bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of Near-Infrared Imaging and Computerized Tomography Scan for Detecting Maxillary Sinusitis
Authors: Abouzari Mehdi , Sarna Brooke , You Joon , Risbud Adwight , Tsutsumi Kotaro , Goshtasbi Khodayar , Bhandarkar Naveen D.
Published: November 2021

Objective:

To investigate the use of near-infrared (NIR) imaging as a tool for outpatient clinicians to quickly and accurately assess for maxillary sinusitis and to characterize its accuracy compared to computerized tomography (CT) scan.

Methods:

In a prospective investigational study, NIR and CT images from 65 patients who presented to a tertiary care rhinology clinic were compared to determine the sensitivity and specificity of NIR as an imaging modality.

Results:

The sensitivity and specificity of NIR imaging in distinguishing normal versus maxillary sinus disease was found to be 90% and 84%, normal versus mild maxillary sinus disease to be 76% and 91%, and mild versus severe maxillary sinus disease to be 96% and 81%, respectively. The average pixel intensity was also calculated and compared to the modified Lund-Mackay scores from CT scans to assess the ability of NIR imaging to stratify the severity of maxillary sinus disease. Average pixel intensity over a region of interest was significantly different ( P < .001) between normal, mild, and severe disease, as well as when comparing normal versus mild ( P < .001, 95% CI 42.22-105.39), normal versus severe ( P < .001, 95% CI 119.43-174.14), and mild versus severe ( P < .001, 95% CI 41.39-104.56) maxillary sinus disease.

Conclusion:

Based on this data, NIR shows promise as a tool for identifying patients with potential maxillary sinus disease as well as providing information on severity of disease that may guide administration of appropriate treatments.
Prevalence and predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms in 2200 hospitalised and non-hospitalised injured New Zealanders
Authors: Ameratunga Shanthi , Samaranayaka Ari , Wyeth Emma H , Davie Gabrielle , Lilley Rebbecca , Wilson Suzanne , Kokaua Jesse , Derrett Sarah
Published: November 2021

Objective:

Post-traumatic stress disorder following injuries unrelated to mass casualty events has received little research attention in New Zealand. Internationally, most studies investigating predictors of post-injury post-traumatic stress disorder focus on hospitalised patients although most survivors are not hospitalised. We compared the prevalence and predictors of symptoms suggestive of post-traumatic stress disorder 12 months following injury among hospitalised and non-hospitalised entitlement claimants in New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Corporation. This government-funded universal no-fault insurance scheme replaced tort-based compensation for injuries in 1974 since when civil litigation (which can bias post-traumatic stress disorder estimates) has been rare.

Methods:

A total of 2220 Accident Compensation Corporation claimants aged 18–64 years recruited to the Prospective Outcomes of Injury Study were interviewed at 12 months post-injury to identify symptoms suggestive of post-traumatic stress disorder using the Impact of Events Scale. Multivariable models examined the extent to which baseline sociodemographic, injury, health status and service interaction factors predicted the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among hospitalised and non-hospitalised groups.

Results:

Symptoms suggestive of post-traumatic stress disorder were reported by 17% of hospitalised and 12% of non-hospitalised participants. Perceived threat to life at the time of the injury doubled this risk among hospitalised (adjusted relative risk: 2.0; 95% confidence interval: 1.2–3.2) and non-hospitalised (relative risk: 1.8; 95% confidence interval: 1.2–2.8) participants. Among hospitalised participants, other predictors included female gender, Pacific and ‘other’ minority ethnic groups, pre-injury depressive symptoms, financial insecurity and perceived inadequacies in healthcare interactions, specifically information and time to discuss problems. Among non-hospitalised survivors, predictors included smoking, hazardous drinking, assault and poor expectations of recovery.

Conclusion:

One in six hospitalised and one in eight non-hospitalised people reported post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms 12 months following injury. Perceived threat to life was a strong predictor of this risk in both groups. Identifying early predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder, regardless of whether the injury required hospitalisation, could help target tailored interventions that can reduce longer-term psychosocial morbidity.
Betrayed by the Elites: How Corruption Amplifies the Political Effects of Recessions
Authors: Sanz Carlos , Solé-Ollé Albert , Sorribas-Navarro Pilar
Published: November 2021

We investigate whether corruption amplifies the political effects of economic crises. Using Spanish municipal-level data and a difference-in-difference strategy, we find that local unemployment shocks experienced during the Great Recession (2008–2015) increased political fragmentation. This effect was four times larger in municipalities exposed to malfeasance than in municipalities without a history of political corruption. We bolster this evidence by showing that, conditional on province and population strata fixed effects, there is no evidence of differential pre-trends. We also find that the interaction of unemployment and corruption harms the two traditional main parties and benefits especially the new party on the left ( Podemos).
Epistemic injustice and epistemic positioning: towards an intersectional political economy
Authors: Bacevic Jana
Published: November 2021

