bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Legal Aspects of Movable Antiquities Protection in Jordanian Legislation: An Analytical Critical Study
Authors: Alkhasawneh Alaeldin Abdallah , Shiyab Tayil Mahmoud , Alshawabkeh Faisal Abdulhafez
Published: March 2021

Movable antiquities are very important in peoples’ lives, as they reflect history, establish identity and revive the past. The Jordanian legislator issued Public Antiquities Law 21/1988 to impose a legal protection for antiquities. Through this study, we focus on the issue of the protection of legal movable antiquities in Jordan and determine whether the current provisions are sufficient to this end. We define the protected movable archeological properties in Jordanian legislation and certain comparative legislations. Thereafter, we deal with the means—whether administrative, civil or criminal—of legal protection for movable antiquities. By analyzing such protective legal provisions, we conclude that they are insufficient and in need of multiple supplements. We recommend reinforcing Jordan’s commitment to the protection of movable aniquities by changing legislative texts that reflect the importance of protection movable antiquities while promoting the legitimate trade and exchange of these materials.
Whose Politics? Whose Rights? Transparency, Capture and Dual-Use Export Controls
Authors: Wagner Ben
Published: March 2021

What kinds of politics do export controls entail and whose rights do they enable? The following article will take a critical perspective on the governance challenges associated with export controls of dual-use technologies. After discussing challenges around transparency, the performance of human rights and export control havens, this article will then turn to looking at policy solutions, including audits, transparency and targeted international governance mechanisms. With conclusion, export controls continue to constitute an important policy tool to promote human rights and can be improved considerably to strengthen human rights further.
Language Policy in Public Compulsory Education Systems: Multiculturalism and National Identity in the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China
Authors: Ferrer Alessandra
Published: March 2021

In 2018 the government of the Republic of China (roc) on Taiwan elevated certain Chinese languages, Taiwanese Indigenous languages, and Taiwan Sign Language to the status of national languages, seemingly marking the latest stage in an evolution of language education policy away from the long-standing focus on Mandarin. This paper analyses this evolution by comparing approaches to language education policy in contemporary Taiwan with those in the People’s Republic of China (prc). It focuses on how notions of multiculturalism, deployed to legitimate policy, have taken on different meanings in these divergent political contexts. I argue that in both the prc and Taiwan, multiculturalism primarily signifies symbolic recognition of minority and non-dominant languages, involving limited redistribution of power. The continued centrality of Mandarin reflects the powerful legacy in both the roc and the prc of discourses of national identity centred around Han Chineseness, despite significant differences in the deployment of multicultural rhetoric.
Introduction: Ecologising Taiwan
Authors: Bachner Andrea , Wang David Der-wei
Published: March 2021

Ecologising Taiwan means to think ecologically about, from, as well as by way of Taiwan. On the one hand, we ecologise Taiwan by viewing it through an ecological perspective; on the other hand, we also want to treat Taiwan itself as an agent that drives our thinking, no longer merely an object of our anthropocentric and anthropocenic gaze. Taiwan, as an island that encompasses a particularly wide range of biotopes, redefines insularity in its connectivity to other global spaces and networks: it pits its infinite potential for different encounters, relations, and comparisons against any bias of smallness and isolation. Culturally specific representations—the stories we tell about the environment and how we tell them—are important in environmental thinking. Thus ecologising Taiwan is not only about what ecological thinking can do for Taiwan but also about what Taiwan can do for ecological thought. In order to sound out the different resonances of what ecologising Taiwan might mean, this special issue brings together six essays that explore flexible links between ecological thought and Taiwanese culture. As such, this special issue is part of the ecological chain of Taiwan studies, featuring topics (even topoi) on languages, genres, media forms, and methodologies in contestation and transformation.
How to Assist Probationers with Debt Problems during Supervision? A Qualitative Study into the Experiences of Both Probation Officers and Clients
Authors: van Beek Gercoline , de Vogel Vivienne , van de Mheen Dike
Published: March 2021

Little research exists on what works in the supervision of offenders with debt problems. This qualitative study aims to provide insight into the barriers probation officers and clients experience during supervision regarding debt and the support that clients need. Interviews were conducted with 33 Dutch probation officers and 16 clients. The results show that debt often negatively influences clients’ lives and hinders their resocialization. Probation officers lack effective methods to support clients with debt problems. To adequately help clients with debt problems, probation officers should obtain more knowledge about effective interventions and collaborate more closely with debt specialists from the probation supervision outset.
Common Pharmaceutical Price and Cost Controls in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany: Lessons for the United States
Authors: Rodwin Marc A.
Published: March 2021

