bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Calibration of Microscopic Traffic Flow Simulation Models considering Subsets of Links and Parameters
Authors: Paz Alexander , Shrestha Kul , Arteaga Cristian , Baker Douglas
Published: November 2020

This study proposes a methodology for the calibration of microscopic traffic flow simulation models by enabling simultaneous selection of traffic links and associated parameters. The analyst selects any number and combination of links and model parameters for calibration. Most calibration methods consider the entire network and use ad hoc approaches without enabling a specific selection of location and associated parameters. In practice, only a subset of links and parameters is used for calibration based on several factors such as expert knowledge of the system or constraints imposed by local governance. In this study, the calibration problem for the simultaneous selection of links and parameters was formulated using a mathematical programming approach. The proposed methodology is capable of calibrating model parameters considering multiple time periods and performance measures simultaneously. Traffic volume and speed are the performance measures used in this study, and the methodology is developed without considering the characteristics of a specific traffic flow model. A genetic algorithm was implemented to find a solution to the proposed mathematical program. In the experiments, two traffic models were calibrated: the first set of experiments included selection of links only, while all associated parameters were considered for calibration. The second set of experiments considered simultaneous selection of links and parameters. The implications of these experiments indicate that the models were calibrated successfully subject to selection of a minimum number of links. As expected, the more links and parameters that are used for calibration, the more time it takes to find a solution, but the overall results are better. All parameter values were reasonable and within constraints after successful calibration.
Strength and Microfabric of Expansive Soil Improved with Rice Husk Ash and Lime
Authors: Ma Jinrong , Su Yunhe , Liu Yuyi , Tao Xiangling
Published: November 2020

Expansive soil has harmful effect on engineering. Rice husk ash (RHA) has high pozzolanic activity, so it can form new cementing material with lime or cement to solidify soil. In this paper, the tests of free expansion rate, water ratio limit, and optimum moisture content (OMC) are carried out; then, RHA and lime were added to artificial soil in different proportions of 5, 10, 15, and 20% by weight, in which the ratio of RHA to lime is 80 : 20. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS) in different curing age is measured, and the improvement effect of RHA and lime to expansive soil can be obtained. Finally, the reason of improvement effect is explained by using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results of the study show that (1) for the best utilization effect, the optimum percentage of RHA is 12% and lime is 3%; (2) the UCS is 2.6 times of the pure soil after curing of 14 d under the optimum percentage; (3) the curing age has a significant effect on strength; (4) the main reason for the strength increase of the modified soil is that the crystal produced by the pozzolanic activity fills the pores of the soil.
An Autochthonous Mouse Model ofMyd88- andBCL2-Driven Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma Reveals Actionable Molecular Vulnerabilities
Authors: Flümann Ruth , Rehkämper Tim , Nieper Pascal , Pfeiffer Pauline , Holzem Alessandra , Klein Sebastian , Bhatia Sanil , Kochanek Moritz , Kisis Ilmars , Pelzer Benedikt W. , Ahlert Heinz , Hauer Julia , da Palma Guerreiro Alexandra , Ryan Jeremy A. , Reimann Maurice , Riabinska Arina , Wiederstein Janica , Krüger Marcus , Deckert Martina , Altmüller Janine , Klatt Andreas R. , Frenzel Lukas P. , Pasqualucci Laura , Béguelin Wendy , Melnick Ari M. , Sander Sandrine , Montesinos-Rongen Manuel , Brunn Anna , Lohneis Philipp , Büttner Reinhard , Kashkar Hamid , Borkhardt Arndt , Letai Anthony , Persigehl Thorsten , Peifer Martin , Schmitt Clemens A. , Reinhardt Hans Christian , Knittel Gero
Published: November 2020

Based on gene expression profiles, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is subdivided into germinal center B-cell–like (GCB) and activated B-cell–like (ABC) DLBCL. Two of the most common genomic aberrations in ABC-DLBCL are mutations in MYD88 as well as BCL2 copy-number gains. Here, we employ immune phenotyping, RNA sequencing, and whole-exome sequencing to characterize a Myd88- and BCL2-driven mouse model of ABC-DLBCL. We show that this model resembles features of human ABC-DLBCL. We further demonstrate an actionable dependence of our murine ABC-DLBCL model on BCL2. This BCL2 dependence was also detectable in human ABC-DLBCL cell lines. Moreover, human ABC-DLBCLs displayed increased PD-L1 expression compared with GCB-DLBCL. In vivo experiments in our ABC-DLBCL model showed that combined venetoclax and PD-1 blockade significantly increased the overall survival of lymphoma-bearing animals, indicating that this combination may be a viable option for selected human ABC-DLBCL cases harboring MYD88 and BCL2 aberrations.

