bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exposure to Aggressors at School and Cyberbullying Victimization
Authors: Lehman Brett
Published: September 2022

Scholars find that social dynamics in online environments help explain variation in cyberbullying victimization. The current study examines how students’ in-person activities at school shape the odds of cyberbullying victimization. This focus is motivated by opportunity theory, which emphasizes that victimization can be shaped by involvement in dangerous activities, exposure to potential aggressors, and the suitability of targets in the eyes of potential aggressors. Key aspects of the students’ in-school activities include involvement in fighting and participation in various extracurricular activities. These elements are analyzed using data from the 2013 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey based in the United States. Findings indicate opportunity theory is applicable to explaining cyberbullying victimization regarding exposure to aggressors via extracurricular activity participation at school.
Designing Interculturally: Adopting a Social Justice Research Framework for “Seeing Difference”
Authors: Pennell Therese I.
Published: September 2022

This paper suggests adding a social justice framework to the questions that Kostelnick suggests to help students investigate culture in “Seeing Difference.” Using visual rhetoric to teach technical communication is beneficial for students; however, problematic representations of culture may unintentionally appear in visual design and are easy to overlook. Using a social justice framework that promotes a contextual study of culture should allow technical communication instructors to prepare students to investigate the social and political aspects of culture. This paper, therefore, revisits “Seeing Difference” and asks that technical communication instructors guide students to research sociopolitical aspects of culture and visuals to develop designs that are interculturally appropriate.
Two concurrent β-variable adaptive model-free controls of a seeded batch crystallizer
Authors: Afsi Nawel , Bakir Toufik , Sakly Anis , Othman Sami
Published: September 2022

The design of an efficient controller for a process of batch crystallization is still an important area of ongoing research. In this paper, a [Formula: see text]-variable adaptive model-free control ([Formula: see text]-AMFC) has been proposed to control a seeded batch adipic acid crystallization process to get a final unimodal crystal size distribution (CSD) within the required mean weight size. The [Formula: see text]-AMFC is developed based on [Formula: see text] online adaptive estimation algorithm to enhance the classic model-free control’s (MFC) performance. It copes with unknown as well as partially known dynamics and the inherent complex behavior of this nonlinear process. The concept consists of using an updated local approximation model. Two structures of [Formula: see text]-AMFC are considered. The first is a [Formula: see text]-AMFC based on intelligent Proportional-Integral ([Formula: see text]-iPI) control and the second is based on intelligent Proportional-Integral control combined with Sliding Mode Control ([Formula: see text]-iPISMC). To obtain the controller parameters of the two [Formula: see text]-AMFC structures, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method was employed. The comparison of alternative approaches is performed by means of simulations including different scenarios. It is found that the [Formula: see text]-iPISMC has a superior performance: it allows the output convergence 50 minutes earlier than the [Formula: see text]-iPI and it is more robust against any sudden disturbances.
Stabilizing region of fractional-order proportional integral derivative controllers for interval fractional-order plants
Authors: Ghorbani Majid , Tepljakov Aleksei , Petlenkov Eduard
Published: September 2022

This paper focuses on computing the stabilizing region of fractional-order proportional integral derivative (FOPID) controllers for interval fractional-order plants. In this study, first, a theorem is presented to investigate the robust stability of the given closed-loop system. Then, an algorithm is proposed to solve the problem of robustly stabilizing the interval fractional-order plant using FOPID controllers. Also, two auxiliary functions are proposed to achieve the control requirements on the disturbance rejection and the noise reduction. Finally, four numerical examples are presented to confirm the obtained results.
Effects of mathematical modelling based project production and management program on gifted students’ mathematical modelling and reflective thinking for real-life problem solving
Authors: Özbek Gülnur , Cho Seokhee
Published: September 2022

This study aimed to examine the relationship between mathematical modelling and reflective thinking and to examine the effects of employing mathematical modelling processes on perception of mathematical modelling competencies and reflective thinking skills for real-life problem solving of gifted students participating in Project Production and Management Program at Turkish Science and Art Centers. Correlational path analysis of 300 students data revealed that Mathematical modelling is a significant predictor of reflective thinking skills, and the constructed model was found to be of a good fit with excellent path coefficients. Experimental design with pre-post-maintenance-tests with comparison group was employed with 60 students purposefully selected chosen from the above regression study. Reflective thinking and mathematical modelling levels of experimental group students who employed mathematical modelling processes for Project Production and Management increased significantly more from pre- to post-tests, and the significant difference was found to be maintained.
The role of community entrepreneurs in depleted communities: A case study of Father Greg MacLeod’s ‘action research’ in Cape Breton
Authors: Mason Colin
Published: September 2022

