bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Epikeratophakia for Keratoconus: A Case Report with 30 Years of Follow-Up
Authors: Miyai Takashi , Toyono Tetsuya , Ishii Hitoha , Kitamoto Kohdai , Taketani Yukako , Ono Takashi , Aihara Makoto , Miyata Kazunori
Published: November 2023

Background. Epikeratophakia is a refractive surgical procedure used to correct aphakic eyes, hyperopia, and keratoconus and is often performed in children. In this report, we present the long-term effects of epikeratophakia on the progression of keratoconus in a patient who underwent surgery. Case Presentation. The patient was a 17-year-old boy with keratoconus who had difficulty wearing hard contact lenses. As a solution, he underwent right eye epikeratophakia with a plano-powered lenticule. We followed up the patient for 30 years. Although the progression of keratoconus ceased in the operated eye, it continued in the nonoperated left eye and resulted in acute hydrops 9 years and 10 months after surgery. Subsequently, 20 years after the operation, anterior-segment optical coherence tomography was performed, which revealed that the progression of keratoconus had been interrupted in the right eye but had continued in the left eye, as evidenced by the parameters of the average and maximum keratometry and thinnest corneal thickness. Conclusions. Herein, we reported the longest follow-up to date of a case of keratoconus, in which one eye was treated with epikeratophakia. The progression of keratoconus was halted in the treated eye but continued in the nonoperated contralateral eye.
Impact of Rare Structural Variant Events in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
Authors: Chojnacka Monika , Diamond Benjamin , Ziccheddu Bachisio , Rustad Even , Maclachlan Kylee , Papadimitriou Marios , Boyle Eileen M. , Blaney Patrick , Usmani Saad , Morgan Gareth , Landgren Ola , Maura Francesco
Published: November 2023

Purpose:

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) has shown recurrent structural variant (SV) involvement in distinct regions of the genome (i.e., hotspots) and causing recurrent copy-number alterations. Together with canonical immunoglobulin translocations, these SVs are recognized as “recurrent SVs.” More than half of SVs were not involved in recurrent events. The significance of these “rare SVs” has not been previously examined.

Experimental Design:

In this study, we utilize 752 WGS and 591 RNA sequencing data from patients with NDMM to determine the role of rare SVs in myeloma pathogenesis.

Results:

Ninety-four percent of patients harbored at least one rare SV event. Rare SVs showed an SV class-specific enrichment within genes and superenhancers associated with outlier gene expression. Furthermore, known myeloma driver genes recurrently impacted by point mutations were dysregulated by rare SVs.

Conclusions:

Overall, we demonstrate the association of rare SVs with aberrant gene expression supporting a potential driver role in myeloma pathogenesis.
Targeted Radiation Delivery before Haploidentical HCT for High-risk Leukemia or MDS Patients Yields Long-term Survivors
Authors: Orozco Johnnie J. , Vo Phuong T. , Gooley Ted A. , Haaf Robyn L. , Lundberg Sally J. , Hamlin Donald K. , Wilbur D. Scott , Matesan Manuela C. , Fisher Darrell R. , Gopal Ajay K. , Green Damian J. , Pagel John M. , Sandmaier Brenda M.
Published: November 2023

Purpose:

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has curative potential for myeloid malignancies, though many patients cannot tolerate myeloablative conditioning with high-dose chemotherapy alone or with total-body irradiation (TBI). Here we report long-term outcomes from a phase I/II study using iodine-131 (131I)-anti-CD45 antibody BC8 combined with nonmyeloablative conditioning prior to HLA-haploidentical HCT in adults with high-risk relapsed/ refractory acute myeloid or lymphoid leukemia (AML or ALL), or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS; ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00589316).

Patients and Methods:

Patients received a tracer diagnostic dose before a therapeutic infusion of 131I­anti-CD45 to deliver escalating doses (12–26 Gy) to the dose-limiting organ. Patients subsequently received fludarabine, cyclophosphamide (CY), and 2 Gy TBI conditioning before haploidentical marrow HCT. GVHD prophylaxis was posttransplant CY plus tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil.

Results:

Twenty-five patients (20 with AML, 4 ALL and 1 high-risk MDS) were treated; 8 had ≥ 5% blasts by morphology (range 9%–20%), and 7 had previously failed HCT. All 25 patients achieved a morphologic remission 28 days after HCT, with only 2 patients showing minimal residual disease (0.002–1.8%) by flow cytometry. Median time to engraftment was 15 days for neutrophils and 23 days for platelets. Point estimates for overall survival and progression-free survival were 40% and 32% at 1 year, and 24% at 2 years, respectively. Point estimates of relapse and nonrelapse mortality at 1 year were 56% and 12%, respectively.