This article introduces the concept of epistemic positioning to theorize the relationship between identity-based epistemic judgements and the reproduction of social inequalities, including those of gender and ethnicity/race, in the academia. Acts of epistemic positioning entail the evaluation of knowledge claims based on the speaker’s stated or inferred identity. These judgements serve to limit the scope of the knowledge claim, making it more likely speakers will be denied recognition or credit. The four types of epistemic positioning – bounding (reducing a knowledge claim to elements of personal identity), domaining (reducing a knowledge claim to discipline or field associated with identity), non-attribution (using the claim without recognizing the author) and appropriation (presenting the claim as one’s own) – are mutually reinforcing. Given the growing importance of visibility and recognition in the context of increasing competition and insecurity in academic employment, these practices play a role in the ability of underrepresented groups to remain in the academic profession.
Le regole del gioco narrativo di Umberto Eco: La lettura dei romanzi di Eco alla luce di Sei passeggiate nei boschi narrativi
Authors: Kashani Neda Alizadeh
Published: November 2021

Questo articolo è una lettura dei sette romanzi di Umberto Eco da Il nome della rosa (1980) al Numero zero (2015) alla luce delle sei conferenze che ha tenuto alla Harvard University (1992–1993), pubblicate col titolo Sei passeggiate nei boschi narrativi. È un tentativo di trovare la chiave di lettura dei suoi romanzi e le regole del gioco narrativo che nella veste dell’“autore modello” ci pone. Eco, non solo con i suoi romanzi, ma anche con le sue opere di saggistica ci mette in gioco, ci trascina in un labirinto e ci procura dei segnali per guidarci. Eco ha tenuto sei conferenze e ha scritto sette romanzi; ogni conferenza parla di un punto cardine della narrazione e ogni romanzo è una dimostrazione di quel punto. Questo articolo è una rilettura delle sue opere narrative considerando i sei punti cardinali della narrazione da lui definiti: l’autore e il lettore modello, l’intreccio, l’indugio, la fiducia tra l’autore e il lettore, l’enciclopedia richiesta dal testo e la finzione narrativa. Come sostiene Eco, soltanto scoprendo le regole del gioco del labirinto e il sistema creato dal suo autore, ovvero la sua strategia, possiamo scoprire il senso vero di un’opera letteraria.
Wellbeing and mental health among medical students in Indonesia: A descriptive study
Authors: Lili Rossalina , Molodynski Andrew , Farrell Sarah Marie , Citraningtyas Theresia , Kloping Nabila Ananda
Published: November 2021

Background:

Medical students face high pressures to perform academically, which may lead to poor psychological well-being, burnout, and even mental illness.

Aims:

This study aims to evaluate the mental health, degree of burnout and substance misuse among medical students in Indonesia in order to to build a system that supports the prosperity of future doctors.

Methods:

In February to March 2020, we conducted an online survey of Indonesian medical students to assess burnout (using Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, OLBI), minor psychiatric illness (General Health Questionnaire 12, GHQ12), and alcohol abuse (CAGE questionnaire).

Results/Conclusion:

A total of 1,729 students from 29 universities participated in the study; 93% felt disengaged, 95% felt exhausted, and 74% were identified to have mild psychiatric illness. We discuss potential factors that need to be explored in further research, including further concerns related to developments since the pandemic, and the need for potential interventions at both local and national levels to enhance the wellbeing of medical students.
Family, Work, Collegial, and Emotional Influences on Problem-Focused Voice Behaviors
Authors: De Clercq Dirk , Pereira Renato
Published: November 2021

This study details the unexplored connection between employees’ exposure to family incivility and voice behavior to pinpoint organization problems, considering the mediating role of their work engagement and the moderating role of their emotion sharing with colleagues in this connection. Survey data obtained from employees who work in the banking sector reveal that a critical reason rude treatment by family members keeps employees from expressing their opinions about organizational shortcomings at work is that they exhibit limited positive work energy. This explanatory role of work engagement is less salient though when employees can draw on the relational resource of emotion sharing. For organizational change professionals, this study accordingly showcases a core explanation, thwarted work engagement, by which family-related hardships prevent employees from undertaking productive problem-focused voice activities, and it explicates how this mechanism can be subdued if the work environment encourages employees to express personal feelings openly to their peers.
Diagnostic accuracies of CTs, X-rays and Lodox to detect blunt force trauma in adults, using a pig model
Authors: Spies Amy Joy , Steyn Maryna , Brits Desiré
Published: November 2021

