bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improved particle swarm optimization-based adaptive multiresolution dynamic mode decomposition with application to fault diagnosis of rolling bearing
Authors: Cai Zhixin , Lv Yong , Dang Zhang , Yuan Rui , Shen Tong
Published: August 2022

It is very important to detect fault and extract fault features of mechanical systems at an early stage, because the above two steps promise normal operation of mechanical systems. However, they are also very challenging. In this context, this article has put forward improved particle swarm optimization-based adaptive multiresolution dynamic mode decomposition of rolling bearing (IPSO-AMDMD). Multiresolution dynamic mode decomposition (MRDMD) is used to decompose signals of rolling bearing at the early stage, multiscale fuzzy entropy (MFE) is employed to divide low-rank components and sparse components. In order to make up for the shortcomings of the above two methods, namely truncated rank of MRDMD and inaccurate selection in threshold of MFE, this paper has proposed a new fitness function, which is called synthetic envelope kurtosis characteristic energy difference ratio, and adopted the improved particle swarm optimization algorithm (IPSO) to select the optimal parameters adaptively. With these two steps, signals can be decomposed perfectly. Finally, reconstructed signals, which are obtained through the combination of signals from each layer according to a certain weight, go through DMD again, thus getting the final recovered signal. Through simulation experiment and in-field experiment, it has proved that IPSO-AMDMD is viable and sound in accurately extracting features from fault signals.
Research on the identification of DCT vehicle driver’s starting intention based on LSTM neural network and multi-sensor data fusion
Authors: Xu Zeyu , Liu Haijiang
Published: August 2022

Currently, the objective evaluation of the DCT vehicle drivability requires the accurate identification of the driver’s intention and vehicle state as well as the selection of the targeted evaluation indicators. The existing identification methods usually cannot divide the driver’s intentions in detail and make full use of the characteristics of time-series signals. Simultaneously, external kinematic sensors are more commonly used than the sensors of vehicle powertrain, which impacts the recognition effect. This paper proposes a new method for identifying the DCT vehicle driver’s starting intentions based on an LSTM neural network and multi-sensor data fusion. The DCT vehicle driver’s starting intentions are subdivided and defined based on human–vehicle interaction analysis and K-means clustering. The input of the model consists of 11-dimensional variables that include motion parameters of the vehicle collected by the external sensors and the powertrain parameters collected by onboard sensors. The method proposed in this paper first establishes a recognition window, which is utilized to extract the starting process samples from the DCT vehicle driving data. Second, the 11 variables of each sample are used as one set of multi-dimensional time-series signals, which are preprocessed through wavelet denoising. Finally, the LSTM network is used to identify the samples. The identification results indicate that the highest recognition accuracy of the proposed algorithm is 94.27%, which is approximately 5% higher than conventional methods, such as fully connected neural networks and support vector machines. Furthermore, the model with 11 input variables outperforms the model with fewer input variables. The effectiveness and superiority of the identification model have been demonstrated.
Numerical study on rotor tip flow loss in a boundary layer ingesting fan under different operating conditions
Authors: Lu Hanan , Yang Zhe , Pan Tianyu , Li Qiushi
Published: August 2022

As a key component of boundary layer ingesting (BLI) propulsion system, the BLI fan operates permanently at an inflow distortion condition and the distortion-induced aerodynamic loss in the fan would seriously in turn discount the aerodynamic benefit achievements of BLI propulsion system. Moreover, as the fan rotor rotates along the annulus, the blade tip region will encounter the greatest distortion intensity and operating condition variation, thus contributing to major loss source in the BLI fan rotor. To explore the loss mechanisms in rotor blade tip region of a BLI fan, numerical investigations are conducted to study the influences of BLI inflow distortion on the flow loss in the fan rotor blade tip region at different mass flow working conditions. The results indicate that the flow loss in blade tip region increases notably from near choke to near stall condition, accounting for about 38%–51% of total aerodynamic loss in the BLI fan rotor. The loss in the tip region reaches the maximum at 240° circumferential location where the rotor blade is leaving the distortion region along the annulus because high local blade load and maximum relative Mach number are presented. In the meanwhile, as the rotor blade load increases from near choke to near stall condition, the shock structure in the blade passage varies and the interaction between shock and tip leakage flow is also intensified because of enhanced local leakage flow and forward displacement of shock. At near peak efficiency and near stall conditions, the interaction between the leakage vortex and shock in the tip region is notably intensified at 240° circumferential location and the local leakage vortex expands rapidly after the shock, leading to a vortex breakdown. The resultant flow blockage at 240° circumferential location is much higher than those at other annulus locations and the maximum blockage has increased from 18% to 42% from near choke to near stall condition, contributing fundamentally to the additional loss in the BLI fan. At the same time, by further quantifying local aerodynamic loss, it is also found that the leakage flow loss due to interaction between leakage flow and shock is the major source of loss in the BLI fan rotor, and the vortex breakdown at high blade load condition (from peak efficiency to near stall condition) could even lead to an increment of loss with a slop about three times of that at low blade load condition (near choke condition).
A Micro-assessment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Realities on Small-Scale Vendors in Ghana: China as a Leveraging Resource
Authors: Ameyaw-Brobbey Thomas , Amable Dennis Senam
Published: August 2022

