bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermal Analysis of the Solar Collector Cum Storage System Using a Hybrid-Nanofluids
Authors: Dhif Kawthar , Mebarek-Oudina F. , Chouf S. , Vaidya H. , Chamkha Ali J.
Published: November 2021

The main problem in the solar energy field is the storage of thermal energy. To divert this problem, it was suggested to use a flat-plat solar collector which also serves as a storage system; this solution will reduce the size of a refrigerating machine that we are studying. A high stored energy density is only possible if we through use latent heat of phase change. Thermal analysis has been developed for this type of storage collector for near-steady state conditions using a nanofluid heat storage substance depended on KNO3–NaNO3binary salt mixture as PCM and a mix of Al2O3–SiO2as nanoparticle, from which the new Hottel-Whillier-Bliss equations have been used for efficient flat plate collector. Computations were achieved for a large variety of parameters to verify the significance of the created model.
Status–Authority Asymmetry between Professions: The Case of 911 Dispatchers and Police Officers
Authors: Karunakaran Arvind
Published: November 2021

Status–authority asymmetry in the workplace emerges when lower-status professionals are ascribed with the functional authority to oversee higher-status professionals and elicit compliance from them on specific processes or tasks. Eliciting such compliance is ridden with challenges. How and when can lower-status professionals with functional authority elicit compliance from higher-status professionals? To examine this question, I conducted a 24-month ethnography of 911 emergency coordination to understand how 911 dispatchers (lower-status professionals with functional authority) can elicit compliance from police officers (higher-status professionals). I identify a set of relational styles—entailing interactional practices and communication media—enacted by the dispatchers. My findings suggest that dispatchers whose relational styles involved customizing the workflow via private communications with police officers or privately escalating cases of officers’ noncompliance to supervisors did not elicit greater compliance. In contrast, dispatchers who did elicit compliance used a peer publicizing relational style: they shared news of the noncompliant behavior—generally in a bantering, humorous manner—with an officer’s immediate peers using a communication medium that all officers in the police unit could hear. Publicizing noncompliant behavior among the immediate peers triggered the officer to self-discipline, as that noncompliant officer’s trustworthiness was on the line in front of the peer group. More generally, through enrolling an alter’s peers in the compliance process, the lower-status professionals with functional authority could generate second-degree influence and elicit compliance from the higher-status professionals.
The China Shock, Employment Protection, and European Jobs
Authors: Aghelmaleki Hedieh , Bachmann Ronald , Stiebale Joel
Published: November 2021

The authors investigate the effects of Chinese import competition on transitions into and out of employment using comparable worker-level data for 14 European countries. Results indicate that, on average, Chinese imports are associated with an increased probability that employed workers become unemployed and with a reduction in worker flows from unemployment to employment. In countries with high levels of employment protection, incumbent workers are shielded against the risk of job loss due to Chinese competition, but unemployed workers’ prospects seem to be particularly negatively affected in these countries. The authors also provide evidence that the effects of increased Chinese imports differ by worker groups and the tasks performed on the job.
Public service-oriented work motives across Europe: A cross-country, multi-level investigation
Authors: Homberg Fabian , Mohrenweiser Jens
Published: November 2021

This article disentangles the country-specific institutional system at the macro level from individual-level attraction and socialization in measuring public service-oriented work motives across European countries through public–private sector comparisons. We argue that country-specific institutions shape the level of public service-oriented work motives of each country and thereby generate level differences across countries. In contrast, public–private sector differences, (i.e. gaps), in public service-oriented work motives within a country reflect aspects of individual-level attraction and socialization. We use the 2005 and 2010 waves of the European Working Conditions Survey and demonstrate that the levels and gaps are empirically distinct phenomena, contrary to current treatment in the literature. We conclude that the distinction between levels and gaps can advance understanding of the antecedents of public service-oriented work motives and support the institutional theory of public service-oriented work motives.

Points for practitioners

This article argues and provides evidence for the fact that levels of work motives oriented towards public service that are visible in a cross-country comparison should not be confused with the gap of such work motives inside one country. This distinction is important because in countries where gaps between the sectors are almost non-existent and levels are generally high, interventions geared towards public service-oriented work motives are less likely to be effective.
Stress in teachers of children with neuro-developmental disorders: Effect of blended rational emotive behavioral therapy
Authors: Obiweluozo Patience E , Dike Ibiwari C , Ogba Francisca N , Elom Chinyere O , Orabueze Florence O , Okoye-Ugwu Stella , Ani Casmir KC , Onu Augustine O , Ukaogo Victor , Obayi Loveline N , Abonyi Sunday E , Onu Janefrancis , Omenma Zippora O , Okoro Ifeanyichukwu D , Eze Angela , Igu Ntasiobi CN , Onuigbo Liziana N , Umeano Elsie C , Onyishi Charity N
Published: November 2021

Background/Objectives:

Neuro-developmental disorders impose a wide range of learning barriers on learners, increasing stress among their teachers. Evidence attests to the heightened stress among teachers teaching children with such conditions. This study tested the efficacy of blended Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy in reducing job stress among teachers of children with neuro-developmental disorders in Abia State, Nigeria.