Significance:

Oncogenic Myd88 and BCL2 cooperate in murine DLBCL lymphomagenesis. The resulting lymphomas display morphologic and transcriptomic features reminiscent of human ABC-DLBCL. Data derived from our Myd88/BCL2-driven autochthonous model demonstrate that combined BCL2 and PD-1 blockade displays substantial preclinical antilymphoma activity, providing preclinical proof-of-concept data, which pave the way for clinical translation.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1
4. ‘Hideous Acclamations’: Captive Colonists, Forced Singing, and the Incorporation Imperatives of Mohawk Listeners
Authors: Goodman Glenda
Published: November 2020

Music and sound mediated all manner of interactions between European colonists and Haudenosaunee Indians during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, from diplomacy to trade to sacred worship to warfare. This chapter focuses on scenarios in which Mohawk Indians took colonists captive and forced them to sing. Forced singing was frequently accompanied by acts of physical violence performed by the captors. Unlike European torture rationales, the Mohawks’ aim was not merely to inflict pain nor to extract information or confession. Rather, the ritual practices were aimed at aiding the incorporation of captives into Indigenous society and thus were a necessary part of their survivance. Drawing on captivity narratives, proto-ethnographic descriptions, and descriptions warfare, this chapter considers the implications of instances of forced singing both for how they illuminate the importance of vocal music for Haudenosaunee peoples and how we might reconsider the discourse on music, torture, and warfare by focusing on such musical encounters in extremis.
5. Black Atlantic Acoustemologies and the Maritime Archive
Authors: Skeehan Danielle
Published: November 2020

On the surface, the slave trade’s systematic documentation—in the form of ship’s logs, insurance documents, sales legers, and account books—appears to record the erasure and suppression of African voices, cultures, and resistance. This chapter proposes, however, that there may be something in these records that we have failed to hear. By understanding the writing of the Middle Passage as an early audio technology—rather than simply a history of exploitation—we can think about sound as a new language of resistance particular to the pathways of the Middle Passage and embedded in the writing itself. In these accounts, the deadly notes of an enslaved cargo communicating and acting in mass interrupt the deadly marks of the official record. Maritime writing thus records the conditions of the Middle Passage from two perspectives: the calculated master narrative at the surface of the record, and the sounds that erupt from the depths.
7. A Global Phonographic Revolution: Trans-Eurasian Resonances of Writing in Early Modern France and China
Authors: Zhuqing (Lester) S. Hu
Published: November 2020

This chapter argues for a simultaneous Phonographic Revolution in both early modern France and early China, understood as a reconceptualization of writing as recordings of the singing-speaking voice. To make this claim, the chapter juxtaposes two mid-eighteenth-century Parisian quarrels—the operatic ‘Querelle des Bouffons’ and the Orientalist debate on ancient Egypt and China—with contemporary Chinese philology, which drew, in turn, on folksong and opera cultures. Parallelisms and connections between the two scholarly cultures show that both moved simultaneously towards a theory that all writing systems are fundamentally phonographic. These concurrent remappings of writing vis-à-vis the voice offer a new heuristic of modernity oblique to the teleology of Western industrial and scientific progress.
10. ‘Non basta il suono, e la voce’: Listening for Tasso’s Clorinda
Authors: Tylus Jane
Published: November 2020

This chapter considers the sounds of the stranger in Torquato Tasso’s late Renaissance epic, Gerusalemme liberata, focusing on the figure of Clorinda, who is also central to the musical composition Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, written by Claudio Monteverdi several decades later. Clorinda is a Muslim woman, killed in a duel by a Crusader who loves her. Critics have called attention to Monteverdi’s innovations with respect to Clorinda, since in his rendition she is finally allowed to speak in the moments before her death. This chapter suggests that we need to consider the manner in which Tasso also ‘lets’ her speak, arguing that he was supremely attentive to the importance of what he called ‘parole pellegrine’, or foreign words and sounds. This poetics of alterity is crucial for understanding his achievement, and allows us to understand why Clorinda herself is never fully absorbed into the world of Tasso’s poem.
Interannual Relationship between the West Asian and East Asian Jet Meridional Displacements in Summer
Authors: Hong Xiaowei , Lu Riyu , Li Shuanglin
Published: November 2020

The meridional displacements of the upper-tropospheric westerly jet streams over both West Asia and East Asia (WJMD and EJMD, respectively) in summer manifest as the leading pattern of the zonal wind anomalies over their local domains on the interannual time scale. This study identifies a significant interannual relationship between these two leading patterns, tending to displace in the same meridional direction, either northward or southward. It is shown that the Silk Road pattern, which is a zonal teleconnection pattern along the Asian jet, is an important modulator for the WJMD–EJMD relationship. Another factor is the precipitation anomalies over a broad tropical region, including the Indian subcontinent, the northern Indian Ocean, and the western North Pacific Ocean. Enhanced or suppressed tropical precipitation respectively induces a northward or southward displacement of the primary body of the jet stream from West Asia to East Asia, which contributes to the in-phase WJMD–EJMD relationship, as suggested by both the observations and simple model results. The SST anomalies associated with the tropical precipitation and in-phase WJMD–EJMD relationship are also discussed. The WJMD–EJMD relationship may have an important implication for identifying and explaining the teleconnections of rainfall and temperature over the broad area from West Asia to East Asia, and from the tropics to the extratropics.
National Defence Under Alternative Trade Policy Regimes: Theory and Evidence from Developing Countries
Authors: Chatterjee Tonmoy , Chatterjee Nilendu
Published: November 2020

