bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pre-performance routines for music students: An experimental pilot study
Authors: Tief Veronika J , Gröpel Peter
Published: September 2020

Studies in sport psychology show that using a pre-performance routine (PPR), a set of cognitive and behavioral elements, prior to performing, optimizes sport performance under pressure. We attempt to extend this effect to music performance, employing individually developed PPRs based on the centering technique. The hypothesis is that musicians with a PPR perform better and experience higher self-efficacy under pressure than participants with a control, goal-setting intervention. Thirty violin performance students performed an audition excerpt in a low-pressure pretest and a high-pressure posttest. Pressure was induced by the presence of an audience and a jury. Half of the students practiced their individualized PPRs during a 5-week period between performances, whereas the other half applied a goal-setting intervention to their practice. Participants’ music performance was measured by five expert jurors and self-evaluations. The results showed that both intervention techniques were perceived as equally helpful by the participants, but this did not translate into jurors’ performance evaluations. There were no significant differences between the PPR and goal-setting groups in music performance, but the PPR group had higher self-efficacy in the posttest than the goal-setting group. Future studies should include a third group without any intervention.
The lumpen in Marx’s works and its relevance for contemporary political struggle
Authors: Villanova Michael
Published: September 2020

The role of class struggle in historical materialism and Marx’s works is central in explaining political, social, and historical phenomena. While the two main classes, the proletariat and bourgeoisie, drive the progress of capitalist society, Marx also includes references to other classes such as the lumpen that are historically relevant in class struggle. This article puts forward that Marx’s understanding of the lumpen continually changes throughout his works and is integral, not just peripheral, to class struggle. By examining the chronology of Marx’s definition of the lumpen, I argue that Marx’s later works break from his earlier indictments of the lumpen as counterrevolutionary when he concludes in Capital that the lumpen are an exploited class due to their relation to productive labor in capitalism. This approach to understanding the lumpen in Marx’s works leads me to argue that the lumpen can be a possible revolutionary force in revolutionary class struggle. Connecting Marx’s works to contemporary times, I show that traditional lumpen ways of production and life are becoming more ubiquitous, due to recent political and economic trends, and therefore more important to incorporate into political movements. I will contend that current political discourse has worked to discount the political actions of the lumpen in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, while at the same time the lumpen class has considerably grown in such countries. I conclude that the political left must incorporate an understanding of the lumpen into its struggles if it is to seriously create a radical class–based politics in the near future.
Childhood Sexual Abuse and Coping as Young Adults: The Roles of Attachment and Mattering
Authors: Love Sarah , Robinson Kurpius Sharon E.
Published: September 2020

This study examined whether a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), attachment to mother, father, and friends, and mattering were related to the coping behaviors of 171 male and 85 female, ethnically diverse, low-income, young adults. The 74 survivors of CSA reported lower attachment to father and less mattering to parents than did the 97 who reported no abuse. Compared to male survivors, female survivors reported greater use of problem-focused coping and also perceived their abuse experience, particularly the use of force, as having a more negative impact on them. Stronger attachment to mother and to friends predicted more positive problem-focused coping. Mattering to friends moderated the relation between CSA history and problem-focused coping, with the CSA survivors who reported the highest mattering to friends also using the most problem-focused coping strategies. The role of attachment and mattering in problem-focused coping among young adults, especially those with a CSA history, is discussed.
Strange Bedfellows: A Hyper-pragmatic Alliance between European Liberals and an Illiberal Czech Technocrat
Authors: Hloušek Vít , Kopeček Lubomír
Published: September 2020

The article deals with the membership of the most important Czech political party, ANO (meaning “yes” in Czech), led by Andrej Babiš, in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). Our goals are to reconstruct how Babiš’s party joined ALDE and to discuss the ideological differences between ANO and ALDE. The paper shows that ALDE’s offer of membership in 2014 was motivated by a pragmatic need to bolster its own position in the European Parliament; ANO, meanwhile, needed to anchor itself in European politics. Andrej Babiš’s technocratic and illiberal view was not apparent at the beginning, but more importantly, this did not matter to ALDE. ALDE’s Czech “point of contact,” ANO’s foreign policy expert and the leader of its party group in the European Parliament, Pavel Telička, made ANO’s membership credible. However, as a Euro-optimist, Telička was not compatible with ANO’s flexible ideological character in the long term and the party group split up. A comparison of the parties’ European Parliament election manifestos and positions on crucial controversial European issues clearly reveals a deep division between ALDE and ANO—and their fundamentally opposed ideological positions. We describe the findings as a new hyper-pragmatic trend in the creation of Europarties, which weakens their ideological cohesion.
The Grabski Tax Reform and Jewish Merchants: State Building in Interwar Poland
Authors: Mazur Zachary
Published: September 2020