Method:

The current study adopted a group-randomized waitlist control trial design with pretest, post-test, and follow-up assessments. Participants ( N = 83) included teachers of children with neuro-developmental disorders in inclusive and specialized schools. The blended Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy group participated in a 2 h intersession face-to-face and online Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) program weekly for 12 weeks. Data were collected using the Single Item Stress Questionnaire, Teachers’ Stress Inventory, and Participants’ Satisfaction questionnaire. The waitlisted group also received a blended Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy intervention after all data collection. Data collected at baseline; post-test as well as follow-up 1 and 2 evaluations were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, t-test statistics, repeated measures analysis of variance, and charts.

Results:

Results revealed that the mean perceived stress, stress symptoms, and the total teachers’ stress score of the blended Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy group at post-test and follow-up assessments reduced significantly, compared to the waitlisted group. Participants also reported a high level of satisfaction with the therapy and procedures.

Conclusion:

From the findings of this study, we conclude that blended Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy is efficacious in occupational stress management among teachers of children with neuro-developmental disorders.
‘You do not become a European by choice but by necessity’: The Alsace border region and its opening up to Europe in the writings of Otto Flake, René Schickele and Hermann Wendel
Authors: Luckscheiter Christian
Published: November 2021

The three writers Otto Flake, René Schickele and Hermann Wendel met in Straßburg in 1901. Together with other artists and writers they founded the group ‘Das jüngste Elsaß’ (also known as ‘Der Stürmerkreis’). One of the purposes of this artistic group was to shed the ‘hybrid state’ of Alsace as a border region and instead urge that Alsace take on a mediating role in a future united Europe. Their pacifist European approach, which they adhered to during World War I and later on in exile, originated from controversial debates emerging from the extreme tensions caused by German and French nationalism. The three writers viewed Alsace as a symbol of Europe. For their ‘border literature’ Europe offered the possibility of refraining from the concept of nationhood, which is based on homogeneity and therefore violent exclusion, something in which they did not find themselves represented.
Inventory of another country: Rebecca West and the legacy of 1918
Authors: Toal Catherine
Published: November 2021

Written in the late 1930s, Rebecca West’s Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia (1941) is shaped on every level by the Great War. West investigates the causes of the conflict in the place from which it originated, calling urgently for a defence of the settlement of Versailles. Her project of persuasion raises general entertainment to the heights of modernist epic and contemporary myth. At the same time, the text’s critique of imperial interference shows the inconsistent global application of the principle of the ‘rights of small nations’. Using the frameworks of psychoanalysis popularized in the anglophone world during the 1920s, West identifies individual struggle with the dilemmas of history, and diagnoses the nature and limits of social change that followed in the wake of 1918.
‘Restoring friendship and confidence as far as possible between the inimical nations’: Post-World War I Berlin through English eyes
Authors: Stedman Gesa
Published: November 2021

Three British women writers and their memoirs or letters serve as the key witnesses to rapid change from war-torn Berlin to a highly desired tourist destination. The war-induced transition of Berlin was matched by the social changes for women whose traces can be found in the three texts: the writer’s position changes from that of the voyeuse to the flâneuse. While the old aristocratic cosmopolitanism in Evelyn Blücher’s and Helen D’Abernon’s circles was on the wane, a more middle-class cosmopolitanism, as exemplified by the Bloomsbury psychoanalyst and translator Alix Strachey, became more important in the aftermath of World War I. The three writers share an interest in social observation, but all three are tied by their particular upper-middle- or upper-class habitus. An image of Berlin emerges which predates Christopher Isherwood’s Berlin myth by at least a decade.
Predicting Success in the Embryology Lab: The Use of Algorithmic Technologies in Knowledge Production
Authors: Geampana Alina , Perrotta Manuela
Published: November 2021

