bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards the Therapeutic Use of Thrombospondin 1/CD47 Targeting TAX2 Peptide as an Antithrombotic Agent
Authors: Jeanne Albin , Sarazin Thomas , Charlé Magalie , Kawecki Charlotte , Kauskot Alexandre , Hedtke Tobias , Schmelzer Christian E.H. , Martiny Laurent , Maurice Pascal , Dedieu Stéphane
Published: November 2020

Objective:

TSP-1 (thrombospondin 1) is one of the most expressed proteins in platelet α-granules and plays an important role in the regulation of hemostasis and thrombosis. Interaction of released TSP-1 with CD47 membrane receptor has been shown to regulate major events leading to thrombus formation, such as, platelet adhesion to vascular endothelium, nitric oxide/cGMP (cyclic guanosine monophosphate) signaling, platelet activation as well as aggregation. Therefore, targeting TSP-1:CD47 axis may represent a promising antithrombotic strategy.

Approach and Results:

A CD47-derived cyclic peptide was engineered, namely TAX2, that targets TSP-1 and selectively prevents TSP-1:CD47 interaction. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that TAX2 peptide strongly decreases platelet aggregation and interaction with collagen under arterial shear conditions. TAX2 also delays time for complete thrombotic occlusion in 2 mouse models of arterial thrombosis following chemical injury, while
Thbs1
−/−
mice recapitulate TAX2 effects. Importantly, TAX2 administration is not associated with increased bleeding risk or modification of hematologic parameters.

Conclusions:

Overall, this study sheds light on the major contribution of TSP-1:CD47 interaction in platelet activation and thrombus formation while putting forward TAX2 as an innovative antithrombotic agent with high added-value.
Association of Sedentary Time and Incident Heart Failure Hospitalization in Postmenopausal Women
Authors: LaMonte Michael J. , Larson Joseph C. , Manson JoAnn E. , Bellettiere John , Lewis Cora E. , LaCroix Andrea Z. , Bea Jennifer W. , Johnson Karen C. , Klein Liviu , Noel Corinna A. , Stefanick Marcia L. , Wactawski-Wende Jean , Eaton Charles B.
Published: November 2020

Background:

The 2018 US Physical Activity Guidelines recommend reducing sedentary behavior (SB) for cardiovascular health. SB’s role in heart failure (HF) is unclear.

Methods:

We studied 80 982 women in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, aged 50 to 79 years, who were without known HF and reported ability to walk ≥1 block unassisted at baseline. Mean follow-up was 9 years for physician-adjudicated incident HF hospitalization (1402 cases). SB was assessed repeatedly by questionnaire. Time-varying total SB was categorized according to awake time spent sitting or lying down (≤6.5, 6.6–9.5, >9.5 h/d); sitting time (≤4.5, 4.6–8.5, >8.5 h/d) was also evaluated. Hazard ratios and 95% CI were estimated using Cox regression.

Results:

Controlling for age, race/ethnicity, education, income, smoking, alcohol, menopausal hormone therapy, and hysterectomy status, higher HF risk was observed across incremental tertiles of time-varying total SB (hazard ratios [95% CI], 1.00 [referent], 1.15 [1.01–1.31], 1.42 [1.25–1.61], trend
P
<0.001) and sitting time (1.00 [referent], 1.14 [1.01–1.28], 1.54 [1.34–1.78], trend
P
<0.001). The inverse trends remained significant after further controlling for comorbidities including time-varying myocardial infarction and coronary revascularization (hazard ratios: SB, 1.00, 1.11, 1.27; sitting, 1.00, 1.09, 1.37, trend
P
<0.001 each) and for baseline physical activity (hazard ratios: SB 1.00, 1.10, 1.24; sitting 1.00, 1.08, 1.33, trend
P
<0.001 each). Associations with SB exposures were not different according to categories of baseline age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, physical activity, physical functioning, diabetes, hypertension, or coronary heart disease.

Conclusions:

SB was associated with increased risk of incident HF hospitalization in postmenopausal women. Targeted efforts to reduce SB could enhance HF prevention in later life.
Inhibition of Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein Preserves High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Improves Survival in Sepsis
Authors: Trinder Mark , Wang Yanan , Madsen Christian M. , Ponomarev Tatjana , Bohunek Lubos , Daisely Brendan A. , Julia Kong HyeJin , Blauw Lisanne L. , Nordestgaard Børge G. , Tybjærg-Hansen Anne , Wurfel Mark M. , Russell James A. , Walley Keith R. , Rensen Patrick C.N. , Boyd John H. , Brunham Liam R.
Published: November 2020

Background:

The high-density lipoprotein hypothesis of atherosclerosis has been challenged by clinical trials of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors, which failed to show significant reductions in cardiovascular events. Plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) decline drastically during sepsis, and this phenomenon is explained, in part, by the activity of CETP, a major determinant of plasma HDL-C levels. We tested the hypothesis that genetic or pharmacological inhibition of CETP would preserve high-density lipoprotein levels and decrease mortality in clinical cohorts and animal models of sepsis.

