei Junsong , Liang Leilei , Li Jingyang , Yuan Tongshuang , Mei Songli , Tong Qian
Published: January 2023

This study aimed to explore the relationships between modifiable and non-modifiable factors that influence sleep quality in hospitalized patients with cardiovascular disease in China. This study design was cross-sectional and descriptive. This study involved a convenience sample of 242 patients hospitalized for cardiovascular issues. Hierarchical regression model and qualitative comparative analysis model were performed. Regression revealed that age and depression both had statistically significant effects on sleep quality. The combination of conditions with strongest predictive effect on sleep quality was male of younger age, high level of depression, high level of anxiety, and low level of social support. Other combinations with predictive power on sleep quality are as follows: (1) younger male patients (aged 47–63 years) with high level of anxiety, high level of social support, and low level of depression; (2) older male patients (aged 63–79 years) with high level of depression, high level of social support, and low levels of anxiety; and (3) older male patients with high level of anxiety and low level of social support. Nurses may promote primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular health prior to hospitalization, through routine screening for depressive and anxious symptoms and assessment of the patient’s social support network. It is unknown whether these findings are unique to hospitalized patients. Therefore, future work should assess the fit of the model to other more diverse groups of hospitalized patients.
A Rare Case of CD4 Positive Cytotoxic PTCL, NOS With Leukemic Presentation
Authors: Mallick Jayati , Patel Nekita , Young Paul E. , Rawas Faisal , Lyapichev Kirill A.
Published: January 2023

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL, NOS) is a relatively rare mature T-cell lymphoma that cannot be categorized under any of the well-defined category. This type of aggressive lymphoma mostly involves the lymph nodes, though any other organ can be affected. Leukemic presentation is extremely rare. No case report of isolated leukemic presentation was found after detail literature search. Herein we present a case of PTCL, NOS with leukemic presentation.
Examining Schizotypal Personality Scales Within and Across Interpersonal Circumplex Surfaces
Authors: Asan A. Esin , Pincus Aaron L.
Published: January 2023

Differing perspectives on the operationalization of schizotypal personality pathology (STPP) have led to numerous multidimensional assessment measures. The current study applied the interpersonal construct validation approach to self-report data from 856 undergraduate students to formally examine the interpersonal content, similarities, and differences in the subscales of four measures of STPP within and across two interpersonal circumplex surfaces using a bootstrapping methodology for computing confidence intervals around circumplex structural summary method parameters. Results suggested that negative-like expressions of STPP are prototypically and distinctively interpersonal constructs associated with cold and socially avoidant interpersonal problems and hypersensitivity to others’ warmth and affection. Positive-like expressions of STPP as assessed by two out of four measures were prototypically and distinctively interpersonal constructs associated with vindictiveness. Across four measures, there was notable overlap in interpersonal correlates among related subscales, suggesting convergent validity. However, subscales containing social anxiety content were associated with more submissive (i.e., socially avoidant) interpersonal problems than subscales without social anxiety content.
Multimorbidity and Complexity Among Patients with Cancer in Ontario: A Retrospective Cohort Study Exploring the Clustering of 17 Chronic Conditions with Cancer
Authors: Koné Anna Péfoyo , Scharf Deborah , Tan Amy
Published: January 2023

Background

Multimorbidity is a concern for people living with cancer, as over 90% have at least one other condition. Multimorbidity complicates care coming from multiple providers who work within separate, siloed systems. Information describing high-risk and high-cost disease combinations has potential to improve the experience, outcome, and overall cost of care by informing comprehensive care management frameworks. This study aimed to identify disease combinations among people with cancer and other conditions, and to assess the health burden associated with those combinations to help healthcare providers more effectively prioritize and coordinate care.

Methods

We used a population-based retrospective cohort design including adults with a cancer diagnosis between March-2003 and April-2013, followed-up until March 2018. We used observed disease combinations defined by level of multimorbidity and partitive (k-means) clusters, ie groupings of similar diseases based on the prevalence of each condition. We assessed disease combination-associated health burden through health service utilization, including emergency department visits, primary care visits and hospital admissions during the follow-up period.

Results

549,248 adults were included in the study. Anxiety, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and osteoarthritis co-occurred with cancer 1.1 to 5.3 times more often than expected by chance. Disease combinations varied by cancer type and age but were similar between sexes. The largest partitive cluster included cancer and anxiety, with at least 25% of individuals also having osteoarthritis. Cancer also tended to co-occur with hypertension (8.0%) or osteoarthritis (6.2%). There were differences between clusters in healthcare utilization, regardless of the number of disease combinations or clustering approach used.

Conclusion

Researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and other stakeholders can use the clustering information presented here to improve the healthcare system for people with cancer multimorbidity by developing cluster-specific care management and clinical guidelines for common disease combinations.