Community Business Entrepreneurs are significant actors in many depleted communities – towns, cities and regions which have lost much of their rationale as economic spaces as a result of disinvestment by capital, resulting in job losses, high unemployment and a declining population as younger people leave, but which retains high social attachment to place. This paper reviews two books about Father Greg MacLeod, a catholic priest, professor and prominent community business entrepreneur in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, a region whose once thriving resource-based economy was devastated by the contraction and ultimate closure of its coal and steel industries in the final decades of the 20th century. Government initiatives to create replacement jobs were largely ineffective. MacLeod played a key role in establishing several community businesses, notably New Dawn and BCA Holdings, using what was at the time the innovative structure of the company limited by guarantee. The paper reviews his ‘entrepreneurial experiments’ – which he described as ‘action research’.
Developing the Freezing of Gait Severity Tool: A Delphi consensus study to determine the content of a clinician-rated assessment for freezing of gait severity
Authors: Scully Aileen E , de Oliveira Beatriz IR , Hill Keith D , Tan Dawn , Pua Yong Hao , Clark Ross , Burton Elissa
Published: September 2022

Objectives

There is no standardisation of tasks or measures for evaluation of freezing of gait severity in people with Parkinson's disease. This study aimed to develop a clinician-rated tool for freezing of gait severity (i.e. Freezing of Gait Severity Tool), through determining clinicians’ ratings of the most important triggering circumstances to be examined and aspects of freezing of gait to be measured.

Design

A three-round, web-based Delphi study.

Participants

Healthcare professionals, with at least five years’ experience in managing freezing of gait in people with Parkinson.

Main outcome measures

Round 1 required participants ( n  =  28) to rate items on a 5-point Likert scale, based on priority for inclusion in the Freezing of Gait Severity Tool. In Round 2, participants ( n  =  18) ranked the items based on priority for inclusion. In Round 3, participants ( n  =  18) confirmed or rejected the shortlisted items by judging their ability, on a binary scale, to screen for freezing of gait, detect changes in freezing severity, and discriminate between degrees of severity.

Results

Participants agreed with the triggering circumstances of turning hesitation, narrow space hesitation, start hesitation, cognitive dual-tasking, and open space hesitation should be assessed; and the aspects of gait freezing to be measured included freezing type, number of freezing episodes during a task, and average duration of freezing episodes.

Conclusions

This study attained a consensus for the items to be included in a clinician-rated tool for freezing of gait severity. Future studies should investigate psychometric properties and clinical feasibility of the Freezing of Gait Severity Tool.
Low-Income Adolescents’ Future Goals and Current Achievement: Parents as Sources of Resilience During the Transition to Middle School
Authors: Suizzo Marie-Anne , Jackson Karen M. , Nauman Cambrian
Published: September 2022

Adolescents growing up in low-income communities experience decreases in school engagement during their transition to middle school due to multiple stressors. Holding goals for their futures increases their resilience, yet research on the types of goals that are most beneficial and on parents’ influence on the formation of future goals is limited. This study investigated relations between parental academic socialization, adolescent goals, and adolescent achievement. An ethnically diverse sample of 319 students reported on their intrinsic and extrinsic future goals, current mastery goals, and parents’ academic socialization messages. Results showed that adolescents’ intrinsic future goals and current mastery goals mediated relations between parents’ messages about the importance of working hard to succeed in school and adolescents’ grades. Parents influence adolescents’ motivation and achievement by conveying messages about the value of learning, and adolescents with higher intrinsic future goals may view mastery and hard work as means of achieving those goals.
Retroperitoneal laparoscopic renorrhaphy for post-percutaneous nephrolithotomy hemorrhage: a case report
Authors: Lan Jianhua , Huang Guohua , Chen Sixiang , Zhou Wenjun , Yang Hai
Published: September 2022

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is the preferred treatment for large renal calculi; however, postoperative hemorrhage is a dangerous complication. The three main causes of hemorrhage after percutaneous nephrolithotomy are pseudoaneurysms, arteriovenous fistulas, and arterial lacerations. The preferred treatment for acute hemorrhage is superselective angioembolization. However, in a few cases, angiography reveals no abnormal findings pertaining to hemorrhage. We herein present a clinical case of a 48-year-old man who presented with multiple complex right renal calculi and was managed with percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the prone position. Massive hemorrhage occurred 6 days postoperatively, and renal angiography was immediately performed. However, while the bleeding was still occurring, no extravasation was observed on renal angiography. We performed retroperitoneal laparoscopic renorrhaphy, which successfully stopped the bleeding and consequently preserved the kidney. We suggest that retroperitoneal laparoscopic renorrhaphy can be effective in patients who have undergone failed renal arterial embolization or are reluctant to undergo renal arterial embolization.
Sensorless passivity based control of doubly-fed induction generators in variable-speed wind turbine systems based on high gain observer
Authors: Saihi Lakhdar , Berbaoui Brahim , Djilali Larbi , Boura Mohammed
Published: September 2022