Methods:

We examined the effect of a gain-of-function variant in
CETP
(rs1800777, p.Arg468Gln) and a genetic score for decreased
CETP
function on 28-day sepsis survival using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for age and sex in the UK Biobank (n=5949), iSPAAR (Identification of SNPs Predisposing to Altered Acute Lung Injury Risk; n=882), Copenhagen General Population Study (n=2068), Copenhagen City Heart Study (n=493), Early Infection (n=200), St Paul’s Intensive Care Unit 2 (n=203), and Vasopressin Versus Norepinephrine Infusion in Patients With Septic Shock studies (n=632). We then studied the effect of the CETP inhibitor, anacetrapib, in adult female APOE*3-Leiden mice with or without human CETP expression using the cecal-ligation and puncture model of sepsis.

Results:

A fixed-effect meta-analysis of all 7 cohorts found that the
CETP
gain-of-function variant was significantly associated with increased risk of acute sepsis mortality (hazard ratio, 1.44 [95% CI, 1.22–1.70];
P
<0.0001). In addition, a genetic score for decreased CETP function was associated with significantly decreased sepsis mortality in the UK Biobank (hazard ratio, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.59–1.00] per 1 mmol/L increase in HDL-C) and iSPAAR cohorts (hazard ratio, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.37–0.98] per 1 mmol/L increase in HDL-C). APOE*3-Leiden.CETP mice treated with anacetrapib had preserved levels of HDL-C and apolipoprotein-AI and increased survival relative to placebo treatment (70.6% versus 35.3%, Log-rank
P
=0.03), whereas there was no effect of anacetrapib on the survival of APOE*3-Leiden mice that did not express
CETP
(50.0% versus 42.9%, Log-rank
P
=0.87).

Conclusions:

Clinical genetics and humanized mouse models suggest that inhibiting CETP may preserve high-density lipoprotein levels and improve outcomes for individuals with sepsis.
Coronavirus Disease 2019–Associated Thrombosis and Coagulopathy: Review of the Pathophysiological Characteristics and Implications for Antithrombotic Management
Authors: Ortega‐Paz Luis , Capodanno Davide , Montalescot Gilles , Angiolillo Dominick J.
Published: November 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2, which has posed a significant threat to global health. Although the infection is frequently asymptomatic or associated with mild symptoms, in a small proportion of patients it can produce an intense inflammatory and prothrombotic state that can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ failure, and death. Angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2, highly expressed in the respiratory system, has been identified as a functional receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2. Notably, angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 is also expressed in the cardiovascular system, and there are multiple cardiovascular implications of COVID‐19. Cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease have been associated with severe manifestations and poor prognosis in patients with COVID‐19. More important, patients with COVID‐19 may have thrombotic and coagulation abnormalities, promoting a hypercoagulable state and resulting in an increased rate of thrombotic and thromboembolic events. This review will describe the pathophysiological characteristics of the cardiovascular involvement following infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2, with a focus on thrombotic and thromboembolic manifestations and implications for antithrombotic management.
Does Use of Emotion Increase Donations and Volunteers for Nonprofits?
Authors: Paxton Pamela , Velasco Kristopher , Ressler Robert W.
Published: November 2020

Nonprofits offer services to disadvantaged populations, mobilize collective action, and advocate for civil rights. Conducting this work requires significant resources, raising the question: how do nonprofits succeed in increasing donations and volunteers amid widespread competition for these resources? Much research treats nonprofits as cold, rational entities, focusing on overhead, the “price” of donations, and efficiency in programming. We argue that nonprofits attract donors and volunteers by connecting to their emotions. We use newly available administrative IRS 990 e-filer data to analyze 90,000 nonprofit missions from 2012 to 2016. Computational text analysis measures the positive or negative affect of each nonprofit’s mission statement. We then link the positive and negative sentiment expressed by nonprofits to their donations and volunteers. We differentiate between the institutional fields of nonprofits—for example, arts, education, social welfare—distinguishing nonprofits focused on social bonding from those focused on social problems. We find that expressed positive emotion is often associated with higher donations and volunteers, especially in bonding fields. But for some types of nonprofits, combining positive sentiment with negative sentiment in a mission statement is most effective in producing volunteers. Auxiliary analyses using experimental and longitudinal designs provide converging evidence that emotional language enhances charitable behavior. Understanding the role of emotion can help nonprofit organizations attract and engage volunteers and donors.
Treatment and Outcomes of Women With Large Locally Advanced Breast Cancer
Authors: Mangieri Christopher W. , Ruffo Julia , Chiba Akiko , Howard-McNatt Marissa
Published: November 2020

Advances in breast cancer research have made breast cancer a treatable disease. However, there is a population of women who present with large, advanced, or sometimes neglected breast cancers who can prove difficult to treat. These women often require multiple modality treatment including chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. The purpose of our study is to examine the treatment and outcomes on women with large, locally advanced breast cancers (LABCs).

