bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecularly Imprinted Nanoparticles Synthesized by Electrochemically Mediated Atom Transfer Radical Precipitation Polymerization
Authors: Pu Hang , Xu Lan
Published: April 2022

Nanometer molecularly imprinted polymers (nano‐MIPs) spherical particles with specific recognition of sialic acid (SA) are synthesized by electrochemically mediated atomic transfer radical polymerization combined with the precipitation method. SA is used as template molecules,4‐vinylphenylboronicacid as functional monomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the crosslinking agent. The successful synthesis of spherical nano‐MIPs is verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and Malvern particle size instruments. The effects of the potential adjustment on the morphology, size, and particle size distribution of MIP particles are further investigated. By adjusting the potential for polymerization, nanoparticles with average sizes of 160.32, 275.87, and 331.99 nm are obtained. The recognition performance of nano‐MIPs for SA is characterized by a UV–vis spectrophotometer and the satisfactory imprinting factor is 1.54.
Design Considerations for Next‐Generation Polymer Sorbents: From Polymer Chemistry to Device Configurations
Authors: Ouimet Jonathan Aubuchon , Xu Jialing , Flores ‐ Hansen Carsten , Phillip William A. , Boudouris Bryan W.
Published: April 2022

Adsorption‐based separations have the potential to enhance the sustainability of established industrial processes and facilitate the adoption of new practices. They also provide ways to meet emerging needs in the isolation of resources from non‐traditional supplies and the remediation of hazardous environmental contaminants. In this regard, there are significant opportunities to advance both fundamental polymer science and engineering applications through next‐generation adsorbent systems. Here, after briefly reviewing the history, potential application space, and underlying physics of polymer sorbents, design considerations that connect macromolecular design with systems‐level functionality, are discussed. First, polymer processing conditions are discussed in terms of the final nano‐ and microscale structures produced. Subsequently, the macromolecular chemistry of the materials is analyzed with respect to the ability of the separations systems to have analyte‐specific binding. Finally, a similar analysis is performed regarding the desorption mechanism used to release the target solutes. In this way, the manuscript attempts to connect macromolecular architecture with polymer physics and materials processing to provide guidance on how these important interrelationships impact the ultimate performance of sorbent systems.
Dual polarized reflectarray antenna for operation in X and Ku bands
Authors: Li Sen , Cai Yang , Cao Yufan , Zhang Baoling , Wu Tao
Published: April 2022

A stacked structure element consists of an arc phoenix patch and an I‐shaped slot is proposed for designing dual‐band reflectarray antenna. The arc phoenix element operates at Ku band, which above the I‐shaped slot element operating at X band. The advantages of this configuration are that the smaller size phoenix element has less shielding of the reradiation energy, and the property of the bottom substrate has no effect on up‐layer due to the I‐shaped element severs as ground plane. Furthermore, two orthogonal polarizations are produced by the radiation characteristics of the slot and the metal strip to eliminate coupling. Based on the element, a reflectarray antenna with a dimension of 140 mm generating two focused beams at orthogonal plane has been simulated, fabricated, and measured. The simulated and measured results are in good agreement in X and Ku bands.
Ethical ecosurveillance: Mitigating the potential impacts on humans of widespread environmental monitoring
Authors: Young Nathan , Roche Dominique G. , Lennox Robert J. , Bennett Joseph R. , Cooke Steven J.
Published: April 2022

Ecosurveillance has proliferated in recent years, generating vast amounts of data on the natural environment. Ecosurveillance also has significant potential impacts on humans; therefore, researchers and policymakers need new conceptual tools to anticipate and mitigate any negative effects.

Surveillance studies is an interdisciplinary field in the social sciences, providing a number of insights and practical lessons for predicting and managing the complex impacts (positive and negative, intended and unintended) of surveillance tools and practices.

We draw on surveillance studies literature to propose two tools to guide designers and practitioners of ecosurveillance—a ‘red flag checklist’ to anticipate potential problems, and a ‘considerations guide’ to inform design decisions across a wide range of ecosurveillance systems. These tools will help ensure that the coming era of ecosurveillance is guided by responsible and ethical practices towards wildlife and humans alike, while also realizing the potential of these technologies for improving environmental outcomes.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Smartphone‐based Ecological Momentary Assessment to study “scanxiety” among Adolescent and Young Adult survivors of childhood cancer: A feasibility study
Authors: Heathcote Lauren C. , Cunningham Sarah J. , Webster Sarah N. , Tanna Vivek , Mattke Elia , Loecher Nele , Spunt Sheri L. , Simon Pamela , Dahl Gary , Walentynowicz Marta , Murnane Elizabeth , Tutelman Perri R. , Schapira Lidia , Simons Laura E. , Mueller Claudia
Published: April 2022

Objective

Scan‐related anxiety (“scanxiety”) refers to the fear, stress, and anxiety in anticipation of tests and scans in follow‐up cancer care. This study assessed the feasibility of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) for real‐world, real‐time capture of scanxiety using patients' personal smartphone.