To identify pharmaceutical spending-control options for the United States, we analyzed the policies of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, which encourage drugmakers to undertake innovations that improve health while controlling spending. Their main strategies today include: using legislation to set default rules that increase the insurer's bargaining position, employing health technology assessment that measures cost-effectiveness or comparative effectiveness and caps the purchase or reimbursement price, setting a single maximum price for similar drugs (reference group pricing), capping prices near prices in other European countries (external reference pricing), prohibiting price increases, contracting to obtain discounts as sales volume rises, procuring drugs through competitive bids, and requiring manufacturers to pay rebates when spending exceeds a global budget. Each strategy addresses a distinct cause of high spending and supports overall goals. Most recent US reform proposals recommend incremental changes that would not address the major sources of high and increasing pharmaceutical prices. However, some US reform proposals resemble certain European strategies and could bring more significant change. US policymakers should consider adopting each of the strategies employed in these countries.
“Lest We Forget”: A Postapartheid Perspective on Remembering in Liturgy for Healing and Justice
Authors: Scott Hilton
Published: March 2021

The idea of Remembrance Day (also known as Armistice Day) in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries carries two important notions: (1) to remember significant tragedies and sacrifices of the past by paying homage, and (2) to ensure that such catastrophes are prevented in the future by not forgetting. This concept can be applied to the South African context of a society and young democracy that is living in the wake of apartheid. In certain spheres this will include decolonizing the long-standing practices of Remembrance Day in South Africa, ritualizing the event(s) to be more relevant to those who partake by shifting the focus to tragedies caused during apartheid, and remembering that such a deplorable catastrophe should never be repeated. The important liturgical functions and pragmatic outcome(s) of this notion are reconciliation, restoration, transformation and, ultimately, liberation, as South Africans look to heal the wounds caused by the tragedies of the recent past and prevent such pain from being inflicted on others in the future.
A General Theological Symbolic Structure of Textless Music in Christian Worship
Authors: Wakeling Jennifer
Published: March 2021

When textless music is performed as a stand-alone act in Christian worship, it can function as a Christian symbol through which meaning can be generated at experiential, reflective, and transformative levels. This article proposes a four-dimensional theological symbolic structure for conceptualizing and heightening the effectiveness of textless music as a Christian symbol in worship. A piece of textless music can take on Christian symbolic capacity in worship by virtue of its specific musical properties and structures interpreted through the lens of human subjectivity formed within a Christian context (incorporating Christian worship), a locus of divine communication. Relevant aspects of the theology of Paul Tillich, Karl Rahner, and Louis-Marie Chauvet, particularly pertaining to symbols, are applied, fitted together, extended, and supplemented to construct and explicate this structure. Deriving from the structure, elements of praxis regarding the selection, contextualization, performance, and reception of pieces are presented for ongoing reflection and development.
A Critique of Searle’s Linguistic Exceptionalism
Authors: Lobo Gregory J.
Published: March 2021

John Searle’s social ontology distinguishes between linguistic and non-linguistic institutional facts. He argues that every instance of the latter is created by declarative speech acts, while the former are exceptions to this far-reaching claim: linguistic phenomena are autonomous, their meaning is “built in,” and this is necessary, Searle argues, to avoid “infinite regress.” In this essay I analyze Searle’s arguments for this linguistic exceptionalism and reveal its flaws. My method is to follow Searle’s argument closely and comprehensively so as to avoid, insofar as is possible, a selective reading of his argument in my favor. Against Searle’s position, I argue that linguistic phenomena are not exceptions to his general theory of institutional facts, for they too always require supplementary representations in order to exist. Language itself is analogous to all other institutions and infinite regress turns out to be unavoidable.
A novel full-order and reduced-order fault detection filters design method for continuous-time singular Markov jump systems with complexity transition rates
Authors: Shi Yunling , Peng Xiuyan
Published: March 2021

This work is concerned with the problem of full-order and reduced-order fault detection filters (FDFs) design in a convex optimization frame for continuous-time singular Markov jump systems (CTSMJSs) with complexity transition rates (TRs). A novel Lyapunov function construct approach is utilized to cope with the stochastic admissibility problem for CTSMJSs with complexity TRs. In order to obtain effective full-order and reduced-order FDFs, we decoupled the inequality using the presupposed Lyapunov matrix. Owing to the use of Lyapunov stochastic admissibility theory and a novel decoupling method based on convex polyhedron technique, some sufficient conditions are obtained to guarantee that the resulting full-order and reduced-order FDFs are suitable for CTSMJSs with complexity TRs. In particular, the reduced-order FDF has the advantages of small storage space and fast detection speed compared with the full order FDF. Four illustrative examples are given to explain the effectiveness of the proposed full-order and reduced-order FDFs design method.
Predictive Value of Radiologic Central Compartment Atopic Disease for Identifying Allergy and Asthma in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Lee Kijeong , Kim Tae Hoon , Lee Sang Hag , Kang Chang Ho , Je Bo-Kyung , Oh Saelin
Published: March 2021

Introduction:

Central compartment atopic disease (CCAD) has recently been suggested as a phenotype of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). This study aims to investigate the prevalence of the radiologic CCAD phenotype in CRS within a pediatric population and identify its ability to predict comorbid allergy and asthma.

Methods:

Computed tomography and endoscopic examination were conducted on pediatric patients with CRS either with or without nasal polyps. Allergen sensitization was determined with the multiple-allergen simultaneous test and skin prick test. Serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE), peripheral blood eosinophil percentage, and presence of asthma were also evaluated.