This article presents the financial overhaul and tax reform of the Polish Second Republic that occurred between 1924 and 1925 in order to show how the state expands, to what ends, and how society responds to this increase in state power. During this short period, we can observe the introduction of new policies and the strengthening of institutions. This reform program was based upon fundamental changes to the way that Poland taxed the economy, namely, relying much more on direct taxation that required interaction between citizens and their state. The state gathered information on business activity and demanded citizens surrender their income to the treasury. As the narrative below will display, taxing the society necessitated state building in the institutional sense, and the execution of these policies led to an expansion of state power in the minds of citizens as they were compelled to comply without a direct threat of coercion. But this was not without consequence. Citizens, especially Jewish merchants, reacted negatively to what was perceived as an unfair process of tax assessment and an outsized tax burden. Precisely at these moments of conflict between state and society, the state emerges and becomes legible. Building on earlier scholarship examining the ways in which states make their territory and citizens legible, this article also shows how the state becomes legible to its citizens.
Whole-Life Career Self-Management: A Conceptual Framework
Authors: Hirschi Andreas , Zacher Hannes , Shockley Kristen M.
Published: September 2020

Contemporary careers require flexible career self-management across the life span that takes work and nonwork roles into account. However, existing models of career self-management do not focus on how work and nonwork life domains interact in this process and work–life research largely neglected a careers perspective. To address this issue, we present a new theoretical framework of career self-management that considers the intersection of work and nonwork roles. Our model integrates insights from career self-management, action regulation, and the work–nonwork interface to propose how goals, action plans, and behaviors across work and nonwork roles are dynamically linked and how these processes lead to career satisfaction, work–life balance, and psychological well-being, affected by contextual and personal role expectations and resources and barriers. Our framework has implications for the theoretical understanding of career self-management, the work–life interface, a whole-life perspective on career development, and contextual factors in career development across the life span.
Change in Social Engagement among Incident Caregivers and Controls: Findings from the Caregiving Transitions Study
Authors: Liu Chelsea , Fabius Chanee D. , Howard Virginia J. , Haley William E. , Roth David L.
Published: September 2020

Objectives:We aimed to compare incident family caregivers and matched controls on change in social network variables and satisfaction with social activities. Methods: A total of 479 participants from the Caregiving Transitions Study were included in the analysis, 244 (50.9%) of whom began substantial and sustained caregiving between baseline and follow-up interviews. We assessed associations between incident caregiving and change in social network size, change in monthly social contact, and satisfaction with social activities. Results: Incident caregivers reported lower satisfaction with social activities and greater decline in social network size than controls. Among only the caregivers, dementia caregivers reported greater decline in social network size while caregivers who were spouses, experienced higher strain, and provided more hours of care reported lower satisfaction with social activities. Discussion: Social engagement declined more among incident caregivers than controls. Future studies should aim to understand why subgroups of caregivers reported lower social engagement.
Sparse identification of nonlinear unsteady aerodynamics of the oscillating airfoil
Authors: Sun Chong , Tian Tian , Zhu Xiaocheng , Du Zhaohui
Published: September 2020

Reduced-order models are widely used in aerospace engineering. A model for unsteady aerodynamics is desirable for designing the blades of wind turbines. Recently, sparse identification of nonlinear dynamics with control was introduced to identify the parameters of an input-output dynamical system. In this paper, two models for attached flows and one for separated flows are identified through this technique. For the unsteady lift of the attached flow, Model I is a linear model that presents the dynamic change of an unsteady lift to a static lift. Model II was built based on Model I in order to obtain a more general system with closed-loop control. It has a first-order inert element that delays the overall input of the static lift. The Model II results replicate the training data very well and give an accurate prediction of other oscillating cases with different oscillation amplitudes, reduced frequency or mean angle of attack. For the unsteady lift of the separated flow, Model III is identified as a nonlinear model, which also has a first-order inert element. This model captures the nonlinear aerodynamics of the separated flow and replicates the training cases well. In addition, the prediction of Model III has good agreement with the numerical results.
Informed consent to clinical research in India: A private law remedy
Authors: Bhakuni Himani
Published: September 2020

There is a well-established common law doctrine for ascertaining information disclosure in informed consent claims within the treatment context that governs the doctor–patient relationship. But there is no such doctrine in clinical research governing the researcher–participant relationship in India. India, however, is not exceptional in this regard. Common law countries like the United States and Canada at most have sparse, non-systematised, criteria for such cases; arguably, a doctrine for research is at its nascent stage. But the adequacy of the existing criteria for settling informed consent claims in research has hardly ever been discussed. Furthermore, a specific discussion on the applicability of this ‘nascent doctrine’ to India is non-existent. This article discusses both. The article examines case law from India and other common law jurisdictions that hint at developments in this area. It suggests that Indian courts need to move abreast with other jurisdictions to better protect India’s patients and research participants.
Bio-inspired semi-flexible joint based on fibre-reinforced composites with shape memory alloys
Authors: Lohse Felix , Wende Carmen , Klass Klaus-Dieter , Hickmann Rico , Häntzsche Eric , Bollengier Quentin , Ashir Moniruddoza , Pöschel Rico , Bolk Nils , Trümper Wolfgang , Cherif Chokri
Published: September 2020