Methods

Adolescent and Young Adult survivors of childhood cancer were prompted to complete EMA surveys on a smartphone app three times per day for 11 days (33 surveys total) around their routine surveillance scans. Participants provided structured feedback on the EMA protocol.

Results

Thirty out of 46 contacted survivors (65%) enrolled, exceeding the preregistered feasibility cutoff of 55%. The survey completion rate (83%) greatly exceeded the preregistered feasibility cutoff of 65%. Participants generally found the smartphone app easy and enjoyable to use and reported low levels of distress from answering surveys. Participants reported significantly more daily fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and negative affect in the days before compared to the days after surveillance scans, aligning with the expected trajectory of scanxiety. Participants who reported greater FCR and scanxiety using comprehensive measures at baseline also reported significantly more daily FCR around their surveillance scans, indicating validity of EMA items. Bodily threat monitoring was prospectively and concurrently associated with daily FCR, thus warranting further investigation as a risk factor for scanxiety.

Conclusions

Findings indicate the feasibility, acceptability, and validity of EMA as a research tool to capture the dynamics and potential risk factors for scanxiety.
Low lymphocyte count: A clinical severity marker in infants with bronchiolitis
Authors: Matera Luigi , Nenna Raffaella , Frassanito Antonella , Petrarca Laura , Mancino Enrica , Rizzo Valentina , Di Mattia Greta , La Regina Domenico Paolo , Pierangeli Alessandra , Midulla Fabio
Published: April 2022

Background

Bronchiolitis is the most frequent cause of hospitalization in infants younger than 1 year of age. We sought to evaluate the correlation between lymphocyte count and clinical manifestation in infants hospitalized with bronchiolitis.

Materials and Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study evaluating 1297 children hospitalized for bronchiolitis from 2004 to 2019. A nasal washing was tested for 14 respiratory viruses by PCR. A clinical severity score, ranging 0–8, was assigned at hospital admission. History and clinical course were recorded for each infant. Patients were divided in 3 groups according to lymphocyte count tertiles. Parents of enrolled patients have been phoned annually over 5 years to evaluate respiratory sequelae.

Results

A total of 433 children had 2914.2 ± 745.5/mm3 lymphocytes (Group 1), 432 had 4897.6 ± 561.5/mm3 lymphocytes (Group 2) and 432 had 7884 ± 1903.3/mm3 lymphocytes (Group 3). Group 1 patients were more frequently infected by RSV and presented with fever, a worse clinical severity score. They more frequently needed oxygen supplementation, underwent a prolonged hospitalization needed to be admitted to pediatric intensive care unit. Finally, they had more frequently a family history of eczema, wheezing and asthma. We found no differences between lymphocytes count and respiratory sequelae (at least two episodes of wheezing per year).

Conclusions

Infants with low lymphocyte count are more likely to have a worse clinical course of bronchiolitis.
Characterization of disulfide bridges pattern of recombinant human interleukin 12 fusion protein p40 subunit and identification and quantification of cysteinylated free cysteine 252
Authors: Datola Antonio , Melchiorre Maura , Baroni Fabio , Iozzino Luisa , Palmese Angelo
Published: April 2022

Rationale

We show evidence of cysteinylation on Cys252 of recombinant human p40 subunit of interleukin 12 (IL‐12). This was reported in 1996. However, no paper detailing this concept has been published yet. Our paper reports the quantification of Cys252 cysteinylation as well as the full disulfide bridges assignment by nonreducing peptide mapping using mass spectrometry (MS) detection.

Methods

Nonreducing peptide mapping was applied for disulfide bridges assignment. This study presents an ad hoc method in which applying a neutral pH in the presence of an alkylating agent allowed to mitigate the formation of artifacts such as reshuffled disulfide bridges and permitted the detection of free cysteine. Ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–MS analysis was performed on a Waters quadrupole time‐of‐flight Xevo G2‐XS mass spectrometer acquiring data in MSE mode. MS data were processed using Expressionist MS Refiner 13.5 (Genedata).

Results

Scouting experiments were performed using two batches of drug substance. An in‐depth study of the LC tandem mass spectrometry profiles revealed the presence of additional species related to “free” Cys252; this cysteine residue was also detected in its S‐cysteinylated and S‐homocysteinylated forms. This result is consistent with that reported in literature so far. The relative abundance of overall “cysteinylated” species resulted in the range between 46% and 36%, which has also been confirmed using orthogonal techniques such as Ellman’s assay.