Results:

A total of 82 pediatric patients were enrolled. Overall, 55 (67.1%) of the participants demonstrated aeroallergen sensitization, and 31 (18.9%) of the 164 sides of sinuses were radiologically defined to fit the CCAD phenotype. Patients having CRS with the CCAD phenotype had a higher prevalence of aeroallergen sensitization (87.1% vs 62.4%, P = .008), particularly house dust mite (74.2% vs 53.4%, P = .035), and a higher incidence of asthma (16.1% vs 3.8%, P = .010). Additionally, patients having CRS with the CCAD phenotype demonstrated a high serum total IgE levels (51.6% vs 30.1%, P = .023) in comparison to patients having CRS without CCAD.

Conclusion:

In pediatric CRS, the radiological CCAD phenotype was associated with allergen sensitization and asthma. Furthermore, the CCAD phenotype was associated with high serum total IgE levels, suggesting allergy etiology should be considered with this type of pediatric patients with CRS.
Management of Recurrent and Delayed Post-Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy Hemorrhage in Children
Authors: Cheung Phylannie K. F. , Walton Joanna , Hobson Megan L. , Taylor Piera , Chin Michael , Boardman Simone , Cheng Alan T. L. , Birman Catherine S.
Published: March 2021

Objective:

To review our experience on post-tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy hemorrhage (PTAH) at a tertiary pediatric referral hospital and to evaluate the management and risk factors for recurrent postoperative hemorrhage and for delayed bleeding after day 14.

Methods:

A retrospective chart review was performed for all pediatric patients admitted to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead for PTAH between July 01, 2014, and June 30, 2019. Patients with recurrent hemorrhage and those with bleeding after day 14 were selected for subanalysis.

Results:

Of the 291 patients admitted for PTAH, 31 (11%) patients had recurrent postoperative hemorrhage, and 11 (4%) patients had delayed bleeding after day 14. Surgical intervention for cessation of hemorrhage was required in 88 (30%) patients, including 2 patients who required return to the theater more than once. Nine (3%) patients received blood transfusions. The average number of days between bleeding episodes was 4 days. Recurrent postoperative hemorrhage occurred in 8.5% of patients who were managed operatively at their first presentation compared to 11.4% of patients who were managed nonoperatively (odds ratio: 1.1; 95% confidence interval 0.43-2.8). No association was found between abnormal coagulation profile, surgical indication, and risk of delayed postoperative hemorrhage.

Conclusions:

Recurrent or delayed postoperative hemorrhage represents a small proportion of children with postoperative bleeding and cannot be reliably predicted. Management of first presentations with either a conservative or a surgical approach is reasonable since the risk of recurrent of PTAH may be unrelated to the choice of management at initial presentation. Careful preoperative counseling of patients and their families is important to help set expectations in the event of PTAH.
Using the Resource-Based View in Multinational Enterprise Research
Authors: Beamish Paul W. , Chakravarty Dwarka
Published: March 2021

The resource-based view (RBV) has evolved into a preeminent theory of strategic management. It is widely used by international business (IB) scholars since there is considerable synergy in core research questions pursued by IB and strategy researchers. However, in research on multinational enterprise (MNE) behavior, the use of RBV remains limited relative to other influential perspectives, such as the eclectic paradigm, the Uppsala model, and institutional theory. This is not surprising since the RBV was developed to explain performance differentials between country-centric firms with dominant product businesses rather than large MNEs with an expansive product-geographic scope. We describe how these limitations arise from the wider range of outcomes and explanatory variables, multiple levels of analysis, and the spatial, economic, and institutional barriers that are relevant to MNEs. We discuss the application of RBV to MNE research by the first author and other IB scholars. We then provide directions on how future research could use RBV more fruitfully to examine MNE performance and sources of competitive advantage in several areas. These include diversified corporations, subsidiary agglomeration, emerging market MNE internationalization, subsidiary autonomy, international joint ventures and alliances, and corporate social responsibility. Drawing upon teaching case examples from the first author’s work, we also point to the effectiveness of RBV in teaching with business cases, given its focus on firm performance (strategy).
Parental Economic Migration and Children’s Outcomes in Romania: The Role of Social Support, Parenting Styles, and Patterns of Migration
Authors: Dafinoiu Alina , Olaya Beatriz , Essau Cecilia A.
Published: March 2021

Since the fall of communism, approximately 10%–15% of the Romanian population are estimated to have left the country in search of economic opportunities, resulting in a high number of children being left behind (i.e., children of migrant parent; CMP) in Romania.