Conclusions:

131I-anti-CD45 radioimmunotherapy prior to haploidentical HCT is feasible and can be curative in some patients, including those with disease, without additional toxicity.
Data from Cancer Relevance of Circulating Antibodies Against LINE-1 Antigens in Humans
Authors: Vylegzhanina Alexandra V. , Bespalov Ivan A. , Novototskaya-Vlasova Ksenia A. , Hall Brandon M. , Gleiberman Anatoli S. , Yu Han , Leontieva Olga V. , Leonova Katerina I. , Kurnasov Oleg V. , Osterman Andrei L. , Dy Grace K. , Komissarov Alexey A. , Vasilieva Elena , Gehlhausen Jeff , Iwasaki Akiko , Ambrosone Christine B. , Tsuji Takemasa , Matsuzaki Junko , Odunsi Kunle , Andrianova Ekaterina L. , Gudkov Andrei V.
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1 or L1), the most abundant family of autonomous retrotransposons occupying over 17% of human DNA, is epigenetically silenced in normal tissues by the mechanisms involving p53 but is frequently derepressed in cancer, suggesting that L1-encoded proteins may act as tumor-associated antigens recognized by the immune system. In this study, we established an immunoassay to detect circulating autoantibodies against L1 proteins in human blood. Using this assay in >2,800 individuals with or without cancer, we observed significantly higher IgG titers against L1-encoded ORF1p and ORF2p in patients with lung, pancreatic, ovarian, esophageal, and liver cancers than in healthy individuals. Remarkably, elevated levels of anti–ORF1p-reactive IgG were observed in patients with cancer with disease stages 1 and 2, indicating that the immune response to L1 antigens can occur in the early phases of carcinogenesis. We concluded that the antibody response against L1 antigens could contribute to the diagnosis and determination of immunoreactivity of tumors among cancer types that frequently escape early detection.
Significance:
The discovery of autoantibodies against antigens encoded by L1 retrotransposons in patients with five poorly curable cancer types has potential implications for the detection of an ongoing carcinogenic process and tumor immunoreactivity.
Removal of α1-Microglobulin Using Post-Dilution Online Hemodiafiltration with Polymethylmethacrylate Membrane: An Open-Label, Single-Arm Study
Authors: Yoshida Shiori , Yamamoto Suguru , Miyauchi Daisuke , Terashima Ryohei , Hashimoto Atsushi , Miyazawa Haruna , Tanaka Takahiro , Ishizawa Masahiro , Tanaka Mototsugu , Tomita Yoshihiko , Aoike Ikuo , Goto Shin , Narita Ichiei
Published: November 2023

Introduction: The removal of low- and medium-molecular-weight proteins has been improved with online hemodiafiltration (OL-HDF) and hemodialysis using high-flux membranes; however, the outcomes of patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) undergoing dialysis treatment are still worse than in the general population. α1-Microglobulin (α1-m), with a molecular weight of 33,000 Da, may contribute to dialysis-related disorders and mortality. However, the removal is insufficient even with current OL-HDF using the polysulfone (PS) membrane, which is common in Japan. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) membranes can remove medium- to high-molecular-weight proteins by adsorption. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of removing medium- to high-molecular-weight proteins, such as α1-m and β2-microglobulin (β2-m), through post-dilution OL-HDF with PMMA (Post-PMMA). The assessment was conducted in comparison to pre-dilution OL-HDF with PS (Pre-PS), using an open-label, single-arm study. Methods: Seven patients with ESKD on Pre-PS underwent Post-PMMA with replacement volume of 30 mL/min (low flow) and 50 mL/min (high flow). Clearance and removal rates of α1-m, β2-m, small molecules, inflammatory cytokines, and albumin were measured at 60 and 240 min of treatment. Results: Clearance rates of α1-m at 60 min were −2.8 ± 5.2 mL/min with Pre-PS, −0.4 ± 2.6 mL/min with Post-PMMA (low), and 0.6 ± 3.4 mL/min with Post-PMMA (high). The removal rate of α1-m was higher in Post-PMMA than that in Pre-HDF-PS (Post-PMMA [high] 17.7 ± 5.9%, Post-PMMA [low] 15.0 ± 5.6%, and Pre-PS 4.1 ± 5.5%). Adsorption clearance of β2-m was increased with Post-PMMA. Albumin leakage in Post-PMMA was not higher than that in Pre-PS. Conclusion: The removal rate of α1-m with Post-PMMA was higher than that with Pre-PS. The PMMA membrane adsorbed β2-m, suggesting the removal effect of medium- to high-molecular-weight proteins by the adsorption method. Since Post-PMMA effectively removes α1-m without excessive albumin leakage, it will be useful for patients with ESKD, especially those with a poor nutritional status.
PASTA: A Dataset for Modeling PArticipant STAtes in Narratives
Authors: Ghosh Sayontan , Koupaee Mahnaz , Chen Isabella , Ferraro Francis , Chambers Nathanael , Balasubramanian Niranjan
Published: November 2023