Conclusions

Our data clearly demonstrate that the free cysteine (Cys252) on the p40 subunit of recombinant IL‐12 is also present in its cysteinylated and homocysteinylated forms at a considerable rate. Our observations, although based on results obtained on an IL‐12‐derived fusion protein, are consistent with the current literature.
Unified understanding and new results of controllability model of multi‐agent systems
Authors: Guo Junhao , Ji Zhijian , Liu Yungang , Lin Chong
Published: April 2022

In this article, the effects of different models on the controllability of leader‐follower dynamics system based on Laplacian matrix are studied, and the controllability results applicable to general model are obtained. Our research is based on three different control modes, namely, broadcast control, control, and non‐broadcast control, which cover all the control modes in the general model. Specifically, we first identify the relation of different control, that is, if the system is controllable under different control signals, then increasing the number of control signals does not change the controllability of the system. Furthermore, it is proved that in a fixed topology, when the number of control inputs is increased, the controllability of the system is not correlated with the controllability of the original system, which appears counter‐intuitive. But the spectral radius of the Gramian matrix of the controllable system is increased. In addition, we analyze the condition number of Gramian matrix. Based on the above conclusions, we put forward the concept of hierarchical equivalent partition (HEP), and prove that under the general model, the existence of HEP makes the system uncontrollable. Finally, we expect to find a way to make the system controllable under the general model. Therefore, we obtain sufficient conditions for the system to be controllable. As a by‐product, we find that there is no completely uncontrollable graph when the general model with broadcast control is removed.
Comparison of soil microbial community and physicochemical properties between rice–fallow and rice–bean (green manure) rotation
Authors: Bai Naling , Lv Weiguang , Chu Xiangqian , Fan Haidan , Li Shuangxi , Zheng Xianqing , Zhang Juanqin , Zhang Haiyun , Zhang Hanlin
Published: April 2022

Rice (Oryza sativa L.)–fallow and rice–green manure rotation are two common ecological rotation modes in the Lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin. In this study, based on a long‐term positioning field experiment, soil microbial community structure (bacteria and fungi) and physicochemical properties were investigated and compared to comprehensively evaluate the effects of rice–fallow (RF) and rice–bean (Vicia faba L.) (green manure, RB) rotation on soil health, thus providing scientific basis for the utilization mode of paddy field in winter. The results showed that (a) compared with RF, the contents of soil organic matter (SOM), humic acid (HA), total N, and soil alkaline phosphatase in RB were significantly enhanced by 33.84, 71.04, 35.48, and 54.38%, respectively (p < .01); available K content in RF was increased by 22.84% compared with RB (p < .01); (b) the soil macroaggregates with a diameter more than 0.25 mm (R0.25), mean weight diameter, and geometric mean diameter (GMD) in RB treatment were significantly higher than those of RF by 112.67, 60.25, and 64.88%, respectively (p < .05); (c) different rotations altered bacterial community structure significantly, but exhibited less effect on that of fungi; bulk density, pH, GMD, SOM, and HA were the key environmental factors shaping the bacterial and fungal community structure. The alteration of specific bacterial and fungal taxa revealed that RB had a more promising potential to promote crop growth and improve organic matter decomposition. Therefore, rice–green manure rotation demonstrated a stronger positive effect on soil physicochemical and microbial properties.
Application of blockchain technology in the data processing security system of financial enterprises
Authors: Yu Haiping
Published: April 2022

Data security is not only to consider administrative management methods and punitive measures, but also technically from multiple perspectives such as data integrity, authorization, controllability, and the ability to trace back history. This article analyzes the application of blockchain technology to the data processing security system of financial enterprises, with the purpose of demonstrating the feasibility of blockchain technology to maintain data security and its specific operation methods. This research refers to a large number of references and understands the related systems of data confidentiality in financial enterprise databases and blockchain technology. According to the needs of the experiment, the article constructs the execution structure model of the financial enterprise database data confidentiality system, the task scheduling operation structure model, and the block. The chain domain authentication model, and so forth, carried out corresponding comparative analysis from the processing dimensions of time and space consumption, data security, and so forth, and verified the comprehensive performance of blockchain technology in the application of data security systems. The reliability factor is called the R factor, which is a parameter representing the degree of conformity of several curves, that is, the reliability degree of the assumed model structure. The R factor should be sensitive to the position of surface atoms but not to unstructured quantities, such as electron‐atom scattering field, electron decay, and so forth, which are all unstructured quantities. The experimental results show that before the participation of blockchain technology, the maximum reliability of financial data is only 4.3, and the reliability of data confidentiality after application is increased to 6.8. Multidimensional data shows that blockchain technology can provide guarantee for the application of data processing security systems for financial enterprises.
Type and impact of clinical incidents identified by a voluntary reporting system covering 130 small animal practices in mainland Europe
Authors: Schortz Lisen , Mossop Liz , Bergström Annika , Oxtoby Catherine
Published: April 2022

Background

Veterinary healthcare can be a complex process and may lead to unwanted, potentially harmful patient safety incidents as a consequence, negatively impacting both the practice team and client satisfaction. The aim of this study was to identify how such incidents impact cats and dogs by analysing reports gathered in a large‐scale voluntary incident reporting system.

Methods

Descriptive statistical analysis was used to study a total of 2155 incident reports, submitted by 130 practices on mainland Europe.