This article analyzes local algorithmic practices resulting from the increased use of time-lapse (TL) imaging in fertility treatment. The data produced by TL technologies are expected to help professionals pick the best embryo for implantation. The emergence of TL has been characterized by promissory discourses of deeper embryo knowledge and expanded selection standardization, despite professionals having no conclusive evidence that TL improves pregnancy rates. Our research explores the use of TL tools in embryology labs. We pay special attention to standardization efforts and knowledge-creation facilitated through TL and its incorporated algorithms. Using ethnographic data from five UK clinical sites, we argue that knowledge generated through TL is contingent upon complex human–machine interactions that produce local uncertainties. Thus, algorithms do not simply add medical knowledge. Rather, they rearrange professional practice and expertise. Firstly, we show how TL changes lab routines and training needs. Secondly, we show that the human input TL requires renders the algorithm itself an uncertain and situated practice. This, in turn, raises professional questions about the algorithm’s authority in embryo selection. The article demonstrates the embedded nature of algorithmic knowledge production, thus pointing to the need for STS scholarship to further explore the locality of algorithms and AI.
Explicating the health-related digital divide: A mediation mechanism between education level and online cancer information seeking frequency among Chinese adults
Authors: Huang Qing , Lei Sihan , Su Sini , Chen Chunyi
Published: November 2021

In China, highly educated adults seek online cancer information more frequently than less educated adults. This health-related digital divide may impede the less-educated from effectively preventing cancer. To explicate the divide, we introduce informational subjective norms (ISN) and information sufficiency threshold (IST) as two socio-psychological mediators between education level and online cancer information seeking (OCIS) frequency. ISN represents one's perceived social pressure about seeking cancer information, while IST manifests individual evaluation of the amount of information needed to prevent cancer. An online survey supported a serial mediation effect of ISN and IST. ISN and IST also independently mediated the relationship between education level and OCIS frequency. Besides, the mediation effect of ISN was stronger than that of IST. The findings suggest that increasing ISN among less educated Chinese adults could facilitate their OCIS and to narrow the health-related digital divide. These implications may also inform other developing countries.
The social lives of network effects: Speculation and risk in Jakarta's platform economy
Authors: Nowak Samuel
Published: November 2021

Under the designation “platform urbanism,” there is growing scholarly recognition that platform intermediaries are reconfiguring urban industries, processes, and relationships through the collection and manipulation of big data. Central to realizing this economic project is financial speculation on platforms’ ability to coordinate network effects—a phenomenon in which the more users there are in a networked system, the more valuable and useful it becomes. In this paper, I argue that while the existing literature recognizes the importance of network effects, it has also adopted a limited conceptualization that understands platform firms as the primary agents generating and capturing the economic benefits of network effects. Drawing on 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Greater Jakarta, Indonesia, I work to expand this understanding through attention to the social lives of network effects—the ways in which platform architectures are always embedded in social relations created and sustained in everyday urban life. I show how ride-hailing drivers have attempted to mitigate the risks of their work through building socio-technical networks of their own, for their own purposes. Doing so reveals that it is not only platform firms and venture capital that speculate on network effects; rather, a range of actors in the city-region seek to tap into driver networks to advance their own social, political, and economic ends. In conclusion, I suggest that attending to these practices opens up space to reframe platform urbanism beyond its current preoccupation with macro political economic analyses, while also establishing new lines of inquiry for “speculative urbanism.”
Cruising Through School: General Equilibrium Effects of Cruise Ship Arrivals on Employment and Education
Authors: McWay Ryan
Published: November 2021

Cruise tourism is the fastest-growing branch of the tourism sector, and many have turned to it as a development strategy despite little systematic evidence of its equilibrium effects. I match 10.6 million automatic identification system (AIS) locations from 517 cruise ships arriving in 265 port destinations to 355,463 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) women’s surveys in 23 countries to estimate cruise tourism’s relationship with women’s labor market participation and educational attainment. Using fixed effects to identify changes in tourism over time, I estimate that doubling cruise ship arrivals is associated with a 4.9-percentage point increase in labor participation and one-quarter more years of education. These results would be consistent with port cities offering more job opportunities for older women and increased opportunity and available income for education, possibly in anticipation of improved employment prospects.

JEL Classifications: D50, I00, J21, O12, Z32
Masses on the stages of democracy: Democratic promises and dangers in self-dramatizations of masses
Authors: Mossin Christiane
Published: November 2021

The political significance of masses is more obvious than ever. The aim of this article is to develop a conceptualization capable of capturing the dangerous (totalitarian) as well as promising (potentially emancipatory) aspects of masses. It argues that, intricately, the dangers and fruitful potentials of masses are born out of the same fundamental structural features. We may differentiate analytically between different kinds of masses, but all masses contain elements of ambiguity. The mass conceptualization developed builds on a critical, deconstructing interpretation of selected Bataille texts centering on ontological features of individuality and collectivity. Especially, Bataille’s concepts of ‘myth’ and ‘sacrifice’ are accentuated and critically transformed. Contemporary examples of masses – right-wing anti-establishment movements, Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter – are presented and reflected through the prism of sacrifice, with the aim of highlighting the multifaceted and complex nature of the dynamics of masses.
Accountability and cyber conflict: examining institutional constraints on the use of cyber proxies
Authors: Akoto William
Published: November 2021