The accurate radiological detection of skeletal trauma is crucial for the investigation of blunt force trauma (BFT) cases. The sensitivities of CTs, X-rays and Lodox in identifying BFT fractures and minimum number of impacts in pigs, used as proxies for adult humans, were assessed. Ten human sized pig carcasses were struck with a mallet and scanned, after which the number of fractures and minimum number of impacts detected radiologically were recorded. Pig carcasses were then macerated, and the defleshed, skeletonized remains were considered the gold standard as far as number and location of fractures were concerned. CTs were most sensitive in identifying fractures and impacts in all body regions, with overall sensitivities of 55.4% and 71.5% respectively, while X-rays and Lodox had sensitivities of 25.8% and 29.3% for fractures, and 43.5% and 41.1% for impacts, respectively. All modalities were highly specific for identifying fractures (CT: 99.1%; X-ray: 98.9%; Lodox: 99.4%). CTs should be used to analyze blunt force trauma when a radiological assessment is required, but an examination of the defleshed bones remains the gold standard for the deceased whenever feasible. X-rays and Lodox have limited diagnostic value in these cases and relying on them to detect fractures may compromise the accurate forensic investigation of blunt trauma victims. However, the use of Lodox for initial screening of major trauma is still of value. Sensitivities are generally higher for detecting fractures in pigs compared to piglets, indicating that increased diagnostic value is achieved when imaging pigs compared to piglets.
The development and testing of Thai facial soft tissue thickness data in three-dimensional computerized forensic facial reconstruction
Authors: Navic Pagorn , Palee Patison , Prapayasatok Sangsom , Prasitwattanaseree Sukon , Sinthubua Apichat , Mahakkanukrauh Pasuk
Published: November 2021

Forensic facial reconstruction is a useful tool to assist the public in recognizing human remains, leading to positive forensic investigation outcomes. To reproduce a virtual face, facial soft tissue thickness is one of the major guidelines to reach the accuracy and reliability for three-dimensional computerized facial reconstruction, a method that is making a significant contribution to improving forensic investigation and identification. This study aimed to develop a facial soft tissue thickness dataset for a Thai population, and test its reliability in the context of facial reconstruction. Three-dimensional facial reconstruction was conducted on four skulls (2 males and 2 females, with ages ranging between 51 to 60 years). Two main tools of three-dimensional computer animation and modeling software—Blender and Autodesk Maya—were used to rebuild the three-dimensional virtual face. The three-dimensional coordinate ( x, y, z) cutaneous landmarks on the mesh templates were aligned homologous to the facial soft tissue thickness markers on the three-dimensional skull model. The final three-dimensional virtual face was compared to the target frontal photograph using face pool comparison. Four three-dimensional virtual faces were matched at low to moderate levels, ranging from 30% to 70% accuracy. These results demonstrate that the facial soft tissue thickness database of a Thai population applied in this study could be useful for three-dimensional computerized facial reconstruction purposes.
‘They’re Going to Die at Some Point, but We’re all Going to Die’ – A Qualitative Exploration of Bereavement in Later Life
Authors: Fang Chao , Carr Sam
Published: November 2021

This article reports on a qualitative study to investigate what bereavement means to older people. Drawing upon 80 in-depth interviews collected from eight British and Australian retirement communities, our study revealed that facing bereavement while ageing includes experiences of losing both others and the wholeness of the self. Core themes identified how the experience of losing others can be compounded by ageing-related challenges, undermining older people’s defence from bereavement and frustrating their fundamental meaning and being. The older people’s dynamic responses were also captured, highlighting the importance of supporting their agency to deal with the deeper pain of loss. By extending the concept of bereavement in later life, we also called for a more grief literate culture to mitigate the multifaceted and often deeper distresses of bereavement that older people may face alongside ageing.
NLRX1 can counteract innate immune response induced by an external stimulus favoring HBV infection by competitive inhibition of MAVS-RLRs signaling in HepG2-NTCP cells
Authors: Jiao Qian , Xu Wenxiong , Guo Xiaoyan , Liu Huiyuan , Liao Baolin , Zhu Xiang , Chen Chuming , Yang Fangji , Wu Lina , Xie Chan , Peng Liang
Published: November 2021

Introduction

This study is aimed at the determination of the effect of the immune-regulatory factor NLRX1 on the antiviral activity of hepatocytes against an external stimuli favoring hepatitis B virus infection, and to explore its mechanism of action.

Methods

A HepG2-NTCP model was established using the LV003 lentivirus. Cells were transfected using an overexpression vector and NLRX1 siRNA to achieve overexpression and interference of NLRX1 expression (OV-NLRX1, si-NLRX1). Levels of HBsAg and HBcAg were determined using Western blotting analysis and immunohistochemical analysis. The levels of hepatitis B virus DNA and hepatitis B virus cccDNA were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The expression and transcriptional activity of IFN-α, IFN-β, and IL-6 were measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and promoter-luciferase reporter plasmids. Co-immunoprecipitation was used to determine the effect of NLRX1 on the interaction between MAVS and RIG-1. Western blotting was used to obtain the phosphorylation of essential proteins in the MAVS-RLRs signaling pathways.

Results

NLRX1 promoted HepG2-NTCP cell hepatitis B virus infection. Compared to the control group, the levels of HBsAg, HBcAg, hepatitis B virus cccDNA, and hepatitis B virus DNA increased in the OV-NLRX1 group and decreased in the si-NLRX1. Co-immunoprecipitation results showed that NLRX1 competitively inhibited the interaction between MAVS and RIG-1, and inhibited the phosphorylation of p65, IRF3, and IRF7. Additionally, NLRX1 reduced the transcription activity and expression levels of the final products: IFN-α, IFN-β, and IL-6.