Results

Incidents caused harm in more than 40% of reports. Medication‐related incidents were the most frequent type of incident recorded (40%). Treatment‐related incidents were the most common type of incident causing patient harm (55%). Anaesthesia‐related incidents were the most severe type of incident, resulting in patient death in 18% of these reports. Most incidents were reported from hospital wards, and a significantly higher proportion of cats were harmed by incidents compared to dogs.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that patients are regularly harmed by incidents, with medication‐related incidents being most common. In depth understanding of incident data can help develop interventions to reduce the risk of incident recurrence.
Subcellular distribution, localization, and function of noncoding RNAs
Authors: Sang Lingjie , Yang Luojia , Ge Qiwei , Xie Shanshan , Zhou Tianhua , Lin Aifu
Published: April 2022

Eukaryotic cells contain subcellular organelles with spatiotemporal regulation to coordinate various biochemical reactions. The various organelles perform their essential biological functions by employing specific biomolecules, including nucleic acids. Recent studies have revealed that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are highly compartmentalized in cells and that their spatial distribution is intimately related to their functions. Dysregulation of subcellular ncRNAs can disrupt cellular homeostasis and cause human diseases. Mitochondria are responsible for energy generation to fuel cell growth and proliferation. Therefore, identifying mitochondria‐associated ncRNAs helps to reveal new regulatory mechanisms and physiological functions of mitochondria. In this review, we summarize the latest advances in subcellular ncRNAs derived from either the nuclear or mitochondrial genome. We also discuss available biological approaches for investigating organelle‐specific ncRNAs. Exploring the distribution and function of subcellular ncRNAs may facilitate the understanding of endomembrane dynamics and provide potential strategies for clinical transformation.

This article is categorized under:

RNA Export and Localization > RNA Localization

Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs

RNA Methods > RNA Analyses in Cells
Estimating the total length of Mekong giant catfish, Pangasianodon gigas, in an aquarium via stereo‐video shooting and direct linear transformation
Authors: Ikeya Koki , Torisawa Shinsuke , Yamane Hiroyuki , Mitsunaga Yasushi
Published: April 2022

The Mekong giant catfish (MGC), Pangasianodon gigas, is one of the world's largest catfish species. Endemic to the Mekong River system, the MGC is critically endangered. Six MGC were transported from Thailand to the Gifu World Freshwater Aquarium (GWFA) in Japan in May 2004. The MGC have not been measured since they were introduced to the GWFA due to the challenges associated with their large size. Traditional methods, such as anesthesia and net‐capture, could harm the fish, potentially reducing the population further. However, understanding the ecology of the species is essential to conservation efforts. Seasonal feeding rhythms and long‐term fasting were previously observed in captive MGCs. To investigate the effect of long‐term fasting on MGC growth, total length measurements are necessary. In this study, we applied a noncontact method to estimate the total length via image analysis. We shot a stereo‐video of free‐swimming MGC in the aquarium tank using two digital video cameras and analyzed the 3D images using the direct linear transformation method. We successfully estimated the total length of each MGC individual without contacting the fish. This accurate estimation method is versatile, simple, and useful in aquarium breeding and is also recommended from the viewpoint of animal welfare because it is a noninvasive method of measurement.
Retrograde Axonal Transport of Neurotrophins in Basal Forebrain Cholinergic Neurons
Authors: Shekari Arman , Fahnestock Margaret
Published: April 2022

Axonal transport is key for the survival and function of all neurons. This process is especially important in basal forebrain cholinergic neurons due to their extremely long and diffuse axonal projections. These neurons are critical for learning and memory and degenerate rapidly in age-related neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The vulnerability of these neurons to age-related neurodegeneration may be partially attributed to their reliance on retrograde axonal transport for neurotrophic support. Unfortunately, little is known about the molecular biology underlying the retrograde transport dynamics of these neurons due to the difficulty associated with their maintenance in vitro. Here, we outline a protocol for culturing primary rodent basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in microfluidic chambers, devices designed specifically for the study of axonal transport in vitro. We outline protocols for labeling neurotrophins and tracking neurotrophin transport in these neurons. Our protocols can also be used to study axonal transport in other types of primary neurons such as cortical and hippocampal neurons.
High-Resolution Imaging of Mitochondria and Mitochondrial Nucleoids in Differentiated SH-SY5Y Cells
Authors: Annuario Emily , Ng Kristal , Vagnoni Alessio
Published: April 2022

Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles which form intricate networks with complex dynamics. Mitochondrial transport and distribution are essential to ensure proper cell function, especially in cells with an extremely polarised morphology such as neurons. A layer of complexity is added when considering mitochondria have their own genome, packaged into nucleoids. Major mitochondrial morphological transitions, for example mitochondrial division, often occur in conjunction with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication and changes in the dynamic behaviour of the nucleoids. However, the relationship between mtDNA dynamics and mitochondrial motility in the processes of neurons has been largely overlooked. In this chapter, we describe a method for live imaging of mitochondria and nucleoids in differentiated SH-SY5Y cells by instant structured illumination microscopy (iSIM). We also include a detailed protocol for the differentiation of SH-SY5Y cells into cells with a pronounced neuronal-like morphology and show examples of coordinated mitochondrial and nucleoid motility in the long processes of these cells.
Detailed Imaging of Mitochondrial Transport and Precise Manipulation of Mitochondrial Function with Genetically Encoded Photosensitizers in Adult Drosophila Neurons
Authors: Mattedi Francesca , Chennell George , Vagnoni Alessio
Published: April 2022