As state-sponsored cyber operations have proliferated, some states are outsourcing these operations to non-state cyber proxies. However, given the relative ease of outsourcing cyber operations, it is puzzling why more states are not engaged in this practice. I examine how domestic accountability institutions potentially explain this restraint in the use of cyber proxies. I argue that in cases where the incumbent is likely to be held to account for cyber operations, there is restraint in the use of proxies. Moreover, I distinguish vertical from horizontal accountability and argue that because vertical accountability mechanisms directly threaten the tenure of the incumbent if outsourced cyber operations go wrong, it has a greater constraining effect relative to horizontal accountability. I test these propositions with new data on the activities of several hacker groups and robustly confirm that accountability institutions do place significant constraints on the use of cyber proxies.
Instructional Policy From Pre-K to Third Grade: The Challenges of Fostering Alignment and Continuity in Two School Districts
Authors: Stein Abigail , Coburn Cynthia E.
Published: November 2021

In an effort to improve learning for young children and respond to preschool fade out, some districts are working on “PreK-3” initiatives to create better connected learning pathways for children. In these pathways, primary grades continue to build on what children learn in preschool; they also present potential implementation challenges that are not accounted for in the literature. Using conceptual tools from institutional theory and empirical evidence from a study of two school districts, we show how challenges arise as districts try to bridge the divergent and entrenched institutional systems of preschool and elementary. Our findings suggest that these systems are each held in place by their own set of regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive mechanisms that reinforce one another thereby providing an explanation for why beliefs and practices are so resistant to change. This analysis also points to practical implications that may lead to better connections and learning experiences for young children.
“School’s a Lie”: Toward Critical Race Intersectional Pedagogy for Youth Intellectual Activism in Policy Partnerships
Authors: Sheth Manali J. , Salisbury Jason D.
Published: November 2021

Equity-oriented school improvement driven by neoliberal policies focuses attention on a narrow range of inequities. Such policies fail to achieve substantive transformations that address educational constraints experienced by multiply-marginalized youth of color. We engage a critical race and intersectional feminist examination of our pedagogy in a youth voice initiative designed to facilitate multiply-marginalized youth of color participation in district policy partnership. Our analysis presents practices that were consequential for supporting youth intellectual activism in policy conversations. We propose a model for critical race intersectional pedagogy that relates these practices and underlying ideological principles to supporting expansive transformative policy partnerships.
Recursive least squares identification of heat exchanger system using block-structured models
Authors: Gupta Saurav , Padhee Subhransu , Pekar Libor
Published: November 2021

This study provides a recursive parametric identification scheme for a liquid-saturated steam heat exchanger system. The recursive identification scheme uses block-structured Wiener and Hammerstein models as model structure and recursive least squares estimation scheme as the parameter estimation method. The estimated block-oriented model provides higher accuracy of estimation than linear models provided in the literature. From the simulation results, it is observed that the Wiener model can provide 88% goodness-of-FIT, whereas Hammerstein model can provide 96% goodness-of-FIT using the said technique.
Performance Evaluation of MSMEs During Pre- and Post-liberalisation Era
Authors: Venkataramanaiah M. , Suneetha B.
Published: November 2021

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) play a pivotal role in creating employment opportunities. These are more vibrant in countries like India where population is more and labour-intensive manufacturing establishments are huge in number. In general, these firms are established in rural and economically backward regions, thereby a regional balance may be achieved through the equal distribution of wealth. MSMEs are considered complementary to heavy industries as subsidiary units and provide enormous socio-economic development to the nation. MSMEs contribute about 8 per cent of the country’s GDP, with 45 per cent of manufacturing yield and 40 per cent of exports. After the agricultural sector, MSMEs provide lion’s share of employment for the jobless. Further, they provide a diverse range of goods and services that satisfy the needs of local, national and international supply chains.