This study explored patterns of parental migration and frequency and correlates of mental health problems among CMP. A total of 889 adolescents, aged 13–18 years, with migrant parent(s) participated in the present study. Results showed a high prevalence of mental health problems, with dysthymia (51%) being the most common. As for parenting styles, “inconsistency” was found to increase the risk for depression and dysthymia. “Higher involvement” from parents significantly decreased the risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, panic, and substance abuse. The findings were discussed in terms of their clinical, training, and political implications.
Family Contributions to School Performance of Adolescents: The Role of Fathers’ Perceived Involvement
Authors: Morales-Castillo Miguel
Published: March 2021

Parental involvement is a valuable contribution to early adolescent behavior, particularly in educational contexts. This study analyzes the role of father’s socioeconomic status (SES) and perceived involvement (PI) when understanding school performance (SP) of adolescents, considering that involvement could be expressed as home-based and school-based. In a cross-sectional design, a sample from Colombia (South America) composed of 419 fathers (mean age = 42.2 years; SD = 7.37) and their adolescents (mean age = 12.63 years; SD = 0.86) completed self-administered questionnaires to measure SES, PI, and SP, and structural equation modeling was used to evaluate relations. Results indicate that the contribution of fathers to adolescent SP implies PI, considering that the direct effect of SES on SP is significant but small in comparison to the mediated path through PI. This article addresses the relevance of father’s contribution through involvement to understand the SP of adolescents, suggesting issues for studying the role of fathers in the adolescent’s outcomes.
Surgeon Volume and Complications in Lateral Neck Dissection for Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Multidatabase Analysis
Authors: Campbell James C. , Lee Hui‐Jie , Cannon Trinitia , Kahmke Russel R. , Lee Walter T. , Puscas Liana , Rocke Daniel J.
Published: March 2021

Objective

To determine whether annual surgeon volume of lateral neck dissections for squamous cell carcinoma is associated with complication rates.

Study Design

Retrospective review.

Setting

Two US databases spanning 2000 to 2014.

Methods

Neck dissections for squamous cell carcinoma from the National Inpatient Sample and State Inpatient Databases were analyzed. The primary outcome was any in‐hospital complication common to neck dissection. The principal independent variable was surgeon volume. A multivariable logistic generalized estimating equation with a piecewise linear spline for surgeon volume was fit to assess its association with complication.

Results

The National Inpatient Sample had 3517 discharges fitting criteria, a median surgeon volume of 12, and an 11.1% complication rate. A 1‐unit increase in surgeon volume was associated with a 7% increase in the odds of complication when volume ranged between 4 and 19 (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.07; 95% CI, 1.04‐1.11) and with a 3% decrease in the odds of complication when volume ranged between 19 and 51 (AOR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96‐0.99). The State Inpatient Databases had 2876 discharges fitting criteria, a median surgeon volume of 30, and a 13.5% complication rate. Surgeon volume was not associated with complication when <27 (AOR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.99‐1.02), but a 5‐unit increase in volume was associated with a 7% decrease in the odds of complication with volume ≥27 (AOR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88‐0.98).

Conclusions

Surgeon volume was associated with complications for most volume ranges and with lower odds of complication for high‐volume surgeons.
4D Computed Tomography for Dynamic Upper Airway Evaluation in Robin Sequence
Authors: Lam Austin S. , Bindschadler Michael D. , Evans Kelly N. , Friedman Seth D. , Otjen Jeffrey P. , Zdanski Carlton J. , Perez Francisco A. , Dahl John P.
Published: March 2021

Thorough assessment of dynamic upper airway obstruction (UAO) in Robin sequence (RS) is critical, but traditional evaluation modalities have significant limitations. Four‐dimensional computed tomography (4D‐CT) is promising in that it enables objective and quantitative evaluation throughout all phases of respiration. However, there exist few protocols or analysis tools to assist in obtaining and interpreting the vast amounts of obtained data. A protocol and set of data analysis tools were developed to enable quantification and visualization of dynamic 4D‐CT data. This methodology was applied to a sample case at 2 time points. In the patient with RS, overall increases in normalized airway caliber were observed from 5 weeks to 1 year. There was, however, continued dynamic obstruction at all airway levels, though objective measures of UAO did improve at the nasopharynx and oropharynx. Use of 4D‐CT and novel analyses provide additional quantitative information to evaluate UAO in patients with RS.
Food insecurity status and associated factors among rural households in the north of Iran
Authors: Shakiba Maryam , Salari Arsalan , Mahdavi-Roshan Marjan
Published: March 2021

Background:

Iran has been experiencing an accelerated change in the nutrition and health of its people, which has led to considerable variations in the country’s nutritional status. Little is known about the food insecurity status in the north of Iran.

Aim:

The present study aimed to investigate the food insecurity status and factors associated with it in a rural area in the north of Iran.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 573 rural households in Guilan Province in the north of Iran. The food insecurity status of the households was measured using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Data on the demographic characteristics of the households and their depression status were collected by interviewing the heads of the households. The socioeconomic status index of the households was constructed using factor analysis, and a multivariate ordinal logistic regression model was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio of the independent predictors of food insecurity.

Results:

The results indicated that approximately half of the households (50.8%) had experienced mild (43.2%), moderate (6.5%) or severe (1.1%) food insecurity. The multivariate model showed that sex, age, depression status of the head of the household and having a patient with a chronic condition in the household were independently associated with food security status.