We identified 8 individuals who presented with LABCs requiring extensive treatment. Patients with inflammatory or metastatic cancer at the time of presentation were excluded. These patients’ charts were reviewed and analyzed. Patient demographics, hormone receptor status, stage, types of treatment, presence of metastasis, survival, and presence of barriers for seeking treatment sooner were identified.

The median age at presentation was 65 years old. The patients were equally African American and Caucasian. All patients presented with T4 or stage 3 tumors involving the skin and/or pectoralis muscle. Half of the patients were found to have triple-negative (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, Her-2/neu negative) tumors. 87% of the patients received chemotherapy; 1 refused. All 8 patients, either neoadjuvantly or adjuvantly, underwent a modified radical or radical mastectomy. Skin graft or flap coverage was necessary in half of the patients. Postmastectomy radiation was received in 87% of the patients; 1 patient refused the treatment. Half of the patients developed metastatic disease. Thirty-seven percent of the patients have since died with a median survival of 44 months. Reasons for delay in seeking care were monetary or social barriers. Many of the patients finally sought care via the emergency room due to symptoms they could no longer ignore.

Women who present with LABC require complex multidisciplinary treatment consisting of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation treatments. Many of these patients faced economic and social challenges to accessing care. Better access to care and more prompt connection to breast surgeons are required to assist this patient population.
Repurposing a Small Community Hospital Surgical Residency Program in an Epicenter of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Meghpara Melissa K. , Alapati Amulya , Devanabanda Bhavana , Louis Martine A. , Mandava Neil
Published: November 2020

Background

COVID-19 put a stop to the operative experience of surgical residents, leaving reassignment of the team, to the frontlines. Each program has adapted uniquely; we discuss how our surgical education changed in our hospital.

Study Design

A retrospective review of changes in general surgery cases, bedside procedures, and utilization of residents before and during the pandemic. Procedures were retrieved from electronic medical records. Operating room (OR) cases 1 month before and 5 weeks after the executive order were collected. Triple lumen catheter (TLC), temporary hemodialysis catheter (HDC), and pneumothorax catheter (PC) insertions by surgical residents were recorded for 5 weeks.

Results

Before the pandemic, an average of 27.9 cases were done in the OR, with an average of 10.1 general surgery cases. From March 23 to April 30, 2020, the average number of cases decreased to 5.1, and general surgery cases decreased to 2.2. Elective, urgent, and emergent cases represented 83%, 14.6%, and 2.4% prior to the order and 66.7%, 15.1%, and 18.2%, respectively, after the order. Bedside procedures over 5 weeks totaled to 153, 93 TLCs, 39 HDCs, and 21 PCs.

Conclusion

Repurposing the surgical department for the concerns of the pandemic has involved all surgical staff. We worked with other departments to allocate our team to areas of need and re-evaluated daily. The strengths of our team to deliver care and perform many bedside procedures allowed us to meet the demands posed by this disease while remaining as a cohesive unit.
Acute Care Surgery Service Is Essential During a Nonsurgical Catastrophic Event, the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Bugaev Nikolay , Hojman Horacio M. , Breeze Janis L. , Nasraway Stanley A. , Arabian Sandra S. , Holewinski Sharon , Johnson Benjamin P.
Published: November 2020

Background

The role of an acute care surgery (ACS) service during the COVID-19 pandemic is not well established.

Methods

A retrospective review of the ACS service performance in an urban tertiary academic medical center. The study was performed between January and May 2020. The demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients treated by the ACS service 2 months prior to the COVID surge (pre-COVID group) and during the first 2 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (surge group) were compared.

Results

Trauma and emergency general surgery volumes decreased during the surge by 38% and 57%, respectively; but there was a 64% increase in critically ill patients. The proportion of patients in the Department of Surgery treated by the ACS service increased from 40% pre-COVID to 67% during the surge. The ACS service performed 32% and 57% of all surgical cases in the Department of Surgery during the pre-COVID and surge periods, respectively. The ACS service managed 23% of all critically ill patients in the institution during the surge. Critically ill patients with and without confirmed COVID-19 infection treated by ACS and non-ACS intensive care units during the surge did not differ in demographics, indicators of clinical severity, or hospital mortality:13.4% vs. 13.5% ( P = .99) for all critically ill patients; and 13.9% vs. 27.4% ( P = .12) for COVID-19 critically ill patients.

Conclusion

Acute care surgery is an “essential” service during the COVID-19 pandemic, capable of managing critically ill nonsurgical patients while maintaining the provision of trauma and emergent surgical services.

Level of Evidence

III.

