bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic Performance of a Novel Noninvasive Workup in the Setting of Dry Eye Disease
Authors: Vigo Luca , Pellegrini Marco , Bernabei Federico , Carones Francesco , Scorcia Vincenzo , Giannaccare Giuseppe
Published: December 2020

Purpose. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of a novel noninvasive automated workup employed for the diagnosis of dry eye disease (DED). Methods. One hundred patients with mild to moderate DED and 100 matched control subjects were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Ocular surface examinations were carried out by means of IDRA Plus (SBM Sistemi, Turin, Italy), which allows the automated evaluation of noninvasive breakup time (NIBUT), lipid layer thickness (LLT), tear meniscus height (TMH), infrared meibography for the measurement of meibomian gland loss (MGL), and blinking analysis. Continuous variables were compared between patients with DED and controls by using the Mann–Whitney U test. The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curves was calculated. The correlations between ocular surface parameters were evaluated with Pearson correlation analysis. Results. Patients with DED showed significantly lower values of NIBUT, LLT, and TMH compared to controls (6.9 ± 2.5 vs 10.4 ± 2.4 s,

P

 < 0.001; 64.6 ± 20.3 vs 73.4 ± 21.9 nm,

P

 = 0.003; 0.231 ± 0.115 vs 0.289 ± 0.164,

P

 = 0.012, respectively). Conversely, no significant differences were observed for MGL and blinking analysis (both

P

 > 0.05). NIBUT had the highest diagnostic power (AUC = 0.841, sensitivity = 0.89, and specificity = 0.69), followed by LLT (AUC = 0.621, sensitivity = 0.89, and specificity = 0.55), TMH (AUC = 0.606, sensitivity = 0.57, and specificity = 0.63), blink analysis (AUC = 0.533, sensitivity = 0.48, and specificity = 0.59), and MGL (AUC = 0.531, sensitivity = 0.54, and specificity = 0.48). In patients with DED, NIBUT showed a significant correlation with TMH (R = 0.347,

P

 = 0.002) and blinking analysis (R = 0.356,

P

 < 0.001), while blinking analysis was negatively correlated with MGL (R = −0.315,

P

 = 0.008). Conclusions. The automated noninvasive workup validated in this study may be a useful tool for reaching a noninvasive diagnosis of DED with a good performance, especially for NIBUT.
Software Piracy Awareness, Policy, and User Perspective in Educational Institutions
Authors: Liao Zitian , Nazir Shah , Hussain Anwar , Khan Habib Ullah , Shafiq Muhammad
Published: December 2020

Software theft and piracy are rapidly ever-increasing problems of the present-day software industry. Software piracy is the illegal copy and use of software in a way other than that is officially documented by exclusive rights of the developer in the form of an individual or organization as described in the relevant sale agreement (license). Owing to the evolution in software development and Internet, software piracy has become a main concern for many software companies. Software companies are confronted with extremely high losses due to the piracy of software. Pirates achieve a lot of money by doing business with pirated software. General end-users of the software are not aware of this serious crime and of the legal consequences of breaking the law. Even most of the time, end-users and consumers think that it is none of their concern and not an important issue for them. Although, in reality, if an organization is working with pirated software, there is a risk of failure of the software, and it might put their organization at risk as pirated software does not receive any support from the development organization. This ultimately puts the consumer organization in huge financial loss. Due to these reasons, software piracy has turned out to be a major concern, more emergent due to the extravagant development of the software industry and the availability of software(s) on the Internet. In this paper, we analyzed and identified the ratio of software piracy, awareness regarding piracy, and the policy of the licensed software provided. Based on the results of the study, some suggestions are proposed by which the level of piracy can be reduced.
Robust H∞ Control for the Spacecraft with Flexible Appendages
Authors: Pang Aiping , Zhu Hui , Zhou Junjie , He Zhen , Yang Jing
Published: December 2020