The current study presents a robust sensorless control using passivity based control (PBC) combined with high gain observer (HGO). The proposed controller is applied to control the generated doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) active and reactive power installed on a variable speed wind energy conversion system. The control objective is used to regulate independently the DFIG stator active and reactive power, which are decoupled by using the field oriented control technique. Additionally, this process leads to reduce the cost of control scheme by eliminating the speed sensor. Firstly, the DFIG is modeled under the port controlled Hamiltonian (PCH) model, as well as the method of simultaneous injection damping. Then, the DFIG is further modeled by assignment passivity based on the simultaneous injection damping and assignment (SIDA-PBC) control of the obtained model under such conditions and a comparison with the fuzzy sliding mode controller is carried out. Furthermore, the HGO is selected in order to estimate the rotor position and the speed from the measurement of the DFIG currents and voltages, and compared with fuzzy sliding mode observer. For testing the proposed control scheme performance, a 1.5 MW DFIG system is developed and simulated using MATLAB/Simulink. The obtained results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme in the presence of various DFIG parameters variation. Additionally, the control objective is achieved without speed sensor.
On Assignment to Classes in Latent Class Logit Models
Authors: Wu Wangwei , Daziano Ricardo A.
Published: September 2022

Random parameter logit models address unobserved preference heterogeneity in discrete choice analysis. The latent class logit model assumes a discrete heterogeneity distribution, by combining a conditional logit model of economic choices with a multinomial logit (MNL) for stochastic assignment to classes. Whereas point estimation of latent class logit models is widely applied in practice, stochastic assignment of individuals to classes needs further analysis. In this paper we analyze the statistical behavior of six competing class assignment strategies, namely: maximum prior MNL probabilities, class drawn from prior MNL probabilities, maximum posterior assignment, drawn posterior assignment, conditional individual-specific estimates, and conditional individual estimates combined with the Krinsky–Robb method to account for uncertainty. Using both a Monte Carlo study and two empirical case studies, we show that assigning individuals to classes based on maximum MNL probabilities behaves better than randomly drawn classes in market share predictions. However, randomly drawn classes have higher accuracy in predicted class shares. Finally, class assignment based on individual-level conditional estimates that account for the sampling distribution of the assignment parameters shows superior behavior for a larger number of choice occasions per individual.
Psychometric Properties of the Portuguese Adolescent Students’ Basic Psychological Needs at School Scale (ASBPNSS) and Evidence of Differential Associations With Indicators of Subjective Wellbeing
Authors: Inman Richard A. , Costa Pedro J. C. , Moreira Paulo A. S.
Published: September 2022

The study aimed to test the psychometric properties of a Portuguese adaptation of the Adolescent Students’ Basic Psychological Needs at School Scale (ASBPNSS). For this, we used data from a sample of eighth graders ( N = 1648; Mage = 14.1 years; 46.9% girls) from Portugal. Cronbach alpha and omega coefficients showed the ASBPNSS subscales—autonomy, relatedness, and competence—were reliable. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed the hypothesized three-factor model fit the data well. Multi-group CFAs showed the ASBPNSS had scalar invariance across gender and students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Finally, need satisfaction in school was positively correlated with positive affect and life satisfaction and negatively correlated with negative affect. These findings support the theoretical assumptions of Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT), and particularly the assumption that basic needs are universally applicable. We conclude the ASBPNSS is a reliable and valid measure of basic need satisfaction at school in Portuguese adolescents.
Biopolymer gels as components of protective medium for cryopreservation of spermatogonial stem cells
Authors: Volkova Nataliia , Yukhta Mariia , Stepaniuk Lyudmyla , Sokil Larisa , Chernyshenko Lyudmyla , Goltsev Anatoliy
Published: September 2022

Biopolymer gels attract a lot of attention in a field of biothechnology due to their excellent compatibility and degradation. Their application is also promising for cryopreservation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) which is so necessary to preserve the fertility of young patients. The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of biopolymer gels as a component of cryopreservation medium for SSCs of immature rats at the stage of exposure to cryoprotectants. It was found that 30-min exposure to cryopreservation media based on collagen or fibrin gel with an addition of 5% Me2SO or 6% glycerol did not lead to significant changes in membrane integrity, cytochrome C content, metabolic, mitochondrial and antioxidant activities in SSCs compared to the control (Leibovitz-based cryomedium). But fibrin gel more than collagen reduced the toxic effects of Me2SO and glycerol on SSCs increasing exposure time up to 45 min without significant changes in cell viability. The same cryoprotectants in Leibovitz-based media showed significant toxicity starting from the 15th minute of exposure. Necrosis was the main cause of cell death at this stage of cryopreservation in all experimental groups. The obtained results can be used to optimize SSC cryopreservation protocols for further cell autotransplantation for spermatogenesis initiation in boys who undergo gonadotoxic therapy in prepubertal age.
Captive Market Pricing and Lack of Transportation: A Survey of Undergraduate Food Insecurity at a Public University in New England
Authors: Zigmont Victoria A , Anziano Jennifer , Schwartz Elizabeth , Gallup Peggy
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to describe the prevalence of food insecurity among college students and its relationship to on-campus food purchasing patterns and barriers to eating a healthy and sufficient diet, including the relative cost of food items on campus compared to national chain grocery stores.