Conclusions:

This study showed that food insecurity was highly prevalent among rural households in the north of Iran. The study concludes that interventions with the aim of reducing the prevalence of food insecurity, depression and chronic diseases in the area can be effective in improving the nutritional status of the households.
Disciplinary and pastoral power, food and poverty in late-modernity
Authors: Power Maddy , Small Neil
Published: March 2021

Using a Foucauldian perspective, we explicate the systems of power which shape the lives of women in or at risk of ‘food poverty’. We develop a theoretical framework of power for analyses of contemporary food poverty, which we apply to data from focus groups with women on low incomes in two cities in the north of England. Our data underlines the repressive power of the state as well as the broader chronicity of state surveillance. We argue that, while disciplinary and pastoral power may characterise the majority of food banks, alternative logics of mutual aid are evident within some food aid providers. We underline the power of governmental discourse in constituting gendered subjectivities and find that the most potent form of coercion is derived from self-regulation. The article closes by exploring possibilities for praxis via discursive resistance.
Language switch costs in a lexical decision task: Symmetry and cognitive correlates
Authors: Struck Jason , Jiang Nan
Published: March 2021

Language switch costs have been explored less in receptive tasks than in productive tasks, and previous studies have produced mixed findings with regard to switch cost symmetry and the relationship of switch costs to executive function. To address these unresolved gaps, one hundred Chinese–English bilingual adults completed a bilingual lexical decision task and three tasks measuring executive function, and we used mixed effects models and correlational analyses to answer the two research questions. The results showed asymmetry with larger costs into the second language, but this was qualified by interactions with response sequence effects. No evidence was found for a relationship between switch costs and inhibition or shifting. Together, rather than supporting a model involving top-down control mechanisms as has been suggested to account for switch cost patterns in productive tasks, these findings support a bottom-up, activation-based model of bilingual word recognition and receptive language switching.
Age-Related Arteriolar Changes With Lipid and Amyloid Deposits in the Gonads of Dogs
Authors: Ushio Nanako , Chambers James K. , Watanabe Kenichi , Kayano Mitsunori , Uchida Kazuyuki
Published: March 2021

Arteriolar lesions with lipid and/or amyloid deposits are frequently detected in canine gonads by routine histopathologic examination; however, they have never been examined in detail. In the present study, a total of 139 testes/epididymides and 200 ovaries from 72 male (4 months to 14 years old) and 105 female (7 months to 16 years old) dogs were examined for arteriolar lesions. Arteriolar lesions were detected in 21 of 72 male dogs (29%) and 54 of 105 female dogs (51%). These lesions were histologically classified into 4 types: “fibromuscular hypertrophy,” characterized by thickening of the tunica intima; “focal vasculitis,” characterized by mononuclear cell infiltration; “vacuolar change,” consisting of lipid accumulation and infiltration of foamy cells; and “hyalinosis,” characterized by irregular thickening with amyloid deposits. In the lesions of vacuolar change and hyalinosis, lipid deposition and infiltration of α-SMA-positive cells and Iba-1-positive cells were also observed. Foamy cells and amyloid deposits were immunopositive for apolipoproteins and oxidized low-density lipoprotein-related proteins. These results indicate that vacuolar change is possibly an early stage of atherosclerosis, and that amyloid may deposit as a consequence of the microenvironment associated with atherogenesis. Logistic regression analysis revealed that arteriolar lesions with lipid deposits were associated with age and interstitial cell tumors in male dogs, and with age in female dogs. Aging is likely an important risk factor of arteriolar lesions with lipid deposits of the canine gonads.
Posterior Tibial Loading Results in Significant Increase of Peak Contact Pressure in the Patellofemoral Joint During Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Cadaveric Study
Authors: Huang Wenhan , Ong Michael Tim-Yun , Man Gene Chi-Wai , Liu Yang , Lau Lawrence Chun-Man , Yung Patrick Shu-Hang
Published: March 2021

Background:

Inappropriate posterior tibial loading and initial graft tension during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction may cause altered patellofemoral joint (PFJ) contact mechanics, potentially resulting in pain and joint degeneration.

Hypothesis:

PFJ contact pressure would increase with the increases in posterior tibial loading and graft tension during ACL reconstruction.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Nine fresh-frozen, nonpaired human cadaveric knees were tested in a customized jig from 0° to 120° of knee flexion. First, the knee was tested in the ACL-intact state. Second, reconstruction of the ACLs using different posterior tibial loadings and graft tensions were performed. The posterior tibial loading was evaluated at 2 levels: 33.5 and 67 N. Graft tension was assessed at 3 levels: low tension (20 N), medium tension (60 N), and high tension (80 N). Maximum values of peak contact pressure in the medial and lateral patellar facets were compared between ACL-intact and ACL-reconstructed knees. The PFJ kinematics between ACL-intact knees and ACL-reconstructed knees were compared during knee flexion at 30°, 60°, 90°, and 120°.