Precise distribution of mitochondria is essential for maintaining neuronal homeostasis. Although detailed mechanisms governing the transport of mitochondria have emerged, it is still poorly understood how the regulation of transport is coordinated in space and time within the physiological context of an organism. How alteration in mitochondrial functionality may trigger changes in organellar dynamics also remains unclear in this context. Therefore, the use of genetically encoded tools to perturb mitochondrial functionality in real time would be desirable. Here we describe methods to interfere with mitochondrial function with high spatiotemporal precision with the use of photosensitizers in vivo in the intact wing nerve of adultDrosophila. We also provide details on how to visualize the transport of mitochondria and to improve the quality of the imaging to attain super-resolution in this tissue.
Drosophila Primary Neuronal Cultures as a Useful Cellular Model to Study and Image Axonal Transport
Authors: Voelzmann André , Sanchez-Soriano Natalia
Published: April 2022

The use of primary neuronal cultures generated from Drosophila tissue provides a powerful model for studies of transport mechanisms. Cultured fly neurons provide similarly detailed subcellular resolution and applicability of pharmacology or fluorescent dyes as mammalian primary neurons. As an experimental advantage for the mechanistic dissection of transport, fly primary neurons can be combined with the fast and highly efficient combinatorial genetics of Drosophila, and genetic tools for the manipulation of virtually every fly gene are readily available. This strategy can be performed in parallel to in vivo transport studies to address relevance of any findings. Here we will describe the generation of primary neuronal cultures from Drosophila embryos and larvae, the use of external fluorescent dyes and genetic tools to label cargo, and the key strategies for live imaging and subsequent analysis.
Ellis’s Philosophy and Bacon Scholarship
Authors: Verburgt Lukas M.
Published: April 2022

This chapter offers an account of Ellis’s philosophical development in the period between the 1830s and 1850s. The focus is on the background and context of his Bacon scholarship as co-editor of the standard Victorian edition of Bacon’s collected works. More specifically, the chapter analyzes Ellis’s religious outlook on knowledge and idealist take on induction, showing how these resonated with Whewell’s Trinity Circle, of which Ellis became a vocal advocate.
Ellis’s Papers in Trinity College, Cambridge
Authors: Smith Jonathan
Published: April 2022

The second half of this volume consists of transcriptions selected for the most part from those papers of Robert Leslie Ellis that are preserved in Trinity College Library in Cambridge. These papers do not form a discrete archive, rather they comprise a survival, or more accurately several separate survivals, among the papers of the great mid-century Master of the College, William Whewell. Whewell had married Ellis’s sister Everina Frances, widow of Sir Gilbert Affleck, in 1858. It is surely through this close family connection that the papers of the two brothers-in-law became so entwined. The importance of Whewell’s own papers may have played a hand in long-term preservation of Ellis’s literary remains, whilst Whewell’s position as Master of Trinity made the College’s Wren Library a safe repository for the large archive he left on his death, including the Ellis material he had inherited from his second wife.
Vaccine Refusal: Stories from the Front Lines of Immunization Education
Authors: Navin Mark C. , Kozak Andrea T.
Published: April 2022

One way that U.S. state governments participate in immunization governance is to mandate vaccination for daycare and school enrollment. In response to rising rates of vaccine refusal, and concerns about outbreaks of previously well-controlled vaccine-preventable diseases, Michigan has chosen to require parents or guardians to attend ‘immunization counseling’ prior to receiving nonmedical exemptions to their state’s vaccine mandate. This chapter presents a brief memoir essay based on a composite of Michigan’s public health immunization educators. We constructed this composite character from interviews we conducted with 39 Michigan immunization educators. This narrative raises pressing ethics questions about the benefits and burdens of mandatory immunization education.
Using Narratives to Improve Health Literacy – An Ethical and Public Health Perspective
Authors: Glässel Andrea , Tyebally Fang Mirriam , Hendriks Manya J. , Biller-Andorno Nikola ,   The Swiss DIPEx Research Group
Published: April 2022