Shape memory alloys (SMA) are a promising material class for active lightweight structure applications with movement functionality. Due to their high activation energy potential and good processability in wire shape, they are well suited for application in actively deformable, fibre-reinforced composite structures. In order to generate large deflections from the limited deformation potential of SMA, detailed analysis of the deformation mechanisms is required. In this work, a bionic approach is pursued, investigating the characteristics of locomotion systems of insects. A simplified joint concept is derived from the cockroach knee and implemented using flat knitting technology. A composite joint is manufactured with a resin infusion process and experimentally verified in regards to its motion behaviour. The presented results show good deformation behaviour with large deformation angles up to 60°, suggesting large potential for further development of the presented approach.
Zoombombing Your Toddler: User Experience and the Communication of Zoom’s Privacy Crisis
Authors: Young Sarah
Published: September 2020

In spring 2020, not only did the teleconferencing platform Zoom experience an onslaught of new users who were now social distancing due to the COVID-19 crisis, but it also faced its own crisis due to the privacy of its product. For those working in technical and professional communication, the Zoom example illustrates not only a way to communicate in an emergency but also a way that privacy can cause a crisis in the first place. Drawing from literature on crisis communication and the experiences users described in the Zoom CEO’s blog post, the author concludes that while Zoom did indeed have technical issues that contributed to its privacy crisis, users also experienced its technology in unexpected ways, and the company underestimated the privacy expectations of its new users. Zoom’s privacy crisis ultimately provides a useful discussion of why it is increasingly important for companies to incorporate privacy by design and to be frank about their privacy practices with a public who has a growing interest in, and dissatisfaction with, corporate privacy practices.
Honoring the Treaty: School Leaders’ Embrace of Indigenous Concepts to Practice Culturally Sustaining Leadership in Aotearoa**Aotearoa is the Indigenous name for New Zealand.
Authors: Shiller Jessica T.
Published: September 2020

As a field, school leadership has maintained a colorblind stance, marginalizing practitioners’ awareness of culturally sustaining practice, and erasing the experiences of Indigenous and other minoritized groups of students, teachers, and families. Looking to research and practice that attempts to embrace racial and cultural difference in order to make schools more culturally sustaining places to be is imperative in order for the field to respond to the growing diversity in schools. This article specifically explores culturally sustaining and Indigenous school leadership practices. Using data collected from interviews with ten school leaders in Aotearoa (New Zealand) as well as school documents, this article presents new insights into the implementation of culturally sustaining school leadership, which has implications for theory and practice in the field of educational leadership, which has been too long dominated by white ways of knowing.
Value-independent Third-party Orchestrators as Catalysts of Business Collaboration
Authors: Pinnington Bruce , Lyons Andrew , Meehan Joanne
Published: September 2020

Collaboration is recognized by policy-makers as a key element in innovation-led economic growth. Collaborative relationships form organically, but also can be actively facilitated. Studies of business collaboration facilitation typically concentrate on value-appropriating commercial organizations, acting as hub orchestrators or knowledge-brokers. Little attention has been paid to potentially more trustable and effective value-independent facilitators. The attributes and activities of these organizations were empirically investigated using grounded theory and situational analysis. Value-independent, third-party orchestrators (i3POs) are demarcated from related concepts, and are found to vary considerably in capability and motivation as collaboration orchestrators. A reappraisal of these organizations’ drivers, from the perspective of collective action theory, suggests how more i3POs may be encouraged to follow the practices of leading examples, with positive economic outcomes. Membership-based i3POs, such as trade associations, have longer term potential as collaboration orchestrators than transient business-growth programs but are under-exploited in this regard.
Effectiveness of a Calculation-Free Weight-Based Unfractionated Heparin Nomogram With Anti-Xa Level Monitoring Compared With Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time
Authors: Kindelin Nicole M. , Anthes Ananth M. , Providence Sarah M. , Zhao Xinhua , Aspinall Sherrie L.
Published: September 2020

Background

Accurate monitoring of intravenous unfractionated heparin (UFH) is essential to mitigate the risk of adverse drug events associated with dosing errors. Although recent data support anti-factor Xa (anti-Xa) monitoring preferentially over activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) to improve time to therapeutic anticoagulation, the utility of incorporating anti-Xa monitoring with a calculation-free weight-based UFH nomogram has not been formally evaluated.

Objective

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the time to therapeutic anticoagulation of a calculation-free weight-based UFH nomogram integrated with anti-Xa monitoring versus a historical control of aPTT monitoring utilizing manual dose calculations.

Methods

This was a retrospective analysis of patients with anti-Xa monitoring and a novel calculation-free weight-based UFH nomogram compared with a historical control with aPTT monitoring and manual calculations.

Results

A total of 103 patients in the aPTT cohort and 100 patients in the anti-Xa cohort were analyzed. The anti-Xa cohort achieved goal therapeutic target 3.8 hours sooner than the aPTT cohort ( P = 0.03). Patients with anti-Xa monitoring required 1 fewer adjustment per 2.5 patient-days of UFH with the venous thromboembolism nomogram ( P = 0.02). Patients in the aPTT cohort required more infusion interruptions because of supratherapeutic values ( P = 0.007) and boluses because of subtherapeutic values ( P = 0.044). There were no differences in rates of thromboembolism, major bleeding, or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding between the cohorts.