Design

A campus-wide survey using stratified sampling among undergraduates and food audit.

Setting

An urban public university in New England.

Subjects

A total of 951 surveys completed by undergraduates.

Measures

Demographic characteristics, behavioral factors and food security status (measured using the USDA 6-item short form) were collected.

Method

Descriptive and multivariable analyses were conducted to describe differences between food insecure and food secure undergraduates.

Results

Overall, 35% of undergraduates experienced food insecurity in the past year (response rate = 92%). Food insecure undergraduates had different on-campus purchasing patterns than their food secure counterparts. Food insecure students were more likely to report barriers to healthy eating on all measures, including prices (AOR= 8.12, P < .0001), to experience housing insecurity (AOR= 2.64, P = .001) and to report that transportation is a barrier to buying groceries (AOR= 1.63, P = .01). After multivariable adjustment, food insecure undergraduates had higher odds of being African American (AOR= 1.57, P = .031) or other races (more than 1 race) (AOR= 3.35, P = .002) compared to white undergraduates.

Conclusions

Food insecure college students face a variety of barriers to healthy eating on campus, including high food pricing on campus and limited transportation options. Further research is needed to inform campus resource development, policies and programming focused on food insecurity prevention for college students.
Changes in Nurses’ Sense of Calling During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Uzunbacak Hasan Hüseyin , Yastıoğlu Seher , Dik Bryan J. , Erhan Tuğba , Akçakanat Tahsin
Published: September 2022

This study investigated changes in nurses’ sense of calling during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as possible reasons for these changes. A total of 440 nurses in Turkey responded to a single open-ended question about their work attitudes and experiences. Emergent Qualitative Document Analysis (QDA) was used to analyze the responses. Results demonstrated that nurses experienced both positive and negative changes to their sense of calling, sometimes simultaneously. The most frequently cited reasons for positive changes were nurses’ perceived job significance, their desire to serve humanity, and a sense of meaningful work. In contrast, terms describing their reasons for experiencing negative changes include exhaustion, underpaid, unappreciated, overwork, disengagement, risky, stress, and anxiety. This study provides the first evidence on how a sense of calling experienced by Turkish nurses has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for theory, research, and practice are explored.
Work as an Understudied Driver of Racial Inequities in Breastfeeding
Authors: Whitley Margaret , Banks Ashley
Published: September 2022

Breastfeeding inequities by race are a persistent public health problem in the United States. Inequities in occupation and working conditions likely contribute to relatively less breastfeeding among Black compared to White mothers, yet little research has addressed these interrelationships. Here, we offer a critical review of the literature and a conceptual framework to guide future research about work and racial inequities in breastfeeding. There is a strong public health case for promoting breastfeeding equity for mothers across race groups and occupation types. Existing theory suggests that employment opportunities and working conditions are a likely pathway that connects structural racism to Black-White breastfeeding inequities, in addition to other known factors. We propose a new conceptual model for studying the interrelationships among work, race, and breastfeeding outcomes.
“The Crossover to Hospice”: Perspectives of Home Healthcare Nurses and Social Workers
Authors: Osakwe Zainab Toteh , Oni-Eseleh Ohiro , Rosati Robert J. , Stefancic Ana
Published: September 2022

Background:

Although home healthcare(HHC) clinicians increasingly provide care to a homebound population with advanced illness and high symptom burden,  we know little about how HHC clinicians navigate discussions about hospice with patients and families in this setting.

Objective

We sought to explore perspectives on transition from HHC to hospice among HHC nurses and social workers.

Design

PQualitative study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis.

Results:

Fifteen nurses and 3 Social workers participated in the study. Four main themes emerged from the interviews: (1) Regulatory Forces of Hospice and HHC; (2) Structure of HHC; (3) Individual beliefs—Hospice means giving up; and (4) Dynamics of Communication in HHC to Facilitate Transitions to Hospice.

Conclusion

Introducing the option of hospice to patients and families nearing end-of-life in the HHC setting is complex and challenging.  Facilitators of hospice discussions in the HHC setting  include interdisciplinary team-based clinical review, clinical decision support tools to identify patients who are hospice-eligible, and staff training.  These factors provide targets for future interventions.
A new fractional-order model for time-dependent damage of rock under true triaxial stresses
Authors: Zheng Zhi , Cai Zhiyang , Su Guosao , Huang Shuling , Wang Wei , Zhang Qiang , Wang Yujie
Published: September 2022