Since the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, international relations (IR) literature on the pandemic’s implication on global politics has generally increased, while studies on small businesses and human developmental consequences in the developing world have lagged. In this context, through a micro-level analysis, this article investigates the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic affects the economically bottom-class citizens and their businesses, focusing on small-scale vendors in Ghana. It utilises content analysis to examine 384 small-scale vendors in four cities/towns (Accra, Tema, Sunyani, Ho) in Ghana between August and October 2021. We show that the pandemic has negatively affected economic life and ordinary living conditions by increasing poverty among economically bottom-class citizens, likely to have dire long-term consequences nationally. Further, we contend that the small-scale vendors and entrepreneurs recognise leveraging the increasing Chinese global economic influence. Thus, China provides an exit point through which the people can navigate themselves out of the COVID-19 predicaments. Our study is novel for its first-level—individual—analysis of the impact of COVID-19 in the Ghanaian market space from an IR perspective. It also provides policy relevance.
Video Modeling in Mathematics: Supplemental Instruction to Support Student Learning
Authors: Satsangi Rajiv , Sigmon Stephanie D. , Bouck Emily C.
Published: August 2022

Educators often seek innovative strategies to support academic instruction for struggling students. For students with or at risk for a learning disability in mathematics, challenges learning critical skills often result in them falling behind their grade-level peers. One strategy that can provide targeted instruction on key concepts is video modeling. Teacher-made videos serve as a valuable resource for struggling students to access supplementary teaching beyond the classroom. This column highlights six steps for teachers to follow when developing video modeling to support instruction for students with a learning disability.
Missing the Bigger Picture: The Need for More Research on Visual Health Misinformation
Authors: Heley Kathryn , Gaysynsky Anna , King Andy J.
Published: August 2022

Research shows that health misinformation is widespread online and poses a potentially significant threat to public health. Visual misinformation has been largely overlooked, a notable gap given the unique features and ubiquity of visual content. In this essay, we (a) provide a working definition of visual misinformation, (b) summarize the main categories of visual misinformation, (c) offer examples of the functions visuals can serve within misinformation content, and (d) outline priorities for advancing research on visual misinformation. A systematic approach to studying visual misinformation can improve efforts to mitigate health misinformation and optimize science communication in the current information environment.
No Laughing Matter: Exploring the Effects of Scientists’ Humor Use on Twitter and the Moderating Role of Superiority
Authors: Zhang Annie L. , Lu Hang
Published: August 2022

This study explores the effects of two humor styles—pure humor and satire—on audiences’ Twitter engagement intentions as well as their attitudes toward mRNA Covid-19 vaccines. In an online between-subjects experiment ( N = 484), these styles were embedded within a scientist’s tweet about the vaccines. The results showed that, compared to a no humor tweet, both pure humor and satire increased audience’s expectancy violation, subsequently decreasing both outcomes. Superiority as an individual trait also moderated the relationship between humor styles and both expectancy violation and Twitter engagement. These findings broaden our understanding of different humor styles in science communication on Twitter.
Evaluating the Impact of an Educational Intervention on Hepatitis C Screening in a Midwest Regional Psychiatric Unit
Authors: Northrup Amy D. , Gignac Courtney R. , Wehbe-Alamah Hiba , Cooper Denise
Published: August 2022

Introduction:

Affecting more than 3.9 million Americans, the hepatitis C virus (HCV) attacks the liver by causing inflammation. Left untreated, HCV can lead to serious consequences. Targeting high-risk individuals in the inpatient psychiatric setting can lead to increased testing and referral.

Aims:

This quality improvement project determined whether an intervention—consisting of a pretest, educational session, posttest, and screening implementation—increased staff knowledge about HCV screening recommendations, identified at-risk individuals, and increased the number of patients screened and referred for treatment.

Method:

An online HCV educational session was provided to 30 staff at a Midwest regional psychiatric unit. An online pre/posttest was conducted to determine staff knowledge and understanding prior to and after the educational session. An HCV screening tool checklist was incorporated into the electronic health record (EHR) system. A 3-month pre/post-intervention chart review was completed to determine the number of patients identified and screened for HCV.

Results:

A comparison of the 30 staff members’ mean pre/posttest scores were calculated using an unpaired t test, showing a prescore mean of 55.15 ± 19.09 and a postscore mean of 85.75 ± 13.44, p < .001. A chi-square analysis indicated that there was a statistically significant post-intervention increase in the percentage of high-risk patients identified (5.6%–36.4%, p < .001) and screened (5.6%–31.4%, p < .001) for HCV compared with pre-intervention.

