bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Application of ARIMA Model to Forecast the Dynamics of COVID-19 Epidemic in India
Authors: Katoch Rupinder , Sidhu Arpit
Published: March 2021

The swiftly growing and overwhelming epidemic in India has intensified the question: What will the trend and magnitude of impact of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) be in India in the near future? To answer the present question, the study requires ample historical data to make an accurate forecast of the blowout of expected confirmed cases. All at once, no prediction can be certain as the past seldom reiterates itself in the future likewise. Besides, forecasts are influenced by a number of factors like reliability of the data and psychological factors like perception and reaction of the people to the hazards arising from the epidemic. The present study presents a simple but powerful and objective, that is, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) approach, to analyse the temporal dynamics of the COVID-19 outbreak in India in the time window 30 January 2020 to 16 September 2020 and to predict the final size and trend of the epidemic over the period after 16 September 2020 with Indian epidemiological data at national and state levels. With the assumption that the data that have been used are reliable and that the future will continue to track the same outline as in the past, underlying forecasts based on ARIMA model suggest an unending increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India in the near future. The present article suggests varying epidemic’s inflection point and final size for underlying states and for the mainland, India. The final size at national level is expected to reach 25,669,294 in the next 230 days, with infection point that can be expected to be projected only on 23 April 2021. The study has enormous potential to plan and make decisions to control the further spread of epidemic in India and provides objective forecasts for the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the coming days corresponding to the respective COVID periods of the underlying regions.
Assessing teachers’ perspectives on giving music lessons remotely during the COVID-19 lockdown period
Authors: Biasutti Michele , Antonini Philippe Roberta , Schiavio Andrea
Published: March 2021

The recent COVID-19 health emergency has forced many music teachers to adopt remote teaching methods. The present paper investigates the practices and strategies used by conservatory-level music teachers to give lessons online in different European countries and the USA. Data from an exploratory qualitative study were collected using semi-structured interviews covering aspects such as curriculum design, lesson implementation, evaluation, examination organization, and time management skills. Interviewees offered rich descriptions of their experiences of teaching both music theory and instrumental lessons. Findings were analyzed using an inductive method, giving rise to the following categories: COVID-19 and the music school, technology, curriculum planning, managing instrumental lessons, examinations, strengths, and limitations. Participants discussed their ability to manage technology, and they employed skills such as flexibility, problem solving, and creativity in their curriculum planning and in using a variety of remote learning tools. They revised curricular activities and online teaching strategies and methods were associated with the musical instruments played. They argued that online teaching was very time consuming (e.g., planning activities, preparing materials, and exploring the new possibilities of technical tools) and that it was stressful to have lost a satisfactory work-life balance. They reported becoming more organized in the management of their activities. Internet platforms were found useful for sharing material, communicating, exchanging messages, and keeping records of all the work done. Participants learnt to use video clips systematically for modelling and teaching. They were aware of the strengths and limitations of e-learning, and they called for more institutional support and opportunities for professional development.
How Demographic Faultlines and Impression Management Behaviors Influence Group Affective Tone
Authors: Chi Nai-Wen , Tsai Wei-Chi
Published: March 2021

Drawing on the social categorization perspective, we theorized that team demographic faultlines increase negative group affective tone (NGAT) through reduced group identification, while team member positive impression management behaviors enhance positive group affective tone (PGAT) via enhanced group identification. Data were collected from 523 members of 101 newly formed student teams. Consistent with our hypotheses, team demographic faultlines were positively predicted NGAT via reduced group identification, while team self-promotion and ingratiation behaviors were positively associated with PGAT through group identification. Importantly, team self-promotion and ingratiation behaviors also mitigated the social categorization processes triggered by team demographic faultlines.
Adapting Palliative Care Skills to Provide Substance Use Disorder Treatment to Patients With Serious Illness
Authors: Jones Katie Fitzgerald , Ho J. Janet , Sager Zachary , Childers Julie , Merlin Jessica
Published: March 2021

Background:

The majority of Palliative Care (PC) clinicians report recently caring for a person with a Substance Use Disorder (SUD). The impact of an untreated SUD is associated with significant suffering but many PC clinicians report a lack of confidence in managing this population.

Objective:

This paper aims to demonstrate existing PC skills that can be adapted to provide primary SUD treatment.

Methods:

A comprehensive literature review was conducted on quality PC domains and core SUD treatment principles. To demonstrate the shared philosophy and skills of PC clinicians and SUD treatment, the National Consensus Project Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care and resources outlining core Addiction Medicine and Nursing Competencies were used.

Results:

There is an abundance of overlapping domains in PC and SUD treatment. This paper focuses on the domains of communication, team-based care, quality of life considerations, addressing social determinants of health, and adherence to ethical principles. In each section, the shared domain in PC and SUD treatment is discussed and steps to expand PC clinician's skills are provided.