To reasonably describe the time-dependent characteristics of rock under true triaxial stresses and analyze the long-term stability of deep underground engineering, based on the understanding of time-dependent mechanical properties of rock under true triaxial stresses, a new fractional-order damage element and the method in which the crack initiation stress is taken as the starting point of creep and the crack damage stress as the starting point of creep accelerating stage were established. Then, combined with the Mogi-Coulomb strength criterion, a fractional-order creep damage model of rock under true triaxial stresses was proposed. The proposed model was further verified based on uniaxial, conventional triaxial and true triaxial creep test results. The theoretical curves of the model are highly consistent with the test curves, indicating that the proposed model has wide applicability and rationality. Meanwhile the sensitivity of true triaxial stress states and model parameters to the creep characteristics was further investigated. Finally, based on the proposed creep model, the time-dependent characteristics of rock under untested true triaxial stress levels were predicted. The research provides a theoretical basis for the prediction of time-dependent disasters and the long-term stability analysis of surrounding rock in deep engineering.
Depression, Anxiety, and Their Association to Health-Related Quality of Life in Men Commencing Prostate Cancer Treatment at Tertiary Hospitals in Cape Town, South Africa
Authors: Irusen Hayley , Fernandez Pedro , Van der Merwe Andre , Suliman Sharain , Esterhuizen Tonya , Lazarus John , Parkes Jeannette , Seedat Soraya
Published: September 2022

Background

Comorbid depression and anxiety in men with localised prostate cancer (CaP) largely go undiagnosed and untreated and their effects on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in men with CaP should not be underestimated. We examined the prevalence of depression and anxiety and its association with HRQOL in men about to commence treatment for CaP and the differences between treatment groups, radical prostatectomy (RP) and radiation therapy (RT).

Method

One hundred and seven participants from a longitudinal prospective observational study assessing depression, anxiety and HRQOL in men with localised CaP (DAHCaP), were used in this cross-sectional analysis. Data were collected shortly before participants were scheduled to receive their treatment. The Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer (MAX-PC), the European Organisation for Research and Treatment in Cancer Quality of Life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and (EORTC QLQ-PR25) were used in this analysis.

Results

Symptoms of depression pre-treatment were noted in 39.3%, state anxiety 28%, trait anxiety 31.4% and prostate cancer anxiety in 12.1% of participants. Statistically significant correlations ( P ≤ .05) with the CES-D and a cluster of symptoms on the EORTC QLQ-C30 domains for Global Health (rs = −.35), fatigue (rs = .38), pain (rs = .32), dyspnoea (rs = .28), insomnia (rs = .30) and finance (rs = .26) and EORTC QLQ-PR25 domains for urinary symptoms (rs = .43), bowel (rs = .43) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) (rs = .41) were observed. Statistically significant correlations were also noted between the STAI-S and EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-PR25. No statistically significant difference was noted between treatments.

Conclusion

More men were depressed than anxious with significant associations with HRQOL prior to commencement of treatment. CaP treatments should focus not only on the prevailing indisposition but include a psychooncological and HRQOL assessment at pre-treatment in high-risk individuals.
Why Political Scientists Should Study Smaller Cities
Authors: Kumar Tanu , Stenberg Matthew
Published: September 2022

In the past 20 years, Political Science research has increasingly focused on urban and local politics. We systematically review this literature and find that smaller cities are disproportionally underrepresented, particularly outside the United States. Smaller cities exhibit economic, social, and political patterns that differ from those in large metropolitan areas. Using administrative data and existing research, we show how cities of different sizes vary in their demographic characteristics; citizens’ preferences; resources and capacity; intergovernmental relationships; and electoral politics. These patterns indicate the potential to update existing theories in Political Science, including those about gender and political participation, second-order elections, and intergovernmental relationships. We suggest that scholars consider how smaller cities might differ from larger cities and include smaller municipalities in their case study research. We also highlight political issues unique to small cities as new areas of inquiry.
Moving boredom from problem to opportunity: A psychoanalytic perspective on workplace boredom and identity in organizations
Authors: Driver Michaela
Published: September 2022

The study develops novel perspectives on workplace boredom by investigating how conscious and unconscious aspects of identity work drive responses to it. Based on a psychoanalytic, specifically Lacanian, analysis of 56 narratives in which individuals recount their experience with boredom at work, it explores why boredom is so often portrayed as dysfunctional. The study also examines why it is important to understand and strengthen boredom’s more functional aspects. Specifically, the study advances the idea that boredom offers discursive resources to construct identities in more or less empowering ways with the potential for returning us to the creative possibilities inherent in each lived moment. Implications of this perspective are discussed.
Illness Perceptions and Illness Identity in Adolescents and Emerging Adults With Neuromuscular Disorders
Authors: Geuens Sam , Leyen Kathelijne , Raymaekers Koen , Prikken Sofie , Willen Joanna , Goemans Nathalie , De Waele Liesbeth , Lemiere Jurgen , Luyckx Koen
Published: September 2022

Background

Neuromuscular disorders (NMD) are intrusive medical conditions with implications for psychosocial development.

Objectives

This paper explores illness perceptions and illness identity dimensions of youth with NMD. First, we compare illness identity outcomes and illness perceptions of NMD patients with a comparison group of adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM). Second, we report about the relationships between NMD-related variables and illness perceptions and illness identity.

Methods

Scores on the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and the Illness Identity Questionnaire were compared between a group of NMD patients ( N = 59; 12–22 years) and an age- and gender-matched group of DM patients ( N = 118). NMD-related variables included time since diagnosis, prognosis, wheelchair use, and physical limitations.