Defence mechanism for any nation is the way through which internal as well as external geo-political condition can be stabilised. Moreover, defence sector can also be treated as one of the most potential sectors regarding financial transactions and the relevance of it is valid both in autarky and in the regime of international trade. Using Granger Causality for a panel of 27 developing countries across Asian and South American continents, we have found that different trade measures are playing major role in the way of functioning of national defence. For further analytical purpose and also to select the most effective trade policy regime among the alternatives, we have adopted a trade theoretic framework. In this regard, we have used a four-sector general equilibrium trade model with special emphasis on defence as well as R&D to defence to illustrate the impact of trade liberalisation on defence system. From such setup and by using bootstrap policy simulation we have found that trade liberalisation in the form foreign direct investment (specific to the R&D to defence) as the most effective trade regime to claim gains from trade in the presence of defence dualism for any small open developing economy. Such comparative statics is critical from the policy perspective. Policymakers should be cautious before defence industry liberalisation.

JEL Codes: H56, C33, F11, F14, F21, D58
Spirituality, religiosity and the mental health consequences of social isolation during Covid-19 pandemic
Authors: Lucchetti Giancarlo , Góes Leonardo Garcia , Amaral Stefani Garbulio , Ganadjian Gabriela Terzian , Andrade Isabelle , Almeida Paulo Othávio de Araújo , do Carmo Victor Mendes , Manso Maria Elisa Gonzalez
Published: November 2020

Background:

Evidence shows that religiosity and spirituality (R/S) are highly used in critical moments of life and that these beliefs are associated with clinical outcomes. However, further studies are needed to assess these beliefs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aims:

To evaluate the use of R/S during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and to investigate the association between R/S and the mental health consequences of social isolation.

Methods:

Cross-sectional study conducted in May 2020. Online surveys were carried out assessing sociodemographics, R/S measures, and social isolation characteristics and mental health consequences (hopefulness, fear, worrying and sadness). Adjusted regression models were used.

Results:

A total of 485 participants were included from all regions of Brazil. There was a high use of religious and spiritual beliefs during the pandemic and this use was associated with better mental health outcomes. Lower levels of worrying were associated with greater private religious activities (OR = 0.466, CI 95%: 0.307–0.706), religious attendance (OR = 0.587, CI 95%: 0.395–0.871), spiritual growth (OR = 0.667, CI 95%: 0.448–0.993) and with an increase in religious activities (OR = 0.660, CI 95%: 0.442–0.986); lower levels of fear were associated with greater private religious activities (OR = 0.632, CI 95%: 0.422–0.949) and spiritual growth (OR = 0.588, CI 95%: 0.392–0.882) and, lower levels of sadness (OR = 0.646, CI 95%: 0.418–0.997) were associated with spiritual growth. Finally, hope was associated with all R/S variables in different degrees (ranging from OR = 1.706 to 3.615).

Conclusions:

R/S seem to have an important role on the relief of suffering, having an influence on health outcomes and minimizing the consequences of social isolation. These results highlight the importance of public health measures that ensure the continuity of R/S activities during the pandemic and the training of healthcare professionals to address these issues.
The Journal of Marketing Research Today: Spanning the Domains of Marketing Scholarship
Authors: Grewal Rajdeep , Gupta Sachin , Hamilton Rebecca
Published: November 2020

The authors study the nature of articles published in the Journal of Marketing Research ( JMR) during the seven-year period 2013–2019. Consistent with the broad positioning of JMR, they find substantial diversity in domains, topics, methods, and sources of data among the published articles. They observe the emergence of new substantive topics, such as social media, social networks, and prosocial behavior, which reinforce the continued relevance of JMR. Notably, they observe increasing convergence across articles in the behavioral, quantitative, and strategy domains, reflecting more shared substantive topics of interest and common use of methods and sources of data. This trend bodes well for JMR, given its historical position as a diverse journal in the field.
Back to the Philippines: Connecting aspirations, return and social remittances in international student migration
Authors: Liao Karen Anne , Asis Maruja
Published: November 2020

The growing volume of international students has attracted research interest on their return experiences and the potential impacts of their overseas education in their home countries. This paper uses the notion of aspiration to investigate international students’ return experiences in connection to their motivations and perceived gains from studying abroad. Interviews with Filipino returnees who completed their postgraduate studies in Europe suggest that their plans to study abroad involved aspirations to return to the Philippines for different reasons, including career and family-related factors. Their aspirations also reflect their desired contributions to their respective occupational fields in the country. Their narratives of returning to the workplace, however, reveal institutional factors that either facilitate or constrain the transfer of ideas, knowledge and practices gained from their experiences abroad. Findings point to how returnees' workplace experiences, in turn, reshape their career aspirations and migration intentions.
Fixed-time trajectory tracking control for multiple nonholonomic mobile robots
Authors: Ou Meiying , Sun Haibin , Zhang Zhenxing , Li Lingchun
Published: November 2020