Aiming at the oscillation suppression of spacecraft with large flexible appendages, we propose a control strategy using H∞ control. The weighting functions are designed for the specific flexible modes of the spacecraft and the frequency of harmonic interference in its operating environment. Taking into account the structural uncertainty of systematic modeling and the comprehensive performance requirements of system bandwidth constraint and attitude stability, the H∞ comprehensive performance matrix is constructed. A space telescope with a large flexible solar array is presented as an illustrative example, and a control design that meets the requirement for pointing accuracy is proposed. The simulation results show that the designed controller satisfies the requirements of attitude stability and high pointing accuracy and has effectively suppressed the disturbance of endemic frequency. The design scheme and selection method of the weight function shown in this paper can be a reference for the controller design for oscillation suppression of this type of spacecraft with flexible structures.
Effects of Metal Oxides on Carbonation and Coking of High-Salinity Organic Wastewater
Authors: Ye Jumei , Li Zhuang , Li Chongcong , Li Tianya , Gao Ziqiao , Dong Hui
Published: December 2020

Slag is difficult to treat quantitatively due to the formation of a molten mixture in the carbonization process of high-salinity organic wastewater. Thus, aiming at solving this difficulty, the effects of metal oxide additives, additive ratio, furnace burden ratio, and carbonization temperature on the carbonization and coking of high-salinity organic wastewater are systematically analyzed. The analysis is performed using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Vickers hardness tests. The results show that all five metal oxide additives can reduce the hardness of carbonized products. The relative effect of reducing the coked hardness is as follows:

MgO
>
CaO
>
kaolin
>
F

e

2

O

3

>
A

l

2

O

3

. Thus, the effect of MgO on reducing the coking hardness is stronger than that of the other four metal oxides, reducing the hardness of carbonized products by approximately 81%. Furthermore, the adding charge can reduce the hardness index by at least 60%. When the carbonization temperature is higher than 800°C, the hardness index of the carbonized product decreases by approximately 5% each 50°C of increase in temperature. This study shows that the addition of metal oxides can effectively reduce the hardness of coking during the treatment of high-salt organic wastewater by carbonization and oxidation and provide theoretical support for the subsequent treatment of high-salt organic wastewater by carbonization and oxidation.
Optimal Tag-Based Cooperation Control for the “Prisoner’s Dilemma”
Authors: Dong Rui , Jia Xinghong , Wang Xianjia , Chen Yonggang
Published: December 2020

A long-standing problem in biology, economics, and social sciences is to understand the conditions required for the emergence and maintenance of cooperation in evolving populations. This paper investigates how to promote the evolution of cooperation in the Prisoner’s Dilemma game (PDG). Differing from previous approaches, we not only propose a tag-based control (TBC) mechanism but also look at how the evolution of cooperation by TBC can be successfully promoted. The effect of TBC on the evolutionary process of cooperation shows that it can both reduce the payoff of defectors and inhibit defection; although when the cooperation rate is high, TBC will also reduce the payoff of cooperators unless the identified rate of the TBC is large enough. An optimal timing control (OTC) of switched replicator dynamics is designed to consider the control costs, the cooperation rate at terminal time, and the cooperator’s payoff. The results show that the switching control (SC) between an optimal identified rate control of the TBC and no TBC can properly not only maintain a high cooperation rate but also greatly enhance the payoff of the cooperators. Our results provide valuable insights for some clusters, for example, logistics parks and government, to regard the decision to promote cooperation.
Linear Programming and Its Application Techniques in Optimizing Portfolio Selection of a Firm
Authors: Oladejo N. K. , Abolarinwa A. , Salawu S. O.
Published: December 2020