Conclusion and Relevance

This study demonstrated that anti-Xa UFH monitoring integrated with a calculation-free nomogram results in faster time to therapeutic anticoagulation and fewer dose adjustments compared with aPTT monitoring with manual calculations.
Quality Function Deployment and Analytic Hierarchy Process: A literature review of their joint application
Authors: de Oliveira Leonardo Medeiros Vaz , Santos Hugo Ferreira dos , de Almeida Mariana Rodrigues , Costa José Alfredo Ferreira
Published: September 2020

The aim of this paper is to review the literature on the combined use of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodologies and to apply a comprehensive analysis over the resulting publications. The paper seeks to classify the articles with regard to their variations and extensions, and application areas. The articles are mostly applied in manufacturing, supply chain, higher education, strategy, service and sustainability. This review is characterized by a quantitative and qualitative approach of a non-probabilistic intentional sample composed of 100 academic papers – 98 articles and 2 reviews. For this purpose, the Scopus database was selected as a means to undertake a systematic investigation with a longitudinal cut from 1994 to 2015. The aim of this paper also contributes toward complementing Ho and Mehrjerdi revisions on deepening the QFD-AHP joint application. The limitation is related to the sample of works focus of this review, restricted to the Scopus database, thereby not characterizing the literature universe. A proposal for further investigations is to expand the search scope to other databases and to carry out a deeper analysis on each application area presented.
Understanding Why Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Physician Assistant (PA) Productivity Varies Across Community Health Centers (CHCs): A Comparative Qualitative Analysis
Authors: Pittman Patricia , Park Jeongyoun , Bass Emily , Luo Qian “Eric”
Published: September 2020

This study asks how much and why the productivity of advanced practice clinicians (APCs; nurse practitioners and physician assistants) varies across community health centers (CHCs), as measured in their marginal contribution to overall patient visits. We found APCs in the 90th percentile CHCs provide about 1,840 adjusted-visits per year, whereas APCs in the 10th percentile CHCs provide about 978 adjusted-visits per year. We interviewed leadership at 14 high APC and 16 low APC productivity CHCs to elicit organizational conditions that could explain the difference. Using content analysis and then qualitative comparative analysis, we found several important conditions were more common among high productivity CHCs, including scheduling APCs and physicians for the same number of visits, parity in terms of any financial incentives, and formal education programs for new APCs during onboarding/transition to practice.
Autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa with toxic gain of function: Mechanisms and therapeutics
Authors: Narasimhan Ishwarya , Murali Aishwarya , Subramanian Krishnakumar , Ramalingam Sivaprakash , Parameswaran Sowmya
Published: September 2020

Autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa is a form of retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited retinal degenerative disorder characterized by progressive loss of photoreceptors eventually leading to irreversible loss of vision. Mutations in genes involved in the basic functions of the visual system give rise to this condition. These mutations can either lead to loss of function or toxic gain of function phenotypes. While autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa caused by loss of function can be ideally treated by gene supplementation with a single vector to address a different spectrum of mutations in a gene, the same strategy cannot be applied to toxic gain of function phenotypes. In toxic gain of function phenotypes, the mutation in the gene results in the acquisition of a new function that can interrupt the functioning of the wildtype protein by various mechanisms leading to cell toxicity, thus making a single approach impractical. This review focuses on the genes and mechanisms that cause toxic gain of function phenotypes associated with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa and provide a bird’s eye view on current therapeutic strategies and ongoing clinical trials.
Management of an ophthalmology department during COVID-19 pandemic in Milan, Italy
Authors: Legrottaglie Emanuela Filomena , Balia Laura , Camesasca Fabrizio Ivo , Vallejo-Garcia Jose Luis , Fossati Giovanni , Vinciguerra Riccardo , Rosetta Pietro , Vinciguerra Paolo
Published: September 2020

Purpose:

Spreading from China, COVID-19 pandemic reached Italy, the first massively involved western nation. At the beginning of March, 2020 in Northern Italy a complete lockdown of activities was imposed. Access to all healthcare providers, was halted for patients with elective problems. We present the management experience of the Humanitas Clinical and Research Center Ophthalmology Department in Rozzano, Milan, Italy, during the lockdown.

Methods:

Containment measures were taken to reduce viral transmission and identify infected patients. All planned visits were canceled but for those not deferrable. Social distancing was introduced reducing number of visits per hour. Minor surgery for progressive pathologies was continued. As the lockdown prolonged, we reorganized patient care. All canceled cases were evaluated by electronic medical records analysis and telephonic triage, to identify, recall, and visit patients at risk of vision loss.

Results:

From March 9, to April 30, 2020 we performed a total of 930 visits and 612 exams. Some visits ( n = 698) and exams ( n = 160) were deemed as necessary for continuity of care and performed as planned. Among the remaining 1283 canceled appointments, after evaluation 144 visits and 32 instrumental exams were classified as urgent and rapidly rescheduled. Performed surgical activities were limited to corneal collagen cross linking ( n = 39) and intravitreal injections ( n = 91), compared to 34 and 94, respectively, in the same period of 2019.