Conclusions

NLRX1 can counteract innate immune response induced by an external stimuli favoring hepatitis B virus infection by competitive inhibition of MAVS-RLRs signaling in HepG2-NTCP cells. Inhibition of the MAVS-RLR-mediated signaling pathways leads to a decline in the expression levels of I-IFN and IL-6.
Research on laser ultrasonic surface defect identification based on a support vector machine
Authors: Chen Chao , Zhang Xingyuan
Published: November 2021

To solve the problem of difficult quantitative identification of surface defect depth during laser ultrasonic inspection, a support vector machine-based method for quantitative identification of surface rectangular defect depth is proposed. Based on the thermal-elastic mechanism, the finite element model for laser ultrasound inspection of aluminum materials containing surface defects was developed by using the finite element software COMSOL. The interaction process between laser ultrasound and rectangular defects was simulated, and the reflected wave signals corresponding to defects of different depths under pulsed laser irradiation were obtained. Laser ultrasonic detection experiments were conducted for surface defects of different depths, and multiple sets of ultrasonic signal waveform were collected, and several feature vectors such as time-domain peak, center frequency peak, waveform factor and peak factor were extracted by using MATLAB, the quantitative defect depth identification model based on support vector machine was established. The experimental results show that the laser ultrasonic surface defect identification model based on support vector machine can achieve high accuracy prediction of defect depth, the regression coefficient of determination is kept above 0.95, and the average relative error between the true value and the predicted value is kept below 10%, and the prediction accuracy is better than that of the reflection echo method and BP neural network model.
Mechanical and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis of PBO Paper-based Composites
Authors: Huang Ziqi , Wang Yi , Long Jin , Hu Jian
Published: November 2021

Poly ( p-phenylene benzoisoxazole; PBO) paper is a potential raw material for use in honeycomb sandwich composites in the aerospace industry, which are able to sustain high temperatures exceeding 300°C. This work presents a wet-forming method of making PBO paper, consisting of PBO chopped fibers. The paper was impregnated with phenolic resin to simulate honeycomb wall material. The structure and mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of the raw and impregnated paper were characterized. The performance of PBO paper was tested against p-aramid paper. The comparative results showed the tensile strength of PBO raw paper was 2.17 kN/m, which was slightly worse than p-aramid raw paper: 2.66 kN/m. After impregnation, the tensile strength of the PBO paper was 13.93 kN/m due to the increase in the number of bonding points—better than p-aramid paper: 7.99 kN/m. The tearing resistance value for PBO raw paper versus p-aramid raw paper was 3252 mN against 845 mN. The morphology of the torn samples in the impregnated paper revealed higher levels of PBO fiber pullout than p-aramid fiber, therefore the tearing resistance value was 6000 mN for PBO impregnated paper, which was again superior to p-aramid impregnated paper: 675 mN. The PBO paper also showed higher storage modulus than p-aramid paper after impregnation. Experimental studies showed that PBO paper could be used in load-bearing structures and in honeycomb components where high resistance to deformation and thermal stability is necessary.
Fractal structure and hydration-driven shape memory of duck down in the dry–wet state
Authors: Yu Wei-dong , Du Zhaoqun , Liu Hongling , Yu Weidong
Published: November 2021

Duck down, as a natural keratin material, has been widely used as a filling material. The multilevel bifurcation structure of down has been observed and characterized through scanning electron microscopy. The structure is a complex fractal structure composed of four-level self-similar structures including five units, that is, the calamus, main barb, barb, barbule, and node or prong. The differential friction effect of the dynamic friction coefficients of the barb was reduced from 0.4 (dry state) to 0.23 (wet state), namely a decrease of 42.5%. The friction locking effect decreases due to the swelling of the fiber diameter. The down is zero gravity in water, and under the action of vibration and internal stress, down that has been subjected to friction or heat setting treatment can quickly return to its original shape in water. This shape memory mechanism was further confirmed, in which down after heat setting can restore its shape to the natural state by shaking it quickly and vigorously. This research provides inspiration to investigate more complicated functions of natural materials and encourages the creation of very intelligent synthetic polymers.
Positive Youth Development Among Youth Living in Poverty: The Role of Psychological Needs Satisfaction
Authors: Alivernini Fabio , Bianchi Dora , Cavicchiolo Elisa , Manganelli Sara , Cozzolino Mauro , Lucidi Fabio , Park Nansook
Published: November 2021

Positive developmental outcomes among youth living in poverty have rarely been studied. Despite numerous risk factors, it is important to understand the factors that contribute to positive developmental outcomes among youth in poverty. Using the Self-Determination Theory framework, this two-wave longitudinal study investigated the contribution of basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness to positive developmental outcomes of prosocial behavior and positive affect among 225 youth living in poverty in Italy. Results suggest that overall, prosocial behavior was positively predicted by autonomy, while positive affect was positively predicted by competence. Moderator analyses showed that the satisfaction of the need of relatedness predicted prosociality for girls and immigrants. For girls, the fulfilling of this need also predicted positive affect. The importance of each psychological need to different positive outcomes was shaped by adolescents’ economic condition, immigrant background, and gender. The implications for further research and practices are discussed.
Needs of Youth and Parents From Multi-Problem Families in the Search for Youth-Initiated Mentors
Authors: Koper Natasha , Creemers Hanneke E. , van Dam Levi , Stams Geert Jan J. M. , Branje Susan
Published: November 2021