Conclusion:

PC clinicians may be among the last healthcare touchpoint for persons with SUD, by naming the shared skills required in PC and evidenced-based SUD treatment, we challenge the field to undertake primary SUD treatment as part of its constant pursuit to better serve people living with serious illness.
Three-Dimensional Assessment of Craniofacial Features in Patients With Down Syndrome During the Mixed Dentition Period: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Takizawa Hideomi , Takahashi Masahiro , Maki Koutaro
Published: March 2021

Objectives:

Down syndrome (DS) is a common congenital chromosomal disorder related to trisomy 21. Lateral cephalometric radiography studies have shown that patients with DS have characteristic craniofacial morphology; however, no 3-dimensional analysis studies have been performed to investigate the craniofacial features, including volumetric aspects, of patients with DS. The present study was performed to evaluate the craniofacial features, including volumetric aspects, of patients with DS and to compare these findings with control participants using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Materials and Methods:

The study sample consisted of 12 patients with DS and 12 control participants. All participants were examined by means of CBCT; the resulting images were used for evaluation of maxillary and mandibular volume, cranial base, and craniofacial measurements. Differences between patients with DS and control participants were statistically analyzed using Student t test.

Results:

Compared to control participants, patients with DS exhibited statistically significant reductions in maxillary and mandibular volumes. Both sagittal and axial cranial base linear measurements were shorter in patients with DS than in control participants. In contrast, the cranial base angle was enhanced in patients with DS, compared with control participants. Moreover, condylion (Co)–gnathion, anterior nasal spine–menton, and Co-subspinale (point A) measurements were shorter in patients with DS than in control participants; the sella–nasion–mandibular plane angle was significantly reduced in patients with DS, compared with control participants.

Conclusion:

Our results suggest that patients with DS have distinct skeletal volume and craniofacial morphology features, relative to individuals without DS.
Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy—Current and Future Therapies
Authors: Yadav Jankhna D. , Othee Harjot , Chan Kelly A. , Man Damen C. , Belliveau Paul P. , Towle Jennifer
Published: March 2021

Objective:

To describe the clinical presentation of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) and discuss current treatments and investigational products and their effect on patient outcomes.

Data Sources:

A literature search was performed in PubMed (September 2018 to December 2020) using the following keywords: transthyretin amyloidosis, cardiomyopathy, polyneuropathy and transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy, monoclonal light-chain, tafamidis, cardiac amyloidosis, ATTR cardiomyopathy, green tea and inhibition of cardiac amyloidosis, AG10, tolcapone, tolcapone and leptomeningeal ATTR, PRX004, NI006, patisiran, inotersen, vutrisiran, AKCEA-TTR-LRx, and NTLA-2001.

Study Selection and Data Extraction:

Clinical trials were evaluated for evidence supporting pharmacology, safety, efficacy, and measured outcomes.

Data Synthesis:

Until 2019, there were no approved treatments for ATTR-CM. Treatment consisted of symptom management and organ transplant. Nonpharmacological and pharmacological treatments focused on the symptoms of heart failure (HF) associated with ATTR-CM. However, there are several emerging therapies recently approved or in development to address the underlying pathophysiology. Treatment classes for ATTR-CM include transthyretin stabilizers, human monoclonal antibodies, gene silencers, and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing.

Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice:

ATTR-CM is a complex disease in which amyloidosis causes cardiomyopathy. Underdiagnosis is attributed to the clinical presentation being heterogeneous, indistinguishable from HF caused by other etiologies, and the need for invasive testing modalities, including endomyocardial biopsy. Improved diagnostic approaches along with targeted therapies can slow disease progression and enhance patient quality of life.

Conclusion:

Diagnostic modalities along with biomarker and genetic testing could detect disease earlier and target therapy more accurately. Novel therapies demonstrate potential treatment benefits and can help shape the standard of care for these patients.
An optimization strategy for HMI panel recognition of CNC machines using a CNN deep-learning network
Authors: Guo Bo , Lee Fu-Shin , Lin Chen-I , Lin Yuan-Jun
Published: March 2021

This paper suggests an optimization strategy to train a CNN deep-learning network, which successfully recognizing working status on the HMI panels of CNC machines. To verify the developed strategy, the research experiments using a prototype that consists of a CNC milling machine and an industrial robot. In the optimization strategy, the research first defines a length-varying hyperparameter list for the deep-learning network, and the entities in the list adjust themselves to optimize the model scales. During the optimization process, this paper adopts a two-stage training scheme that gradually augments image datasets to improve HMI control-panel recognition performances, such as recognition accuracy and recognition speed to identify the CNC machine working status. Using an open-source PyTorch platform, this research establishes a cloud-based distributed architecture to build training codes for the deep-learning network, in which an applicable optimization model is deployed to recognize the CNC control-panel working status. The optimization strategy employs minimal codes to rebuild the architecture and the least efforts to reform the manufacturing system. The optimally trained model provides up to a 99.34% CNC panel-message recognition accuracy and a high-speed recognition of 100 images in 0.6 s. Moreover, the developed optimization strategy enables the prediction of necessitated dataset augmentation to training a practically implemented CNN network.
Approaching Nonhuman Ontologies: Trees, Communication, and Qualitative Inquiry
Authors: Abbott Sarah
Published: March 2021