This paper investigates the fixed-time trajectory tracking control for a group of nonholonomic mobile robots, where the desired trajectory is generated by a virtual leader, the leader’s information is available to only a subset of the followers, and the followers are assumed to have only local interaction. According to fixed-time control theory and adding a power integrator technique, distributed fixed-time tracking controllers are developed for each robot such that all states of each robot can reach the desired value in a fixed time. Moreover, the settling time is independent of the system initial conditions and only determined by the controller parameters. Simulation results illustrate and verify the effectiveness of the proposed schemes.
Leaving the Loners Alone: Dispositional Preference for Solitude Evokes Ostracism
Authors: Ren Dongning , Evans Anthony M.
Published: November 2020

What are the interpersonal consequences of seeking solitude? Leading theories in developmental research have proposed that having a general preference for solitude may incur significant interpersonal costs, but empirical studies are still lacking. In five studies (total N = 1,823), we tested whether target individuals with a higher preference for solitude were at greater risk for ostracism, a common, yet extremely negative, experience. In studies using self-reported experiences (Study 1) and perceptions of others’ experiences (Study 2), individuals with a stronger preference for solitude were more likely to experience ostracism. Moreover, participants were more willing to ostracize targets with a high (vs. low) preference for solitude (Studies 3 and 4). Why do people ostracize solitude-seeking individuals? Participants assumed that interacting with these individuals would be aversive for themselves and the targets (Study 5; preregistered). Together, these studies suggest that seeking time alone has important (and potentially harmful) interpersonal consequences.
Faith and Knowledge: Habermas’ Alternative History of Philosophy1
Authors: Joas Hans
Published: November 2020

Jürgen Habermas’ philosophical oeuvre so far contained only few references to thinkers prior to Kant. The publication of a comprehensive history of Western philosophy by this author, therefore, came as a surprise. The book is not, as many had anticipated, a book about religion, but about the gradual emancipation of “secular” “autonomous” rationality from religion, although in a way that preserves a normative commitment to Christianity. While welcoming this attitude and praising the achievements of this book, this text is also critical with regard to Habermas' understanding of faith and hints at several shortcomings of the historical argument resulting from this deficient presupposition.
Covid-19, Trends in Global Mission, and Participation in Faithful Witness
Authors: Bendor-Samuel Paul
Published: November 2020

Mission is shaped by the life and experience of the church, both past and present, and this in turn is the function of both the work of the Spirit of God and the interaction of the people of God with their contexts. In line with this position, we examine the impact of Covid-19, highlighting some elements of the global context of mission, trends in world Christianity and mission. We then explore how global mission is in a process of realignment that has the potential to be enhanced through embracing the conditions Covid-19 has imposed on us. Finally, we consider the need for deep reflection on our identity if we are to take the opportunity to bear faithful witness in this moment.
Capital ownership, innovation and regional development policy in the economic periphery: An energy industry case
Authors: Jones Calvin , Munday Max
Published: November 2020

This paper examines how far patterns of external ownership affect benefits from industry geographical proximity. The case explores investments in energy and electricity supply in Wales. Geographically related benefits are examined through a Smart Specialisation lens, in the areas of innovation; firm-to-firm interaction; the labour market and public sector intervention. We find evidence that the ownership model or ‘home location’ of key firms is an important factor driving local economic benefits, and explore related policy implications. The case shows that the location of ownership is a key factor in firm innovative behaviour, and that the scale and nature of any benefits from industry geographical proximity will be dependent on where key decision centres lay. In spite of Wales’ comparative advantage in energy, the paper reveals no dynamic ‘melt’ of interactive and engaged firms and labour, but a functionally narrow, low value economic landscape. This leads to a request for more focus on the ownership and contextual factors that may drive the benefits of industrial proximity for places.
Modeling and Control Using Connected and Automated Vehicles with Chained Asymmetric Driver Behavior under Stop-and-Go Oscillations
Authors: Srivastava Anupam , Chen Danjue , Ahn Soyoung
Published: November 2020

This paper presents a behavioral car following model, named the chained asymmetric behavior model, that improves on the asymmetric behavior model. This model is inspired by the empirical observation that vehicles react proportionately to the magnitude of disturbance experienced when traversing through a stop-and-go oscillation, deviating from a constant following behavior observed in equilibrium conditions. Findings from simulation experiments suggest that this “second-order” effect significantly affects traffic throughput and evolution under disturbances. Knowledge obtained from the model is leveraged toward designing control for connected automated vehicles in mixed traffic streams.
Relationships between the material properties of silicone hydrogels: Desiccation, wettability and lubricity
Authors: Eftimov Petar Borisov , Yokoi Norihiko , Peev Nikola , Paunski Yasen , Georgiev Georgi Asenov
Published: November 2020