Conclusion:

In-office activities deemed not deferrable were performed safely. The recall service was highly appreciated by all patients. No patient or staff member reported symptoms of COVID-19.
The impact of L2 writing instructional approaches on student writing motivation and engagement
Authors: Yu Shulin , Jiang Lianjiang , Zhou Nan
Published: September 2020

While previous research has investigated the effectiveness of various second language (L2) writing instructional approaches upon students’ writing performance, whether and how the instructional approaches relate to students’ writing motivation and engagement remains largely unexplored. This study used the adapted Motivation and Engagement Scale for University/College students and investigated how the three L2 writing instructional approaches (i.e. product-, process-, and genre-oriented) were associated with L2 students’ writing motivation and engagement. A sample of 1,190 students from 35 universities in China participated in the study. Results show that the product-oriented approach induced both adaptive and maladaptive motivation and engagement whereas the process-oriented approach led to student engagement in writing with limited impact on motivation. The genre-oriented approach emerged as the one that best promoted students’ adaptive motivation and engagement in L2 writing. The findings shed light on the motivational potentials of various L2 writing pedagogies and provided insights for how students’ writing motivation and engagement can be promoted with relevant L2 writing instructional approaches.
Language mindsets, perceived instrumentality, engagement and graded performance in English as a foreign language students
Authors: Eren Altay , Rakıcıoğlu-Söylemez Anıl
Published: September 2020

This study aimed to examine the relationships between English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ language mindsets (i.e. entity and incremental beliefs about general language intelligence, second language aptitude, and age sensitivity in language learning) and graded performance by considering the mediating roles of their perceived instrumentality as well as four aspects of engagement (i.e. agentic engagement, behavioral engagement, emotional engagement, and cognitive engagement) within English classes. A total of 526 EFL students voluntarily participated in the present study. A latent factor correlation analysis, a series of multiple regression analyses, and a structural equation modeling analysis were conducted to analyse the data. The results showed that EFL students’ language mindsets, four aspects of engagement, perceived instrumentality, and graded performance were significantly and selectively related to each other. The results also demonstrated that the relationship between incremental beliefs about second language aptitude and graded performance was fully mediated by perceived instrumentality, that the relationship between incremental beliefs about general language intelligence and graded performance was fully mediated by agentic engagement, and that the relationship between perceived instrumentality and graded performance was partially mediated by agentic engagement. Theoretical and practical implications for EFL learning, teaching, and educational policymaking processes are also discussed in the study.
Managing drugs in the prisoner society: heroin and social order in Kyrgyzstan’s prisons
Authors: Slade Gavin , Azbel Lyuba
Published: September 2020

Through the case study of Kyrgyzstan this paper argues that a rapidly increasing availability of drugs in prison is not necessarily deleterious to solidarity and inmate codes. Instead, the fragmentary effect of drugs depends on the forms of prisoner control over drug sale and use. In Kyrgyzstan, prisoners co-opted heroin and reorganized its distribution and consumption through non-market mechanisms. State provision of opioid maintenance therapy incentivized powerful prisoners to move to distributing heroin through a mutual aid fund and according to need. Collectivist prison accommodation, high levels of prisoner mobility and monitoring within and across prisons enabled prisoners to enforce informal bans on drug dealing and on gang formation outside of traditional hierarchies. We argue that in these conditions prisoners organized as consumption-oriented budgetary units rather than profit-driven gangs.
Image Fusion During Standard and Complex Endovascular Aortic Repair, to Fuse or Not to Fuse? A Meta-analysis and Additional Data From a Single-Center Retrospective Cohort
Authors: Doelare Sabrina A. N. , Smorenburg Stefan P. M. , van Schaik Theodorus G. , Blankensteijn Jan D. , Wisselink Willem , Nederhoed Johanna H. , Lely Rutger J. , Hoksbergen Arjan W. J. , Yeung Kak Khee
Published: September 2020

Purpose:

To determine if image fusion will reduce contrast volume, radiation dose, and fluoroscopy and procedure times in standard and complex (fenestrated/branched) endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR).

Materials and Methods:

A search of the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases was performed in December 2019 to identify articles describing results of standard and complex EVAR procedures using image fusion compared with a control group. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment of the methodological quality of the included publications were performed by 2 reviewers working independently. Primary outcomes of the pooled analysis were contrast volume, fluoroscopy time, radiation dose, and procedure time. Eleven articles were identified comprising 1547 patients. Data on 140 patients satisfying the study inclusion criteria were added from the authors’ center. Mean differences (MDs) are presented with the 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results:

For standard EVAR, contrast volume and procedure time showed a significant reduction with an MD of −29 mL (95% CI −40.5 to −18.5, p<0.001) and −11 minutes (95% CI −21.0 to −1.8, p<0.01), respectively. For complex EVAR, significant reductions in favor of image fusion were found for contrast volume (MD −79 mL, 95% CI −105.7 to −52.4, p<0.001), fluoroscopy time (MD −14 minutes, 95% CI −24.2 to −3.5, p<0.001), and procedure time (MD −52 minutes, 95% CI −75.7 to −27.9, p<0.001).