Consideration of trees has historically been confined to disciplinary, quantitative perspectives embedded in botany, earth sciences, resource management, environmental sustainability, and sustainable development wherein trees are largely viewed as senseless, bio-mechanical matter to be controlled and used for human consumption and economic gain. In this article, I reflect selectively on methodologies and methods I used in a broader, interdisciplinary project to study the sentient, intelligent relationality of trees as agentic, conscious, innovative entities embedded in unique, community-based lifeways. My research framework integrated Indigenous research methodologies, public ethnography, ontological emergence theory, plant science, philosophies of plant and nonhuman knowing, interspecies communication, and filmmaking. Herein, I focus on how perspectives and approaches based on qualitative, ethnographic inquiry and Indigenous epistemologies support and broaden research, (re)presentation, and engagement with trees and other nonhumans. Methods I discuss include the practices of cultivating tree/human communication and fostering human sensitivity and embodied knowing.
Novel technique of tetra trephination for elliptical-shaped tectonic patch grafts in peripheral sterile keratolysis
Authors: Bafna Rahul Kumar , Kalra Nidhi , Asif Mohamed Ibrahime , Agarwal Rinky , Lata Suman , Titiyal Jeewan Singh , Sharma Namrata , Vikas Shiv Jee
Published: March 2021

Purpose:

To describe a novel technique of tectonic patch grafts for elliptical-shaped peripheral sterile keratolysis with iris prolapse.

Methods:

We performed a full thickness corneo-scleral patch graft in five eyes of five patients with elliptical-shaped peripheral sterile keratolysis with perforation and iris tissue prolapse. In this technique, four disposable trephines with predetermined diameter were employed to fashion both the host and the donor without any free-hand dissection. An intact anatomical integrity of the globe without the need for any repeat tectonic measures was considered as a successful outcome.

Results:

The mean age was 34.2 ± 10.2 years (18–45). The mean total surgical time and donor preparation time was 94.4 ± 7.12 min and 7.6 ± 1.14 min, respectively. The intraoperative course was uneventful in all cases and all eyes had a well-maintained corneal integrity till 6 months follow up.

Conclusion:

We describe a simple, reproducible, and time-saving technique of performing elliptical shaped corneoscleral patch grafts for peripheral corneal perforations with iris prolapse.
Terrorism and Brain Drain in Pakistan: Is There a Connection?
Authors: Feroz Sidra , Yasmin Bushra
Published: March 2021

This study empirically investigates the effect of terrorism and other push and pull factors on the skilled labour out-migration in Pakistan over the time period 1973–2015. The empirical findings based on fully modified ordinary least squares (FM-OLS) technique suggest that the waves of terrorism have not significantly driven the out-migration of skilled labour from Pakistan. Relatively, traditional push factors including inflation, unemployment and rising capital share in gross domestic product (GDP) have remained the major factors behind brain drain from Pakistan. Comparatively, the per capita economic growth, poverty and host and origin country’s emigration policies have curtailed the skilled out-migration. The findings suggest improving socio-economic conditions, increasing GDP per capita and decreasing unemployment and inflation in order to control the out-migration of skilled workers from Pakistan. Besides, the domestic labour market is required to boost the absorption capacity of highly educated and qualified workers in the country by making them more compatible to the existing stock of capital to restrict the brain drain.

JEL: F22, F52, J24, C32
Forensic autopsies in Norway 1996–2017: A retrospective study of factors associated with deaths undergoing forensic autopsy
Authors: Lycke Ellingsen Christian , Alfsen G. Cecilie , Braut Geir Sverre
Published: March 2021

Aims:

Forensic autopsies are important for the investigation of deaths with a legal or public-health interest, as well as being a source for cause-of-death statistics. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of forensic autopsies in Norway, with a special emphasis on geographical variation.

Methods:

Data from the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry for the years 1996–2017 included 920,232 deaths and 37,398 forensic autopsies. We used logistic regression to identify factors that were associated with the proportion of forensic autopsies, grouped according to the registered cause of death. Explanatory variables were age and sex, place of death, police district, population size and urbanity level of the municipality and distance to the autopsy facility.

Results:

The proportion of deaths undergoing forensic autopsy was 4.1%, with the highest being homicides (96.6%) and the lowest being deaths from natural causes (1.7%). Variation between police districts was 0.9–7.8%, and the span persisted during the study period. The most important explanatory variables across the strata were place of death (there were few autopsies of deaths in health-care facilities), police district and age of the deceased. Distance to the autopsy facility, sex, population size and the level of urbanity had only a minor influence. The variation between police districts was not fully accounted for by the other investigated factors.