Results

Youth with NMD scored significantly higher on two of the four illness identity dimensions than youth with DM. NMD patients reported significantly less positive illness perceptions, experienced more physical symptoms, and had a lower score on understanding of their illness. Within the NMD group, wheelchair-users have a better understanding of their disease than those who are not wheelchair-bound.

Conclusions

The present study is the first to investigate illness identity and illness perceptions in NMD. More research is needed to provide insight in the identity formation process of the growing group of adolescents with NMDs.
Twitter, #PreKWeek, and neoliberal childhoods: Posthuman reimaginings of a sigh
Authors: Johnson Thiel Jaye
Published: September 2022

This article concerns itself with the everyday politics of childhood and the ways research might continue to attend to inequities while simultaneously engaging in an ontological flattening of the child subject. To do so, the author employs thinking with theory as an analytic process to make sense of a world where humans and more-than-humans are seen as commodities for economic gain. Focusing on a tweet sent out by a US state-led organization during Pre-K Week, the author uses Barad’s concept of the material-discursive apparatus and Bennett’s concept of vibrant matter to explore the phenomenon of neoliberal childhoods. Understood as a political event, the author analyzes the tweet as a public phenomenon etched into a digital socio-material archive that tends to have a life of its own. In doing so, she unravels three threads of capaciousness (the capacity to make boundaries and possibilities) in the tweet: visual aesthetics, discursive movements, and virtual reverberations. These threads of capaciousness can be seen as co-constitutive agents, collectively producing the phenomenon of the neoliberal child. In other words, the visual, the discursive, and the virtual work collectively to ravel and unravel material consequences regarding being a child-human living in the USA well beyond the pre-kindergarten years. The article concludes by inviting those concerned with the politics of childhood to consider the ways that posthumanism offers a theoretical and practical conduit for rethinking, reconfiguring, and reimagining child–world relations while continuing to keep childhood studies focused on issues of equity and justice.
‘Draw yourself and write your name’: Material-discursive agency of names and drawings in early childhood
Authors: Giorza Theresa Magdalen
Published: September 2022

A documented transcript and a series of still images from two spontaneous, incidental and intra-active pedagogical encounters in a preschool are the focus and the source of this article. A turning over of data generated through a piece of doctoral research that explored intra-active learning as a phenomenon makes visible the agency of names and drawings in collaborative and intra-active literacy ‘becomings’. These are the workings of a diffractive data analysis. Already strong affective connections between the children give buoyancy to the playful recitation of written names on a pile of pages. Familiar Grade R (reception year) activities take flight and diffract with age, race and gender to produce new knowledge about ‘what matters’ in early childhood. There are both inward and outward flows between the micro and the macro worlds of ‘becoming reader’ and ‘becoming learner’ as names move in between the sounds of belonging and recognition (the children's and their classmates’ names), and the pull of identifiable shapes and letters, words and meaning. The importance of drawing as meaning-making is affirmed but exceeded as an experimental performativity spills over into further exploration that was shared and extended with a friend. The analysis moves between and among the conceptual, real and virtual through reflective and diffractive insights. The researcher notices patterns of sameness and difference in the playful literacy and drawing events performed by the children with their lively classroom environment. Reconceptualizing the material products of learning as lively co-producers of knowledge with their authors requires a reconceptualizing of the human and a refiguring of the child as learner. Making the ‘child’ visible in posthumanist research means recognizing the inseparability of the learner from the learning and the temporal, material and spatial realities that produce it, and noticing the lively entanglements of names and drawings and what they do.
Mechanical properties, dynamic mechanical analysis and molecular cross-linking of GTR/NR re-Vulcanized blends
Authors: Zitzumbo R , Alonso S , Estrada-Monje A , Becerra María B , Avalos F , Medina-Torres L
Published: September 2022

The effect of natural rubber (NR) on mechanical, chemical and thermal properties of ground tire rubber (GTR) was investigated. Mechanical and thermal properties of GTR/NR vulcanized blends were determined with a universal testing machine and a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA). The molecular cross-linking density was determined by molecular swelling in toluene. Presents results indicate that the carbon black embedded in the GTR interior phase of the GTR/NR re-vulcanized blends, did not participate in the NR phase molecular motion restriction. The blends of GTR/NR showed the phenomenon known as reversion, leading a decreasing of the mechanical properties, that could be attributed of the degradation of the interphases (GTR/NR) n+j, j=1,2,3,…. On the other hand, the Cole-Cole charts of the GTR/NR vulcanized blends changed from a semicircular to an irregular form as the NR concentration increases, imposing the heterogeneity of the blend. In addition, in the Cole-Cole charts of GTR/NR vulcanized and re-vulcanized blends, the height ( E´´) and the width ( E´) of the curves decreased while the re-vulcanization processes number was greater; obtained results could be attributed to the increasing of the molecular cross-linking density.
Radiographic Bone Healing in Minimally Invasive Floating Metatarsal Osteotomy for Neuropathic Plantar Metatarsal Head Ulcers - A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Tamir Eran , Finestone Aharon S. , Beer Yiftah , Anekstein Yoram , Atzmon Ran , Smorgick Yossi
Published: September 2022