Study Type

Therapeutic.
The Effects of Board Interlocks With an Allegedly Fraudulent Company on Audit Fees
Authors: Ivanova Mariya N. , Prencipe Annalisa
Published: November 2020

Drawing on prior literature on audit fees, client reputation, and corporate governance, we posit that a material adverse event at a firm, such as a financial fraud allegation, leads to an increase in the audit fees of firms connected to the former by a board interlock. We propose two possible mechanisms to explain the upward pressure on audit fees: a client-side effect, where the client demands additional audit services, and an auditor-side effect, where the auditor raises its audit fees due to a perceived increase in audit engagement risk. The results indicate an average marginal increase of 12.86% in audit fees in the year following the public revelation of financial fraud. Additional analyses suggest that an auditor-side effect is in place, while we cannot find clear evidence supporting the client-side effect. Furthermore, we document that the positive effect on audit fees persists for up to at least 2 years after public disclosure of the event when the interlocked director serves as a member of the audit committee.

JEL Descriptors: G34, M40, M42
A Comprehensive Analysis of Treatment Management and Survival Outcomes in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Goshtasbi Khodayar , Lehrich Brandon M. , Birkenbeuel Jack L. , Abiri Arash , Harris Jeremy P. , Kuan Edward C.
Published: November 2020

Objectives

To comprehensively investigate nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treatment, overall survival (OS), and the influence of clinical/sociodemographic factors on outcome.

Study Design

Retrospective database study.

Setting

National Cancer Database.

Methods

The 2004‐2015 National Cancer Database was queried for all patients with NPC receiving definitive treatment. Log‐rank tests and Cox proportional hazards models were used for statistical analyses.

Results

A total of 8260 patients with NPC were included (71.4% male; 42.5% with keratinizing histology; mean ± SD age, 52.1 ± 15.1 years), with a 5‐year OS of 63.4%. Multivariate predictors of mortality included age ≥65 years (hazard ratio [HR], 1.81; P <. 001), Charlson/Deyo score ≥1 (HR, 1.27; P =. 001), American Joint Committee on Cancer clinical stage III to IV (HR, 1.85; P <. 001), and government insurance or no insurance (HR, 1.53; P <. 001). Predictors of survival included female sex (HR, 0.82; P =. 002), Asian/Pacific Islander race (HR, 0.74; P <. 001), nonkeratinizing/undifferentiated histology (HR, 0.79; P =. 004), and receiving treatment at academic centers (HR, 0.87; P =. 02). Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) demonstrated improved OS as compared with radiotherapy (RT) only for stage II (P =. 006) and stage III (P =. 005) and with RT or chemotherapy only in stage IVA NPC (P <. 001). When compared with CRT alone, surgery plus CRT provided OS benefits in keratinizing (P =. 013) or stage IVA (P =. 030) NPC. When compared with RT, CRT provided OS benefits in keratinizing (P =. 005) but not nonkeratinizing (P =. 240) or undifferentiated (P =. 390) NPC. Substandard radiation dosing of <60 Gy and <30 fractions were associated with inferior OS (both P <. 001).

Conclusions

NPC survival is dependent on a variety of clinical/sociodemographic factors. Stage‐specific treatments with optimal OS include CRT or RT for stages I to II and CRT for stage III to IV. The large representation of nonendemic histology is valuable, as these cases are not well characterized.
Work hours, work schedules, and subjective well-being in Korea
Authors: Song Yoo-Jean , Lee Yun-Suk
Published: November 2020

Korea is well known for long work hours. This study examined the effect of not only the total amount of working time but also work schedules on individuals’ subjective well-being in Korea. Drawing on the 2014 Korean Time Use Survey data, the authors selected currently employed people aged 19–65 and examined the effects of total work hours as well as work schedules on feeling rushed, feeling tired, and life satisfaction. Based on the ordered logistic regression analysis, long work hours were negatively related to subjective well-being regardless of work schedules. After adding an interaction between standard and nonstandard work schedules, the study found that while work hours during both standard and nonstandard schedules are associated with declines in psychological status, the negative effect of working time during nonstandard work schedules on subjective well-being is stronger as the work hours during standard schedules decrease.
Toward a Doctrine of Socially Responsible Marketing (SRM): A Macro and Normative-Ethical Perspective
Authors: Laczniak Gene , Shultz Clifford
Published: November 2020

In this conceptual article, the authors use a macro-level analysis and normative ethical theory to delineate and to explicate a doctrine of socially responsible marketing (SRM). Applying a theory-in-formation approach, we postulate a literature-informed definition of SRM. We discuss why a macro and normative-ethical rather than a micro and positive-descriptive perspective is essential to justifying the elements of SRM. We explore and explain why the roots of an authentic doctrine of SRM can be discerned from the literatures of marketing history, corporate social responsibility, institutional economics and moral philosophy. In so doing, the mandate to engage in socially responsible marketing is shown to be anchored in a social contract. This conception offers three essential elements of SRM—corporate citizenship, stakeholder orientation and social/ecological sustainability—each of which augers a pro-social rather than instrumental-financial approach to marketing practice. We recommend a specific normative-ethical standard, embodied in distributive justice, to best evaluate SRM. We counsel adopting a macromarketing perspective of constructive engagement for those seeking responsible marketing for a better society and world. Finally, we offer a short research agenda for advancing Marketing’s embrace of SRM.
The effect of metacognitive strategies-based teaching practice in guitar education on performance achievement
Authors: Yokuş Tuba
Published: November 2020