Conclusions:

Unjustified differences in the frequency of autopsies may lead to insufficient investigation of possible unnatural deaths. In worst-case scenarios, homicides or other criminal cases might remain undetected. It may also introduce spurious shifts in the cause-of-death statistics.
Couples living with dementia managing conflicting knowledge claims
Authors: Landmark Anne Marie Dalby , Nilsson Elin , Ekström Anna , Svennevig Jan
Published: March 2021

This conversation analytic study investigates how couples manage conflicting knowledge claims when one of the persons has dementia (PWD). The data are video-recordings of 16 couples talking with a third party. The analysis focuses on the negotiation of epistemic rights, more precisely how partners initiate repair and correct claims made by the PWD on matters belonging to the latter’s epistemic domain. We identified three main practices for correcting the PWD: (1) correcting the statement, thereby claiming epistemic authority for oneself and denying it to the PWD, (2) inviting the PWD to self-correct, thereby attributing some epistemic authority to the PWD, and (3) disagreeing and providing reasons for one’s alternative claim, establishing a more symmetric epistemic gradient. The PWDs responses to the corrections displayed different degrees of acceptance, ranging from self-denigration to resistance and insistence.
PLAT 20(1) 2021: Enhancing Student Learning in Research and Educational Practice: The Power of Retrieval Practice and Feedback
Authors: Kubik Veit , Gaschler Robert , Hausman Hannah
Published: March 2021

Students and instructors are looking for effective study and instructional strategies that enhance student achievement across a range of content and conditions. The current Special Issue features seven articles and one report, which used varied methodologies to investigate the benefits of practising retrieval and providing feedback for learning. This editorial serves as an introduction and conceptual framework for these papers. Consistent with trends in the broader literature, the research in this Special Issue goes beyond asking whether retrieval practice and feedback enhance learning, but rather, when, for whom, and under what conditions. The first set of articles examined the benefits of retrieval practice compared to restudy (i.e., the testing effect) and various moderators of the testing effect, including participants’ cognitive and personality characteristics ( Bertilsson et al., 2021 ) as well as the timing of the practice test and sleep ( Kroneisen & Kuepper-Tetzel, 2021 ). The second set of articles examined the efficacy of different types of feedback, including complex versus simple feedback ( Enders et al., 2021 ; Pieper et al., 2021 ) and positively or negatively valenced feedback ( Jones et al., 2021 ). Finally, the third set of articles to this Special Issue examined practical considerations of implementing both retrieval practice and feedback with educationally relevant materials and contexts. Some of the practical issues examined included when students should search the web to look for answers to practice problems ( Giebl et al., 2021 ), whether review quizzes should be required and contribute to students’ final grades ( den Boer et al., 2021 ), and how digital learning environments should be designed to teach students to use effective study strategies such as retrieval practice ( Endres et al., 2021 ). In short, retrieval and feedback practices are effective and robust tools to enhance learning and teaching, and the papers in the current Special Issue provide insight into ways for students and teachers to implement these strategies.
No, Face Masks Aren’t Dehumanizing
Authors: Utych Stephen M
Published: March 2021

Wearing facial coverings has become a key element in the fight against COVID-19. However, deep partisan divisions have arisen over the adoption of face masks, with Democrats more supportive than Republicans in the United States. Among opponents, a common argument is that facial coverings serve to dehumanize the wearer. Using an experimental study, I find no evidence, using a nationally diverse US sample, that face masks are dehumanizing, whether worn by a White or Black person. In addition, I test for moderation by partisanship, which shows a lack of dehumanizing effects and provides some suggestive evidence that face masks can humanize the wearer, for Democrats, though these effects are small. Under no circumstances do I find evidence that face masks dehumanize the wearer, even among Republican respondents.
Maria Ressa: Cyber Libel
Authors: Garrido Marco , Reyes Victoria
Published: March 2021

Maria Ressa worked at CNN for nearly twenty years, was the lead investigative reporter in Southeast Asia for terrorist networks, and she helped found the news website Rappler. In June 2020, Ressa was convicted of “cyber libel” and faces up to six years in prison.
Dispossessing the Displaced in Lebanon
Authors: Dinger Samuel
Published: March 2021

The stories outlined in this article attest to the ways in which forced displacement is not a one-time event but rather an iterated and indefinite process of moving, settling, adapting, and planning for the future under conditions of radical uncertainty, material deprivation, and precarious legal status. Ethnographic methods are uniquely positioned to follow how these displacements structure the experience of sustaining a life in exile.
The Costs of Regularization in Southeast Asia
Authors: Bylander Maryann
Published: March 2021

In the Southeast Asian context, legal status is ambiguous; it enlarges some risks while lessening others. As is true in many contexts across the Global South, while documentation clearly serves the interest of the state by offering them greater control over migrant bodies, it is less clear that it serves the goals, needs, and well-being of migrants.
Brokers and Bribes in India
Authors: Annavarapu Sneha
Published: March 2021

In this essay, the author explores the culture of bribes in India. Drawing on ethnographic data collected over seventeen months (2017-2019) in Hyderabad, the author turns the spotlight away from corruption as a “problem” to glean insight into how corruption is perceived and interpreted by citizens who navigate the literal and metaphorical mazes of Indian bureaucracy.
Central Banks and Cultivating Credibility
Authors: Zayim Ayca
Published: March 2021