Conclusion:

The study intervention increased staff knowledge of HCV guidelines and the number of at-risk patients identified and screened for the disease.
Characterization of micro-sandwich structures via direct ink writing epoxy based cores
Authors: Smith Zane J , Barsoum Demiana R , Arwood Zachariah L , Penumadu Dayakar , Advincula Rigoberto C
Published: August 2022

Sandwich structured (SS) composites demonstrate considerable flexural stiffness and high strength-to-weight ratios and can be tailored as functional materials. Historically they have been constrained to specific material types and geometry due to limitations in manufacturing methods. However, employing additive manufacturing (AM), specifically direct ink writing (DIW), can provide an alternative method for making SS composites with complex and controllable micro and mesostructures with multifunctionality targeted at desired mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. DIW, an extrusion-based AM technique, uses a viscous and thixotropic ink with desired components that, once printed, is cured to obtain the final complex net shape parts. In this paper, a novel hybrid AM technique is employed to manufacture SS composite materials containing bisphenol A-based epoxy core and carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) face sheets that are fabricated via DIW and vacuum infusion process (VIP), respectfully. We demonstrate that the fabrication of these SS composites can be tailored from a thermosetting material, from which additives and/or various lattice structures can be manufactured to achieve enhanced and desirable mechanical integrity with functional properties. Surface topology and mechanical testing techniques are used to characterize the fabricated hybrid SS composites to study and assess mechanical stability. A rheo-kinetic cure model was developed for the core material to allow for additive manufacturing process requirements while ensuring complete cross-linking for the thermoset-based core material. Because of the ability to obtain relatively small core-thickness and controlled architecture, this method now allows for fabricating layered micro-sandwich structures for realizing further light-weighting in relevant applications.
Functional Annotation of Hypothetical Proteins From the Enterobacter cloacae B13 Strain and Its Association With Pathogenicity
Authors: Dey Supantha , Shahrear Sazzad , Afroj Zinnia Maliha , Tajwar Ahnaf , Islam Abul Bashar Mir Md. Khademul
Published: August 2022

Enterobacter cloacae B13 strain is a rod-shaped gram-negative bacterium that belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family. It can cause respiratory and urinary tract infections, and is responsible for several outbreaks in hospitals. E. cloacae has become an important pathogen and an emerging global threat because of its opportunistic and multidrug resistant ability. However, little knowledge is present about a large portion of its proteins and functions. Therefore, functional annotation of the hypothetical proteins (HPs) can provide an improved understanding of this organism and its virulence activity. The workflow in the study included several bioinformatic tools which were utilized to characterize functions, family and domains, subcellular localization, physiochemical properties, and protein-protein interactions. The E. cloacae B13 strain has overall 604 HPs, among which 78 were functionally annotated with high confidence. Several proteins were identified as enzymes, regulatory, binding, and transmembrane proteins with essential functions. Furthermore, 23 HPs were predicted to be virulent factors. These virulent proteins are linked to pathogenesis with their contribution to biofilm formation, quorum sensing, 2-component signal transduction or secretion. Better knowledge about the HPs’ characteristics and functions will provide a greater overview of the proteome. Moreover, it will help against E. cloacae in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) outbreaks and nosocomial infections.
The Status of Household Solid Waste Management and its Associated Factors in Fiche Town, North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia
Authors: Teferi Samuel Chane
Published: August 2022

Background:

Poor solid waste management is a major public health and environmental concern in developing countries like Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the status of household solid waste management and associated factors in Fiche town.

Methods:

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 236 residents of Fiche town from January to March 2022. Both questionnaire and field observation was used to collect data from households in the town. Data were first checked manually for completeness, then coded and entered into SPSS version 20, then descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage were done. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to assess the potential predictors of the outcome variable ( P < .05).

Result:

In the present study, 185 (78.4%), of residents uses improper solid waste management practices. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that knowledge of reduce, reuse and recycle (3R) (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 6.61; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.94, 14.87), access to door to door waste collection (AOR = 3.91; 95% CI 2.03, 7.51), treating waste as a resource (AOR = 3.06; 95% CI 1.47, 6.36) and knowledge about the rule and regulations of solid waste management (AOR = 6.49; 95% CI 3.09, 13.61) were found to be significantly associated with waste management practices.

Conclusion:

Therefore, there is a need to raise awareness about solid waste management at the community level using different pieces of training. In addition, the city municipality needs to strengthen door to door waste collection services.
Pilot Study of Combination Gemogenovatucel-T (Vigil) and Durvalumab in Women With Relapsed BRCA-wt Triple-Negative Breast or Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Barve Minal , Aaron Phylicia , Manning Luisa , Bognar Ernest , Wallraven Gladice , Horvath Staci , Stanbery Laura , Nemunaitis John
Published: August 2022

Background:

Gemogenovatucel-T (Vigil) is a triple-function autologous tumor cell immunotherapy which expresses granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and decreases expression of furin and downstream TGF-β1 and TGF-β2. Vigil has suggested survival benefit in frontline maintenance ovarian cancer patients who are BRCA-wt. In addition, Vigil demonstrates relapse-free and overall survival advantage in homologous recombination-proficient patients with OC. Further evidence of clinical benefit and safety has been demonstrated in combination with atezolizumab.