This study aims to determine the effect of metacognitive strategies-based teaching practice in guitar education on preservice music teachers’ performance achievement. Preservice music teachers ( n = 20) who were enrolled in and in the process of attending the School Instruments III-Guitar course offered by the Department of Music Education, under the school of Fine Arts Education within the Educational Faculty of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University in Turkey during the 2018–2019 academic year constituted the sample group of the study. The study was designed as an experimental study that included a randomized pretest–posttest control group. The results revealed that both the control group students with traditional current-based education and the experimental group students with metacognitive strategies-based teaching achieved improvement in their guitar performance. However, no significant difference was found between the teaching methods used because the study was carried out with a small group and therefore has a weak statistical power to detect an effect. The results further indicated that the metacognitive strategies-based teaching practice in guitar education, as an effective alternative to the traditional curriculum-based method, can be used to achieve improvement in preservice music teachers’ guitar performance.
Vulnerability and its politics: Precarity and the woundedness of power
Authors: Joronen Mikko , Rose Mitch
Published: November 2020

This article is an attempt to unwrite our current disciplinary enamourment with power. We begin from life’s woundedness, which we argue engenders a limit condition that both precedes power (vulnerability is the origin of power) and exceeds power (no power can ever resolve the problem of woundedness). To illustrate this, we introduce the ‘politics of the wound’: a perspective on politics that begins, not from a pre-existing ontology of forces and relations, but from the condition of striving, in infinitely generous and yet fragile ways, to claim sovereignty against the incurable wound of being a living being.
Between Athens and Paris: The life and intellectual contribution of Cornelius Castoriadis
Authors: Andrews Timothy
Published: November 2020

This paper presents a biographical outline of the life of Cornelius Castoriadis and the intersections between philosophy, politics and experience that shaped his vibrant and prolific intellectual contribution. Castoriadis grew up in Athens, at a time when Greece’s internal differences came to the fore as a result of the movements of wider European history. This was a symbolic beginning that set up his migration to Paris and shaped the trajectory of this thought. In Castoriadis, we discover a fiercely independent character fixated on contributing to a more just society. In this, and in his passion for knowledge and discourse, we can detect both an Athenian citizen and a champion of the Enlightenment. In this amalgam, his location in Paris and commitment to politics are both the choices and conditions of his life and character. This paper plays on this pendulum between Athens and Paris as well as between politics and philosophy and positions Castoriadis as an Enlightenment thinker with an eye and an ear for the quotidian pulse of the social historical.
Remembering Castoriadis
Authors: Beilharz Peter
Published: November 2020

I met Castoriadis only twice, once in Paris in 1979, and then repeatedly in Melbourne in 1991 over the time of the Thesis Eleven Conference on Reason and Imagination. Both these encounters, in different ways, were transformative for me. As it happens, I remember them very well. As the distance risks clouding memory, I take time in this paper to reconstruct and share these stories. They take us back to the world through which we first encountered Castoriadis, as Paul Cardan, via the efforts of London Solidarity and its emblematic hedgehog – small and prickly, doesn’t like being interfered with; known to pop up in ways that might just be revolutionary. This was Castoriadis as I first encountered him, and this was the culture I likely never got past: Socialisme ou Barbarie, en anglais.
Psychometric Properties of the Academic Intrinsic Motivation Scale in a High School Context
Authors: Vo Thao T. , Ullrich-French Sarah , French Brian F.
Published: November 2020

The Academic Intrinsic Motivation Scale (AIMS) measures key components of student intrinsic motivation (IM). We investigate score validity and reliability of a downward extension of the AIMS developed for students in the high school context using a sample of students from the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Through classical test theory, this study documents the scale’s (1) item difficulty and discrimination, (2) underlying factor structure and score reliability via confirmatory factor analysis and omega coefficients, and (3) relationship with the theoretically related variables student retention, achievement, and teamwork ability. Findings support scoring, generalizability, and extrapolation inferences for the downward extension of the AIMS in a high school sample. Implications for additional psychometric validity evidence are discussed.
Rumination as a Moderating Effect Between Math Computation and Executive Function Skills in Elementary Students
Authors: Kang Melissa , Bedard Anne-Claude , Martinussen Rhonda
Published: November 2020