Globalisation is said to be a necessary evil. The advent of the WTO brings a variety of challenges to developing nations as these are frail in bargaining capacity against their counterparts. As a result, developing nations like India are subjected to all those adverse effects of globalisation, and the MSMEs sector is not exceptional. The existing literature in the subject indicates that there is a considerable fall in the growth rate of the number of units, output, exports and employment generation after post-globalisation, and this trend is the matter of serious concern for the policymakers and decision-makers. In this junction, the present article is intended to investigate the impact of globalisation on the performance of MSMEs. The study is divided into three sections. The first section devotes to introduce the study area of the present article, review of the literature and objectives and methodology of the research. The growth and trend of MSMEs in India during the pre- and post-globalisation eras are discussed in the second section. The summary and conclusion of the study is given in the last section.
Factors of Export Promotion of MSME in India with Special Reference to Raw Material Availability
Authors: Bandopadhyay Kalpataru , Khan Tagar Lal
Published: November 2021

With around 30 per cent contribution towards GDP and 40 per cent export of the country, the growth of the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector is an important driver of the Indian economy. This article seeks to identify the factors for export promotion from both the macro and micro point of view. Thus the study is to consider the factors of MSME sector as a whole with special reference to availability of raw materials. The linear regression model with the ordinary least square method has been applied after examining autocorrelation and multicollinearity in the data series. It has been concluded that foreign exchange rate, fixed investment and financial support from the government affect export performances of MSME. With the growth analysis and determination of Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances among coconut and coir production and the amount of export, it is observed that the poor growth in availability of raw material may have affected the export performances adversely.
Incubation Centres and Start-ups: A Study on Kerala’s Start-up Ecosystem
Authors: Thomas Jyotsna , K.I. Georgee
Published: November 2021

Start-ups have got a vital role to play in the future of India by creating innovative solutions to country’s challenging issues and also by generating large-scale job opportunities for upcoming workforce. The government has recognised the importance of start-ups in the economic development of the country, and therefore they have come with various revolutionary measures to create a conducive ecosystem for start-ups. Along with union government, various state governments also have made their state-level policies to support the start-ups in their respective states. Apart from the government, there are many other institutions and ecosystem enablers in a start-up ecosystem who support start-up units, namely incubators, accelerators, educational institutions, research institutions, investors, mentors, NGOs etc. The purpose of this study is to explore how technology business incubation centres in Kerala are performing their role as a facilitator among start-ups in the state and also to evaluate their impact on functioning of start-ups units.
Efficiency Analysis of Food Processing Industry
Authors: Shrivastava Seema
Published: November 2021

Food processing industry (FPI) is at a nascent stage and is tagged as a sunshine industry. The efficiency and productivity of the inputs for the aforesaid industries have to be measured to not only find out if the potential is achieved or not, but also to identify the grey areas. Against such a backdrop, it is obvious that industries like FPI would grow and become the subject matter for further investigation. The research revealed that the majority of cases have been consistent with the real facts and the underlying principles, and the structure of the economy provide valid reasons for it. However, in some cases, the results have not been consistent with the movement of the economy and there are no valid economic reasons for the performance of the state.
The Pasifika Veilomani Project: a pilot online training programme for healthcare workers in managing gender-based violence and family violence and sharing experiences
Authors: Chang Odille , Ryan Brigid , Rokoduru Avelina , Hill Amanda , Hataogo Senimelia , Naidu Varsha
Published: November 2021

Objective:

Pacific Island Countries (PICs) record high rates of gender-based violence (GBV). COVID-19 has significantly increased the number of GBV cases globally. This research aims to understand educational pathways for PICs’ healthcare workers (HCWs) to strengthen GBV clinical practices in the Pasifika Veilomani (sharing the love) project.

Method:

A literature review, content experts’ discussion and review of stakeholder governance documents were used to inform the design of the telehealth training. HCWs were invited to share experiences, further exploring the capacity of online learning to meet clinical practice needs.

Results:

Global health guidance was adapted by Pacific experts to deliver a 12-week multidisciplinary course. One hundred and thirty-six participants from nine PICs registered and participated in the telehealth sessions. Despite internet and technical difficulties, participants’ responses were positive. Results indicated the online training improved their confidence, helped them to reflect on practice and that more training would be valued.

Conclusions:

The Pasifika Veilomani Project engaged HCW and clinical leaders to inform current practices, education, and public health approaches on GBV as a public health priority. This project demonstrates the potential for engaging and supporting HCW remotely across challenging geographic, service and cultural domains in the context of COVID-19 social and service demands.
Clinical practice guidelines, psychotherapy and implications for psychiatry
Authors: Anaf Gil , Hill Melinda , Prager Shirley , Elton Viv , Morris Philip
Published: November 2021

Objective:

The 2020 RANZCP clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for mood disorders, published in January 2021, raise important questions for practice and teaching. The objective of this review is to critically appraise the content of the CPG to examine if it reflects contemporary practice-based evidence.