Silicone hydrogels (SiHy), represent composite matrices composed of hydrophobic gas permeable silicone (Si) rich core and a surface enriched with hydrophilic polymer moieties. Their utilization in contact lens design requires number of SiHy properties (hydration, wettability, lubricity) to be optimized for the challenging conditions at the ocular surface. Typical limitations in literature are that (i) these properties are studied in isolation, monitoring only one parameter but not the rest of them, and (ii) measurements are performed with hydrated samples immediately after removal from storage solutions. Here we study the simultaneous evolution of critical material properties (evaporative loss of water, water contact angle, coefficient of friction) of different SiHy subjected to continuous blink-like desiccation/rehydration cycling. SiHy with wetting agents incorporated in their core (narafilcon A, senofilcon A) were particularly susceptible to extended desiccation. Stenfilcon A, a material with only 3% bulk Si content maintained its performance for 4 h of cycling, and delefilcon A (80% surface water content) resisted extended 8 h of desiccation/rehydration runs. Strong correlation exists between the evolution of SiHy wettability and lubricity at ≥4 h of blink-like cycling. Understanding the interplay between SiHy properties bears insights for knowledge based design of novel ophthalmic materials.
Thermal degradation kinetics of transparent fluorinated poly(imide siloxane) copolymers
Authors: Ma Wenxiu , Xu Yong , Zeng Wei , Zhu Zheng , Liu Jinghan
Published: November 2020

Fluorinated polyimide films are widely used in the field of flexible display because of their excellent optical transmittance. Based on previous studies, the adhesion to other substrates of fluorinated polyimide films have been improved by incorporating GAPD into the macromolecular chains, but their heat resistance is not yet very clear. In this study, thermal behaviors of fluorinated polyimide films (PIs) with and without GAPD were studied in N2 ambient and atmosphere by TG-DTG analysis under non-isothermal conditions. Activation energies (Eas) of PIs were calculated by Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method, Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose method and Kissinger method. In addition, mechanisms of thermal decomposition reaction were determined by Coats-Redfern method. By comparison, the Eas of PIs in the same atmosphere were similar and the thermal reaction mechanisms were essentially the same, indicating that adhesion of fluorinated polyimide can be improved by adding appropriate amount of GAPD, while the excellent optical permeability and heat resistance of fluorinated polyimide can be maintained, further expanding its application in flexible display and other fields.
Green Tax Reform and Employment Double Dividend in Australia Should Australia Follow Europe’s Footsteps? A CGE Analysis
Authors: Maxim Maruf Rahman , Zander Kerstin
Published: November 2020

Australia has one of the highest per capita carbon emissions, and its energy sector contributes significantly to the country’s carbon emissions. Renewable energy and climate change call for a shift from fossil fuels to low-carbon technologies for energy production. Policies aiming to reduce carbon emissions are perceived by many people as leading to higher living costs, but changes in energy policies can also lead to economic gains in the presence of revenue recycling. This article applies a computable general equilibrium approach to study the effect of energy tax in the Australian economy. Four different scenarios of green tax reform (GTR) are simulated to test the employment double dividend (EDD) potential. All four scenarios simulate changes in energy tax and one of four tax revenue recycling policies including (a) value added tax reduction, (b) payroll tax reduction, (c) goods and services tax (GST) reduction and (d) a mixture of all three recycling policies. The results show strong EDD potential of GST and payroll tax reduction when used along with energy tax in a revenue-neutral GTR approach. The study also presents a comparison of an optimal EDD inducive policy design between the European and Australian GTR approaches.

JEL classifications: H23, C68, H21, Q48
Hired Latinx Child Farmworkers in North Carolina: Educational Status and Experience Through a Social Justice Lens
Authors: Quandt Sara A. , Arnold Taylor J. , Mora Dana C. , Arcury Thomas A. , Talton Jennifer W. , Daniel Stephanie S.
Published: November 2020

We examine the educational experience of Latinx hired child farmworkers in North Carolina, using a social justice framework. Qualitative ( n = 30) and quantitative ( n = 202) data collected among children ten to seventeen years of age revealed elevated rates of grade retention and dropout status. Children reported disruption to their schooling caused by international and interstate migration and intrastate movement. Few worked during school time; nevertheless, children reported missed participation in educational enrichment opportunities and little integration into school life. Schools often failed to accommodate language difficulties and problems caused by migration, and an atmosphere of racism prevailed. Educational programs for children in farmworker families were established during the 1960s. However, they do not meet the needs of hired child farmworkers. Policies to reduce child employment in agriculture and to meet their educational needs are necessary to ensure the education needed for future health and well-being. We discuss the applied implications of findings.
Integrating Illness Management Into Identity Verification Processes
Authors: Maietta Justin T.
Published: November 2020

Individuals living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D) can experience conflict between self-presentation and their symptoms or management regimens. In this article, I explain how these individuals might use their illness management techniques to aid in successfully self-presenting or having their identities verified. Interview respondents associate conflicts brought on by symptoms or management regimens with identity processes and report some instances when illness management enables them to successfully perform identities. Researchers have previously found ways that individuals work to renegotiate or preserve their identities by suppressing or hiding their illnesses. I additionally highlight instances where individuals embrace illness management to successfully perform identities, a process I call integrating illness management into the identity verification process. The importance of research on access to illness management tools and education is emphasized, as researchers aid individuals not only in maintaining good health but also being their best social selves.
Perceived Export Performance: A Contingent Measurement Approach
Authors: Sadeghi Arash , Rose Elizabeth L. , Madsen Tage Koed
Published: November 2020