Most people have little interaction with the health system and tend to be unfamiliar with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of even common health conditions. In case of illness, the medical information delivered by health professionals can be overwhelming because of its complexity, unfamiliar terminology, and use of statistical data. Understanding such information requires specific “health literacy” skills. Health literacy empowers individuals to exercise their autonomy and self-determination regarding health-related matters. This chapter explores how health literacy and ethical questions are interrelated as illustrated using actual patient narratives of a woman’s pregnancy experiences. The narratives were collected as part of the Swiss DIPEx (Database of individual patients’ experiences) database. We demonstrate that narratives of health experiences can be used to enhance health literacy. Firstly, narratives can convey complex information in an easily understandable manner. Secondly, they allow policymakers to understand, the informational needs of users of the health care system and the communication gaps they perceive can help improve the health care system and qualitative evaluate and improve medical communication efforts. The chapter ends by raising a number of ethical questions at the individual and health system level related to the use of narratives for improving health literacy for discussion.
Naming the Patient: Partner Notification and Congenital Syphilis
Authors: Valentine Jo A. , Bolan Gail A.
Published: April 2022

Urgent public health problems often compel Public health professionals into situations where individual rights and population health are seemingly in conflict. Legal actions that impact an individual’s behavior may be ethically justified, but the exercise of authority alone, despite being legal, may not always be the best option. Public health interventions are more effective when practitioners have gained an individual’s trust and compliance becomes voluntary. Cooperation, not confrontation, at the individual and at the community levels, is as necessary as authority. Applying an ethical framework in the case of partner notification (PN) for sexually transmitted disease intervention supports the process of relationship-building between the practitioner and the client and leads to more successful disease intervention and prevention, promoting public health, and improving trust between local health departments and the communities they serve.
My Mother, Obesity and Me: Our Narrative. How Obesity Is Intimately Related to Biopsychosocial and Spiritual Factors
Authors: Farías-Trujillo Eduardo
Published: April 2022

The word obesity invokes multiple connotations that contain a realm of disparate descriptions ranging from disease to disdain. There are few other human conditions that cause increased morbidity and mortality and affect millions of individuals worldwide yet is viewed by many as a character fault or moral failure. This paper explores the personal experience of obesity and how it is important to face obesity not only as a biological issue, but also a philosophical one, which has its roots in a complex phenomenon. This approach allows health professionals to propose a theoretical ethic about obesity, which goes beyond mere socio-economic-religious, and leads to an applied ethics built on the firm and solid foundations of knowledge diversity. The obese human being does not live in a world of simple events, but instead faces experiences – mystical, religious, artistic, linguistic – and, from there, configures their identity, builds personality and establishes interrelations and interdependencies. While recognizing the importance of strategies to reverse the trend of increasingly sedentary lifestyles, this paper points to the need for public health obesity reduction efforts to avoid stigmatizing people who cannot lose weight.
The Boys Under My Deck: Racialized Violence and Moral Repair
Authors: Thompson Lindsay J.
Published: April 2022

Data on youth violence show that youth homicide rates have increased in many parts of the world. Vigorously embracing social determinants and promoting health equity as the most effective approach to achieving health policy goals, the global public health community has nevertheless been ineffectual in saving thousands of young lives cut short violence. In the United States, the American Public Health Association has long considered violence to be a public health issue, but only recently acknowledged racism as a factor in violence. Despite a half-century of explicitly legal racial equality, the white majority in the United States have yet to create a normative critical mass of inclusive, equitable social practices to dismantle the legacy of structural racism created by their forebears. This narrative draws from Margaret Urban Walker as a response to the dilemma of white inaction by focusing on moral repair as an intentional social engagement practice to redress the legacy and practice of structural racism and racialized violence. Moral repair is especially applicable to structural racism because it acknowledges the underpinnings of wrongdoing in healing fractured societal relationships.
Voices of Our Fathers: Narrative (Care) Ethics, Trust and Trustworthiness
Authors: Hodge David Augustin
Published: April 2022

The United States Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee was the longest “medical experiment” in the United States. It was an unethical study that harmed 623 black men and their families in Macon County, Alabama. There were no protocols, no (simple) informed consent, and no end date, but there was deception. These men had no idea they were in a study. They were vulnerable to those who they thought were medical doctors of good-will, assigned to their community to help cure their “bad blood.” This chapter follows the narratives of two men who were victims of the Study, Mr. Charles Pollard and Mr. Herman Shaw, and a venereal disease expert, Dr. John Cutler, who refused to admit that he and his colleagues did anything wrong. Positive results came from the Study. Informed consent and Institutional Review Boards as requirement to medical treatment and human-subjects experiments. Additionally, the Syphilis Study and men in the Study can teach us what it means to involve empathic care in our ethics and how to understand the role of trustworthiness in our values.
Ethical Considerations with the Photovoice Research Method: A Narrative Reflection
Authors: McMorrow Shannon
Published: April 2022

This paper explores ethical considerations and challenges of using the community-based participatory research method of photovoice with marginalized populations. Experiences with conducting photovoice in an urban setting in the Midwestern United States with women refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are described along with reflection on ethical aspects of that experience. Two key related ethical considerations emerge: the roles that empathy, cultural competence, and cultural humility play in working with communities and the tension in research between benefits perceived by individual research participants and greater public health benefits for the groups they represent.
Experimental Study of Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened with CFRP
Authors: Hong Yihong
Published: April 2022