Central bankers’ choices over monetary policy involve judgments about what is best for their societies and are ultimately marked by a trade-off between controlling inflation and stimulating economic growth. Depending on how central bankers choose to balance these two competing goals, they ultimately privilege the interests and well-being of some groups over others.
Complexities of Menstruation in Kathmandu, Nepal
Authors: Karki Srijana
Published: March 2021

To understand women’s experiences with menstrual practices, the author spoke with seventy-one women in Kathmandu, Nepal, the place where she grew up. Based on interview responses, a clear spectrum exists with four specific types: 1. Adherents who strictly follow menstrual practices. 2. Aspirants who would like to practice, if another family member shouldered responsibility. 3. Negotiators, who engage or defy practices when beneficial to them. 4. Opponents, who openly oppose practices, following rarely.
Letter to a Young Ethnographer of the Global South
Authors: Al-Dabbagh May , O’Brien John
Published: March 2021

A letter written to a young ethnographer of the Global South sharing advice on navigating the challenges faced when studing the Global South.
From the Editors
Authors: Ray Rashawn , Rojas Fabio , Reyes Victoria , Garrido Marco
Published: March 2021

Contexts editors Rashawn Ray and Fabio Rojas, and Contexts guest editors for the winter 2021 edition, Marco Garrido and Victoria Reyes, introduce the winter issue, a special issue on new ethnographies of the Global South.
Optimal design of cluster randomised trials with continuous recruitment and prospective baseline period
Authors: Hooper Richard , Copas Andrew J
Published: March 2021

Background:

Cluster randomised trials, like individually randomised trials, may benefit from a baseline period of data collection. We consider trials in which clusters prospectively recruit or identify participants as a continuous process over a given calendar period, and ask whether and for how long investigators should collect baseline data as part of the trial, in order to maximise precision.

Methods:

We show how to calculate and plot the variance of the treatment effect estimator for different lengths of baseline period in a range of scenarios, and offer general advice.

Results:

In some circumstances it is optimal not to include a baseline, while in others there is an optimal duration for the baseline. All other things being equal, the circumstances where it is preferable not to include a baseline period are those with a smaller recruitment rate, smaller intracluster correlation, greater decay in the intracluster correlation over time, or wider transition period between recruitment under control and intervention conditions.

Conclusion:

The variance of the treatment effect estimator can be calculated numerically, and plotted against the duration of baseline to inform design. It would be of interest to extend these investigations to cluster randomised trial designs with more than two randomised sequences of control and intervention condition, including stepped wedge designs.
The Effect of Airbnb on Hotel Performance: Comparing Single- and Multi-Unit Host Listings in the United States
Authors: Dogru Tarik , Mody Makarand , Line Nathan , Hanks Lydia , Suess Courtney , Bonn Mark
Published: March 2021

Extant research provides ample evidence that Airbnb has an adverse impact on hotel revenues and that a majority of Airbnb hosts offer multiple listings on the platform. Arguably, multi-unit host listings are the primary driving force for the associated decreases in hotel revenues. To test this proposition, this study examines the extent to which single- and multi-unit host Airbnb host listings have differing effects on hotel revenues. The results show that the adverse impact of Airbnb supply on hotel revenues was mainly driven by decreases in hotel prices rather than decreases in hotel demand. Contrary to expectations, single-unit host listings exerted greater downward pricing pressure on hotels than multi-unit host listings. These effects were consistently observed across hotel segments, with economy-scale hotels experiencing substitution effects in addition to pricing pressure. The findings have significant implications for researchers and stakeholders impacted by the sharing economy in the lodging industry.
Conscripted Collaborators: Family Matters in Autoethnography
Authors: Tamas Sophie , Tamas Ruth
Published: March 2021

In this collaborative piece, an autoethnographer discusses the ethics of her children’s appearance in her own work, in conversation with one of her (now adult) daughters. Ethical frameworks that approach public exposure primarily as a potential source of harm offer an insufficient frame for the relational effects of stories that bring our personal lifeworlds into our professional publications. Some forms of borrowing, even theft, can hover between trespass and intimacy, as the value of what has been taken is both appropriated and affirmed. How do we determine the “goodness” of work that involves constrained consent, and what does appearing in your mother’s publications do? We offer no answers but mull over the tangle of love and loyalty on which such work depends.
Assata’s (Groove[ing]) Daughter: An Embodied Lyrical Autoethnography of Resistance
Authors: Hill Dominique C.
Published: March 2021

This embodied lyrical autoethnography expands the look of freedom fighting. (Re)turning to a lasting mother–daughter lesson with new eyes and Assata Shakur’s insistence that liberation is a duty, it introduces “groove[ing]” as a form of freedom fighting. Organized around and through three corresponding images taken at Stone Quarry Art Park, it renders visible quotidian and impactful movements made by a Blackgxrlwomxn when (re)membering lessons from childhood to incite pleasure amidst a pandemic.
Leveraging historiometry to better understand teams in context
Authors: Burke C. Shawn , Wiese Christopher W. , Campbell Lauren N. P.
Published: March 2021