Although students with stronger executive functions (EFs) tend to do better on math computation (MC) assessments than students with weaker EFs, stressful testing situations may lower or affect their mathematical ability. Rumination is one maladaptive coping strategy that can negatively affect EF processes, but little is known about how it impacts the relationship between EFs and MC. This study aimed to examine the relationship between students’ performance on a standardized MC task and ratings of EF ability as a function of their level of rumination. In a sample of students from Grades 4 to 6 ( n = 72, mean age = 10.74), there was an interaction between EF scores and rumination in predicting MC. Students with weaker EF scores demonstrated worse math performance than students with stronger EF scores. Interestingly, their level of rumination moderated this association. Specifically, EF difficulties were only associated with less proficient MC performance among high ruminators; this association was not observed among those students reporting low rumination levels. For school psychologists, these findings provide insight into the potential causes of poor MC performance among students with average or better EFs.
2020 MR Safety for Cardiac Devices: An Update for Radiologists
Authors: Lebel Kiana , Mondesert Blandine , Robillard Julie , Pham Magali , Terrone Donato , Tan Stephanie
Published: November 2020

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a unique and powerful diagnostic tool that provides images without ionizing radiation and, at times, can be the only modality to properly assess and diagnose some pathologies. Although many patients will need an MRI in their lifetime, many of them are still being unjustly denied access to it due to what were once considered absolute contraindications, including MR nonconditional pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. However, there are a number of large studies that have recently demonstrated that MRI can safely be performed in these patients under certain conditions. In addition, there are an increasing number of novel cardiac devices implanted in patients who may require an MRI. Radiologists need to familiarize themselves with these devices, identify which patients with these devices can safely undergo MRI, and under which conditions. In this article, we will review the current literature on MR safety and cardiac devices, elaborate on how to safely image patients with cardiac devices, and share the expertise of our tertiary cardiac institute.
Efficacy and Tolerability of Rufinamide in Epileptic Children Younger Than 4 Years
Authors: Tanritanir Ahmet , Wang Xiaofan , Loddenkemper Tobias
Published: November 2020

Background:

Rufinamide, a triazole derivative, is a new-generation antiseizure medication with a novel mechanism of action. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of rufinamide treatment in children with epilepsy younger than 4 years at our center.

Methods:

In this retrospective study, we included children younger than 4 years who had pharmacologically resistant epilepsy and were treated with rufinamide at Boston Children’s Hospital between June 2010 and June 2018. Safety and efficacy of rufinamide treatment were assessed immediately prior to initiation of rufinamide and at the last follow-up visit. Responders were defined as patients who had greater than 50% reduction in seizure frequency on follow-up as compared to baseline.

Results:

We reviewed records of 128 children and included 103 with complete information. Patients consisted of 60 boys (58%), with a median age of 20 months (interquartile range 13-28, range 2-36). Median treatment duration was 15 months, and median rufinamide dosage at the last follow-up was 42 mg/kg/d (interquartile range 34-56). At the last follow-up, seizure frequency decreased (450 vs 90, P<.001) and overall seizure reduction was 54%. Fifty-one patients (49.5%) were responders with 94% seizure reduction, including 20 (19.4%) who achieved seizure freedom. Treatment retention rate at 12 months was 63%. Thirty patients (29%) developed adverse events and 41 patients (39.8%) discontinued rufinamide because of adverse events (15; 14.5%) and lack of efficacy (26; 25%).

Conclusion:

Rufinamide is effective in reducing seizure frequency in pediatric epilepsy patients younger than 4 years, and overall well tolerated.
Smart Wireless Charging Heating Insoles: Improving Body Thermal Comfort of Young Males in an Extremely Cold Environment
Authors: Chen Zihao , Li Jialin , Song Wenfang , Lu Yehu , Cao Bifei
Published: November 2020

Currently, no study was retrieved for scientifically design heating insoles and evaluating their actual effectiveness in improving body thermal comfort of occupational workers in extremely cold environments. To fill this gap, novel smart wireless charging heating insoles (SWHI) were developed, consisting of electrically heating pads targeted at the toe and heel regions. Seven young males were asked to perform twice repeated cycles of 50-min treadmill walking at 4.0 km/h and 20-min standing to simulate the occupational moderate intensity work in HEAT (i.e., safety boots with SWHI) and CON (i.e., boots with SWHI by removing heating system) inside a climatic chamber (−10 °C and 60% RH). Results demonstrated that HEAT could significantly elevate toe and heel temperatures ( p < .05), remarkably improve feet- and whole-body thermal and comfort sensations ( p < .05). The novel SWHI was highly suggested as an effective method for improving body thermal comfort of occupational workers in extremely cold environments.
Model reference adaptive LQT control for anti-jerk utilizing tire-road interaction characteristics
Authors: Yue Yunpeng , Huang Ying , Hao Donghao , Zhu Guoming G
Published: November 2020