To test the strengthening effect of CFRP sheets on reinforced concrete (RC) beams, an experimental study was performed on five RC beams to analyze the influence of the amount of CFRP sheets and the sustained load of RC beams on the strengthening effect. The results showed that CFRP sheets could significantly improve the bending bearing capacity of the beams. However, there was no linear relationship between the amount of CFRP sheets and the strengthening effect, and the load on the beams had a great impact on the rigidity of the beams in the yield stage.
Application of Composite Foundation with Long-Short CFG Piles in Engineering Accident Treatment
Authors: Tang Qiufeng , Tong Jianxing , Jia Ning , Yang Xinhui , Sun Xunhai , Yan Mingli
Published: April 2022

Based on the case of composite foundation with long-short CFG piles in handling the engineering accident, this paper analyzes the reasons for the insufficient bearing capacity of existing piles, proposes the reinforcement ideas and design calculation methods of composite foundation with long and short CFG piles, and gives the key construction techniques. The test and monitoring results show that the reinforcement ideas, design calculation methods and key construction techniques of composite foundation with long-short CFG piles are successful in this project, which can provide references for the design of composite foundation with long-short CFG piles and the handling of similar engineering accidents.
Research on Improvement Calculation Method of Design Thrust of Anti Slide Pile
Authors: Hou Xiaoqiang , Liu Jierui , Wang Xinfei , Zhou Zhongren , Jia Honglu
Published: April 2022

At present, based on the transfer coefficient method, most of the anti-slide pile design thrusts are calculated by the overload method and the strength reserve method respectively. Many algorithms only consider the remaining sliding force behind the pile and the safety factor that meets the requirements of the design conditions. Generally, the safety factor is the safety factor of the sliding slope behind the pile after the anti slide pile is reinforced. For the entire landslide, there are two safety factors before and after the pile, which is not the design safety factor target value, and there is a big difference between the safety factor and the treatment goal required by the specification. Through the study of the pile-soil interaction of anti-slide piles, it is believed that in addition to the active residual sliding force transmitted by the blocks behind the pile, the anti-slide piles are simultaneously subjected to the passive residual anti-sliding force transmitted upwards by the blocks in front of the pile. The stress analysis shows that: Firstly, according to the different active and passive properties of anti-sliding force transmission and sliding force transmission, the mechanical model of anti-sliding force transmission is studied, and the calculation formula of anti-sliding force transmission coefficient is derived; Secondly, It is believed that the anti-slide pile provides horizontal thrust to the landslide, and two components of the sliding surface direction and the vertical sliding surface direction are generated. The balance equation is established and the overload method and the strength reserve method of anti-slide pile thrust calculation formula are derived; Thirdly, according to the principle of setting piles in the anti-slip section, the optimal location of anti-slide piles are proposed; Fourthly, after verification of cases, the safety factors before and after the piles calculated by the overload method are basically equal, and consistent with the design safety factors. Calculation result shows that the strength reserve method to calculate the safety factor before the pile is accurate and reliable, and the result of the safety factor behind the pile is relatively small.
Vibration-Based Damage Joint Identification Method for Superstructure and Substructure of Piles-Supported Frame Structure
Authors: Zhou Zhengang , Liu Dejun , Lv Xiujie
Published: April 2022

In order to jointly identify the damage locations of superstructure and substructure of the piles-supported frame structures, a damage identification method based on vibration is proposed. Firstly, the high-efficiency modes which are sensitive to the damage of the piles-supported frame structures are determined. Then, the element modal strain energy difference functions of the corresponding high-efficiency modes are calculated before and after the damage, and finally the damage locations are identified by the average values of the absolute values of the wavelet transform coefficients of the element modal strain energy difference functions of high-efficiency modes. The effectiveness of the method is studied by numerical simulation. Numerical results show that the method can identify the damage location of the single damage or multiple damage of the piles-supported frame structures. Although the adjacent effect exists, the damage areas can be effectively located. At the same time, the method can effectively identify the damage locations of the hidden pile foundation.
Improvement Measures for Structure System Conversions Caused by Utilising SPMTs to Lift Trusses
Authors: Wen Zitong , Zhou Jian , Dong Jing , Zhang Chizhi
Published: April 2022

Since the demand for accelerated construction is increasing these years, much attention has been paid to accelerated bridge construction (ABC) methods. The self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) are widely utilised in the ABC method as a versatile transport carrier. However, since the limitation of the SPMTs method, several structural system conversions will happen during truss installation, and tensile stress will potentially appear at the upper chord of the truss. Moreover, it is worth noticing the dynamic effects caused by utilising SPMTs to lift the truss can enlarge the impact of tensile stress. As one type of prestressing, beams prestressed with external tendons can effectively reduce the tensile stress. In order to reduce the impact of cracks caused by tensile stress, the feasibility of adopting temporary external pre-stressing tendons is discussed combined with the simulation results of MIDAS in this research.
Research and Development and Pilot Application of Innovative Technology of Prefabricated Concrete
Authors: Zhang Jindan , Cai Jun , Su Ying , He Qingyou , Lin Xinyue
Published: April 2022