Results:

Reconstruction of ACLs with both low and high posterior tibial loading resulted in significant increases of peak contact pressure in the medial (range of differences, 0.46-0.92 MPa; P < .05) and lateral (range of differences, 0.51-0.83 MPa; P < .05) PFJ compared with the ACL-intact condition. However, no significant differences in PFJ kinematics were identified between ACL-reconstructed knees and ACL-intact knees. In ACL-reconstructed knees, it was found that a high posterior tibial loading resulted in high peak contact pressure on the medial patellar side (range of differences, 0.37-0.46 MPa; P < .05). No significant difference in peak contact pressure was observed among the differing graft tensions.

Conclusion:

In this cadaveric model, ACL reconstruction resulted in significant increases of peak contact pressure in the PFJ facet when compared with the ACL-intact condition. A high posterior tibial loading can lead to high medial PFJ peak contact pressure. Graft tension was found to not significantly affect PFJ contact pressure during ACL reconstruction.

Clinical Relevance:

An excessive posterior tibial loading during ACL reconstruction resulted in increased PFJ contact pressures at time of surgery. These data suggest that a low posterior tibial loading might be preferred during ACL reconstruction surgery to reduce the PFJ contact pressure close to that of the ACL-intact condition.
Dietary Diversity in Nepal: A Latent Class Approach
Authors: Shively Gerald , Evans Alecia
Published: March 2021

Background:

Nutritional status has important implications for labor productivity, lifetime earnings, and country-wide economic development. Dietary diversity is an important contributor to nutrition.

Objective:

To identify how patterns of food consumption are related to dietary diversity and to measure the potential for policy interventions to influence diet complexity.

Methods:

Household dietary diversity scores were constructed using data from 11 809 rural and urban households surveyed in Nepal between 2013 and 2016. Diversity scores were based on 7-day recall information on food purchases and food consumed directly from agricultural production. Reported consumption from 14 food groups was mapped into 4 distinct dietary patterns via latent class analysis. Ordered probit regressions were used to identify factors associated with observed diet patterns.

Results:

Diets are heterogeneous and map into 4 clusters along a continuum of complexity. Three identified diets are vegetarian and 1 is nonvegetarian. Diet complexity is associated with geography and socioeconomic features of the sample. On average, poor and agricultural households have less complex diets and households receiving remittances have more complex and higher quality diets. Road density is positively correlated with diet complexity. We find evidence of modest reductions in diet quality over the sample period.

Conclusions:

Results confirm heterogeneous dietary behavior of Nepalese households. The identified patterns could be used to more effectively target policies directed at nutrition education or efforts to improve health by diversifying and improving the nutritional quality of household diets, for example, through supplemental feeding programs, home garden promotion, or targeted food assistance programs.
Photoperiod Manipulation Reveals a Light-Driven Component to Daily Patterns of Ventilation in Male C57Bl/6J Mice
Authors: Jones Aaron A. , Nelson Lauren R. , Marino Gabriella M. , Chappelle Nakia A. , Joye Deborah A. M. , Arble Deanna M.
Published: March 2021

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that increases risk for cardiovascular disease and mortality. The severity of sleep-disordered breathing in obstructive sleep apnea patients fluctuates with the seasons, opening the possibility that seasonal changes in light duration, or photoperiod, can influence mechanisms of breathing. Photoperiod can have profound effects on internal timekeeping and can reshape metabolic rhythms in mammals. While the daily rhythm in ventilation is largely shaped by the metabolic rate, less is known about whether ventilatory rhythms are altered in accordance with metabolism under different photoperiods. Here, we investigate the relationship between ventilation and metabolism under different photoperiods using whole-body plethysmography and indirect calorimetry. We find that the daily timing of ventilation is chiefly synchronized to dark onset and that light cues are important for maintaining daily ventilatory rhythms. Moreover, changes in ventilatory patterns are not paralleled by changes in oxygen consumption, energy expenditure, or respiratory exchange rate under different photoperiods. We conclude that ventilatory patterns are not only shaped by the metabolic rate and circadian timing but are also influenced by other light-driven factors. Collectively, these findings have clinical implications for the seasonal variations in sleep-disordered breathing found in individuals with obstructive sleep apnea.
“I Thought It Was Normal:” Perspectives of Black Nursing Students From High-Risk IPV Communities on Causes and Solutions to IPV in the Black Community
Authors: Vil Noelle M. St. , Sperlich Mickey , Fitzpatrick Jessica , Bascug Erin , Elliott Jennifer
Published: March 2021