The prevalence of teams in organizational settings has dramatically increased over the last 50 years, and as such, researchers have made much progress in understanding the conditions and intra-team dynamics that facilitate successful team performance. However, much remains to be learned due to the complexity of teams. This complexity often makes it difficult to study teams operating in context, especially when trying to examine longitudinal aspects of teams. Adding to this difficulty, studying teams in context is resource intensive and access is often a key barrier, especially if the focus is on teams that are elite or that operate in extreme environments. This drives a need to look outside the traditional methodological tools typically utilized to study teams. Thereby, the purpose of this manuscript is to highlight a method that while not typically utilized in the team literature can offer benefits when exploring team dynamics in context—historiometry.
The relation of anatomical distribution of symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) with HbA1c level in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Shatnawi Nawaf J. , Al-Zoubi Nabil A. , Hawamdeh Hassan M. , Khader Yousef S. , Heis Mowafeq , Al Omari Mamoon , Bataineh Bassem
Published: March 2021

Aims:

Increased level of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is associated with an increased prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). This study aimed to assess the relationship between the anatomical distribution of symptomatic PAD lesions in patients with type 2 diabetes and HbA1c levels at the time of PAD diagnosis.

Patients and methods:

A retrospective study was conducted at King Abdullah University Hospital during the period August 2011 to December 2015. Consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes presented with symptomatic PAD confirmed by computed tomography-angiography (CTA) were included in this study. CTA images were reviewed. Relevant information including demographic data, PAD symptoms, comorbidities, HbA1c level, lipid profile, C-reactive protein and the mean platelets volume were retrieved from medical records.

Results:

A total of 332 patients with type 2 diabetes (255 males and 77 females) were included in this study. The mean HbA1c at the time of PAD diagnosis was 8.68% (±2.06%). The prevalence of hemodynamic relevant atherosclerotic lesions of the superficial femoral artery, popliteal artery, leg vessels, femoro-popliteal, and crural segments was significantly higher in patients with HbA1c >7.5% compared with patients with HbA1c ⩽7.5%.

Conclusion:

The anatomical distribution of symptomatic PAD in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus differed significantly according to HbA1c level at the time of PAD diagnosis.
Inhibitory effect of desflurane on degranulation of mast cells induced by lateral ventricular injection of stimulator-C48/80 in C57BL/6 male mice
Authors: Yu ZhiYang , Liu Yang , Tian Mi , Zhang LiDong , Cheng Hao , Zhu SiHai , Li WeiYan
Published: March 2021

Inhalation of anesthetic agents have been observed to confer neuroprotection for decades. The present study was intended to determine whether desflurane (DES) prohibits mast cells (MCs) from degranulation induced by lateral ventricular injection (LVC) with Compound 48/80 (C48/80) in C57BL/6. Total 100 mice were recruited to this study, but only 88 male mice (20–24 weeks) were survived from the procedure, and randomized and allocated into four groups: (A) the saline group; (B) the C48/80 group; (C) the sodium cromoglycate (CRO + C48/80) group; (D) 7.5% DES preconditioning for 2 h + C48/80 lateral ventricular injection (DES + C48/80) group. The slices of mice brain thalamus were performed for toluidine blue staining (MCs) and immunochemistry (fluorescence of Iba1 and GFAP, respectively), and brain tissues were extracted to probe IL-6, TNF-α, NF-κB (p65), and TLR4 against GAPDH by western blotting. Our results demonstrated that administration of C48/80 provoked degranulation of mast cells at thalamus, increasing the fluorescence intensities of Iba1 and GFAP, and over-expressing IL-6, TNF-α, NF-κB(p65), and TLR4. However, pre-conditioning inhalation of DES prohibited MCs from degranulation, diminishing the fluorescent intensities of Iba1 and GFAP, decreasing expressed levels of IL-6, TNF-α, NF-κB(p65), as well as TLR4. It suggests inhalation DES could inhibit the neuroinflammation and deactivate glial and astrocytes via direct prohibiting degranulation of MCs at thalamus in the central nervous system (CNS).
The Influence of Endplate Morphology on Cage Subsidence in Patients With Stand-Alone Oblique Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion (OLIF)
Authors: Hu Ziang , He Dengwei , Gao Jiawei , Zeng Zhongyou , Jiang Chao , Ni Weiyu , Yik Jasper H. N. , Zhao Xing , Fan Shunwu
Published: March 2021

Study Design:

A retrospective study of prospectively collected radiographic and clinical data.

Objective:

This study aims to investigate the relationship between endplate morphology parameters and the incidence of cage subsidence in patients with mini-open single-level oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF).