Minimally invasive floating metatarsal osteotomy is an option for treating neuropathic ulcers under the metatarsal heads. This study presents the radiographic results of the floating metatarsal osteotomy. We reviewed files and radiographs at least 4 months after a floating metatarsal osteotomy in patients with diabetic neuropathy. In 71 osteotomies in 54 patients with late onset diabetes (mean age 61 ± 9, mean HbA1c 7.9 ± 1.9%), the primary ulcer healed within 3.5 ± 1.4 weeks. Of 66 osteotomies where radiographs were available 10 had non-union (15%, all asymptomatic), 15 (23%) had hypertrophic callus formation and 41 (62%) had normal union. One patient developed an ulcer under the hypertrophic callus. This necessitated callus resection. Asymptomatic non-union may happen in 15% of floating osteotomies, but the osteotomies appear to be relatively safe and effective for neuropathic plantar metatarsal head ulcers. Hypertropic callus causing local re-ulceration is rare and can be managed surgically.
Particle embolic agents for embolization of middle meningeal artery in the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Abdollahifard Saeed , Farrokhi Amirmohammad , Yousefi Omid , Valibeygi Adib , Azami Pouria , Mowla Ashkan
Published: September 2022

Objective

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we investigated the efficacy and safety of middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) using particle embolic agents to treat cSDH.

Methods

To retrieve articles investigating outcomes of patients following MMAE with particle agents and to compare their outcome with conventional treatment, Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched using relevant keywords. Original articles with more than 10 cases were included. The meta-analysis was carried out using the R studio and the random-effects model. Publication bias was assessed using Peter's test and quality assessment using NIH tools.

Results

Eleven studies with 359 patients were included. The analysis revealed a pooled recurrence rate of 5% (CI: 3–8%), a need for reoperation rate of 5% (3–9%), and a peri-procedural complication rate of 4% (CI:2–9%) following MMAE with particle embolic agents. The pooled rates of decrease in size or resolution of the hematoma were 85% (CI:66–94%) and 66% (39–86%), respectively. Comparing MMAE using particulate embolysate with conventional treatments, risk ratio (RR) of 0.10 (CI:0.04–0.27) was achieved for recurrence, 0.25(CI:0.13–0.49) for reoperation, and 0.34 (CI:0.16–0.27) for peri-procedural complications. 91% of cSDH cases responded to MMAE with particles in the way they showed either down-sizing or complete resolution of the hematoma on follow-up imaging. In comparison, this rate was found to be 63% following conventional treatment.

Conclusion

Middle meningeal artery embolization using particle embolysates is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of cSDH, whether as a standalone intervention or in combination with conventional treatments.
Emergency treatment of popliteal aneurysms: Single center experience and systematic review and meta-analysis of endovascular versus open repair
Authors: Rebelo Artur , Partsakhashvili Jumber , Ronellenfitsch Ulrich , John Endres , Kleeff Jörg , Ukkat Jörg
Published: September 2022

Background

Popliteal artery aneurysms (PAA) were traditionally treated by open repair (OR). Endovascular repair (ER) has become a new treatment strategy. The aim of this systemic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate and compare the current outcomes of OR and ER in the emergency treatment of PAA.

Methods

A systematic literature search of the PubMed/Medline database was carried out. Outcomes were 30-day mortality, morbidity, major amputation rate (30 days), major amputation rate (1 year), 1-year primary patency rate, 1-year secondary patency rate and 1-year survival. Additionally, we included clinical data of patients with popliteal aneurysms treated between 2009 and 2021 at the Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

Results

We identified two cohort studies from 2014 and 2015 with a total of 199 patients that underwent emergent surgery (39 ER and 160 OR). We also included 26 patients from our institution. For emergency treatment, 30-day major amputation rates (18% vs 3%, Odds Ratio 5.82, 95% CI [1.75; 19.30], p = .004), 30-day mortality rates (10% vs 1%, Odds Ratio 5.57, 95% CI [1.01; 30.58], p = .05), 1-year major amputation rates (15% vs 6% Odds Ratio 3.61, 95% CI [1.18; 11.09], p = .02), 1-year loss of primary patency (54% vs 23%, Odds Ratio 3.19, 95% CI [0.91; 11.20], p = .07), and 1-year loss of secondary patency (44% vs 12%, Odds Ratio 6.91, 95% CI [3.01; 15.83], p < .05) were higher in the ER group when compared to the OR group.