Conclusion:

The results of this meta-analysis confirm that image fusion significantly reduces contrast volume, fluoroscopy time, and procedure time in complex EVAR but only contrast volume and procedure time for standard EVAR. Though a reduction was suggested, the radiation dose was not significantly affected by the use of fusion imaging in either standard or complex EVAR.
Development of functional knitted fabrics using yarn composed of polypyrrole coated cotton fibers
Authors: Arumugam Veerakumar , Lunchev Andrey , Wu Yingsi , Tok Alfred Iing Yoong , Lipik Vitali
Published: September 2020

This study aimed at developing a knitted fabric using conductive staple spun yarn composed of polypyrrole coated cotton fibers and characterizing its thermal, optical and electrical properties, hydrophobic behavior as well as mechanical stiffness as a factor of weight percentage in fabrics. FTIR spectra, TGA and SEM verify that the polypyrrole ((PPy) has been successfully coated on cotton fibres before and after washing. The results showed that the fabrics containing polypyrrole had lower transmission and reflection percentage as compared with fabric without polypyrrole for wavelengths ranging from 200 to 20000 nm. At the investigated weight percentages, the thermal properties, hydrophobicity and electrical conductivity were found to be increased significantly with increasing amount of polypyrrole coated cotton fibers in the fabric. The thermal conductivity of fabrics with PPy coated fibers were found to be increased around 30-40%. The higher value of electrical conductivity (0.73 µS cm−1) was obtained in course direction and static water contact angle of 138° for fabric with higher polypyrrole content. The stiffness of the fabrics with PPy was found to increase about 10–20% in both wale wise and course wise directions with increase of polypyrrole coated cotton fibers in fabrics.
“Doing It” in the Kitchen: Rhetorical Field Methods, Arts/Practice-Based Research, and Queer Archives
Authors: Beck Sarah Lindsey
Published: September 2020

Everyday domestic spaces, such as kitchens, are often crucial to the understanding of practices and discourses of queer and other marginalized communities. However, due to the private nature of these spaces, they can be difficult for rhetorical critics and others to access. This article offers arts/practice-based research as an intervention into rhetorical field methods (RFM) as a means of accessing and engaging with private, often inaccessible places, such as kitchens. In addition, arts/practice-based methods can expand the notion of “doing” rhetoric and co-creation with participants, which result in the creation of subject formations and alternative, collaborative, and affective archives. Such building of collective queer archives is essential, I argue, in that it helps to not only document the “stuff” of queer lives but also capture fleeting and affective moments of queer collisions and becomings. In addition, arts/practice-based research methods can aid researchers to generate knowledge and archives related to underrepresented aspects of queer lives. To engage with queer domestic spaces and the intersection of RFM and arts/practice-based research, I reflect on Autostraddle.com’s “Queer in the Kitchen” gallery, my participation in the creation of this text, and the development of my own gallery Queering the Kitchen.
A Reliable Tool for Assessing MCI and Dementia: Validation Study of DemTect for Turkish Population
Authors: Aycicek Gozde Sengul , Çalıskan Hatice , Ozsurekci Cemile , Unsal Pelin , Kessler Josef , Kalbe E. , Esme Mert , Dogrul Rana Tuna , Balcı Cafer , Seven Umran , Karabulut Erdem , Halil Meltem , Cankurtaran Mustafa , Yavuz Burcu Balam
Published: September 2020

Background and Aim:

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia prevalence are expected to increase with aging. The DemTect is a very quick and easy tool to administer and recognize the early stages of dementia and MCI. In this study we aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of a Turkish version of the DemTect and define cut off values for different age and educational levels. One of our aims is also to compare the sensitivity and specifity of the DemTect to other common screening tools.

Patients and Methods:

Fifty-four patients with MCI, 55 patients with dementia and 91 patients with subjective memory complaints (SMC) were enrolled in the study. The DemTect was translated into Turkish by forward-backward translation and compared with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment Turkish version (QMCI-TR) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). In order to test interrater reliability, the DemTect was administered to 11 patients, on the same day, by 2 trained raters. To establish test–retest reliability, the same rater scored the tool a second time on 11 patients within 2 weeks.

Results:

The median age of the patients was 73 (min-max: 65–90) years, 54.5% were female. We found a strong correlation between DemTect scores and the MMSE, the QMCI, and the MoCA (r = 0.725, r = 0.816, r = 0.821, respectively; p < 0.001). In ROC analysis, the cut-off point of the DemTect to differentiate MCI from SMC was 11.5 with 92.6% sensitivity, 91.2% specificity, AUC 0.973 and the cut-off point of the DemTect to differentiate dementia from SMC was 9.5 with 96.4% sensitivity, 100% specificity, AUC 0.916. Cronbach α was 0.823. Intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.873 (95% CI: 0.598–0.964) for interrater reliability and 0.966 (95% 0.777–0.982) for test-retest reliability (Cronbach α = 0.932, 0.966 respectively).