Black individuals are at high risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) but are less likely to utilize existing IPV services and supports. In an effort toward developing more culturally responsive IPV solutions for the Black community, researchers set out to understand how residents of high-risk IPV communities explained the high rates of IPV in their community, and what they thought possible solutions would entail. A purposive sample of 22 Black nursing students (20 female, 2 male) from a high-IPV risk predominately Black community in Western New York who were students enrolled in a Licensed Practitioner Nursing (LPN) program attended four focus groups that utilized a semi-structured interview format. Their verbatim responses were analyzed using qualitative inductive thematic analysis. Participants identified five major causes of IPV in Black communities: (a) weakened family structure, (b) IPV is normalized (c) community lacks IPV knowledge, (d) mistrust of formal resources, and (e) mental health. They also identified 10 solutions to IPV in Black communities: (a) counseling, (b) peer support groups, (c) use of technology, (d) resources to create self-sufficiency, (e) education, (f) culturally specific resources, (g) reduce stigma, (h) public service announcements, (i) substance abuse treatment, and (j) IPV screenings. Research and clinical implications of the research are discussed, including how these might inform the creation of culturally responsive interventions.
An Examination of the Relationship Between Local Tax Incentives and Diversification of the Local Economic Base
Authors: DiTommaso Adrienne , Greenbaum Robert T.
Published: March 2021

While much of the economic development literature attempts to quantify the effectiveness of tax incentives on growth outcomes, less attention has been paid to the relationships between incentive use and local economic base composition, despite the fact that many economic development strategies are aimed at changing industrial base makeup. Local industrial base diversity has implications for the pace and stability of future growth. Using newly available annual data on incentives at the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) level, this article explores the relationship between incentives and economic diversity between 2005 and 2015. The descriptive analysis finds that MSAs with less diverse economic bases target incentives to industries with low concentration and that regardless of overall diversity, MSAs are more likely to incentivize industries that are less specialized locally. Panel regression models indicate that use of customized job training subsidies are associated with increases in diversity net of local government and population characteristics.
Quercetin suppresses cell survival and invasion in oral squamous cell carcinoma via the miR-1254/CD36 cascade in vitro
Authors: Chen L , Xia J-S , Wu J-H , Chen Y-G , Qiu C-J
Published: March 2021

Objective:

This study aimed to investigate the effects of quercetin on the proliferation and invasion in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and examine its effect on the activation of the miR-1254/CD36 signaling pathway.

Methods:

Proliferation and invasion experiments were performed in the OSCC cell line CAL-27 in which miR-1254 was overexpressed or inhibited. The levels of miR-1254 and CD36 were determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting assays.

Results:

Quercetin significantly suppressed the proliferation and invasion of CAL-27 cells in a dose-dependent manner, while up-regulating miR-1254 and down-regulating CD36. The overexpression of miR-1254 also considerably down-regulated CD36 and enhanced the ability of quercetin to inhibit CAL-27 cell survival and invasion. Conversely, the inhibition of miR-1254 significantly up-regulated CD36 and antagonized the inhibitory effects of quercetin.

Conclusion:

Our study suggests that quercetin might suppress the progression of OSCC by activating the miR-1254/CD36 signaling pathway, indicating its potential as a treatment against OSCC.
Modulation of cigarette smoke extract-induced human bronchial epithelial damage by eucalyptol and curcumin
Authors: Reis R , Orak D , Yilmaz D , Cimen H , Sipahi H
Published: March 2021

Smoking is one of the most important leading death cause worldwide. From a toxicological perspective, cigarette smoke serves hazards especially for the human being exposed to passive smoke. Over the last decades, the effects of natural compounds on smoking-mediated respiratory diseases such as COPD, asthma, and lung cancer have been under investigation, as well as the mechanistic aspects of disease progression. In the present study, the protective mechanism of eucalyptol (EUC), curcumin (CUR), and their combination on BEAS-2B cells were investigated in vitro to understand their impact on cell death, oxidative cell injury, and inflammatory response induced by 3R4F reference cigarette extract (CSE). According to the present findings, EUC, CUR, and their combination improved cell viability, attenuated CSE-induced apoptosis, and LC3B expression. Further, CSE-induced oxidative damage and inflammatory response in human bronchial epithelial cells were remarkably reduced by the combination treatment through modification of enzymatic antioxidant activity, GSH, MDA, and intracellular ROS levels as well as nitrite and IL-6 levels. In addition, nuclear translocation of Nrf2, a regulatory protein involved in the indirect antioxidant response, was remarkably up-regulated with the combination pre-treatment. In conclusion, EUC and CUR in combination might be a potential therapeutic against smoking-induced lung diseases through antioxidant and inflammatory pathways and results represent valuable background for future in vivo pulmonary toxicity studies.
The Surprise Question and Serious Illness Conversations: A pilot study
Authors: Le Kathy , Lee Jenny , Desai Sameer , Ho Anita , van Heukelom Holly
Published: March 2021

Background:

Serious Illness Conversations aim to discuss patient goals. However, on acute medicine units, seriously ill patients may undergo distressing interventions until death.

Objectives:

To investigate the feasibility of using the Surprise Question, “Would you be surprised if this patient died within the next year?” to identify patients who would benefit from early Serious Illness Conversations and study any changes in the interdisciplinary team’s beliefs, confidence, and engagement as a result of asking the Surprise Question.

Design:

A prospective cohort pilot study with two Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles.

Participants/context:

Fifty-eight healthcare professionals working on Acute Medicine Units participated in pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. The intervention involved asking participants the Surprise Question for each patient. Patient charts were reviewed for Serious Illness Conversation documentation.