Optimization techniques have been used in this paper to obtain an optimal investment in a selected portfolio that gives maximum returns with minimal inputs based on the secondary data supplied by a particular firm that is examined. Sensitivity analysis is done to ascertain the robustness of the resulting model towards the changes in input parameters to determine a redundant constraint using linear programming. The challenge of determining the available funds and allocating each component of the portfolio to maximize returns and minimize inputs by portfolio holders and managers who are the major decision-makers in allocating their resources cannot be quantified. This optimization technique is used to obtain an optimal investment portfolio including financial risks of a firm with disposable of $15,000,000.00 invested in crude oil, mortgage securities, cash crop, certificate of deposit, fixed deposit, treasury bills, and construction loans. The model is a single-objective model that maximizes the return on the portfolio as the interests on the original data reduces by 5%; then, the return on investments also reduced by almost 15%, with the quantum of money on treasury bills and construction loans posing a significant reduction for the maximum return. The investment in the other options saw a slight decrease. Also, as the interest rates of the original data increase by 5%, the return on investments also grows by almost 17% while the quantum of money on the treasury bills and construction loans increases, and the quantum of money on the other options experienced a decrease except for mortgage securities which recorded a slight increase.
Design of a 324 MHz 200 kW CW Waveguide-to-Coaxial Adaptor for Radio Frequency Quadrupole Microwave System
Authors: Yan Xinsheng , Zhao Lianmin , Ding Bojiang , Xu Weiye , Jia Hua , Wu Zege , Liu Fukun
Published: December 2020

A 324 MHz 200 kW waveguide-to-coaxial adaptor has been designed and fabricated for a microwave coupler in a radio frequency quadrupole system. Optimization of the adaptor is performed by the numerical study and experimental test. High-power measurements show that the reflection coefficient of the adaptor is less than −30 dB at the RFQ operating frequency, and there is no breakdown in the 228 kW pulse test. The measurement results are consistent with the simulation results, indicating that the adaptor has good high-power transmission performance. This work provides theoretical and experimental bases for a rectangular-to-coaxial adaptor design, especially in high-power steady-state operation.
Route Design Model of Multiple Feeder Bus Service Based on Existing Bus Lines
Authors: Zheng Meina , Zhou Runxuan , Liu Shanshan , Liu Feng , Guo Xiucheng
Published: December 2020

The feeder bus, as an important component of urban public transportation systems, is capable of filling the existing service gap left by urban rail transit to satisfy feeder demand. Two challenges to taking advantage of the feeder bus are identified. The first challenge is to identify the service gap, and the second one is to strengthen the coordination of multilevel urban traffic modes. Given these two challenges, this paper established a route design model that introduced a feeder bus demand coefficient to quantify feeder demand for each bus stop. To assist the design of feeder bus routes, an optimization approach based on the tabu search algorithm was proposed. Considering the sizeable combinational optimization problem, the algorithm decomposed this problem into three phases: feeder area partition, candidate stop selection, and route design problem. In the first phase, the entire area was partitioned into several subareas and the specific boundary nodes were moved into an adjacent subarea. Then, the stops with the minimum overall travel cost from every subarea were chosen as candidate ones under the limit of operating costs. The last step was to find the shortest circular route to visit each candidate stop and determine the operating direction. The proposed optimization had been implemented in a downtown area of Suzhou, China, in order to verify its effectiveness through the performance in terms of the quality of optimal solutions and computing efficiency. In addition, a possibility of simplifying a multiple circular route design problem to a single route design problem utilizing spatial clustering is provided to enhance the computing efficiency in a large-scale network.
Distinct Associations of Cognitive Impairments and Reduced Gray Matter Volumes in Remitted Patients with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder
Authors: Sun Ting , Zhao Pengfei , Jiang Xiaowei , Zhou Yifang , Li Chao , Jia Linna , Tang Yanqing
Published: December 2020