Youth-initiated mentoring is an innovative youth care approach in which youth recruit supportive adults from their social networks as a mentor for youth and a partner for parents and professionals. This qualitative interview study documents what youth ( n = 15) and parents ( n = 13) from multi-problem families look for in a mentor, what mentors ( n = 8) believe they have to offer, and whether what mentors believe to offer matches youth’s and parents’ needs. Youth and parents indicated that a strong connection and trust were most important, or even prerequisites, as youth who were unable to find mentors did not have strong relationships of trust. Youth and parents also voiced preferences for an understanding, sensitive mentor who offered youth perspective by providing support and advice and (according to some) setting rules. What mentors believed to offer matched youth’s and parents’ needs, suggesting that most youth successfully recruited suitable mentors.
Geriatric Depression and its predictors in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of India – A quantitative study
Authors: Jagadeesan Subramani , Muthathal Subramanian , Santra Archismita
Published: November 2021

In India, the world's second most populous state, an increasing proportion of its population are elderly. Older people invariably face special psychiatric challenges. In a community-based cross-sectional study, depression was found to be present in almost a third of the elderly; furthermore, low family income, poor literacy and uncertain employment status were found to be significant associations.
Managing the Covid-19 pandemic in South African Schools: turning challenge into opportunity
Authors: Maree Jacobus Gideon
Published: November 2021

This article reports on challenges faced today by the South African schooling system due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the emphasis on the public school system. Its aim is to show the extent and nature of these challenges and how they exacerbate existing challenges and impact the quality of post-matric study and tertiary education. A number of specific challenges are focused on such as large class sizes, physical distancing requirements, and the use of online and digital learning platforms to facilitate education, and how this style of teaching and training is not practical for most of the South African school population. The discrepancy between the real situation in schools and the applicability of Covid-19 protocols is also examined. In addition, I discuss the problems posed by the schooling time that has been lost, the effect of curriculum trimming, and the long-term price post-Grade 12 study and tertiary teaching and learning may have to pay. Finally, looking through a positive, future-oriented lens, I endeavour to place the overall situation in South African education in perspective.
Outdoor Temperature as an Independent Risk Factor for Acute Pharyngitis Incidence: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Yu Peng-cheng , Sun An-rong , Xue Chao , Fang Rui
Published: November 2021

Objective: Acute pharyngitis is common worldwide. Meteorological changes contribute to respiratory infections. This study aims to explore the correlation between acute pharyngitis and meteorological parameters. Methods: We collected the monthly acute pharyngitis cases in our hospital and the meteorological data, including temperature, relative humidity, and air quality index (AQI) of Shanghai, China, from January, 2015, to December, 2017. Pearson correlation and multivariable regression analysis were used to explore the association between meteorological parameters and the monthly hospital visits. Results: A total of 8287 patients were included in this study, and the monthly number of hospital visits was 230.2 ± 39.0. The best air quality index was 46.4 and the worst was 113.2. Temperature ranged from 5.2°C to 32.0°C, and relative humidity ranged from 59.4% to 83.1%. The monthly hospital visits of acute pharyngitis were negatively correlated with temperature (r = −.558, 95% CI −.746, −.274) and relative humidity (r = −.480, 95% CI −.695, −.137). A decrease of 1°C could cause an increase in hospital visits by 1.9. No significant correlation was found were found between acute pharyngitis cases and AQI (P = .051, 95% CI −.005, .590). Multivariable linear regression analysis showed the temperature was the independent risk factor of acute pharyngitis (coefficient = −1.906, P = .022). Conclusion: Low temperature might cause an increased incidence of acute pharyngitis.
Welcome to Whenever: Exploring Suspended Life in Cryopreservation Practices
Authors: Lemke Thomas
Published: November 2021

Cryopreservation practices have become increasingly important within contemporary life sciences in recent decades, opening up the perspective of modifying and modulating temporal pathways and developmental cycles. Exploring the concept of “suspended life,” this article first focuses on temporal liminality as cryopreservation practices operate by extending the present. I rely on Niklas Luhmann’s account of time, which advances the idea of an enduring present bound to the principle of reversibility. The second part of this article engages with the emergence of cryobanks. Drawing on Martin Heidegger’s concept of the “standing-reserve” ( Bestand), I conceive of cryobanks as storing facilities that ensure the disposition of organic material. The third section discusses the advent of a “politics of suspension” based on the proliferation of cryogenic life in contemporary societies, which is defined by reversibility and disposition. The conclusion sums up the main argument and briefly points to the social and political repercussions of this mode of governing the future by prolonging the present.
Working at the Seams of Colonial Structures: Alternative Sociotechnical Infrastructures Revealed by Hurricane Maria
Authors: Vasquez Fatima K. Espinoza
Published: November 2021