Sudden vehicle propulsion torque change under tip-in/out maneuver often leads to low-frequency longitudinal vibration due to the flexibility in the half-shaft and tire slip, which greatly affects vehicle drivability. Note that the vibration frequency is between 1 and 10 Hz and is difficult to be absorbed by the vehicle mechanical system. To optimize the vehicle drivability under tip-in maneuver, an Adaptive Linear Quadratic Tracking (ALQT) anti-jerk traction controller is proposed in this paper. Based on the experimental data, a Carsim-Simulink co-simulation model is developed for assessing control performance. A control-oriented model, considering the nonlinear characteristics of the tire-road friction coefficient and slip ratio, is then proposed. A reference model with rigid axle is used to provide the equilibrium points and reference velocity trajectory. Jacobi linearization method is then used to linearize the model along the desired trajectory and a linear deviation model based on equilibrium points is obtained. Finally, the deviation compensation receding horizon LQT controller is designed along with the Kalman state estimation. The effectiveness of the designed controller is assessed via simulation studies under different road surfaces and compared with PID and LQR controllers. The LQT controller is able to track the desired velocity profile with minimum jerk while increasing road safety. Furthermore, the effect of LQT weighting coefficients under different road surfaces are discussed. Simulation results show that the ALQT controller is able to optimize vehicle drivability under different road surfaces and the weighting matrices shall be selected based on the road condition for optimal drivability.
An experimental investigation on the use of a rectangular strut in a scramjet thruster for thrust vector control
Authors: Rose DR Biju Ben , Sridhar BTN
Published: November 2020

An experimental investigation was carried out to find the effect of a strut spanning across the width of a single expansion ramp of a laboratory model scramjet thruster as a thrust vector control device. Cold flow tests were conducted with operating total pressures ranging from 4 bar to 10 bar and the thruster exhaust was to ambient atmosphere. The mass flow rate varied from 0.105 kg/s to 0.263 kg/s. Experiments were conducted by varying the strut height at different operational total pressures to find if any thrust vector control could be achieved to supplement the maneuverability of hypersonic vehicle with aerodynamic control. The laboratory model consisted of an isolator, a divergent combustor followed by a single expansion ramp. Except the side walls, the thruster was fabricated with stainless steel. A high quality acrylic sheet was used for internal flow visualization by a schilieren system. The wall pressure was recorded at different locations from the combustor inlet to ramp trailing edge. Shock pattern was studied from the schilieren images and it was observed that an increase in strut height caused a downward deflection of the exhaust. From the wall pressure distribution, two dimensional side force coefficient and pitching moment coefficient were calculated and the effect of strut height variation on the above coefficients was plotted. Results from experiments indicated that the presence of the strut yielded noticeable changes in side force and pitching moment. The increase in strut height provided exhaust stream directional changes which may be useful in maneuvering the vehicles employing scramjet propulsion system.
New experimental Nusselt number correlation for spiral plate heat exchanger optimized using a code
Authors: Ghodrati Meisam , Khorshidi Jamshid
Published: November 2020

A system of a spiral plate heat exchanger and its required auxiliaries was built. The pitches of heat exchanger were built differently to provide almost two geometrically different heat exchangers in a single package. Several experiments were done and working parameters of the heat exchanger were measured. A code was written to find a new optimised correlation that could approximate the Nusselt Number based on the obtained experimental data from 51 reliable experiments. As an advantage, that correlation was valid for low Reynolds Numbers. Also, in most of previous works, the correlation for Nusselt Number in one side of the heat exchanger was supposed to be known and the correlation for the other side was determined. But, in this study, the equation was found using calculations for both sides simultaneously. The overal heat transfer coefficient calculated from the proposed correlation, made an average error of 3.65% to the experimental data. A complete uncertainty analysis was done and revealed that the results from the new correlation for the Nusselt Number lies between [Formula: see text] around the real Nusselt Number.
An adaptive seamless assist-as-needed control scheme for lower extremity rehabilitation robots
Authors: Zhang Xiaodong , Yin Gui , Li Hanzhe , Dong Runlin , Hu Huosheng
Published: November 2020

Most control methods deployed in lower extremity rehabilitation robots cannot automatically adjust to different gait cycle stages and different rehabilitation training modes for different impairment subjects. This article presents a continuous seamless assist-as-needed control method based on sliding mode adaptive control. A forgetting factor is introduced, and a small trajectory deviation from reference normal gait trajectory is used to learn the rehabilitation level of a human subject in real time. The assistance torque needed to complete the reference normal gait trajectory is learned through radial basis function neural networks, so that the rehabilitation robot can adaptively provide the assistance torque according to subject’s needs. The performance and efficiency of this adaptive seamless assist-as-needed control scheme are tested and validated by 12 volunteers on a rehabilitation robot prototype. The results show that the proposed control scheme could adaptively reduce the robotic assistance according to subject’s rehabilitation level, and the robotic assistance torque depends on the forgetting factor and the active participation level of subjects.
Team Emergent States: What Has Emerged in The Literature Over 20 Years
Authors: Rapp Tammy , Maynard Travis , Domingo Monique , Klock Elizabeth
Published: November 2020