Background. Cognitive impairments are documented in schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) and may be related to gray matter volumes (GMVs). Thus, this study is aimed at exploring whether the association between cognitive impairments and GMV alterations is similar in patients with SZ and BD and understanding the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Methods. A total of 137 adult subjects (46 with SZ, 35 with BD, and 56 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (HC)) completed the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) and structural magnetic resonance imaging scanning. We performed group comparisons of the cognitive impairments, the GMV alterations, and the association between them. Results. Compared with HC, the patients with SZ and BD showed shared deficits in 4 cognitive domains (i.e., processing speed, working memory, problem solving, and social cognition) and the composite. SZ and BD had commonly decreased GMVs, mainly in the insula, superior temporal pole, amygdala, anterior cingulate, and frontal cortices (superior, middle, opercular inferior, and orbital frontal gyrus). No correlation between MCCB scores and GMVs was detected in SZ. However, for BD, working memory was relevant to the right hemisphere (i.e., right insula, amygdala, superior temporal pole, and medial and dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus). Limitations. The major limitations were that not all patients were the first-episode status and no medication. Conclusions. The association was mainly limited to the BD group. Thus, the underlying pathophysiology of the cognitive deficits, in terms of GMV alterations, may be diverse between two disorders.
A Real-Time Train Timetable Rescheduling Method Based on Deep Learning for Metro Systems Energy Optimization under Random Disturbances
Authors: Liao Jinlin , Zhang Feng , Zhang Shiwen , Gong Cheng
Published: December 2020

Considering that uncertain dwell disturbances often occur at metro stations, researchers have proposed many methods for solving the train timetable rescheduling (TTR) problem. This paper proposes a Modified Genetic Algorithm-Gate Recurrent Unit (MGA-GRU) method, which is a real-time TTR method based on deep learning. The proposed method takes the Gate Recurrent Unit (GRU) network as the decision network and uses the results produced by the Modified Genetic Algorithm (MGA) as the training set of the decision network. A well-trained decision network can provide effective solutions in real time after random disturbances occur, in order to optimize the net traction energy consumption of trains in metro systems. Based on the Shanghai Metro Line One (SML1) pilot network, this paper establishes a comprehensive model of the metro system as a training and testing environment to verify the energy-saving effect and real-time performance of the proposed method in solving the TTR problem. The experimental results show that in the two-train metro system, the three-train metro system, and the five-train metro system, the MGA-GRU method can save an average of energy by 4.45%, 6.16%, and 7.19%, while the average decision time is only 0.15 s, 0.27 s, and 0.33 s, respectively.
SAR439859, a Novel Selective Estrogen Receptor Degrader (SERD), Demonstrates Effective and Broad Antitumor Activity in Wild-Type and Mutant ER-Positive Breast Cancer Models
Authors: Shomali Maysoun , Cheng Jane , Sun Fangxian , Koundinya Malvika , Guo Zhuyan , Hebert Andrew T. , McManus Jessica , Levit Mikhail N. , Hoffmann Dietmar , Courjaud Albane , Arrebola Rosalia , Cao Hui , Pollard Jack , Lee Joon Sang , Besret Laurent , Caron Anne , Bangari Dinesh S. , Abecassis Pierre-Yves , Schio Laurent , El-Ahmad Youssef , Halley Frank , Tabart Michel , Certal Victor , Thompson Fabienne , McCort Gary , Filoche-Rommé Bruno , Cheng Hong , Garcia-Echeverria Carlos , Debussche Laurent , Bouaboula Monsif
Published: December 2020

Primary treatment for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer is endocrine therapy. However, substantial evidence indicates a continued role for ER signaling in tumor progression. Selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERD), such as fulvestrant, induce effective ER signaling inhibition, although clinical studies with fulvestrant report insufficient blockade of ER signaling, possibly due to suboptimal pharmaceutical properties. Furthermore, activating mutations in the ER have emerged as a resistance mechanism to current endocrine therapies. New oral SERDs with improved drug properties are under clinical investigation, but the biological profile that could translate to improved therapeutic benefit remains unclear. Here, we describe the discovery of SAR439859, a novel, orally bioavailable SERD with potent antagonist and degradation activities against both wild-type and mutant Y537S ER. Driven by its fluoropropyl pyrrolidinyl side chain, SAR439859 has demonstrated broader and superior ER antagonist and degrader activities across a large panel of ER+ cells, compared with other SERDs characterized by a cinnamic acid side chain, including improved inhibition of ER signaling and tumor cell growth. Similarly, in vivo treatment with SAR439859 demonstrated significant tumor regression in ER+ breast cancer models, including MCF7-ESR1 wild-type and mutant-Y537S mouse tumors, and HCI013, a patient-derived tamoxifen-resistant xenograft tumor. These findings indicate that SAR439859 may provide therapeutic benefit to patients with ER+ breast cancer, including those who have resistance to endocrine therapy with both wild-type and mutant ER.
New Rituals Out of an Old One: The Slava among Serbian Immigrants in Sweden
Authors: Hadžibulić Sabina , Lagerspetz Mikko
Published: December 2020