Methods:

We included 119 inpatients who underwent OLIF from February 2015 to December 2017. A total of 119 patients with single treatment level of OLIF were included. Plain anteroposterior and lateral radiograph were taken preoperatively, postoperatively, and during follow-up. The correlation between disc height, endplate concave angle/depth, cage position and cage subsidence were investigated. Functional rating index (Visual Analogue Scale for pain, and Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire) were employed to assess clinical outcomes.

Results:

Cage subsidence was more commonly seen at the superior endplates (42/119, 35.29%) than at the inferior endplates (6/119, 5.04%) (p < 0.01). More importantly, cage subsidence was significantly less in patients with superior endplates that were without concave angle (3/20, 15%) than with concave angle (37/99, 37.37%) (p < 0.05). Cage subsidence correlated negatively with preoperative anterior disc height (r = −0.21, p < 0.05), but positively with disc distraction rate (r = 0.27, p < 0.01). Lastly, the distance of cage to the anterior edges of the vertebral body showed a positive correlation (r = 0.26, p < 0.01).

Conclusions:

This study for the first time demonstrated that endplate morphology correlates with cage subsidence after OLIF. Since relatively flat endplates with smaller concave angle significantly diminish the incidence of subsidence, the morphology of cage surface should be taken into consideration when designing the next generation of cage. In addition, precise measurement of the disc height to avoid over-distraction, and more anteriorly placement of the cage is suggested to reduce subsidence.
Comparison of Surgical Results of the Bridge Crane Technique Versus Laminectomy for the Treatment of Thoracic Myelopathy Caused by Ossification of the Ligamentum Flavum
Authors: Sun Kaiqiang , Sun Xiaofei , Zhu Jian , Huang Fei , Huan Le , Xu Ximing , Zhang Peng , Sun Jingchuan , Shi Jiangang
Published: March 2021

Study Design:

A retrospective study.

Objectives:

This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the bridge crane technique versus laminectomy for the treatment of thoracic myelopathy caused by ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF).

Methods:

Totally 41 patients who underwent surgical decompression due to thoracic OLF from May 2017 to June 2018 in our institution were enrolled in this study and were divided into group BG (bridge crane technique, n = 19) and group L (laminoectomy, n = 22). Demographic data was collected from medical records and the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scoring system was used to evaluate the neurological outcomes during the follow-up. Surgery-related complications were analyzed.

Results:

The mean duration of follow-up was comparable between group BG (19.4 ± 1.5 months) and group L (19.6 ± 1.4 months). No statistical differences were observed between two groups in terms of gender, age, duration of symptoms, preoperative occupying rate, involved levels, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and complications. The JOA score significantly increased at the final follow-up in both groups. However, patients in group BG had higher JOA score and recovery rate ( P < 0.05). Four patients in group L experienced complications, including 3 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage and one postoperative hematoma. Only one patient in group BG had CSF leakage.

Conclusion:

The results of this study suggested that bridge crane technique may be relatively safe and effective for patients with symptomatic thoracic OLF with more satisfactory clinical improvement. However, high-quality studies are still required to validate the results of this study.
Visualizing the Network Structure of COVID-19 in Singapore
Authors: Van Gunten Tod
Published: March 2021

Many infectious diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 spread through preexisting social networks. Although network models consider the implications of micro-level interaction patterns for disease transmission, epidemiologists and social scientists know little about the meso-structure of disease transmission. Meso-structure refers to the pattern of disease spread at a higher level of aggregation, that is, among infection clusters corresponding to organizations, locales, and events. The authors visualizes this meso-structure using publicly available contact tracing data from Singapore. Visualization shows that one highly central infection cluster appears to have generated on the order of seven or eight infection chains, amounting to 60 percent of nonimported cases during the period considered. However, no other cluster generated more than two infection chains. This heterogeneity suggests that network meso-structure is highly consequential for epidemic dynamics.
On the Relationship between Poverty Segregation and Homelessness in the American City and Suburb
Authors: Muniz Paul
Published: March 2021

Although existing scholarship notes that homelessness thrives in concentrated poverty, models estimating the association between the intensity of residential poverty segregation and local homelessness rates across communities remain absent from the literature. To fill this gap, the author considers this relationship for 272 homelessness Continuums of Care covering urban and suburban spaces spanning 43 states and the District of Columbia. Models suggest that poverty segregation is positively associated with the expected homelessness rate of a Continuum of Care, a relationship that remains significant when controlling for a range of established drivers of the condition. The author discusses this finding within a framework qualifying residential poverty segregation as both a cause and a consequence of the local prevalence of economic disadvantage that predicts homelessness via its relationship with disadvantage and unique spatial effects.
Universal Design: A Problem-Based Exercise in a Fast-Paced Competitive Environment
Authors: May Cynthia P. , Desplaces David , Wyman David M.
Published: March 2021

Universal Design (UD) involves the creation of accessible, flexible products that are functional for a wide population of users. Our problem-based learning exercise challenges student teams to create products and services guided by the principles of UD. After teams generate their new product concept, a spokesperson from each team pitches it in front of the class. Using polling software, the entire class evaluates the student-generated solutions on two criteria: the integration of UD principles and creativity. This fast-paced, gamified activity is scalable from small classes to large-class populations (of 100 students) or online settings. Our goal is to help all participants understand the benefits of inclusiveness in the creative design process.
Analyzing Individual Differences in Intervention-Related Changes
Authors: Könen Tanja , Karbach Julia
Published: March 2021