This study explains why and how Puerto Rican activists responded effectively to the crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017. By relying on a structural approach, this study analyzes the local institutional environment. Using the seamful work framework, it examines activists’ practice to reveal activists’ relation with their official state infrastructure and their interactions with said infrastructure before and after Maria. Using semi-structured interviews, observations, and publicly available documents, this study shows that activists navigate the state’s unequal infrastructure by building their infrastructures, called alternative sociotechnical infrastructures, which consist of a set of heterogeneous assortments of actors, organizations, and technologies to address state-driven inequality and natural disasters. Activists do not work to restore existing state infrastructures, instead, they deploy their expertise in their communities to address many of the challenges brought on by disasters. This study emphasizes a bottom-up approach, highlighting local actors’ agency by focusing on the convergence of their knowledge, organizations, and Information and Communication Technologies. Moreover, this research proposes that state-community disconnect is rooted in neoliberal and colonial measures and cautions against considering disasters as opportunities to start anew. Finally, this research proposes new possibilities to plan bottom-up relief efforts that acknowledge the role of civil society and activists.
(in)Fidelity: The Narrative Rationality of Tiger Woods
Authors: Franken Noah
Published: November 2021

In this article, the narrative paradigm is applied to the documented life of Tiger Woods, viewing his story as sports folklore and public moral argument, asking, what patterns exist in his narrative? What values? And how can the narrative of Tiger Woods be described in terms of narrative rationality? Looked at as a mythic hero, Tiger feathers the line between fantasy and reality and has gone through the requisite rituals of violation and reconstruction. Accordingly, the duplicity in his character revealed through scandal, and the fallibility of his superhuman image exposed through injury give him something to overcome. As long as he redeems himself each time he falls the conditions of the mythic hero are kept intact. However, implicit in his story is the notion that ends can justify means as he has overcome scandal, criticism of his training methods, and criticism of his character throughout his career.
Gendered infrastructure and liminal space in Delhi’s unauthorized colonies
Authors: Truelove Yaffa
Published: November 2021

This paper takes an embodied approach to the lived experiences and everyday politics of liminal neighborhoods and infrastructures in Delhi’s unauthorized colonies, which lack official entitlements to networked infrastructures such as water and sewerage. Bringing a feminist political ecology lens to critical infrastructure studies, I show how gendered social relations, subjectivities, and the unequal experience of urban liminality are tied to accessing water and its fragmented infrastructures beyond the network. In particular, liminal infrastructural space is produced in unauthorized colonies through not only these neighborhoods’ quasi-legal status and unequal access to urban water, but also through gendered discourses and the socially differentiated ways water infrastructures are co-produced, managed, and made livable by residents. As water is primarily accessed beyond the network via tubewells and tankers, I demonstrate how these fractured modalities ultimately constitute gendered infrastructural assemblages that enable water’s circulation across neighborhoods but also serve to deepen forms of gendered marginality and differentiation. Here, gendered infrastructural practices and labor to negotiate and supplement fragmented components of water infrastructure shape subjectivities and possibilities for social relations and urban claims-making. These infrastructural assemblages expose both the situated experience of urban liminality, as well as its transcendent possibilities.
A scenic walk through Brenner’s New Urban Spaces in Toronto
Authors: Wu Cary , Ong Joanne
Published: November 2021

This article reviews Brenner’s most recent monograph, New Urban Spaces, in which he demonstrates his systematic and decades-long effort into developing new epistemological perspectives, conceptual proposals, and methodological strategies for urban investigation in our so-called global ‘urban age’. We use images taken in the city of Toronto to interpret and visually explain some of Brenner’s key concepts and arguments. In our critical assessment, we point out that Brenner’s abstract theorizing and overgeneralization may have provoked an ignorance of the local variations in effect globally and a failure to tease out specific testable hypotheses for urban investigation. To conclude, we introduce a newly developed scenic approach, one that extends Brenner’s view on the urban by stressing the importance of local variations and testable hypotheses.
The Other Pandemic: A Conceptual Framework and Future Research Directions of Junk Food Marketing to Children and Childhood Obesity
Authors: Ertz Myriam , Le Bouhart Guillaume
Published: November 2021

During the last two decades, childhood obesity has become a global pandemic, creating harmful impacts on children, tutors, and society. If the obesity/overweight trend continues upwards, especially in developing countries, it may significantly alter millions of children's professional, social, and psychological well-being. Furthermore, it is conceivable that when obesity/overweight issues appear at a young age, they may persist during adulthood and disrupt individual development and community well-being. By targeting children at a very young age and with a broad array of strategies, junk food marketers have often been accused of inducing children to (over)consume junk food from an early age and throughout adolescence until adulthood. This paper reviews the literature about childhood obesity/overweight and junk food marketing strategies to develop a conceptual framework delineating the forces and counter-forces to the childhood obesity phenomenon and identify avenues for future research and managers.
The influence of excessive consumption of liquorice on phenprocoumon (Marcumar®): a case report
Authors: Roemer Hermann Casper , Kunz Luisa , Botzenhardt Suzan
Published: November 2021