Slava or Krsna lava is the Serbian Orthodox celebration of a family’s patron saint on a given day of the year. During the decades of Socialist Yugoslavia (1943–1992), it was confined to the private sphere only. Since the 1960s, there is a sizeable group of Yugoslav or Serbian immigrants in Sweden, and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Sweden claims 40,000 members. The article is based on eleven semi-structured interviews with immigrants who have started celebrating the Slava in Sweden. We identified four frames of interpretation used in order to provide the ritual with meaning: Orthodoxy, family, ethnicity, and local community. A closer discussion of three cases illustrates different ways of finding a balance between Slava’s possible meanings. The ways of celebrating display individual variation and varying influence of the culture and values of the host society.
Spiritual Yarning: Craft-making as Getting Along in Everyday Life
Authors: Myllys Riikka
Published: December 2020

This article investigates how spirituality relates to craft-making. Spirituality is understood to have both religious and nonreligious content depending on the person. The data was collected in a one-year period of observation and interviews. The results show that spirituality related to craft-making may be both religious and nonreligious. It is noteworthy, however, that religious and nonreligious spirituality are related to different aspects of craft-making: the social and prosocial aspects of craft-making are mostly religiously spiritual, whereas individually centred aspects are not. Altogether, the spirituality of craft-making is largely immanent and wellbeing-oriented. As such, its focus is on getting along in everyday life.
Visual Self-Motion Feedback Affects the Sense of Self in Virtual Reality
Authors: Schettler Aubrieann , Holstead Ian , Turri John , Barnett-Cowan Michael
Published: December 2020

We assessed how self-motion affects the visual representation of the self. We constructed a novel virtual-reality experiment that systematically varied an avatar’s motion and also biological sex. Participants were presented with pairs of avatars that visually represented the participant (‘self-avatar’), or another person (‘opposite avatar’). Avatar motion either corresponded with the participant’s motion, or was decoupled from the participant’s motion. The results show that participants identified with (i) ‘self-avatars’ over ‘opposite-avatars’, (ii) avatars moving congruently with self-motion over incongruent motion, and importantly (iii) with the ‘opposite avatar’ over the ‘self-avatar’ when the opposite avatar’s motion was congruent with self-motion. Our results suggest that both self-motion and biological sex are relevant to the body schema and body image and that congruent bottom-up visual feedback of self-motion is particularly important for the sense of self and capable of overriding top-down self-identification factors such as biological sex.
Insight into the Mechanism of Internalization of the Cell-Penetrating Carrier Peptide Pep-1 by Conformational Analysis
Authors: Wang Ting , Wang Chu , Zheng Size , Qu Guanwen , Feng Zhangqi , Shang Jing , Cheng Yaozhong , He Nongyue
Published: December 2020