The events in a narrative are understood as a coherent whole via the underlying states of their participants. Often, these participant states are not explicitly mentioned, instead left to be inferred by the reader. A model that understands narratives should likewise infer these implicit states, and even reason about the impact of changes to these states on the narrative. To facilitate this goal, we introduce a new crowdsourced English-language, Participant States dataset, PASTA. This dataset contains inferable participant states; a counterfactual perturbation to each state; and the changes to the story that would be necessary if the counterfactual were true. We introduce three state-based reasoning tasks that test for the ability to infer when a state is entailed by a story, to revise a story conditioned on a counterfactual state, and to explain the most likely state change given a revised story. Experiments show that today’s LLMs can reason about states to some degree, but there is large room for improvement, especially in problems requiring access and ability to reason with diverse types of knowledge (e.g., physical, numerical, factual).1
An Investigation into the Relationship between Diaspora and Identity with Reference to the Iranian Diaspora
Authors: Amrollahi Mohammed Taghi , Saeidabadi Mohammad Reza
Published: November 2023

The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship between diaspora and identity with reference to the Iranian diaspora as a case study. Although there has been a recent growth in the study of ideational factors and their effects on sociopolitical issues, identity remains understudied within the mainstream literature on diaspora studies, international relations (IR) and foreign policy analysis (FPA). The aim is to challenge the purely realist and power-based explanations that have dominated the discourse by introducing the notion of identity and exploring it in relation to the Iranian diaspora. The paper’s novel approach lies in its categorisation of Iranian diaspora identity into three main components: nationalist (ancient Iran) tendencies, religious (Islamic-Shiite) tendencies and secular (Western) tendencies. The identity components of Iranians abroad and their interaction with the homeland are relatively comparable to those of their compatriots at home, showing intersecting areas of commonality and difference.
Prognostic Value of GRACE Risk Score Combined With Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: Wang Jiaqi , Zhang Feifei , Liu Litian , Gao Man , Song Xuelian , Li Yingxiao , Dang Yi , Qi Xiaoyong
Published: November 2023

The Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score and the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) were used independently to predict adverse outcomes in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). In this study, 1041 patients with STEMI were divided into 4 groups based on GRACE scores and optimal cutoff values for SII. SII was positively correlated with GRACE score (r = 0.164; P < .001). SII (HR, hazard ratio: 2.051; 95%CI: 1.249–3.368; P = .005) and GRACE score (HR: 7.625; 95%CI: 3.692–15.746; P < .001) were independent risk predictors of short-term major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). Taking the low SII+low GRACE group as the reference group, the short-term MACE HR of the high SII+high GRACE group was 40.470 (95%CI: 5.547–295.253). Comparing the area under the curve, the combined use of SII and GRACE scores can significantly improve the prediction efficiency of short-term MACE compared with the single use of SII and GRACE scores. In conclusion, SII may be positively correlated with GRACE score, and the combination of the two accurately predicted the occurrence of short-term MACE in STEMI patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
What is the right thing to do? The constitutive role of organizational ethical frameworks in collective ethical sensemaking
Authors: Gkeredakis Emmanouil , Swan Jacky , Nicolini Davide , Tsoukas Haridimos
Published: November 2023

In the complex realm of ethical decision making, organizations are increasingly developing comprehensive ethical frameworks as guides. These frameworks prescribe ethical principles and decision-making processes to steer organizational actors toward addressing the elusive question of “what is the right thing to do?” in specific situations. However, the interplay between these prescriptive frameworks and collective processes of ethical sensemaking remains underexplored. Based on an extensive qualitative study within publicly funded healthcare organizations, we examine how organizational actors, confronted with the challenge of making exceptional funding decisions, enact an organizational ethical framework. Our findings reveal the manifold ways through which such a framework both streamlines ethical sensemaking and induces new and unexpected interpretive challenges. These challenges generate ethical equivocality, which decision makers seek to reduce through particular sensegiving interventions, and, on occasion, through problematizing the abstract principles prescribed by the framework, based on what is intuitively felt right in situ. We contribute to the literature by developing a conceptual model of three distinct modes in which organizational actors enact the prescriptions of an ethical framework. Our article sheds new light on the unintended consequences of using organizational ethical frameworks in real-world ethical deliberations.
Quantification of hygrothermal aging-induced interfacial debonding of carbon fiber/epoxy composites at nano-to-micrometer length scales
Authors: Behera Alok , Bhoi Neeraj Kumar , Thawre Manjusha M. , Ballal Atul , Das Debashish
Published: November 2023

This work investigated the phenomenon of interfacial debonding due to hygrothermal aging (HA), which was quantified using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Several micrographs of carbon fiber/epoxy cross-ply laminate coupons were analyzed, including unaged (HA/0) samples, as well as those aged for 1000 h (HA/1000) and 2000 h (HA/2000). To quantify the extent of debonding, an image thresholding tool was employed. For HA/0, HA/1000, and HA/2000 coupons, the average interfacial debonding arc length of inner plies was longer than that of the respective outer plies by 14%, 17%, and 21%, respectively. Residual stress variation across inner plies is more pronounced compared to outer plies due to the latter's freedom of expansion. The debonding that occurred without external loading was due to the combined effects of matrix and interface plasticization, chemical reaction, viscoelastic changes, and swelling. The AFM 3-D surface topography revealed that HA/0, HA/1000, and HA/2000 specimens had progressively lower peak-valley distances of 135 nm, 113 nm, and 82 nm, respectively, due to matrix swelling.
Illness Intrusiveness Ratings Scale: Translation, Reliability, and Validation Study of the Turkish Version
Authors: Sahin Ferit , Cigdem Karacay Basak , Oztürk Hayriye Mihrimah
Published: November 2023