Intervention studies can be expensive and time-consuming, which is why it is important to extract as much knowledge as possible. We discuss benefits and limitations of analyzing individual differences in intervention studies in addition to traditional analyses of average group effects. First, we present a short introduction to latent change modeling and measurement invariance in the context of intervention studies. Then, we give an overview on options for analyzing individual differences in intervention-related changes with a focus on how substantive information can be distinguished from methodological artifacts (e.g., regression to the mean). The main topics are benefits and limitations of predicting changes with baseline data and of analyzing correlated change. Both approaches can offer descriptive correlational information about individuals in interventions, which can inform future variations of experimental conditions. Applications increasingly emerge in the literature—from clinical, developmental, and educational psychology to occupational psychology—and demonstrate their potential across all of psychology.
Psychosocial Predictors of Medically Unexplained Infertility in Urban Working Women
Authors: Chakraborty Moumita , Gupta Parama , Ray Deepshikha
Published: March 2021

Background:

Infertility is one of the major causes of mental health issues among couples. Interestingly, a large percentage of this infertility cannot be always explained in terms of a medical diagnosis. Psychological distress has long been suspected as having an important impact on infertility. However, the exact nature of association between psychological factors and infertility has been a subject matter of scientific debate. For modern urban women, there is an additional obligation of balancing work and home responsibilities; this dual role inevitably leads to stress. In this context, an important yet less-explored area of infertility is the role of work-related stress on female infertility.

Aims:

This study tries to investigate the mediating role of certain psychosocial constructs viz (a) Self-efficacy related to work-family conflict—measured in terms of “work-family conflict self-efficacy scale” by Cinamon (2003), (b) perceived occupational stress—measured in terms of “work-to-family conflict scale” by Netemeyer et al (1996), (c) decision-making in family—measured in terms of “decision-making scale” by Blood and Wolfe, (d) perceived infertility stress—measured in terms of “fertility problem inventory” by Newton et al (1999) in 25 urban working women of the age range 28 to 40 years who have been experiencing medically unexplained infertility for at least 1 year; the severity of infertility being measured in terms of duration of involuntary childlessness.

Results:

The analysis reveals that severity of medically unexplained infertility can be explained in terms of “self-efficacy related to work-family conflict” and “perceived infertility stress”; 28.6% of variation in severity of unexplained infertility being contributed by “self-efficacy related to work-family conflict” and 46.9% of the variation in the severity of unexplained infertility being contributed by a conjunction of “perceived infertility stress” and “self-efficacy related to work-family conflict.”

Conclusion:

The findings imply that urban educated women tend to place more psychological emphasis on “motherhood,” and “perceived deficit in attaining motherhood” seems to be the important source of personal stress for these women in comparison to stressors emanating from occupational hazards and family dynamics related to decision-making.
Distal Iliotibial Band Z-lengthening for Iliotibial Band Syndrome
Authors: Dart Scott E. , Hyde Zane , Gwathmey Winston , Werner Brian C.
Published: March 2021

Background:

This technique video reviews an iliotibial band Z-lengthening procedure for iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome using a patient case example.

Indications:

Indications for considering surgical intervention include a diagnosis of iliotibial band syndrome, ruling out other possible etiologies of knee pain, and a minimum of 6 months of failed conservative treatment.

Technique Description:

There are several surgical techniques described in the literature, although the ITB Z-lengthening procedure is preferred at our institution. This technique uses a “Z”-type incision through the distal ITB to allow lengthening of the ITB and to allow access for surgical debridement of the underlying inflamed bursa. Nonabsorbable suture is then used for a side-to-side repair of the ITB in the elongated position.

Results:

Complications from this technique are uncommon, and the few published outcomes from this procedure show good clinical results and return to preactivity levels.

Discussion/Conclusion:

Preoperative planning should include analysis of lower extremity alignment and can include advanced imaging to rule out intra-articular pathology. Diagnostic arthroscopy is typically used at the start of the case for completeness. Distal iliotibial band Z-lenghtening can be a successful surgical option for patients who have failed extensive conservative treatment for iliotibial band syndrome.
Novel somatic mutations in UBA1 as a cause of VEXAS syndrome
Authors: Poulter James A. , Collins Jason C. , Cargo Catherine , De Tute Ruth M. , Evans Paul , Ospina Cardona Daniela , Bowen David T. , Cunnington Joanna R. , Baguley Elaine , Quinn Mark , Green Michael , McGonagle Dennis , Beck David B. , Werner Achim , Savic Sinisa
Published: March 2021

Poulter and colleagues describe a series from the United Kingdom of 10 male patients with VEXAS syndrome, including 2 with novel genetic changes affecting methionine 41 of E1.