Methods:

In this pilot study (NCT02725489), the concurrent combination of the programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor durvalumab and Vigil was explored in advanced BRCA-wt relapsed triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients and stage III-IV recurrent/refractory OC patients. Patients received the combination regimen of Vigil (1 × 10e6-10e7 cells/dose intradermally, up to 12 doses) and durvalumab (1500 mg/dose intravenous infusion, up to 12 months) once every 4 weeks. The primary objective was to evaluate safety of this combination. The study included 13 BRCA-wt patients (TNBC, n = 8; OC, n = 5).

Results:

The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (⩾20%) in all patients included injection-site reaction (92.3%), myalgia (38.5%), bruise at injection site (23.1%), and pruritus (23.1%). Three grade 3 treatment-related adverse events were observed and related to durvalumab. There were no grade 4/5 treatment-related adverse events. Median progression-free survival was 7.1 months and the median overall survival was not reached. Prolonged progression-free survival was improved in patients with PD-L1+ tumors (n = 8, hazard ratio = 0.304, 95% confidence interval, 0.0593-1.56, 1-sided P = .04715) compared with those with PD-L1− tumors.

Conclusions:

Vigil plus durvalumab was well tolerated and showed promising clinical activity in advanced BRCA-wt TNBC and stage III-IV recurrent/refractory OC patients.
Analogy and similarity as a resource in new speaker styles of Basque
Authors: Lantto Hanna
Published: August 2022

Aims and Objectives/Purpose/Research Questions:

The study examines contact between the Basque standard variety, Spanish, and Basque dialects in the speech of new speakers of Basque, euskaldun berriak, who have Spanish as their language of primary socialization and who have learned standard Basque in classroom contexts. The overall goal of the study is to determine what linguistic features new speakers draw from in the construction of a colloquial style of Basque.

Design/Methodology/Approach:

The study combines third-wave approaches of sociolinguistic variation with cognitive, usage-based approaches to language contact. The study is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the city of Bilbao between 2016 and 2017.

Data and Analysis:

Forty-seven new speakers of Basque participated in metalinguistic interviews. Many others were observed in the larger context of the ethnographic fieldwork. The data consist of field notes and more than 30 hours of recordings. The analysis combines the metalinguistic commentary of the participants with observation of their linguistic practices.

Findings/Conclusions:

New speakers’ morphosyntactic and stylistic variation in constructing a colloquial style is explained through analogy and similarity, as they draw from interlingual and intralingual analogies and similarities in the process of register construction. The variation can be largely explained by the speakers’ social networks and their involvement in the Basque-speaking cultural sphere.

Originality:

This study examines the role of new speakers in linguistic change. The study presents a novel approach by combining analyses of common cognitive processes with an understanding of shared social language practices that are influenced by language ideologies.

Significance/Implications:

An integrated approach of cognitive processes and the social meaning of language change allow the examination of the interplay of social competence and human faculty. Variationist studies can benefit from studies conducted at the sites of language revitalization with complex indexical fields and rapidly changing social dynamics.
‘We haven’t got here just on our own. It’s a conversation’: An interview with Carol Tulloch
Authors: Littler Jo , Tulloch Carol
Published: August 2022

Carol Tulloch is an author, curator, maker and academic, and Professor of Dress, Diaspora and Transnationalism at the University of the Arts in London. She grew up in Doncaster in the North of England and studied BA Fashion and Textile Design at Ravensbourne College Design and Communication, and MA History of Design at the Royal College of Art and Victoria and Albert Museum. She is known for her innovative work on heritage, personal archives, style narratives and auto/biography, and her books include Black Style (2004) and The Birth of Cool: Style Narratives of the African Diaspora (2016). She has curated and co-curated a wide range of exhibitions, including Grow Up! Advice and the Teenage Girl (The Women’s Library, 2002); The March of the Women: Suffragettes and the State (National Archives, 2003); Picture This: Representations of Black People in Product Promotion (Archives and Museum of Black Heritage, 2002); Black British Style (V&A, 2004 ); and Rock Against Racism (Autograph, 2015). In this interview, conducted online in summer 2021, she talks to Jo Littler about her work and the contexts and cultures it emerged out of.
The role of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in the healthcare financing reforms in Croatia: Transfer of ideas and limited coercion
Authors: Malinar Ante
Published: August 2022