The “İllness Intrusiveness Ratings Scale (IIRS)” is a useful, easy-to-apply tool that measures the degree of illness-induced disruptions in the 13 different aspects of life. The main aim of this study is to examine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of IIRS and provide a new tool to investigate the impact of chronic illnesses in the Turkish population. A total of 376 patients with hypertension, diabetes, and/or osteoarthritis were recruited in this study. Patients completed the survey that consisted of the sociodemographic data, the Turkish translation of the IIRS, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief Form. The exploratory factor analysis yielded a three-factor structure, “instrumental,” “intimacy,” and “relationship and personal development,” which accounted for 59.9% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis verified the three-factor structure. The IIRS was inversely correlated with the physical, psychological, and social health domains of quality of life. Our findings corroborate the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Illness Intrusiveness Ratings Scale. It can be used by healthcare practitioners to measure the illness-induced disruptions of lifestyles, activities, and interests.
Humanising research relationships: Democratising education-based enquiry with student researchers
Authors: Green Matthew , Little Alice , Dobson Elliot , Glover Oscar , Patterson Joshua
Published: November 2023

This paper critically reflects upon the experiences of three student researchers during a participatory research project conducted in an English sixth-form academy. Discussion is centred upon a research conversation involving three student researchers (aged 17 years) and two postgraduate researchers, from York St John University, UK. Collectively, critical insights are offered into the process of conducting education-based participatory research; leading to the identification of situations in which ethical challenges, tensions and power imbalances arose. Through reflection, attention is paid to how researchers can disrupt neoliberal educational agendas and create opportunities for democratic research. The narratives presented in this paper offer recommendations for facilitating more democratic research relationships, that centralise the valuing of all voices and promote collaborative approaches to research. Envisioning this ‘space’ for future research through adaptation of Freire's ‘culture circles’, the article concludes with suggestions of how researchers may work to humanise research relationships.
Adaptive control of a class of uncertain nonlinear systems using brain emotional learning and Legendre polynomials
Authors: Amiri Fatemeh , Khorashadizadeh Saeed
Published: November 2023

In this paper, an adaptive controller for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems is presented using a combination of Legendre polynomials and brain emotional learning-based intelligent controller (BELBIC). Recently, some versions of BELBIC have been presented with the aim of satisfying the universal approximation property using Gaussian basis function. However, the size of regressor vector is too large that imposes a heavy computational load to the processor. The novelty of this paper is presenting a new version of BELBIC with less computational burden using Legendre polynomials. Moreover, there are very few tuning parameters in Legendre polynomials. Another contribution of this paper is editing the stability analysis presented in recent related works. Due to the intrinsic non-differentiability of the adaptation rules of BELBIC, the second time derivative of Lyapunov function is undefined and thus, the Barbalat’s lemma cannot be applied to verify the asymptotic convergence of the error function. Therefore, bounded-input-bounded-output (BIBO) stability can only be claimed for this controller. Simulation results on different case studies show that Legendre polynomials can improve the universal approximation property of BELBIC with less tuning parameters. Moreover, in the absence of the robust control term in the control law, the performance Legendre polynomials will not deteriorate, while the performance degrade in Gaussian basis function is quite considerable.
The streaming industry and the platform economy: An analysis
Authors: Chalaby Jean K
Published: November 2023

As television is embracing a new set of internet-related technologies, the medium is transitioning from broadcasting to streaming. With it, a new mode of distribution has emerged: the streaming platform. This research makes a three-pronged effort to assess their impact on the TV industry: it analyses the way platforms monetize content; it distinguishes types of streaming platforms based on a set of criteria that includes supply-chain arrangements and the way they structure commercial transactions among different sets of participants, and it considers the ownership of streaming services. This article contributes to media and communication studies by combining the platform literature with global value chain (GVC) theory in order to foster our understanding of streaming platforms. It contextualizes streaming platforms in the history of television and analyses how they are transforming the medium.
Rights and the human condition of non-sovereignty: Rethinking Arendt’s critique of human rights with Rancière and Balibar
Authors: Shlomov Milson Omri
Published: November 2023

If the instance of human rights cannot ensure the protection of the rightless, as Arendt famously claimed, how can the rightless struggle for freedom and equality? In this essay, I attempt to answer this question by reconsidering Arendt’s influential critique of human rights in light of the two polar responses it evoked from contemporary French philosophers Jacques Rancière and Étienne Balibar. Rancière, who objects to Arendt’s delimiting of the political, finds her argument excluding and dangerous. Balibar, on the other hand, believes that it conveys an immense potential for politics to come, as it points to the dialectical political truth of equaliberty. In the following, I show the problematics of Rancière’s ingenious formulation of rights, and the answer Balibar’s original interpretation of Arendt’s thought might suggest in response. I contend that working through Rancière’s critique of Arendt’s argument and Balibar’s affirmation of it not only highlights the merits of her critical account but also points to the fundamental relation between Arendt’s work on rights and her later discussions of the human condition of non-sovereignty and the power of promises. I believe that such a reading can contribute to our interpretation of Arendt, and pave new routes of action for non-citizens (such as refugees, stateless persons and subjects of military occupation), who cannot employ the authorities’ strength for their protection.
Orchestrating gender equality: How Australian female musicians navigate bias and achieve career success
Authors: Green Emily R , Mitchell Helen F
Published: November 2023