Ethical considerations:

Ethical approval was granted by the institutions involved.

Findings:

Equivocal overall changes in the beliefs, confidence, and engagement of healthcare professionals were observed. Six out of 23 patients were indicated as needing a Serious Illness Conversation; chart review provided some evidence that these patients had more Serious Illness Conversation documentation compared with the 17 patients not flagged for a Serious Illness Conversation. Issues were identified in equating the Surprise Question to a Serious Illness Conversation.

Discussion:

Appropriate support for seriously ill patients is both a nursing professional and ethical duty. Flagging patients for conversations may act as a filtering process, allowing healthcare professionals to focus on conversations with patients who need them most. There are ethical and practical issues as to what constitutes a “serious illness” and if answering “no” to the Surprise Question always equates to a conversation.

Conclusion:

The barriers of time constraints and lack of training call for institutional change in order to prioritise the moral obligation of Serious Illness Conversations.
Mobile anti-vehicle barrier made of high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete
Authors: Konrád Petr , Mára Michal , Fornůsek Jindřich , Nouzovský Luboš , Zatloukal Jan , Kohout Tomáš , Vrtal Pavel , Sovják Radoslav , Konvalinka Petr
Published: March 2021

The article presents a mobile anti-vehicle barrier created from a high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete, which resembles a historical design of the Czech Hedgehog barrier. The performance of this design when subjected to a moderate velocity vehicle impact was evaluated. A preliminary crash test provided basic data to perform an optimisation of the design using numerical simulations conducted in LS-DYNA. Several key observations were made regarding the crucial role of the barrier-surface interactions and overall barrier behaviour. Based on the simulations, improved geometry of the barrier was proposed and subjected to more full-scale crash tests with various barrier placements. The improved barrier design was able to stop an ordinary road vehicle weighing 1300 kg moving with a velocity of 48 km/h while retaining beneficial characteristics, most importantly low weight.
Semi-supervised clustering of time-dependent categorical sequences with application to discovering education-based life patterns
Authors: Zhang Yingying , Melnykov Volodymyr , Melnykov Igor
Published: March 2021

A new approach to the analysis of heterogeneous categorical sequences is proposed. The first-order Markov model is employed in a finite mixture setting with initial state and transition probabilities being expressed as functions of time. The expectation–maximization algorithm approach to parameter estimation is implemented in the presence of positive equivalence constraints that determine which observations must be placed in the same class in the solution. The proposed model is applied to a dataset from the British Household Panel Survey to evaluate the association between the education background and life outcomes of study participants. The analysis of the survey data reveals many interesting relationships between the level of education and major life events.
Making work private: Autonomy, intensification and accountability
Authors: Thompson Greg , Mockler Nicole , Hogan Anna
Published: March 2021

This paper explores perceptions of work intensification around the world. Underpinning this analysis is C. Wright Mills’ (1959) argument that many personal troubles are public issues, and the notion that a significant dimension of the privatisation of public education, a concern of public education advocates worldwide, is the ways in which school work has become a private issue. One hundred and thirty interviews were conducted with education stakeholders across Australia, England, New Zealand and Canada exploring the issues of work intensification, school autonomy and accountability policies. The paper argues that the work done in public schools is increasingly becoming a private problem as a result of policy interventions. It suggests that we need to widen the scope of defining publicness in education beyond that of governance and funding to include consideration of how work is organised and experienced.
Reconstruction of an Octogenarian Major Pretibial Degloving Injury Utilizing Negative Pressure Wound Therapy and Subsequently Combining Fenestrated-Type Artificial Dermis Without Skin Grafting
Authors: Hung Wei-Chung , Chicco Maria , Huang Tony Chieh-Ting , Cheng Hsu-Tang
Published: March 2021

Major pretibial degloving injuries are complex wounds, which can be challenging to treat. Despite recent advances in reconstructive options, most of these injuries still require a prolonged healing period and may result in amputation. Few reports have been published on the management of these complex traumatic injuries. In this article, we present a case of an octogenarian, frail patient with a major pretibial degloving injury. Treatment included serial surgical debridements in combination with negative pressure wound therapy aimed at salvaging the avulsed tissue. Subsequently, a fenestrated-type artificial dermis and negative pressure wound therapy were used as combined therapy so as to obtain adequate soft tissue coverage. The patient made an unremarkable recovery and was discharged on day 22 after injury. The wound healed by secondary intention without need for skin grafting.
Restoring EEG to its Rightful Place in Alzheimer Disease Care
Authors: Faught Edward
Published: March 2021

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The Meanings of Refugee Status
Authors: Jensen Katherine
Published: March 2021

The legal processes and social hierarchies that asylum seekers and refugees navigate as they seek safe haven shape how they understand that status and their sense of belonging. In Brazil, formal policies of legal inclusion—combined with a lack of protection from economic precarity, social exclusion, and anti-black racism in daily life—slessen the objective impact and subjective weight of asylum.