Here, the case of a 92-year-old female patient, who was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and treated with phenprocoumon (Marcumar®), is reported. Pre-existing comorbidities were arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, mild senile dementia and renal insufficiency. Despite treatment with phenprocoumon (Marcumar®), the patient experienced an ischaemic stroke. Her measured international normalized ratio (INR)-values during the months before the stroke were within the therapeutic range of 2–3, then suddenly decreased to 1.25. A retrospective inquiry failed to identify any significant changes in behaviour or therapy adherence, other than the consumption of 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) of hard-boiled candy liquorice in the days leading up to the stroke. The sudden decrease in INR-values may be explained by the influence of liquorice and its compounds on the pharmacokinetics of phenprocoumon (Marcumar®). In this context, the most important factors are the susceptibility of vitamin K antagonists to nutrition or metabolic irregularities, the influence of liquorice on the function of isoenzymes of the cytochrome P450 family that may lead to reduced bioavailability of phenprocoumon, and the influence of liquorice on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha transactivation.
Association of methicillin resistance with mortality of hospital-acquired Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia
Authors: Aratani Tomonori , Tsukamoto Hitoshi , Higashi Takashi , Kodawara Takaaki , Yano Ryoichi , Hida Yukio , Iwasaki Hiromichi , Goto Nobuyuki
Published: November 2021

Objective

Methicillin-resistant (MR) Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) is associated with higher mortality rates than methicillin-susceptible (MS) SAB. This study assessed potential predictors of mortality and evaluated the association of methicillin resistance with mortality in patients with SAB.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study in patients with hospital-acquired SAB, from 2009 to 2018. Clinical features of patients with MR-SAB were compared with those of patients with MS-SAB and predictors of 30-day mortality were determined using Cox regression analysis.

Results

Among 162 patients, 56.8% had MR-SAB. Overall 30-day mortality was 19.1%; MR-SAB had higher mortality (25.0%) than MS-SAB (11.4%). Univariate analysis highlighted long-term hospitalization, prior antibiotics use, and delayed initiation of appropriate antibiotics as risk factors. Cox regression analysis showed that respiratory tract source, Pitt bacteremia score, Charlson comorbidity index, and appropriate antibiotic therapy within 24 hours were independently and significantly associated with 30-day mortality outcome.

Conclusions

Methicillin resistance was not an independent risk factor for mortality in patients with SAB. Early, appropriate antibiotic treatment is an important prognostic factor.
Arbitrage spaces in the offshore world: Layering, ‘fuses’ and partitioning of the legal structure of modern firms
Authors: Palan Ronen , Petersen Hannah , Phillips Richard
Published: November 2021

In this article, we discuss the way offshore financial centres are used by the multi-subsidiary, multi-jurisdictional group structure known as the ‘multinational enterprise’ to arbitrage between social geographies of political jurisdictions. We define arbitrage as the use of corporate legal entities located in diverse jurisdictions to arbitrate a third country's rules and regulations. Using a new method to categorize firm-level data from Van Dijk’s Orbis, we operationalize the notion of arbitrage to systematically detail and compare the structural sequencing choices firms are making, likely in part for reasons of arbitrage. We base our techniques on legal theory of the firm, acknowledging the underpinning of social technologies of law and accounting by which business enterprises are constructed and maintained. We conclude that two specific types of entities, ‘standalones’ versus ‘in-betweeners’, are qualitatively different from others in the activities they perform. We also highlight the existence of liability structures, or ‘fuses’, which typically take the form of a split ownership arrangement. Ultimately, we demonstrate that the position of a firm’s subsidiary within the overall network ecology of that firm is as important as its jurisdictional registration location.
The accountancy of marketisation: Fictional markets in housing land supply
Authors: Bradley Quintin
Published: November 2021

This article investigates the performative role of accountancy in embedding market mechanisms in public services. Drawing on the work of Karl Polanyi, it argues that marketisation can be understood as a work of calculative modelling in which the fiction of a self-regulating market is propagated through the concealment of the social and political practices on which it depends. Exploring this thesis in the marketisation of housing land supply, the article provides a forensic study of an accountancy procedure called the Housing Delivery Test that modelled an ideal housing market in the English land-use planning system. The study points to the importance of Polanyi's analysis in theorising the performativity of calculative practices in the project of marketisation, not as creating the economy they describe but in fashioning a fictional market.
Return to Sport in Athletes With Borderline Hip Dysplasia After Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome
Authors: Alter Thomas D. , Knapik Derrick M. , Chapman Reagan S. , Clapp Ian M. , Trasolini Nicholas A. , Chahla Jorge , Nho Shane J.
Published: November 2021

Background:

Data on outcomes in patients with borderline hip dysplasia (BHD) who undergo hip arthroscopy remain limited, particularly in regard to return to sport (RTS).

Purpose:

To evaluate outcomes in patients with BHD and their ability to RTS after hip arthroscopy for treatment of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS).