Relying on the prefabricated construction project of a university in Guangxi, the standardization design of the building structure is proposed for the low standardization of prefabricated building design and serious conflicts in on-site construction, and the reinforced U-shaped ring is especially proposed for the problem of node collision in site construction. Advanced connection technologies such as buckle connection and steel slot connection and new components such as laminated truss floor slabs and corrugated pipe through-hole prefabricated columns. At the same time, BIM technology is used to verify the technical scheme. The result shows: the standardization degree of the integrated design of building structure proposed in the article High, can significantly improve the design and production efficiency, and the use of new connection technology and new components can effectively reduce the collision of steel bars and facilitate construction.
Pavement Crack Detection and Quantification Based on Scanning Grid and Projection Method
Authors: Sun Zhaoyun , Pei Lili , Yuan Bo , Du Yaohui , Li Wei , Han Yuxi
Published: April 2022

Pavement cracks are difficult to monitor and quantify due to their complex texture and easy to be disturbed by noise and illumination. To solve this problem, a road crack monitoring and quantification method based on vehicle video is proposed. First, a method for extracting morphological features of dynamic road cracks is proposed. Combine automated vehicle-mounted equipment with GPS signals to obtain crack images with location information. Then, a calculation algorithm of crack parameters based on the combination of UK scanning grid and projection method is proposed, which uses the reverse engineering principle of perspective transformation to correct the image and divides the entire image into grid blocks. Finally, based on the analysis of different crack grades, the crack distress evaluation method is improved. The experimental results show that the proposed method has strong reliability and adaptability and achieves high-frequency and wide-range road detection.
Multilateral Boundary Blasting Theory of High and Steep Slope in Open Pit Mine and Its Application
Authors: Chen Junkai , Gao Wenxue , Hao Xiangjun , Wei Zheng , Zhang Xiaojun , Liu Zhaochen
Published: April 2022

At present, the blasting theory of high and steep rock slope mainly focuses on flat terrain, ignoring the influence of micro-terrain boundary factors on blasting effect, which leads to excessive blasting energy and affects the stability of slope. Therefore, based on the theory of multilateral boundary rock blasting, this paper deduces the calculation formula of blasting charge for high and steep rock slope under multilateral boundary conditions, and verifies it with field test. The results show that: (1) The multilateral boundary charge calculation formula directly includes micro-topography boundary conditions and blasting effect, and the rock blasting theory is based on the interaction of blasting energy provided by explosives and potential energy in medium, which effectively improves the energy utilization rate of explosives. (2) The influence of surplus blasting energy on the surrounding environment under different boundary conditions is controlled, and the explosive explosion effect is effectively controlled, so that a stable high and steep slope of open pit mine is formed after blasting.
Study on Seismic Performance of Integrated Support of Steel Arch and Anchor in Loose Surrounding Rock of Highway Tunnel
Authors: Zhang Zhigang , Liu Xiyuan , Zhang Chong , Zhang Jing , Xu Dongqiang
Published: April 2022

In order to study the seismic performance of the new support structure with the integration of steel arch and anchor rod under the bulk surrounding rock of highway tunnel, this paper takes Xinglinpu tunnel of Yanchong expressway as the engineering background and conducts the dynamic time-history analysis of the deformation, stress and plastic zone distribution of the tunnel second lining structure under the original support and the new support according to the specification and with the help of FLAC3D finite difference software. It is concluded that the seismic performance of the original support and the new support structure is basically the same. The new support structure reduces the number of anchors, the disturbance to the surrounding rock and the cost, so the new support structure is worth promoting.
Research on Crack Propagation and Critical Water Pressure of Basalt Under Hydraulic Coupling
Authors: Tang Daming , Quan Hai , Yu Xinkai , Xu Qizhong , Zhu Zeqi
Published: April 2022

Hydraulic coupling triaxial test and acoustic emission test were carried out for Xiluodu basalt. The test results show that the peak strength of basalt increases with the increase of confining pressure, showing a typical hard brittle behavior. When the confining pressure remains unchanged, the peak strength decreases gradually with the increase of initial water pressure, and the hard brittleness decreases; Increasing the initial water pressure can promote the propagation of rock cracks, and the cumulative count of acoustic emission increases significantly with the increase of water pressure. Under the combined action of water pressure in the hole and external stress, the tensile failure occurs first and mainly in the internal cracks of basalt. Further, the functional relationship among crack initiation stress, confining pressure and water pressure is obtained through theoretical derivation and three-dimensional spatial data fitting. On this basis, the empirical relationship between critical water pressure, confining pressure and water pressure is established. The correlation is consistent with the test results, which has a good reference value for the study of critical water pressure of basalt crack propagation under hydraulic coupling.