Conclusion:

The DemTect is a very reliable tool to assess Turkish patients with MCI and dementia.
The Efficacy of the Transdermal Isosorbide Dinitrate Patch in Patients With Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia
Authors: Matsui Akihiro , Murakami Manabu , Hata Shinya , Terabe Yuta , Nakabayashi Keisuke , Kaneko Nobuhito , Tanaka Kazuhiko , Ando Hiroshi
Published: September 2020

Recently, the number of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), including those with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), has increased because of the increasing number of diabetic or dialysis patients worldwide. Revascularization is an important therapy for patients with CLTI. However, we sometimes experience refractory cases with insufficient peripheral circulation or microcirculation after revascularization. In this situation, additional therapy can be administered, such as low-density lipoprotein apheresis, high-pressure oxygen therapy, and spinal cord stimulation. However, they are not effective in some cases. Some reports have also indicated that transdermal isosorbide dinitrate patch (ISDN-P) is a useful therapy for PAD. As the efficacy of ISDN-P for patients with CLTI is not well-known, we examined it in this study. We assessed the skin perfusion pressure (SPP) after affixing an ISDN-P on the foot, because SPP measurement has proved useful in the assessment of PAD and is a good indicator of wound healing potential. The SPP (dorsal and plantar aspects) after ISDN-P application on the foot of healthy volunteers increased (n = 8; mean ± SD, 12.6 ± 7.9 [ P = .12], and 21.2 ± 7.7 mm Hg [ P < .05], respectively), as did SPP of patients with CLTI (n = 10; mean ± SD, 19.8 ± 2.5 [ P < .01], and 14.1 ± 5.9 mm Hg [ P < .05], respectively). All the patients who received an ISDN-P on the foot had no major complication, and no significant change in blood pressure. In conclusion, the ISDN-P is one of the effective and safe therapies for patients with CLTI.
Role of age and neuroinflammation in the mechanism of cognitive deficits in sickle cell disease
Authors: Hardy Raven A , Rached Noor Abi , Jones Jayre A , Archer David R , Hyacinth Hyacinth I
Published: September 2020

This study aims to determine whether sickle cell mice could recapitulate features of cognitive and neurobehavioral impairment observed in sickle cell patients and whether neuroinflammation could be a potential therapeutic target as in other non-sickle cell disease-related cognitive dysfunction. Cognitive (learning and memory) and behavioral (anxiety) deficits in 13- and later 6-month-old male Townes humanized sickle cell (SS) and matched control (AA) mice were evaluated using novel object recognition (NOR) and fear conditioning tests. Immunohistochemistry was performed to quantify peripheral immune cell (CD45+) and activated microglia (Iba1+) as markers of neuroinflammation in the dentate and peri-dentate gyrus areas. We evaluated cell fate by measuring 5'-bromodeoxyuridine and doublecortin fluorescence and phenotyped proliferating cells using either glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP+), neuronal nuclei (NeuN+), CD45+, and Iba1+. In addition, Golgi-Cox staining was used to assess markers of neuroplasticity (dendritic spine density and morphology and density of dendrite arbors) on cortical and hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Compared to matched AA controls, 13-month-old SS mice showed significant evidence of cognitive and behavioral deficit on NOR and fear conditioning tests. Also, SS mice had significantly higher density of CD45+ and activated microglia cells (i.e. more evidence of neuroinflammation) in the dentate and peri-dentate gyrus area. Additionally, SS mice had significantly lower dendritic spine density, but a higher proportion of immature dendritic spines. Treatment of 13-month-old SS mice with minocycline resulted in improvement of cognitive and behavioral deficit compared to matched vehicle-treated SS mice. Also, treated SS mice had significantly fewer CD45+ and activated microglia cells (i.e. less evidence of neuroinflammation) in the dentate and peri-dentate gyrus, as well as a significant improvement in markers of neuroplasticity.

Impact statement

This study provides crucial information that could be helpful in the development of new or repurposing of existing therapies for the treatment of cognitive deficit in individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). Its impact is in demonstrating for the first time that neuroinflammation and along with abnormal neuroplasticity are among the underlying mechanism of cognitive and behavioral deficits in SCD and that drugs such as minocycline which targets these pathophysiological mechanisms could be repurposed for the treatment of this life altering complication of SCD.
Prevalence and correlation of human papillomavirus genotypes with clinical factors in cervical samples from Mexican women
Authors: Hernández-Rosas Fabiola , Orozco-Hernández Erika , Maza-Sánchez Liliana , Salgado-García Pamela Citlalli , Navarro-Vidal Enrique , León-Bautista Mercedes Piedad de
Published: September 2020