The paper investigates the influence of policy ideas from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on healthcare financing policy in Croatia during the 2002 reform. It contributes to the global social policy literature by providing evidence that the influence of international organisations primarily stems from non-coercive instruments to control the policy agenda, for example, dissemination of ideas, technical assistance and consultations with the recipient government. Even though Croatia was facing economic and political difficulties which weakened its bargaining position vis a vis IOs, the paper shows that impact of coercion and conditionalities attached to international aid was limited. It explains the lenient stance of international organisations by their mission to aid and adjust to a country’s needs as well as their self-interest to lend money, to stay in the reform game and to prolong their influence in the future. Consequently, international organisations are willing to bargain and make trade-offs with the recipient government.
Hostile prototypes: plastic urbanism in San Francisco
Authors: Kullman Kim
Published: August 2022

Turning to the concept of plasticity in the philosophy of Catherine Malabou, this article traces an approach to urban change as a volatile movement of giving, receiving and exploding form. It diverges from lines of thinking within cultural geography that affirm lively processes and relations, instead calling attention to the finite and fragile morphologies of cities and their exposure to the threat of destruction. The article examines a planning programme in San Francisco which invites local groups to craft and care for temporary street furniture. Intended to facilitate civic engagement, such artefacts acquire plastic properties that further divide and disrupt populations, particularly those experiencing homelessness. Attuning to this negative power of form illuminates an emerging hostile urbanism that utilises provisional structures to irreversibly alter the constitution of places.
Intra-tumor heterogeneity and prognostic risk signature for hepatocellular carcinoma based on single-cell analysis
Authors: Liu Chengli , Pu Meng , Ma Yingbo , Wang Cheng , Kong Linghong , Zhang Shuhan , Zhao Xuying , Lian Xiaopeng
Published: August 2022

Intra-tumor heterogeneity poses a serious challenge in the treatment of cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recent developments in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) make it possible to examine the heterogeneity of tumor cells. The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was retrieved to obtain scRNA-seq data of 13 HCC and 8 para cancer samples, and the cells were clustered using FindNeighbors and FindClusters functions. Cell subsets were defined using the “Enricher” function of the clusterProfiler package. Monocle was used to predict cell developmental trajectory. The LIMMA package included in the R program was utilized to detect differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between HCC and paracancerous tissues. Univariate Cox analysis and Least Absolute and Selection Operator (Lasso) Cox regression analysis were conducted to establish a risk assessment model. Thirteen cell subpopulations were identified from the sequencing data of 64,634 single cells. Four cell subgroups (dendritic cells, hepatocytes, liver bud hepatic cells, and liver progenitor cells) in tumor tissues were highly enriched. Between HCC and para cancer tissues, 3024 DEGs were identified, and 641 were specific markers of four cell subgroups. To develop a prognostic risk model, 9 genes among the 641 genes were selected. In the training and validation sets, the model demonstrated a higher 5-year AUC and independently served as a prognostic marker as confirmed by multivariate and univariate Cox analyses. This study revealed the characteristics of different cell subpopulations of immune cells and tumor cells from the HCC microenvironment. We established a novel nine-gene prognostic model to determine the death risk of HCC patients. The discoveries in this research improved the current knowledge of HCC heterogeneity and may inspire future research.
Imaging and detection of long-lived fluorescence probes in presence of highly emissive and scattering background
Authors: Ceresa Luca , Chavez Jose , Kitchner Emma , Kimball Joseph , Gryczynski Ignacy , Gryczynski Zygmunt
Published: August 2022

Optical biomedical imaging and diagnostics is a rapidly growing field that provides both structural and functional information with uses ranging from fundamental to practical clinical applications. Nevertheless, imaging/visualizing fluorescence objects with high spatial resolution in a highly scattering and emissive biological medium continues to be a significant challenge. A fundamental limiting factor for imaging technologies is the signal-to-background ratio (SBR). For a long time to improve the SBR, we tried to improve the brightness of fluorescence probes. Many novel fluorophores with improved brightness (almost reaching the theoretical limit), redshifted emission, highly improved photostability, and biocompatibility greatly helped advance fluorescence detection and imaging. However, autofluorescence, scattering of excitation light, and Raman scattering remain fundamental limiting problems that drastically limit detection sensitivity. Similarly, significant efforts were focused on reducing the background. High-quality sample purification eliminates the majority of autofluorescence background and in a limited confocal volume allows detection to reach the ultimate sensitivity to a single molecule. However, detection and imaging in physiological conditions does not allow for any sample (cells or tissue) purification, forcing us to face a fundamental limitation. A significant improvement in limiting background can be achieved when fluorophores with a long fluorescence lifetime are used, and time-gated detection is applied. However, all long-lived fluorophores present low brightness, limiting the potential improvement. We recently proposed to utilize multipulse excitation (burst of pulses) to enhance the relative signal of long-lived fluorophores and significantly improve the SBR. Herein, we present results obtained with multipulse excitation and compare them with standard single-pulse excitation. Subtraction of images obtained with a single pulse from those obtained with pulse burst (differential image) highly limits background and instrumental noise resulting in more specific/sensitive detection and allows to achieve greater imaging depth in highly scattering media, including skin and tissue.
Effect of combining anticoagulant and glucocorticoid therapy on mortality in patients with severe COVID-19
Authors: Shi Can , Wu Tian , Hu Jing , Guo Ren , Liu Zuoliang
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread rapidly to more than 200 countries and regions worldwide. Although several options have been implemented in attempts to control the rate of COVID-19 infection, the mortality rates remain high. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether patients with severe COVID-19 will benefit from the combination of anticoagulant and glucocorticoid therapy.