Conclusion:

Our review identifies factual error and notes international criticism. Retraction and amendment of the CPG is needed, particularly in the current political climate.
Pulmonary silicosis in 2 rock hyraxes, and literature review
Authors: Pfisterer Bianca R. , Ashley Anthony L. , Donnell Robert L. , Dunlap John R. , Newkirk Kim M.
Published: November 2021

Two rock hyraxes ( Procavia capensis), from the Chattanooga Zoo, were submitted separately for autopsy at the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical Center. The first was a 4-y-old intact female that died without premonitory signs and the second was a 10-y-old intact male that was euthanized because of severe renal disease. Microscopically, the lungs of both hyraxes had multifocal-to-coalescing, <1-mm diameter aggregates of epithelioid macrophages separated by streams of fibrous tissue. Macrophages contained intracytoplasmic, clear, acicular, birefringent crystals. Transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy findings on the lung samples were consistent with silica crystal deposition. The hyraxes had been housed together on commercially sourced play sand composed of 99–99.5% quartz, a crystalline silica polymorph. The microscopic findings, transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy of the intrahistiocytic crystals, in addition to the history of exposure to crystalline silica, were consistent with pulmonary silicosis. Pulmonary silicosis has not been reported previously in rock hyraxes, to our knowledge.
Indigenous Research Methodologies: X-Marks in the Age of Community Accountability and Protection
Authors: Gone Joseph P.
Published: November 2021

In an ongoing exchange about the potency and promise of Indigenous Research Methodologies (IRMs) for academic knowledge production, I respond in this article to Windchief and Cummins. I do so by considering a challenging example of Indigenous knowledge production, clarifying additional misunderstandings between us, and complicating persistent oppositions and essentialisms that are neither intellectually defensible nor characteristic of contemporary Indigenous life and experience. Instead, I propose that IRMs are productively conceived as x-marks (or historical American Indian treaty signatures), which encapsulate the paradoxes, contradictions, and predicaments of modern American Indian life in ways that resist clean oppositions and confound rigid binaries. In this respect, the x-mark signifies that which lies between two readily identifiable options, something new and potentially promising despite the indeterminacy and ambivalence it elicits, if only we will face and embrace such ambiguity.
Gradient plasticity in isotropic solids
Authors: Steigmann D. J.
Published: November 2021

We discuss a framework for the description of gradient plasticity in isotropic solids based on the Riemannian curvature derived from a metric induced by plastic deformation. This culminates in a flow rule in the form of a fourth-order partial differential equation for the plastic strain rate, in contrast to the second-order flow rules that have been proposed in alternative treatments of gradient plasticity in isotropic solids.
Impact of temperature fluctuations on quality changes of frozen green beans and carrots during storage
Authors: Matabura Victor Vicent
Published: November 2021

The quality of vegetables during frozen storage and distribution chain is affected by fluctuating temperature regimes. The temperature variations influence ice-water displacement due to ice crystal growth and ice-sublimation. Hence, the description of quality changes of frozen vegetables during temperature fluctuations is indispensable in the frozen food industry. In this context, frozen carrots and green beans were stored under four different temperatures: −8 °C ± 3 °C, −12 °C ± 3 °C, −18 °C ± 3 °C and −23 °C ± 3 °C for 12 months. In each storage condition, two different partitions were created to achieve different amplitudes of temperature fluctuations, namely low (±0.3 °C) and large (±2 °C). The evolution of frost forming and drip loss in green beans and carrots were analysed in addition to the changes of ascorbic acid in green beans. The results indicated that high mean storage temperature and large amplitude of fluctuation significantly affect the quality indicators. The quality data for drip loss and ascorbic acid were fitted to a first-order kinetic model. An Arrhenius model was applied to describe the temperature dependency by incorporating the temperature fluctuation scenarios. A simplified physical model was used to simulate frost formation during frozen storage in green beans and carrots. Finally, the models were validated using the data collected at −18 °C and −12 °C with low and large amplitudes of fluctuation.
The Impact of COVID-19 Vaccine Passport on Air Travelers’ Booking Decision and Companies’ Financial Value
Authors: Shin Hakseung , Kang Juhyun , Sharma Abhinav , Nicolau Juan Luis
Published: November 2021

The ongoing debate about vaccine passport policies for dealing with COVID-19 has necessitated analyzing its effectiveness in the airline and tourism industry. This study was purposed to analyze how vaccine passports are evaluated by multiple stakeholders, such as airline investors and passengers for leisure/vacation purposes. The findings of the first study show that the implementation of vaccine passports is positively evaluated by airline investors. The results of the second study highlight the role of vaccine passports in reducing perceived health risks, which is integral to leisure travelers’ decision making. This study offers a theoretical lens to understand the value of vaccine passports and provides guidance for airline companies and tourism marketers in deciding whether to implement a vaccine passport policy.
Non-Standard Management of Target Vessels With the Inner Branch Arch Endograft: A Single-Center Retrospective Study
Authors: Torrealba Jose I. , Spanos Konstantinos , Panuccio Giuseppe , Rohlffs Fiona , Gandet Thomas , Heidemann Franziska , Tsilimparis Nikolaos , Kölbel Tilo
Published: November 2021

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate early and mid-term results of non-standard management of the supraaortic target vessels with the use of the inner branch arch endograft in a single high-volume center.