Conclusion

Endovascular repair represents an alternative approach for the emergency treatment of PAA. Limited evidence from the available non-randomized studies shows unfavorable outcomes for patients undergoing ER. However, the results are prone to selection bias, and only randomized trials comparing ER to OR might reveal whether a subgroup of patients would benefit from ER as primary treatment of PAA in an emergency setting.
Lidocaine reduces pain behaviors by inhibiting the expression of Nav1.7 and Nav1.8 and diminishing sympathetic sprouting in SNI rats
Authors: Li Xiaoxiao , Chen Han , Zhu Yujing , Li Yanyan , Zhang Tan , Tang Jun
Published: September 2022

Chronic neuropathic pain is a significant clinical challenge, and the mechanisms of neuropathic pain remain elusive. Previous studies have shown that spontaneous potential, which is triggered by Nav1.7 and Nav1.8 in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), is crucial for the development of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Functional coupling between the sympathetic nervous system and somatosensory nerves after a nerve injury has also been noted as an important factor in neuropathic pain. However, the relationship of sympathetic sprouting with Nav1.7 and Nav1.8 remains unclear. Therefore, we dynamically examined the mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT), changes in Nav1.7 and Nav1.8, and sympathetic sprouting after lidocaine treatment in the spared nerve injury (SNI) model of rats. After lidocaine treatment, the MWT obviously increased, showing that hypersensitivity was significantly relieved and the abnormal expression of Nav1.7 and Nav1.8 caused by SNI was also significantly reduced. In addition, lidocaine distinctly inhibited sympathetic nerve sprouting and basket formation around the Nav1.7 and Nav1.8 neurons in the DRG. These results indicate that lidocaine may alleviate neuropathic pain by inhibiting the expression of Nav1.7 and Nav1.8, and diminishing sympathetic sprouting in DRG.
Using mixed-methods in evidence-based nursing: a scoping review guided by a socio-ecological perspective
Authors: Thompson Lieu , V Ivankova Nataliya
Published: September 2022

Background

Increased pressure for evidence-based practice in nursing necessitates that researchers use effective approaches. Mixed-methods research (MMR) has potential to improve the knowledge and implementation of evidence-based nursing (EBN) by generating outcome-based and contextually-focused evidence.

Aims

To identify methodological trends in how MMR is used in EBN research.

Methods

Searches were completed in PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar using the terms “nursing”, “mixed-methods”, and “evidence-based”. Seventy-two articles using MMR to address EBN and published 2000–2021 were reviewed across content themes and methodological domains of the Socio-Ecological Framework for MMR.

Results

Mixed-methods research has been used to study how EBN strategies are perceived, developed and assessed, and implemented or evaluated. A few studies provided an MMR definition reflecting the methods perspective, and the dominant MMR rationale was gaining a comprehensive understanding of the issue. The leading design was concurrent, and half of studies intersected MMR with evaluation, action/participatory, and/or case-study approaches. Research quality was primarily assessed using criteria specific to quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Conclusions

Mixed-methods research has great potential to enhance EBN research by generating more clinically useful findings and helping nurses understand how to identify and implement the best available research evidence in practice.
Non-utilization of postnatal care and its associated factors among women who gave birth in rural districts of Northern Ethiopia: A community-based mixed-method study
Authors: Amsalu Getu , Talie Asmare , Gezimu Wubishet , Duguma Abdissa
Published: September 2022

Objectives:

This study assessed the non-utilization of PNC services, identified factors associated with PNC non-utilization, and explored barriers to PNC utilization in the rural community.

Method:

A community-based mixed-cross-sectional study was conducted from 20 March to 20 April 2020 among 521 women who gave birth in the last 12 months prior to this survey. A multistage sampling and face-to-face interview techniques were used for the quantitative data collection, and a purposive sampling technique was used to select the study participants. In-depth interviews were used for the qualitative data collection. The quantitative data were entered into EpiData version 3.1 and then exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. A binary logistic regression analysis was used to test the association between the independent and outcome variables. A p-value of <0.2 was used as the cutoff value to include variables in the multivariate analysis. Finally, a p-value of <0.05 was used to declare an independent association. The qualitative data were manually sorted, cleaned up, and labeled as themes. Every major theme was identified and enumerated, and the meaning units were cited together with the relevant participant’s socio-demographic details.

Result:

The non-utilization of postnatal care was found to be 75.4% in the area. Normal delivery, fewer than four antenatal care visits, inaccessibility to transportation, and poor knowledge of postnatal care were all identified as factors enhancing non-utilization of postnatal care. However, being informed about postnatal care positively influences postnatal care utilization. Poor awareness, information gaps, cultural and religious beliefs, service inaccessibility, and the unfriendly approach of healthcare workers were all explored as barriers in the qualitative study.

Conclusions:

The non-utilization of PNC services in this study was higher than the majority, but not all, of the previous comparable local and worldwide findings. Mode of delivery, hearing postnatal care information, the number of antenatal visits, transportation availability, and knowledge of postnatal care services were factors affecting the non-utilization of postnatal care. The clients’ poor awareness, information gaps, cultural and religious beliefs, service inaccessibility, and healthcare staff’s inauspicious approach were barriers explored. Therefore, counseling and transportation access need to be reinforced in the setting.