Methods

A single-center retrospective cohort study of patients with COVID-19 was performed. Several factors influencing patients with COVID-19 have been analyzed retrospectively, including basic conditions, inflammatory factors, coagulation parameters, medications, and outcomes. Continuous and categorical variables have been evaluated via binary logistic regression analysis to predict mortality. The association between anticoagulant treatment and outcomes has also been evaluated, stratifying patients according to glucocorticoid treatment.

Results

61 patients with severe COVID-19, including 23 critically ill patients have been enrolled in the study. In those with severe and critical illness COVID-19, mortality rate was lower in those who received combined anticoagulant and glucocorticoid with odds ratio of 0.003 ( p = 0.042) and 0.031 ( p = 0.046), respectively. In cases of severe COVID-19, those who were treated with both anticoagulant and glucocorticoid had lower mortality (17.6%) than those treated with glucocorticoid alone (31.8%), although this did not reach statistical significance ( p = 0.321). In the critically ill COVID-19 patients who received both anticoagulant and glucocorticoid, there was significantly lower mortality (30%) than those who received glucocorticoid alone (77.8%) ( p = 0.047). Seventy-five percent of non-survivors of COVID-19 met the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis criteria of disseminated intravascular coagulation (total points ≥5).

Conclusion

Patients with severe COVID-19 or critically ill patients with COVID-19 may benefit from the combination therapy of anticoagulant and glucocorticoid. As the disease getting severe, more benefits may be obtained from the combination therapy.
Astaxanthin suppresses End MT by LOX-1 pathway in ox-LDL-induced HUVECs
Authors: Zhu Zhongsheng , Li Jinyu , Tong Rui , Zhang Xiaorong , Yu Bo
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Astaxanthin (ASX) is carotenoid with the highest antioxidant activity in various cell types and reverse atherosclerosis. However, the roles and detailed mechanisms of ASX in atherosclerosis associated endothelial injury remains unclear.

Methods

In vitro atherosclerosis model was established in HUVECs by incubation with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL). Cell viability and oxidative stress were measured. The mRNA and protein expressions of lectin-like ox-LDL receptor (LOX-1) and other related genes were determined.

Results

ox-LDL reduced cell viability of HUVECs, and induced oxidative stress, as evidenced by elevated cellular malondialdehyde (MDA) and decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD). Pretreatment with ASX (50, 100, 200, and 400 μM) markedly reversed the reduction in cell viability and an increase in migration of HUVECs induced by ox-LDL (50 μg/mL). ASX attenuated the increase in the endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) process, as evidenced by increased CD31 and decreased α-SMA and vimentin proteins by ASX treatment in HUVECs. Furthermore, ASX attenuated the increase in MDA and decrease in SOD induced by ox-LDL, increased supernatant NO production, attenuated the increase in iNOS and decrease in eNOS in HUVECs with ox-LDL. ASX enhanced mRNA and protein expressions of the lectin-like ox-LDL receptor (LOX-1), which was dependent on ASX’s antioxidant activity. The inhibitory effect of ASX on EndMT could be abolished by overexpression of LOX-1 in HUVECs induced by ox-LDL.

Conclusions

Our data speculate that ASX prevents ox-LDL-induced endothelial cell injury and EndMT by inducing antioxidant property (SOD and NO) and decreasing LOX-1 expression.
Policing and social media: The framing of technological use by Canadian newspapers (2005–2020)
Authors: Walsh James P , Baker Victoria , Frade Brittany
Published: August 2022

As digital platforms that expand opportunities to create, distribute, and access content online, social media are transforming the policing landscape. While scholars have considered social media’s contradictory effects on police services’ public image and operational capacity, less is known about how patterns of technological use are reported within the mainstream press. Employing a mixed-methods content analysis, this article assesses how Canadian newspapers framed the policing-social media relationship over a 15-year period, and how such representations can affect public opinion and policy. It finds, despite minor fluctuations over time and across outlets, news organizations prioritized police perspectives and offered overwhelmingly favourable assessments with social media being constructed as a valuable tool of crime prevention and control. The broader implications of these findings for perceptions of law enforcement and relations between the news media and institutional power are provided.
Towards a criminology of public inquiries: From cautious optimism to contestation in the Brook House Inquiry
Authors: Schlembach Raphael , Hart Emily Luise
Published: August 2022