Women’s participation in professional orchestras has changed the gender dynamics in the Australian music workplace. Traditional binary gender bias is pervasive in all industries, but little is known about how women in music navigate misogyny to achieve equality and realise career success. Thirteen Australian female principal players took part in semi-structured interviews to explore their experiences of the Australian musical workplace. Female principal players felt they encountered unconscious and conscious bias from tertiary training to their professional lives. The audition process, designed to promote impartiality, left women feeling disempowered with opaque and confusing criteria for job selection. Women believed they were treated differently to men and often felt isolated and unsupported. navigated prejudice and stereotyping within established male cultures and promoted inclusivity and diplomacy to achieve the best musical outcomes. Female principal players balanced family responsibilities with their professional careers and recognised more efficient ways of working. Women overcame self-doubt and fostered equality in the workplace. They were undeterred by the lack of female role models and determined to be strong female role models for the next generation. Future studies will investigate how awareness of bias in music can equip young musicians to demand and promote change in the industry.
Lacerated minds, stolen dreams: Experiences of Bangladeshi women migrants in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Choudhury Tanzina , Morad Mohammad , Dellapuppa Francesco
Published: November 2023

Migration movements from Bangladesh are primarily male-dominated and national policies, as well as the cultural construction in Bangladeshi society are not deemed women-friendly. However, between 1991 and 2021, a total of 921,732 Bangladeshi women have migrated to the so-called ‘Middle Eastern’ countries, especially in Saudi Arabia, to work as domestic workers (maids, babysitters, nurses, caregivers, etc.) and support their families left behind. These female migrant workers experience harsh working conditions and suffer violence and abuse, in Saudi Arabia, by employers and job agencies, including physical and psychological torture, beating, and sexual violence. Based on in-depth interviews with migrant female workers, who were employed in the domestic sector in Saudi Arabia, this article concludes on their labour and social experiences in the country of destination; highlighting the challenges they face there, the violation of human and social rights they suffer, as well as the coping strategies they adopt.
Low Peer Acceptance and Classroom Engagement: The Protective Role of Elementary School Teacher-Student Relationships for Immigrant-Background Students
Authors: Archambault Isabelle , Lampron-de Souza Sophie , Lamanque-Bélanger Catherine , Pascal Sophie , Pagani Linda S. , Dupéré Véronique
Published: November 2023

The increasing cultural diversity in host society schools highlights the need to better understand the conditions supporting the integration of students with an immigrant background. This study examines whether peer acceptance enhances the association between student-teacher relationship closeness and classroom emotional engagement, and whether this association is moderated by student immigrant status. This study followed 251 fifth- and sixth-grade first- (34.3%), second- (49.4%), or third-generation-plus (16.3%) students across two school years (46.6% boys). Measures included child-reported classroom emotional engagement, student-teacher relationships, peer acceptance, and immigrant status. Using a hierarchical multiple linear regression model, this study demonstrates that positive relationships with teachers represent a protective factor for classroom emotional engagement among students who do not feel accepted by classmates, but only for first-generation students ( b = .46, p < .001). Our results underscore the importance of developing intervention strategies for building student-teacher relationships to benefit the classroom integration of first-generation students.
The Relationships Between Negative Affect, Parental Support, and Career Decision Among Multicultural Adolescents in Korea
Authors: Kwon Hyuk-Jin
Published: November 2023

Multicultural teenagers in South Korea often suffer from psychological difficulties, such as social withdrawal and depression, due to communication difficulties, discrimination, and economic constraints. These emotional problems negatively affect career decision-making. However, little is known about the basic mechanism through which multicultural adolescents’ internalizing problems affect their career decisions. This study expanded prior research by examining the sequential mediating effect of depression and achievement motivation in the relationship between social withdrawal and career decision-making and the moderated mediation effect of parental support in the causal pathway from social withdrawal to career decision-making via depression and achievement motivation. This study used panel data from the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study (MAPS), a national survey. The results showed a sequential mediating effect of depression and achievement motivation, a moderating effect, and a moderating mediating effect of parental support. The results of this study imply that parental support is an essential factor that helps multicultural adolescents improve their career decision-making by alleviating depression and enhancing achievement motivation.
Peristaltic rheology and thermal analysis of SWCNT-MWCNT/H2O hybrid nanofluid in a complex microchannel under electroosmotic effects
Authors: Javid Khurram , Niaz Falak , Raza Mohsin , Bhatti Muhammad Mubashir
Published: November 2023