In the last decade, the inclusion of HPV DNA testing in cervical cancer screening has provided one of the best strategies for the prevention and timely detection of HPV. We conducted a high-throughput HPV genotyping study based on MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry to determine the prevalence of 24 HPV genotypes, including oncogenic genotypes, in Mexican women and correlated the results with cytological findings and clinical variables. We likewise identified the risk factors in patients with the HPV infection. Our study included 1000 women from Sonora, Mexico, who participated in cervical cancer screening campaigns and who underwent a Pap smear and HPV DNA test. The results showed that the overall prevalence of HPV was 27.2%, 18.5% with single, and 8.7% multiple infections. The low-risk HPV genotype 6 (8.5%) and oncogenic genotypes 31 (8.1%) and 53 (4.4%) were the most prevalent in the study population. The number of lifetime sexual partners, previous STIs, and age at first intercourse was significantly associated with HPV infection ( P ≤ 0.05). Smoking (OR = 1.5609; 95% IC 1.062–2.292) and more than three lifetime sexual partners (OR = 1.609; 95% IC = 1.124–2.303) represented risk factors for HPV infection. Cytological abnormalities were found in 3.4% of the HPV-positive samples. CIN 1–3 occurred in 0.6% of high-risk HPV cases. In general, the prevalence of the HPV genotypes is high in Mexican women with normal cytological findings. This issue highlights the importance of HPV research in seemingly healthy women and could help guide screening strategies for cervical cancer prevention in Mexico.

Impact statement

We are submitting data regarding the prevalence and type distribution of the HPV infection and the risk factors associated with it, which may provide a valuable reference to reinforce screening strategies, and to maintain HPV genotype surveillance in Mexico. We discuss the overall prevalence of HPV infection as detected in normal cytological samples stratified by age, different types of infection, and oncogenic capacity. One of the most important findings was that common HPV genotypes detected in healthy women were the genotype numbers: 6, 31, 16, and 56, likewise, smoking and having a history of more than three sexual partners over their lifetime, represented the main risk factors in this study. Furthermore, we found a low frequency of cytological abnormalities and CIN 1–3 in women with HR-HPV.
Transitioning from testbeds to ships: an experience study in deploying the TIPPERS Internet of Things platform to the US Navy
Authors: Archer Dave , August Michael A , Bouloukakis Georgios , Davison Christopher , Diallo Mamadou H , Ghosh Dhrubajyoti , Graves Christopher T , Hay Michael , He Xi , Laud Peeter , Lu Steve , Machanavajjhala Ashwin , Mehrotra Sharad , Miklau Gerome , Pankova Alisa , Sharma Shantanu , Venkatasubramanian Nalini , Wang Guoxi , Yus Roberto
Published: September 2020

This paper describes the collaborative effort between privacy and security researchers at nine different institutions along with researchers at the Naval Information Warfare Center to deploy, test, and demonstrate privacy-preserving technologies in creating sensor-based awareness using the Internet of Things (IoT) aboard naval vessels in the context of the US Navy’s Trident Warrior 2019 exercise. Funded by DARPA through the Brandeis program, the team built an integrated IoT data management middleware, entitled TIPPERS, that supports privacy by design and integrates a variety of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs), including differential privacy, computation on encrypted data, and fine-grained policies. We describe the architecture of TIPPERS and its use in creating a smart ship that offers IoT-enabled services such as occupancy analysis, fall detection, detection of unauthorized access to spaces, and other situational awareness scenarios. We describe the privacy implications of creating IoT spaces that collect data that might include individuals’ data (e.g., location) and analyze the tradeoff between privacy and utility of the supported PETs in this context.
Jordanian ostomates' health problems and self-care ability to manage their intestinal ostomy: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Elshatarat Rami A , Ebeid Inas A , Elhenawy Khadega A , Saleh Zyad T , Raddaha Ahmad H Abu , Aljohani Mohammed S
Published: September 2020

Background

Ostomates have several physical, psychological and social health problems. These problems negatively impact the ostomates' quality of life.

Aims

This study aims to identify Jordanian ostomates' health problems and their self-care ability to manage their ostomies.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit 168 Jordanian patients with intestinal ostomies. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect the data.

Results

On average, the participants’ physiological ostomy-related problem scores were 8.76 ± 2.37 (out of 13 problems) and the total score of self-care ability to manage their ostomies was 16.56 ± 2.62 (out of 24). About 22% of the participants had ‘moderately severe’ to ‘severe’ depression (nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire score ≥15) and 33.9% had ‘moderate’ to ‘severe’ anxiety (seven-item General Anxiety Disorder questionnaire score ≥10). About half of the participants had exposure to teaching and/or training about ostomy care. About 85% of participants were willing to attend health education and training programmes about ostomy care. There was a significant correlation between high ostomates’ self-care ability to manage their ostomies and a low number of physiological health problems ( r = −0.67, p = 0.04), a low depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 9) score ( r = −0.54, p = 0.039) and a low anxiety (seven-item General Anxiety Disorder questionnaire) score ( r = −0.71, p < 0.027).

Conclusions

Health teaching and training about intestinal ostomy management, psychosocial support, follow-up assessment and treatment for ostomy-related problems are recommended for all ostomates.