Despite considerable research on export performance, relatively little scholarly attention has been devoted to incorporating managers’ perspectives into operationalizing this concept. This study proposes a new approach for measuring small and medium-sized enterprises’ export performance in the presence of multiple, potentially conflicting, goals while accounting for different approaches to assessing export performance. Adopting a contingency approach, the authors develop two customized measures of perceived export performance: the individualized perceived export performance framework and the simplified model. They demonstrate the application of both measures with a sample of 78 exporting small and medium enterprises in New Zealand and compare the outcomes. The proposed frameworks are intended to measure export performance considering managers’ specific priorities and by incorporating manager- and firm-specific differences in the types and importance of goals, indicators, and benchmarks. This article extends the understanding of export performance by proposing a more nuanced and holistic measurement approach that is tailored to individual firms and reflects firm-specific idiosyncrasies.
Outcomes of sequential intracorneal ring segment and phakic intraocular lens insertion for visual rehabilitation in keratoconus
Authors: McLintock Cameron A , McKelvie James , Miraflores Gomez Sara , Gatzioufas Zisis , Elalfy Mohamed , Hamada Samer
Published: November 2020

Purpose:

To report the visual and refractive outcomes of sequential intracorneal ring segment (ICRS) and toric phakic intraocular lens (IOL) insertion for visual rehabilitation in keratoconus.

Methods:

A retrospective interventional cohort study was performed through the Corneoplastics unit and Eye Bank, Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, United Kingdom.

Results:

14 eyes of 12 patients had sequential ICRS and phakic IOL implantation for visual rehabilitation of keratoconus between June 2014 and February 2018. After at least 6 months follow-up, the number of eyes with an uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) of 20/40 UDVA or better increased from zero (0%) to 10 (71%). 12 (85.7%) eyes achieved a post-operative UDVA equal to or better than the pre-operative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA). The number percentage of eyes with a CDVA of 20/40 or better increased from 3 (31%) to 14 (100%). The mean final spherical equivalent improved from −4.07 to −0.17 ( p ⩽ 0.001). The mean refractive astigmatism magnitude improved from 4.76D to 1.23D ( p = 0.002). Seven (50%) eyes had 1.0D or less of refractive astigmatism post-operatively.

Conclusion:

In this cohort of eyes with keratoconus, sequential ICRS and phakic IOL implantation resulted in excellent visual and refractive outcomes after at least 6 months.
Pediatric Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis Mimicking IgA Vasculitis: A Case Report
Authors: Javadi Parvaneh Vadood , Shirzani Arezoo , Rahmani Khosro , Shiari Reza
Published: November 2020

Background:

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a systemic vasculitis of the upper and lower respiratory tract along with glomerulonephritis and is very rare in childhood. Its renal manifestations similarity with IgA vasculitis can be misleading.

Case presentation:

Herein, we report a 12-years-old girl with the clinical picture of IgA vasculitis and renal involvement at the time of presentation, over time, elevated cytoplasmic Anti-neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody (C-ANCA) and tissue biopsy confirmed GPA.

Conclusion:

In the case of a patient with an unusual presentation of IgA vasculitis, to some degree of suspicion, the GPA should be considered. Also, in approach to non-thrombocytopenic palpable petechia and purpura a wide range of differential diagnosis such as infections, ANCA associated vasculitis, and secondary vasculitis should be considered. Therefore, 2 effective method of GPA diagnosis, the high titer of C-ANCA test and tissue biopsy, should be considered simultaneously.
How digital fantasy work induces organizational ideal reversal? Long-term conditioning and enactment of digital transformation fantasies at a large alternative bank (1963–2019)
Authors: Hensmans Manuel
Published: November 2020

Digitalization, that is, organizational renewal through new information and communication technologies, has long been invested with a fantasmic logic of affording alternative organizational ideals – democratic and not-for-profit rather than hierarchical and for-profit. Responding to calls to study the darker side of Silicon Valley inspired utopia, this paper investigates how and when organizational work on digitalization fantasies undermines organizational ideal renewal. In particular, this paper draws on the extended case of Alternative Bank (1963–2019) to shed light on how the long-term co-evolution of fantasy sublogics and power types in successive digital transformation projects induces organizational ideal reversal. I provide a theoretical model of how organizational ideal reversal comes about through the co-evolutionary conditioning of ‘have your cake and eat it’ affordances, mimetic neglect of real ethical affordances, and structural transgression of the ideal in the name of market and technical discipline. Ideal reversal occurs through consecutive phases of unwitting ideal transgression, followed by increasingly cynical and instrumentalizing transgression, and finally a cathartic moment of liberating ideal reversal. I advance several theoretical propositions on how digital fantasy work induces organizational ideal reversal, situating the dark side of fantasy work within a larger societal critique.
Effective playing time in the Chinese Super League
Authors: Zhao Yangqing , Zhang Hui
Published: November 2020