The primary goal of this research is to investigate the rheology and heat transport of a hybrid nanofluid in an asymmetric microchannel in the presence of an electric field. The mobility of hybrid fluid is caused by peristaltic waves that contract and relax sinusoidally along the channel length. The rheological equations system is simplified by introducing relevant similarity variables, which are then solved using the integration approach. In this study, convective boundary conditions are applied. The electric potential function, velocity profile, pressure gradient, stream function, and temperature profile are all mathematically expressed. The current study’s findings are based on three physiological estimates: first is known as the creeping phenomenon, second as the greater wavelength condition, and third as the Debye–Hückel linearization (DHL). Using two different nanoparticles (SWCNT-MWCNT), the peristaltic mechanism is used to model water-based nanofluids. The three-dimensional graphs of rheological features are generated using Mathematica Software to elaborate the influences of relevant parameters on the rheological characteristics. By enhancing both the Biot number and the heat source/sink parameter in the hybrid fluid, the magnitudes of the temperature profile and the Nusselt number are higher than in the [Formula: see text] nanofluids. The magnitude of velocity profile is enhanced by increasing the Buoyancy forces and slip velocity. The results of simple fluid are obtained in the absence of concentration parameter. To boost the pumping phenomena, the special nature of peristaltic waves is used. The comparative study of nanofluid and hybrid fluid is also addressed. Three-dimensional graphs are plotted to clearly observe the influence of rheological parameters on flow features.
Design and characterization of non-linear electromagnetic energy harvester with enhanced energy output
Authors: Niazi Zain Shabbir Khan , Iqbal Sohail , Saleem Muhammad Mubasher , Shakoor Rana Iqtidar , Lai Yong Jun
Published: November 2023

This paper presents design, analysis, and characterization of a compliant non-linear electromagnetic energy harvester operating on the principle of bi-stability incorporated with a displacement amplification mechanism. The energy harvester engenders energy from ambient vibrations at multiple modes and with frequencies ranging from 80 to 120 Hz. The energy harvester is analytically modeled using the mechanic’s elastic beam theory. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has been carried out using commercial Finite Element Method (FEM) based software to perform static, fatigue, dynamic and electromagnetic analysis. Bi-stable mechanism has been used to harness energy at a wider frequency bandwidth while lever mechanism is acting as a displacement amplifier for enhancing low frequency vibration amplitude with the amplification factor of 6.24. With such amplification factor, the energy harvester can be deployed to extract vibrations of diminutive level and recast them into electrical energy in the form of generated voltage. Spring steel material, owing to its structural sensitivity, stiffness and higher value of ultimate stress, was used for its fabrication. The use of Neodymium (N52) magnets, copper coils and shaker were put into practice for testing of this device. The coil resistance is 2.5 Ω with number of turns kept at 350. The maximum output voltage of 1.86 V was generated at 106 Hz with root mean square value of 548 mV. Testing results are in accordance with the results obtained through simulations and thus useful electrical power of 11.1 mW can be generated from ambient vibrations at a wider bandwidth of 18 Hz with operating frequency ranging from 99 to 117 Hz.
Angle demand control of steer-by-wire system by disturbance estimation–based generalized predictive control approach
Authors: Xu Ziang , Shi Qin , Wei Yujiang , Zheng Xinxin , Huang Chunrong , He Lin
Published: November 2023

In this article, a disturbance estimation–based robust generalized predictive control approach is proposed for angle demand control of a steer-by-wire system. It consists of a generalized predictive controller and a nonlinear disturbance observer. First, the nonlinear disturbance observer is used to estimate the effects of the lumped disturbances, including model uncertainties, unmodeled dynamics, and external disturbances. Second, the estimate of the nonlinear disturbance observer is integrated into the generalized predictive controller design for front-wheel angle output prediction. Then, an explicit analytical form of the disturbance estimation–based robust generalized predictive controller is derived. In addition, rigorous stability analysis proves that the closed-loop system under the proposed control is stable. Finally, the developed control approach has been downloaded into a steering control unit and tested in real-world conditions using a vehicle test bench to fully realize steering by wire in engineering practice. Extensive simulations and experiments have been performed, and results show that the proposed control approach outperforms the comparative controllers regarding disturbance rejection, robust tracking performance under model uncertainties, and disturbances.
Is nurses’ clinical competence associated with their moral identity and injury?
Authors: Teng Yue , Dehghan Mahlagha , Hossini Rafsanjanipoor Sayed Mortaza , Altwalbeh Diala , Riyahi Zahra , Farahmandnia Hojjat , Zeidabadi Ali , Zakeri Mohammad Ali
Published: November 2023

Background

The enhancement of nursing care quality is closely related to the clinical competence of nurses, making it a crucial component within health systems.

Objective

The present study investigated the relationship between nurses’ clinical competence, moral identity, and moral injury during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Research design

This cross-sectional study was carried out among frontline nurses, using the Moral Identity Questionnaire (MIQ), the Moral Injury Symptom Scale-Healthcare Professionals version (MISS-HP), and the Competency Inventory for Registered Nurse (CIRN) as data collection tools.