In this review, we provide a deeper understanding of the team emergent states (TES) literature by building upon Marks et al.’s cognitive, affective, motivational categories, to suggest that TES may also be amalgams (i.e., a blend of two or more categories). In doing so, we review the literature accumulating between 2000 and 2020, focusing on the eight most-researched TES. We highlight numerous gaps within the TES literature and offer promising future research directions. We envision this work as laying the foundation upon which TES research can continue to emerge in the coming decades.
Fighting for survival: persons with disabilities’ activism for the mediatisation of COVID-19 information
Authors: Mhiripiri Nhamo Anthony , Midzi Ratidzo
Published: November 2020

Crises times have an uncanny way of giving salience to struggles for democracy. The new coronavirus – also known as COVID-19 – became a global public health issue that stirred other democratic concerns from persons living with disabilities who wanted access to health information for their survival. People living with various types of disabilities have special communication and information needs, some of which require specific technologies, formats and language. The pandemic got people concerned about their safety and survival. This article contextualises and critiques US, Britain and Zimbabwean activists representing persons living with disabilities’ reactions to the manner their public authorities availed COVID-19 health messages to disabled constituencies via mainstream television. It compares how suitable was televised content from US, Britain, Zimbabwean and New Zealand stations for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, before exploring complaints and lawsuits from the disability constituency pertaining to access to COVID-19 health information.
Efficacy of high-intensity aerobic exercise on cognitive performance in people with multiple sclerosis: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Langeskov-Christensen Martin , Hvid Lars Grøndahl , Jensen Henrik Boye , Nielsen Helle Hvilsted , Petersen Thor , Stenager Egon , Hämäläinen Päivi , Dalgas Ulrik
Published: November 2020

Background

Cognitive impairment is highly prevalent in multiple sclerosis (MS). Progressive aerobic exercise (PAE) represents a promising approach toward preservation or even improvement of cognitive performance in people with MS (pwMS).

Objective

To investigate the effects of PAE on the cognitive domains of information processing, learning and memory, and verbal fluency in pwMS.

Methods

This randomized controlled trial included an exercise ( n = 43, 24 weeks of supervised PAE, followed by self-guided physical activity) and a waitlist group ( n = 43, 24 weeks of habitual lifestyle, followed by supervised PAE). Assessments included the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological tests (BRB-N), self-reported mood, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Published reference data were used to compute Z-scores for BRB-N scores. Cognitive impairment was defined as one or more Z-scores ⩽ –1.5 SD.

Results

No between-group changes in the total group were observed in BRB-N scores following PAE. In the cognitively impaired subgroup (43% of the total group) the between-group point estimate suggested a potential clinical relevant improvement in the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (95% CI overlapping zero). Cardiorespiratory fitness increased in the total group and the cognitively impaired subgroup.

Conclusion

In the present representative MS group, 24 weeks of supervised PAE had no effect on any cognitive domain in the total group but potentially improved processing speed in the cognitively impaired subgroup.
The constitution of the alcoholic self, communicative processes and administrative practices: On the varied uses of four terms denoting problematic drinking
Authors: Roumeliotis Filip , Carlsson Frida , Erkenfelt Linn Johansson , Wallander Lisa
Published: November 2020

Aims:

The aims of this article were to examine the various meanings ascribed by three stakeholder groups – social workers, journalists and individuals with previous experience of problematic drinking – to four widely used terms in the alcohol field – alcoholism, alcohol dependence, alcohol misuse and risky drinking – and to examine how variations in the definitions of these terms correspond to specific pragmatic needs arising within different practices.

Design:

We conducted focus-group interviews with 15 individuals from the above-mentioned stakeholder groups. We identified three practices, we identified three practices which shaped the meanings ascribed to the four terms denoting problematic drinking.

Results:

The results showed that the meanings ascribed to the four terms were both fixed and fluid. For the individuals with previous experience of problematic drinking, the four terms had fixed meanings, and their definition of the term “alcoholism” as denoting a disease, for example, was vital to the practice through which they sought to come to an understanding of themselves (“practice of self”). The social workers and the journalists on the other hand saw the four terms as being context dependent – as fluid and imprecise. This allowed them to establish trustful communicative relationships with informants and clients (“practice of trustful communication”), and to control the communicative process and successfully navigate between different administrative systems (“practice of administration”).

Conclusions:

Since the meanings ascribed to the examined terms denoting problematic drinking are shaped within varying practices, confusion regarding the actual meaning of a given term could be avoided by referring to the practical context in which it is used.
International knowledge transfer and Russian social policy: The case of gender mainstreaming
Authors: Chubarova Tatiana , Grigorieva Natalia
Published: November 2020

In the course of their transition to a market economy, the importance of international knowledge transfer from developed capitalist countries to the post-Soviet states has increased. However, the question of what particular knowledge has been transferred and why in some cases knowledge transfer has been successful, while in others it has failed, remains under-researched. Using gender mainstreaming as an example, the mechanisms of international knowledge transfer in Russian social policy are discussed in detail. The authors argue that specific knowledge transfer could facilitate the acquisition of new knowledge, but its sustainable application in social policy decision-making might be problematic, requiring commitment of political actors as well as supportive institutional conditions.