Although UK public inquiries garner huge amounts of public attention, there have been few systematic studies of their role in scrutinising and reforming criminal justice policy and practice. This is despite a growing number of inquiries, held under the Inquiries Act 2005, into critical matters relating to policing, justice and home affairs. This article explores the contested nature of statutory inquiries as mechanisms for accountability and opportunity for policy reform. We suggest that inquiries provide fertile grounds for criminological analysis, if we understand them as sites of contestation where political priorities compete over questions of procedure, scope and participation. Our focus is on the Brook House Inquiry into the mistreatment of detainees in a British immigration removal centre. The analysis shows a tension between the public-facing nature of inquiries and their legalistic processes.
Am I audible? Teacher’s alienation with online teaching
Authors: Dar Wahid Ahmad
Published: August 2022

Using qualitative data, this article unleashes the narratives of teachers ( n = 20), engaged in the universities and colleges of Kashmir, about synchronous online teaching. Their narratives were replete with a range of negative emotions regarding the pedagogical, political and personal domains of online teaching. These negative emotions have been broadly framed within the notion of teacher alienation. Four predominant themes: “ am I audible?”; “ Lack of proximity”; “ Talking with the walls”; and “ it is just a formality” emerged from the data. Conversely, they highlight the constitutive features of real classrooms lacking in online teaching, such as control, proximity, attention, and authenticity. The article treats these feelings as significant to teacher alienation in online teaching. These themes reflect lived dimensions of online teaching confronted during the top-down implementation of online classes during the recent crises situation. This adds to the theory of teacher alienation and identifies the pedagogical bottlenecks in online teaching.
Self-Reported Outcomes in Early Postoperative Management After Shoulder Surgery Using a Home-Based Strengthening and Stabilization System With Telehealth
Authors: Greiner Justin J. , Drain Nicholas P. , Lesniak Bryson P. , Lin Albert , Musahl Volker , Irrgang James J. , Popchak Adam J.
Published: August 2022

Background:

Multiple rehabilitation protocols after shoulder surgery have been proposed. The coronavirus pandemic adds an extra layer of complexity to postoperative rehabilitation after shoulder surgery.

Hypothesis:

The combined use of a home-based rehabilitation system, the Shoulder Strengthening and Stabilization System (SSS), and telehealth visits will lead to acceptable patient self-reported outcomes and satisfaction after shoulder surgery.

Study Design:

Prospective observational cohort.

Level of Evidence:

Level 4.

Methods:

A total of 132 patients were prescribed SSS after shoulder surgery. A virtual clinical specialist monitored patients through telehealth visits as prescribed by the treating physician. Data were collected prospectively during each telehealth visit. Patients completed an exit survey during their last telehealth visit.

Results:

The use of SSS with telehealth revealed a positive impact on postoperative shoulder rehabilitation (96%), pain (71%), and stiffness (92%) as reported by patients. Both pain scores and pain medication use decreased from the 1st to 8th postoperative telehealth session ( P < 0.01). Nearly all (93%) patients recommended SSS after shoulder surgery upon completing the SSS protocol.

Conclusion:

Postoperative management of shoulder surgery with SSS combined with telehealth results in a reduction in patient pain levels in the early postoperative period. Patients reported high levels of improvement with SSS in shoulder rehabilitation, pain, and stiffness. The overwhelming majority (93%) of patients recommended SSS for postoperative shoulder rehabilitation and SSS yielded high patient satisfaction scores. Elucidating the impact of SSS on clinical outcomes and function in comparison with traditional rehabilitation protocols is warranted.

Clinical Relevance:

SSS in combination with telehealth was tolerated well by patients and may represent an alternative or adjunct to traditional rehabilitation protocols.
Evaluation of the Anti-Inflammatory and Chondroprotective Effect of Celecoxib on CartilageEx Vivoand in a Rat Osteoarthritis Model
Authors: Haartmans Mirella J.J. , Timur Ufuk Tan , Emanuel Kaj S. , Caron Marjolein M.J. , Jeuken Ralph M. , Welting Tim J.M. , van Osch Gerjo J.V.M. , Heeren Ron M.A. , Cillero-Pastor Berta , Emans Pieter J.
Published: August 2022

Objective

The potential chondroprotective effect of celecoxib, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor used to reduce pain and inflammation in knee osteoarthritis patients, is disputed. This study aimed at investigating the chondroprotective effects of celecoxib on (1) human articular cartilage explants and (2) in an in vivo osteoarthritis rat model.

Design

Articular cartilage explants from 16 osteoarthritis patients were cultured for 24 hours with celecoxib or vehicle. Secreted prostaglandins (prostaglandin E2, prostaglandin F2α, prostaglandin D2) and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) concentrations were determined in medium by ELISA, and protein regulation was measured with label-free proteomics. Cartilage samples from 7 of these patients were analyzed for gene expression using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. To investigate the chondroprotective effect of celecoxib in vivo, 14 rats received an intra-articular injection of celecoxib or 0.9% NaCl after osteoarthritis induction by anterior cruciate ligament transection and partial medial meniscectomy (ACLT/pMMx model). Histopathological scoring was used to evaluate osteoarthritis severity 12 weeks after injection.