Participants

and research context: The research population for this study consisted of all frontline nurses ( n = 251) employed in a hospital in southern Iran. Sampling was conducted between May 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021, during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Ethical considerations

The present study received approval from the research ethics committee of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, with project No. 99267 and code of ethics ID No. IR. RUMS.REC.1399.262, dated 15.02.2021.

Results

According to the study findings, 42.2% of the nurses demonstrated high clinical competence, while 51.4% exhibited moderate clinical competence. The results indicated a positive correlation between moral identity and clinical competence but a negative correlation between moral injury and clinical competence. Furthermore, the variables of moral identity and moral injury were found to predict 10% of the variance in clinical competence.

Conclusion

According to the results, moral identity and moral injury had an impact on the clinical competence of nurses. Therefore, implementing a program aimed at enhancing moral identity and providing training strategies to address moral injury during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic can lead to improvements in nurses’ clinical competence and the overall quality of care they provide.
Learning to Paint: An Autoethnographic Exploration of Adult Learning Beyond Formal Learning Contexts
Authors: Hinchcliff Elizabeth
Published: November 2023

This reflexive autoethnography explores my experience of learning about myself as I experienced painting with watercolors. The focus of this research is understanding the interaction of identity, emotion, and belonging within the context of my own adult learning experience. The central emphasis seeks to offer contributing factors to adult learning in a context outside of formal learning opportunities, such as in university or school-based learning. I employed the reflexive process of autoethnography through journal entries, photographic documentation, and recalling to examine my own experience of learning in a non-academic setting. Various theories of self-identity, participation, and learning were explored to frame my own learning experience. This methodological approach allowed the pursuit of adult learning to emerge as something deeply intertwined with an individual’s understanding of their identity, affective experiences, and sense of belonging. These considerations have capacity to further current conceptualizations of the process of adult learning experiences. Implications for facilitators of adult learning are offered.
Data Analysis of Factors Contributing to the Adoption of Green Hydrogen
Authors: Das Sudip
Published: November 2023

Green hydrogen is gaining popularity as a clean fuel, and India is one of the countries that is exploring its potential. The paper analyzes the factors contributing to the adoption of green hydrogen in India. The government’s policies to encourage usage of clean energy and cut down carbon dioxide emissions are a key factor driving the adoption of green hydrogen in India. Additionally, with the accessibility of renewable energy resources, the growing demand for hydrogen in various industrial applications, and the development of supportive infrastructure and policies are also contributing to the expansion of the green hydrogen sector. The study did a comprehensive literature survey to determine 21 variables that contribute to the green hydrogen development in India, which have been categorized under 4 blocks, namely, varied incentives, government support measures, R&D landscape, and green mandate. These blocks can be utilized to articulate and upgrade the green hydrogen policy.
“La Loca” y “La Victima”: An Analysis of Penalizing Gender Non-Conformity After Death
Authors: Avalos Susana , DeJong Christina , Wood Hailey
Published: November 2023

The United States experienced a record number of homicides against transgender victims in 2020, six of which occurred in Puerto Rico. Of the victims, five were trans women, and one was a trans man. Through case-study analysis, we explore how gender nonconformity is stigmatized within the context of Puerto Rico. Using storyline analysis of the language used by offenders, news media, and police, several themes emerged: (1) framing trans people as deceitful; (2) deadnaming, misgendering, and victim-blaming, and (3) community advocacy for the murder victims. Using the framework of hetero-cis-normativity, we explore how hetero-cis-normative biases may explain why negative attitudes toward trans individuals vary.
Toxicological Assessment of Higher Olefins in OECD TG 422 Repeated Dose and Reproductive /Developmental Toxicity Screening Tests in Han Wistar Rats
Authors: Shi Quan , Carrillo Juan-Carlos , Penman Michael G. , Shen Hua , North Colin M. , Jia Sophie , Borsboom-Patel Tilly , Tian Yuan , Hubert Fabienne , Manton Jason C. , Boogaard Peter J.
Published: November 2023

Higher olefins (HO) are used primarily as intermediates in the production of other chemicals, such as polymers, fatty acids, plasticizer alcohols, surfactants, lubricants, amine oxides, and detergent alcohols. The potential toxicity of five HO (i.e., 1-Octene, Nonene, Decene, Hexadecene, and 1-Octadecene) with carbon ranging from C8 to C18 was examined in a combined repeated dose and reproduction/developmental toxicity screening study (OECD TG 422). These five HO were administered to Han Wistar rats by gavage at 0 (controls), 100, 300, and 1000 mg/kg bw/day. As a group of substances, adaptive changes in the liver (liver weight increase without pathological evidence), as well as increased kidney weight in male rats, were observed in HO with carbon numbers from C8 to C10. The overall systemic no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) for all HO was determined at 1000 mg/kg bw/day. In the reproductive/developmental toxicity assessment, offspring viability, size, and weights were reduced in litters from females treated with Nonene at 1000 mg/kg bw/day. The overall no observed effects level (NOEL) for reproductive toxicity was considered to be 300 mg/kg bw/day for Nonene and 1000 mg/kg bw/day for the other four HO, respectively. These data significantly enrich the database on the toxicity of linear and branched HO, allowing comparison with similar data published on a range of linear and branched HO. Comparisons between structural class and study outcome provide further supportive data in order to validate the read-across hypothesis as part of an overall holistic testing strategy.
Striving to be Men in the Family: Masculinity and Capitalist Transformation in Vietnam
Authors: Su Phung N.
Published: November 2023