Material and methods:

A single-center retrospective study including all patients undergoing implantation of an inner branch arch endograft from December 2012 to March 2021, who presented a non-standard management of the supraaortic target vessels (any bypass other than a left carotid-subclavian or landing in a dissected target vessel). Technical success, mortality, reinterventions, endoleak (EL), and aortic remodeling at follow-up were analyzed.

Results:

Twenty-four patients were included. In 17 (71%) cases, the non-standard management was related to innominate artery (IA) compromise (12 with IA dissection, 2 with short IA, 2 with short proximal aortic landing zone that required occlusion of IA, 1 with occluded IA after open arch repair). Two (8%) cases were related to an aberrant right subclavian artery (RSA), 1 patient (4%) due to the concomitant presence of a left vertebral artery (LVA) arising from the arch and an occluded left subclavian artery (LSA), and another patient presented with an occluded LSA distal to a dominant vertebral artery. Three (13%) cases were exclusively related to management in patients with genetic aortic syndromes. Twenty (83%) patients had a previous type A aortic dissection. Ten (42%) patients presented a thoracic or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm and 8 (33%) patients an arch aneurysm, 6 of them associated to false lumen (FL) perfusion. There were 2 (8%) perioperative minor strokes, and 1 patient with perioperative mortality. Seven patients presented an early type I endoleak, all resolved at follow-up. Seven patients required reinterventions during follow-up (7 reinterventions related to continuous false lumen perfusion, 3 related to Type Ia endoleak, 2 related to surgical bypass). All patients who presented with FL perfusion had complete FL thrombosis at follow-up. No patient presented aneurysm growth at follow-up.

Conclusions:

The use of the inner branch arch endograft with a non-standard management of the supraaortic target vessels is a possible option. Despite a high reintervention rate, regression or stability of the aneurysmal diameter was achieved in all the patients with follow-up.
The feasibility and validity of using a real time location system (RTLS) to measure bedside contact time
Authors: Cannaby Ann-Marie , Carter Vanda , Hoe Thomas , Strobel Stephenson , Tafti Elena Ashtari , Baker Rephna , Nash Clare , Whatley Vanessa , Gray Richard
Published: November 2021

Background

The association between the nurse-to-patient ratio and patient outcomes has been extensively investigated. Real time location systems have the potential capability of measuring the actual amount of bedside contact patients receive.

Aims

This study aimed to determine the feasibility and accuracy of real time location systems as a measure of the amount of contact time that nurses spent in the patients’ bed space.

Methods

An exploratory, observational, feasibility study was designed to compare the accuracy of data collection between manual observation performed by a researcher and real time location systems data capture capability. Four nurses participated in the study, which took place in 2019 on two hospital wards. They were observed by a researcher while carrying out their work activities for a total of 230 minutes. The amount of time the nurses spent in the patients’ bed space was recorded in 10-minute blocks of time and the real time location systems data were extracted for the same nurse at the time of observation. Data were then analysed for the level of agreement between the observed and the real time location systems measured data, descriptively and graphically using a kernel density and a scatter plot.

Results

The difference (in minutes) between researcher observed and real time location systems measured data for the 23, 10-minute observation blocks ranged from zero (complete agreement) to 5 minutes. The mean difference between the researcher observed and real time location systems time in the patients’ bed space was one minute (10% of the time). On average, real time location systems measured time in the bed space was longer than the researcher observed time.

Conclusions

There were good levels of agreement between researcher observation and real time location systems data of the time nurses spend at the bedside. This study confirms that it is feasible to use real time location systems as an accurate measure of the amount of time nurses spend at the patients’ bedside.
Stigmatized Campaign Practices and the Gendered Dynamics of Electoral Viability
Authors: Borges Martins da Silva Mariana , Gatto Malu A. C.
Published: November 2021