The purpose of this study was to analyse the effective playing time during the 2012-2018 Chinese Super League seasons. A linear mixed model with crossed random effects was used to assess the effects of match and technique characteristics on effective playing time. The key findings are as follows. (1) Matches played between the top eight teams, a tie at half time and increased audience participation were associated with reduced effective playing time; (2) The effective playing time tended to be smaller in matches with red cards than in matches without red cards. In contrast, the effective playing time did not significantly vary among the outcomes of the matches; (3) Game interruptions (goals, corner-kicks, free-kicks and throw-ins) and destructive actions (yellow cards, red cards and fouls) had a significant negative impact on the effective playing time, while productive actions (shots on target) had a significant positive impact on the effective playing time.
COVID-19 and the 24/7 News Cycle: Does COVID-19 News Exposure Affect Mental Health?
Authors: Stainback Kevin , Hearne Brittany N. , Trieu Monica M.
Published: November 2020

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has upended nearly every aspect of social life in the United States and abroad. People turn to news to provide public health updates about the virus, such as reports of new cases and deaths, but also to understand how COVID-19 is affecting jobs and the economy. The news, irrespective of its format, serves as a central conduit of information during the pandemic. Prior research examining public traumas, such as terrorist attacks, suggests that greater media intake may also amplify perceived threats about the virus and therefore have a negative effect on mental health. We argue that in the absence of a solution to the virus, such as a vaccine, greater COVID-19 media viewing is likely to heighten uncertainty and anxiousness about the future threat the virus poses to health and well-being, which should in turn increase psychological distress. Drawing on a unique data set of U.S. residents in mid- to late March 2020, the authors examine the relationships among COVID-19 news consumption, perceptions of COVID-19 threats to health and economic well-being, and psychological distress. The findings suggest that greater COVID-19 media consumption is associated with greater psychological distress and that approximately two thirds of this effect operates indirectly through increased perceptions of COVID-19 threats.
Simulation training programs for acute stroke care: Objectives and standards of methodology
Authors: Casolla Barbara , Leciñana Maria Alonso de , Neves Raquel , Pfeilschifter Waltraud , Svobodova Veronica , Jung Simon , Kemmling André , Mikulik Robert , Santalucia Paola ,   On behalf of Simulation Committee of European Stroke Organisation
Published: November 2020

The European Stroke Organisation (ESO) Simulation Committee was established in 2017 with the intent to promote simulation education and training in the stroke field. The application of simulation methodology in education and training improves healthcare professional performances in real clinical practice and patient outcomes. We evaluated the implementation of simulation training in stroke medicine, how it can significantly affect stroke pathways and quality of care. We herewith describe simulation techniques in the acute stroke setting. Simulation programs place the trainees in a safe environment, allowing both role-playings for decision making training and procedural simulation for technical skills improvement. This paper includes the position of the Committee on the key points, principles, and steps in order to set up and promote simulation programs in European stroke centers. Stroke is an emergency, and hyperacute phase management requires knowledge, expertise, optimal multidisciplinary team working, and timely actions in a very narrow time window. The ESO Simulation Committee promotes the implementation of simulation training in stroke care according to a specific and validated methodology.
Postoperative Management After Tracheostomy and Laryngectomy: Improving Nursing Knowledge With Bedside Posters
Authors: DeVictor Sam , Ong Adrian A. , Kelly Andrew P. , Burke Mark S.
Published: November 2020

This study sought to improve nursing staff understanding regarding the differences in postoperative management between patients who have undergone tracheostomy and laryngectomy. The intervention involved a brief didactic session followed by the placement of an informative poster and anatomic diagram above the bed of tracheostomy and laryngectomy patients over a 6‐month period. Data were collected before and after the didactic session and poster implementation. Of the 50 nurses surveyed, 32% believed oral ventilation is appropriate for laryngectomy patients compared to 0% of nurses after the intervention. The percentage of nursing staff reporting self‐assessed clear understanding of the patient care differences between laryngectomy and tracheostomy improved after the intervention. The use of informational posters and didactic sessions significantly improves nursing staff understanding of the differences between tracheostomy and laryngectomy patients.

Level of Evidence: IV
‘Voiceless Victims’: Children Living in the Red-Light Areas of Ibadan, Nigeria
Authors: Aborisade Richard A. , Oshileye Temitope A.
Published: November 2020