Results

Secretion of prostaglandins, target of Nesh-SH3 (ABI3BP), and osteonectin proteins decreased, whereas tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP-2) increased significantly after celecoxib treatment in the human ( ex vivo) explant culture. Gene expression of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 4 and 5 (ADAMTS4/5) and metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13) was significantly reduced after celecoxib treatment in human cartilage explants. Cartilage degeneration was reduced significantly in an in vivo osteoarthritis knee rat model.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrated that celecoxib acts chondroprotective on cartilage ex vivo and a single intra-articular bolus injection has a chondroprotective effect in vivo.
Loving the enemy app: Resistance versus professionalism in ‘post-TikTok’ India
Authors: Mazumdar Suruchi
Published: August 2022

This article addresses how the Chinese short video-sharing platform TikTok, a key actor of global platform economy and its disconnect or subsequent ban influenced and changed ideas of creativity in India. Through qualitative interviews and content analysis of TikTok videos (available on YouTube), YouTube interviews of content creators and newspaper articles of the app ban, this paper suggests that TikTok, as a ‘memetic text’ and a site of ‘vernacular creativity’, encourages both ‘everyday acts of resistance’ and professionalism/entrepreneurial citizenship. While the app ban signposts digital ‘imitation’ publics’ transition from ‘low’ to ‘high’ technology environments, the values of professionalism and entrepreneurship remain constant. The paper shows the tension between professionalism/entrepreneurship and the ‘everyday acts of resistance’ to state-led technocratic vision. It argues against the disconnect between democratisation and ‘demoticisation’ of technology.
Forecasting the urbanization dynamics in the Seoul metropolitan area using a long short-term memory–based model
Authors: Lee Changyeon , Lee Jaekyung , Park Sungjin
Published: August 2022

Over the past half century, the Seoul metropolitan area (SMA) has experienced rapid urbanization. Urban development and population growth within the SMA have caused various problems, such as a lack of affordable housing, traffic congestion, and socioeconomic inequality between the SMA and the rest of the country. As a solution, growth control was adopted, but it resulted in increasing housing prices within Seoul. In late 2018, skyrocketing housing prices forced Seoul’s government to abandon its growth-control policy and announce large-scale “new-town” projects planned outside of the city’s urban growth boundary. The primary purpose of this research is to predict future urbanization dynamics by utilizing the long short-term memory (LSTM)–based prediction model. The secondary purpose is to identify the influential driving factors in urbanization that can help policy makers develop evidence-based, informed strategies. To predict future urbanization’s spatial patterns in the SMA, LSTM models have been estimated under two scenarios: (A) assuming that current urbanization trends and contributing factors will remain consistent in the future and (B) considering new development plans’ impacts. A comparison of the modeling results indicates that the government-driven new-town projects will help urbanize 55.8% more land by 2030. The variable influence analysis also reveals that strong growth-control measures may be necessary for areas with higher employment and homeownership rates to control rapid urbanization. However, housing supply and economic growth–related policies in Seoul’s suburbs would help attract the city’s population to the outskirts. The LSTM-based model yields an accurate and reliable spatial prediction in the form of visual maps, and its graphic results will assist policy makers greatly in developing effective strategies for smart urban growth management.
A study of the damage tolerance of composite-metal hybrid joints reinforced by multiple and penetrative thin pins
Authors: Liu Longquan
Published: August 2022

The application of adhesive bonding technology in aircraft structures can reduce the total wight greatly, but the bonded joints are very sensitive to the possible manufacturing defects and damages during service operations, which makes them difficult to meet the damage tolerance requirements of the current transport airplane structures. In this study, the damage tolerance of composite-metal hybrid joints reinforced by multiple and penetrative thin pins was studied. The damage tolerance performance of the composite-metal joint is supposed to be enhanced by multiple through-the-thickness penetrative thin reinforcements in the bonding region, and the thin reinforcements were bonded together with both the composite and metallic joint plates. Both experimental tests and finite element simulations were conducted to investigate the effects of the through-the-thickness reinforcements on the damage tolerance performance of the joints with and without pre-fabricated disbond defects. Through the comparative analyses, it was found that the penetrative thin pins in the bonding region significantly improved the static load carrying capacity, the failure strain, the fracture energy, and the fatigue lives of the composite-metal bonded joints. Moreover, the reinforcements decreased the sensitivity of the bonded joints to the disbond defects in the bonding region. The damage tolerance performance of the composite-metal adhesively bonded joints was significantly increased by the through-the-thickness penetrative reinforcements and the enhancement mechanism was revealed by the combined analysis of test results and simulation results.