Women in Vietnam, historically and today, have participated in the labor force at a high rate. Since Vietnam opened its markets in 1986, their participation has noticeably declined. Given this change, what does economic transformation mean for how men understand the place of women in society, and relatedly, what does it mean for how they understand masculinity? Through ethnography and interviews with 53 men in Ho Chi Minh City, I find that Vietnamese men in this urban center aspire for projects of masculinity that rely on the reimagination of Vietnamese women as non-workers in history. My findings show that men from different economic positions and occupations evidence divergent views of the family and women’s role in it. Men who are employed in waged occupations with a high school degree or less seek to realize “tradition” through the single-income family and the homemaker wife, yet this family is not necessarily an echo of the past. By contrast, men in salary paying occupations with some or complete college education view the dual-income family and the female worker as progressive despite the long history of women’s labor in Vietnam. This finding presents an opportunity to understand how masculinity as an ideal, a process, and a lived experience occurs during moments of economic transformation.
“Too weak to fight, too scared to scream”: Understanding experiences of sexual coercion of Black female adolescents through digital storytelling
Authors: Azhar Sameena
Published: November 2023

Black female adolescents are less frequently viewed as victims of violence or as agents of resistance. This study analyzed the experiences of sexual coercion of Black female adolescents on the South Side of Chicago through narrative scripts used to create digital stories. Using Sexual Script Theory and applying an intersectional lens, we analyzed a collection of 46 narrative transcripts from Black female youth, living on the South Side of Chicago, five of which specifically focused on the theme of sexual coercion. Under the broader theme of sexual coercion, the following subthemes were identified: (1) broken expectations of romance, (2) sex as a means of seeking attention from a male partner, (3) sex as a means of maintaining a partner, and (4) rape. By better understanding the social context of relationships for Black adolescent girls in heterosexual relationships, we may be able to better design sexual and reproductive health interventions for young women of color.
Asserting queer agency online: A feminist inquiry into the experiences of queer women using instagram in Nairobi, Kenya
Authors: Wainaina Njeri E , Lombard Nancy , Bretuo Priscilla
Published: November 2023

This paper is a small scale feminist enquiry into the experiences of seven queer Kenyan women using Instagram to assert and navigate queer agency. The ways the existence of queer women in Kenya is subject to erasure, epistemically, symbolically and materially, is explored and highlighted how this can render queer women ‘unimagined’ in the now ‘democratic’ Kenyan regime. Queer women in Kenya are now reconfiguring social media spaces such as Instagram to push back on erasure and assert their existence. Drawing upon postcolonial feminism, this study shows that spaces like Instagram are locations where these women are making themselves ‘visible’ and ‘reimagined’.
Rethinking creative freelancers and structures of care in cultural policy and organisational practice: A case study of Dundee during the Covid-19 pandemic
Authors: England Lauren
Published: November 2023

This article seeks to reposition freelance creative and cultural workers (CCWs) and conditions of creative work as the foundations of cultural policy making. Using a case study of Dundee, Scotland, in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the article draws on focus groups and interviews with creative freelancers, representatives of cultural organisations and members of a cultural strategy development group in Dundee. It presents how freelancers were not only missing from policy (national and local), their precarity was also exacerbated by cultural organisations in their response to pandemic-induced uncertainty. The potential for more caring modes of engagement with freelance CCWs are identified. Crucially, the article argues that this support work must also be resourced to be effective and sustainable. The article presents opportunities for rethinking the position of freelancers in cultural policy and sector leadership, and reflects on the capacity for academic research to support such work.
Intact peritoneum in a child with ileal perforation from a firearm injury
Authors: Ali Syed Waqas , Jahan Yaqoot , Anwar Farah , Khalid Saad , Khan Muhammad Arif Mateen
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Indirect intra-abdominal injury with an intact peritoneum following close passage of highly energized projectiles is an uncommon but clearly described phenomenon; likewise delayed gastrointestinal perforation hours or days after passage of a high-energy stress wave from primary blast injury is uncommon. Awareness of these two rare occurrences is required to ensure delayed perforations are diagnosed and managed in a timely manner.

Case report

An 8-year-old male child sustained a shotgun injury to the right elbow and the abdominal wall only of the right hypochondrium. Due to a non-salvageable joint injury, he underwent amputation of the right upper limb above the elbow, but on the third day of admission, he developed peritonitis and an X-ray revealed pneumoperitoneum. On abdominal exploration, two small ileal perforations were found without penetration of the peritoneum or diaphragm. The ileal injuries were primarily repaired and the postoperative course was uneventful.

Conclusion

Indirect injury to abdominal viscera from the primary blast effect of close passage of high-energy projectiles resulting is rare and can have significant consequences if not diagnosed and managed early.