Much research work on victims of sex work, including studies employing feminist perspectives, focuses on sex work as either being a ‘victimless crime’, or women as victims, leaving the victimization of children as direct and proximate victims relatively unexplored. The practice of commercial sex work in Nigeria is illegal; however, sex business thrives in most urban centres with considerable prevalence of red-light districts. Brothels, strip clubs and other sex-oriented businesses that constitute red-light districts are usually located in neighbourhoods where people that have no business with sex work live with their families. This present study, therefore, moves to expose the risks and vulnerabilities of children living in red-light areas. Drawing on social disorganization and learning theories, an analytical cross-sectional survey of residents of neighbourhoods where commercial sex work thrives within the city of Ibadan was conducted. Fifty-seven family men and women living in red-light areas with their children were purposively selected to provide data for the qualitative study. The rate of children’s engagement in premarital sex, consumption of illicit drugs, alcoholic intake, stealing, street fighting, and school dropout was found to be a factor of their intimacy with sex work and workers in red-light areas. The study concludes that children who grow up in red-light areas are more vulnerable to being physically, emotionally, sexually abused and exploited than children who do not live in such areas. Regulation of sex work activities and prioritizing of child protection issues were suggested.
An Exploration of the Effectiveness of the Fun For Wellness Online Intervention to Promote Health in Adults With Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Prilleltensky Isaac , McMahon Adam , Myers Nicholas D. , Prilleltensky Ora , Dietz Samantha , Scarpa Michael P. , Lee Seungmin , Pfeiffer Karin A. , Bateman André G. , Brincks Ahnalee M.
Published: November 2020

Fun For Wellness (FFW) is an online behavioral intervention developed to promote well-being by enhancing the self-efficacy of participants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of FFW to promote health in adults with obesity in the United States in a relatively uncontrolled setting. The study design was a large-scale, prospective, double-blind, parallel group randomized controlled trial. Data collection occurred at three time points: baseline, 30 days, and 60 days after baseline. There was evidence for a positive direct effect of FFW on physical health status ([Formula: see text] = 1.33, p = .005, d = 0.24) at 60 days after baseline. In addition, there was evidence of a positive indirect effect of FFW on mental health status at 60 days after baseline through psychological well-being self-efficacy ([Formula: see text] = 0.44, [0.05, 0.94]).
The impact of body mass index, central obesity and physical activity on lung function: results of the EpiHealth study
Authors: Svartengren Magnus , Cai Gui-Hong , Malinovschi Andrei , Theorell-Haglöw Jenny , Janson Christer , Elmståhl Sölve , Lind Lars , Lampa Erik , Lindberg Eva
Published: November 2020

Study objectives

Obesity is often associated with lower lung function; however, the interaction of lung function with central obesity and physical inactivity is less clear. As such, we investigated the effect on lung function of body size (body mass index (BMI)), central obesity (waist circumference (WC)) and self-reported physical activity.

Methods

Lung function, height, weight and WC were measured in 22 743 participants (12 791 women), aged 45–75 years, from the EpiHealth cohort study. Physical activity, gender and educational level were assessed using a questionnaire.

Results

Obesity, central obesity and physical inactivity were all associated with lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC). However, in participants without central obesity there was an increase in both FEV1and FVC by BMI (% predicted FVC increasing from median 98%, interquartile range (IQR) 89–110% in underweight participants (BMI <20) to 103%, IQR 94–113% in obese participants (BMI ≥30)). In contrast, there was a decrease in % predicted FVC in participants with central obesity (from 98%, IQR 89–109% in the normal weight group to 95%, IQR 85–105% in the obese weight group). We further found a negative association between physical activity and lung function among those with low and high levels of physical activity (% predicted FEV197%, IQR 86–107%versus103%, IQR 94–113%, respectively and % predicted FVC 96%, IQR 85–106%versus103%, IQR 94–113%, respectively). All results remained when calculated by z-scores.

Conclusions

The association between BMI and lung function is dependent on the presence of central obesity. Independent of obesity, there is an association between physical activity and lung function.
First analysis of the Severe Paediatric Asthma Collaborative in Europe registry
Authors: Liu Norrice M. , Carlsen Karin C.L. , Cunningham Steve , Fenu Grazia , Fleming Louise J. , Gappa Monika , Karadag Bülent , Midulla Fabio , Petrarca Laura , Pijnenburg Marielle W.H. , Reier-Nilsen Tonje , Rutjes Niels W. , Rusconi Franca , Grigg Jonathan
Published: November 2020

New biologics are being continually developed for paediatric asthma, but it is unclear whether there are sufficient numbers of children in Europe with severe asthma and poor control to recruit to trials needed for registration. To address these questions, the European Respiratory Society funded the Severe Paediatric Asthma Collaborative in Europe (SPACE), a severe asthma registry. We report the first analysis of the SPACE registry, which includes data from 10 paediatric respiratory centres across Europe.

Data from 80 children with a clinical diagnosis of severe asthma who were receiving both high-dose inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting β2-agonist were entered into the registry between January 2019 and January 2020. Suboptimal control was defined by either asthma control test, or Global Initiative for Asthma criteria, or ≥2 severe exacerbations in the previous 12 months, or a combination.

Overall, 62 out of 80 (77%) children had suboptimal asthma control, of whom 29 were not prescribed a biologic. However, in 24 there was an option for starting a licensed biologic. 33 children with suboptimal control were prescribed a biologic (omalizumab (n=24), or mepolizumab (n=7), or dupilumab (n=2)), and for 29 there was an option to switch to a different biologic.

We conclude that the SPACE registry provides data that will support the planning of studies of asthma biologics. Not all children on biologics achieve good asthma control, and there is need for new trial designs addressing biologic switching.