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Consecutive patients with self-reported athletic activity and radiographic evidence of BHD, characterized by a lateral femoral center-edge angle (LCEA) between 18° and 25° and a Tönnis angle >10°, who underwent hip arthroscopy for FAIS between November 2014 and March 2017 were identified. Patient characteristics and clinical outcomes including the Hip Outcome Score–Activities of Daily Living (HOS-ADL), Hip Outcome Score–Sports Subscale (HOS-SS), modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), international Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT-12), and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and satisfaction were analyzed at minimum 2-year follow-up. In addition, all patients completed an RTS survey.

Results:

A total of 41 patients with a mean age and body mass index (BMI) of 29.6 ± 13.4 years and 25.3 ± 5.6, respectively, were included. Mean LCEA and Tönnis angle for the study population were 22.7°± 1.8° and 13.3°± 2.9°, respectively. A total of 31 (75.6%) patients were able to RTS after hip arthroscopy at a mean of 8.3 ± 3.2 months. A total of 14 patients (45.2%) were able to RTS at the same level of activity, 16 patients (51.6%) returned to a lower level of activity, and only 1 (3.2%) patient returned to a higher level of activity. Of the 11 high school and collegiate athletes, 10 (90.9%) were able to RTS. All patients demonstrated significant improvements in all patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) as well as in pain scores at a mean of 26.1 ± 5.4 months after surgery. Patients who were able to RTS had a lower preoperative BMI than patients who did not RTS. Analysis of minimum 2-year PROMs demonstrated better HOS-ADL, HOS-SS, mHHS, iHOT-12, and VAS outcomes for pain in patients able to RTS versus those who did not RTS ( P < .05).

Conclusion:

Of the patients with BHD studied here, 75.6% of patients successfully returned to sport at a mean of 8.3 ± 3.2 months after hip arthroscopy for FAIS. Of the patients who successfully returned to sport, 45.2% returned at the same level, and 3.2% returned at a higher activity level.
Nonarthritic Hip Pathology Patterns According to Sex, Femoroacetabular Impingement Morphology, and Generalized Ligamentous Laxity
Authors: Ortiz-Declet Victor , Maldonado David R. , Annin Shawn , Yuen Leslie C. , Kyin Cynthia , Kopscik Michael R. , Lall Ajay C. , Domb Benjamin G.
Published: November 2021

Background:

Sex differences are frequently encountered when diagnosing orthopaedic problems. Current literature suggests specific sex differences, such as a higher prevalence of cam-type femoroacetabular impingement syndrome in male patients and features of hip instability in female patients.

Purpose:

To identify hip pathology patterns according to sex, alpha angle deformity, and generalized ligamentous laxity (GLL) in a nonarthritic patient population that underwent primary hip arthroscopy in the setting of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome and labral tears.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Patients who underwent primary hip arthroscopy between February 2008 and February 2017 were included and separated into male and female groups for initial analysis. Patients were excluded if they had Tönnis osteoarthritis grade >1, previous ipsilateral hip surgery, or previous hip conditions. The demographics, radiographic findings, intraoperative findings, and surgical procedures were then analyzed and compared. Subanalyses were performed for both groups. A threshold of 1 SD above the mean alpha angle in the male group was used to create 2 subgroups. For female patients, GLL based on a Beighton score ≥4 was used to divide the group. Intraoperative findings were compared for both subanalyses.

Results:

A total of 2701 hips met all inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of those, 994 hips were in the male group and 1707 in the female group. The mean ± SD age was 36.6 ± 13.8 and 37.1 ± 15.0 years for the male and female groups, respectively( P = .6288). The average body mass index was significantly higher in the male group ( P < .0001). GLL was more common in women (38.6%) than men (13.6%) ( P < .001). The male group had a higher proportion of acetabular Outerbridge grade 3 (21.8%) and 4 (19.2%) lesions when compared with the female group (9.3% and 6.3%, respectively) ( P < .0001). Men in the subgroup with an alpha angle ≥78° reported higher rates of acetabular Outerbridge grade 4 damage than men with an alpha angle <78° ( P < .001). Mean lateral center-edge angle was lower in the female subgroup with Beighton score ≥4 vs <4 (23.7°± 4.2° vs 31.3°± 5.8°; P < .0001).

Conclusion:

In this analysis of a large cohort of patients who underwent hip arthroscopy, 2 patterns of hip pathologies were related to sex. On average, male patients had larger alpha angles and increased acetabular chondral damage when compared with their female counterparts. Furthermore, a larger cam-type anatomy was associated with more severe acetabular chondral damage in men. In the female group, the incidence of features of hip instability such as GLL were significantly higher than in the male group.
On the Need for an Association for Vaccinated Person’s Rights
Authors: Terry Paul E.
Published: November 2021

COVID-19 has been more difficult to contain in the United States than in other countries due, in part, to our nation’s rootedness in preserving individual freedoms, sometimes in defiance of the need for social accountability for health. With growing evidence that anti-vaccination proponents are increasingly organized, funded, and influential, this editorial argues that the right to health should transcend individual freedoms that have a likely probability of spreading harm to others. An association for vaccinated person’s rights, much like ANSR, an association for non-smokers rights, may be needed to counter anti-vaccination rights organizers. Advancing a goal of mostly “vaccinated and fully immunized populations’ would make members of such a group ‘VIP-ers.’”