What happens when a traditional source of political capital becomes a health hazard? Stigmatized electoral practices, such as vote buying, are a double-edged sword: While these strategies may signal candidates’ electoral strength, they may also entail reputational costs. In normal times, street campaigns are a non-stigmatized electoral practice. During the Covid-19 pandemic, however, they imposed health risks. Employing data from a national survey experiment conducted in Brazil prior to the 2020 municipal elections ( N = 2025), we extend research on the employment of stigmatized campaigns and the gendered dynamics of electoral viability. We find that voters evaluate candidates who engage in face-to-face activities as less electorally viable and report lower intent to support them. These dynamics do not impact all candidates equally: Voters more harshly punish women candidates who conduct street campaigns than men, leading women to lose the advantage they have over men when both employ non-stigmatized campaign practices.
Applying the theory of human development by Erik and Joan Erikson when communicating with persons with advanced dementia diseases
Authors: Mazaheri Monir , Kihlgren Mona , Norberg Astrid
Published: November 2021

Persons with advanced dementia disease (ADD), here labelled PADDs, are shown to preserve parts of their self, which has opened up possibilities for involving them in their own care and establishing strategies for improving their communication with the surrounding world. Using the well-known theory of human development proposed by Erik and Joan Erikson, here labelled EJET, can operate as an efficient structure for formal caregivers to support PADDs in reclaiming their space. However, very few studies have used EJET as a framework in improving formal caregivers’ competence and the quality of care. This article aims to demonstrate the feasibility of applying EJET in the care of PADDs through two examples of successful application of this framework in interacting with PADDs in residential care settings. The examples demonstrate the significance of competent caregivers and the important role of tailoring nursing care plans to specific situations of the PADDs in their present and previous developmental phases.
Fatigue Characterization on a Cast Aluminum Beam of a High-Speed Train Through Numerical Simulation and Experiments
Authors: Dou Weiyuan , Zhang Lele , Chang Haifeng , Zhang Haifeng , Liu Changqing
Published: November 2021

The cast aluminum beam is a key structure for carrying the body-hung traction motor of a high-speed train; its fatigue property is fundamental for predicting the residual life and service mileage of the structure. To characterize the structural fatigue property, a finite element-based method is developed to compute the stress concentration factor, which is used to obtain the structural fatigue strength reduction factors. A full-scale fatigue test on the cast aluminum beam is designed and implemented for up to ten million cycles, and the corresponding finite element model of the beam is validated using the measured data of the gauges. The results show that the maximum stress concentration occurs at the fillet of the supporting seat, where the structural fatigue strength reduction factor is 2.45 and the calculated fatigue limit is 35.4 MPa. Moreover, no surface cracks are detected using the liquid penetrant test. Both the experimental and simulation results indicate that the cast aluminum beam can satisfy the service life requirements under the designed loading conditions.
Comparative fungal diversity and dynamics in plant compartments at different developmental stages under root-zone restricted grapevines
Authors: Zahid Muhammad Salman , Li Dongmei , Javed Hafiz Umer , Sabir Irfan Ali , Wang Lei , Jiu Songtao , Song Shiren , Ma Chao , Wang Dapeng , Zhang Caixi , Zhou Xuhui , Xu Wenping , Wang Shiping
Published: November 2021

Background

The root-zone restriction cultivation technique is used to achieve superior fruit quality at the cost of limited vegetative and enhanced reproductive development of grapevines. Fungal interactions and diversity in grapevines are well established; however, our knowledge about fungal diversity under the root-zone restriction technique is still unexplored. To provide insights into the role of mycobiota in the regulation of growth and fruit quality of grapevine under root-zone restriction, DNA from rhizosphere and plant compartments, including white roots (new roots), leaves, flowers, and berries of root-zone restricted (treatment) and conventionally grown plants (control), was extracted at three growth stages (full bloom, veraison, and maturity).

Results

Diversity analysis based on the ITS1 region was performed using QIIME2. We observed that the root-zone restriction technique primarily affected the fungal communities of the soil and plant compartments at different growth stages. Interestingly, Fusarium, Ilyonectria, Cladosporium and Aspergillus spp observed in the rhizosphere overlapped with the phyllosphere at all phenological stages, having distinctive abundance in grapevine habitats. Peak richness and diversity were observed in the rhizosphere at the full bloom stage of control plants, white roots at the veraison stage of treatment, leaves at the maturity stage of treatment, flowers at the full bloom stage and berries at the veraison stage of control plants. Except for white roots, the diversity of soil and plant compartments of treated plants tended to increase until maturity. At the maturity stage of the treated and control plants, the abundance of Aspergillus spp. was 25.99 and 29.48%, respectively. Moreover, the total soluble sugar content of berries was 19.03 obrix and 16 obrix in treated and control plants, respectively, at the maturity stage.

Conclusions

This is the first elucidative study targeting the fungal diversity of conventional and root-restricted cultivation techniques in a single vineyard. Species richness and diversity are affected by stressful cultivation known as root zone restriction. There is an association between the abundance of Aspergillus spp. and fruit quality because despite causing stress to the grapevine, superior quality of fruit is retrieved in root-zone restricted plants.