Different secondary structures of the pep-1 protein were blamed for transmembrane internalization process of drugs and drug deliveries. But which structure will be important for transmembrane delivery was still not clear. In this study, interactions between pep-1 and cell membranes
were studied. Pep-1 in the buffer (Pep-1) and pep-1 on graphene (PDS/G) or they on graphene oxide (PDS/GO) were composed as the transmembrane delivery system to study the different secondary structure of pep-1 that influence for their transmembrane delivery. The curves of chirascan circular
dichroism (CD) and all-atom discontinuous molecular dynamics (DMD) simulations illuminate that, in a buffer environment, most pep-1 formed 3–10 helix structures. Meanwhile, when Pep-1 composed graphene slice and formed PDS/G, 3–10 helix and alpha-helix structures can be found in
small quantities. When they on graphene oxide and formed PDS/GO, coil or type II beta-turn structure can be found from most of the pep-1 and 3–10 helix structure disappeared. By using sum-frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy, we found that pep-1 with 3–10 helix structures
in buffer solutions damaged the lipid bilayer violently. PDS/G with less 3–10 helix structures will change the orientation of lipid bilayer effectively but slightly. Pep-1 with coil or type II Beta-turn in PDS/GO cannot influence the structure of lipid bilayers. Hemolysis experiments
also proved that when pep-1 composed as PDS/G, they will change the orientation of the plasma membrane of red blood cells effectively but slightly. When they attach on the GO and formed PDS/GO, the plasma membrane of red blood cells cannot be influenced. In conclusion, 3–10 helix structures
will be positively correlated with disturbance of membranes. These results will be effectively guided the clinic application of pep-1 as a transporter of the drug delivery system.
Recent Progress in Black Phosphorus Sensors
Authors: Ma Tingting , Huang Hao , Guo Wenfei , Zhang Chuanxiang , Chen Zhu , Li Song , Ma Liang , Deng Yan
Published: December 2020

Black phosphorus (BP) is a new two-dimensional material with many unique properties, such as great biocompatibility, excellent surface activity, high carrier mobility, and tunable bandgap. Black phosphorus has been particularly attractive in sensor. However, black phosphorus isolated
by traditional methods is easily oxidized and degraded by air, with poor stability, which limits its application as sensors. The modification and functionalization of black phosphorus enhance the stability, sensitivity, selectivity and biocompatibility of its application in sensor. This review
describes recent progresses in sensor based on black phosphorus (2016–2020). Firstly, the structure and properties, synthesis methods, modification and functionalization of black phosphorus are briefly described. Then, the advancements in designing of various sensors based on black phosphorus
are systematically provided, with a specific focus on electrochemical sensors, electrochemiluminescence sensors and photoelectrochemical sensors. Finally, latest challenges and further opportunities for developing new sensors with black phosphorus nanomaterial are discussed.
Statistical Discrimination and the Rationalization of Stereotypes
Authors: Tilcsik András
Published: December 2020

The theory of statistical discrimination is a dominant social scientific framework for understanding discrimination in labor markets. To date, the literature has treated this theory as a model that merely explains employer behavior. This article contends that the idea of statistical discrimination, rather than simply providing an explanation, can lead people to view social stereotyping as useful and acceptable and thus help rationalize and justify discriminatory decisions. A preregistered survey experiment with more than 2,000 participants who had managerial experience shows that exposure to statistical discrimination theory strengthened people’s belief in the accuracy of stereotypes, their acceptance of stereotyping, and the extent to which they engaged in gender discrimination in a hiring simulation. Reading a critical commentary on the theory mitigated these effects. These findings imply that theories of discrimination, and the language associated with them, can rationalize—or challenge the rationality of—stereotypes and discrimination and, as a result, shape the attitudes and actions of decision-makers in labor markets.
Inspiring the Next Generation of Music Educators: A Multiple Case Study of High School Music Experiences and Career Choice
Authors: Robison Tiger , Edgar Scott N. , Eros John , Councill Kimberly H. , Fredrickson William E. , Helmick Jonathan , Hoffman Edward C. , Melago Kathleen A. , Williams Blair A.
Published: December 2020

The purpose of this instrumental multiple case study was to explore the roles that high school music educators and the experiences they provide play in influencing high school students’ decisions to pursue a career in music education. Four bounded systems, consisting of programs led by ensemble directors with documented records and reputations for helping matriculate music education students into undergraduate music education programs, were studied. Findings were organized into the following themes: (a) formative attraction to the profession, (b) differing approaches to encouragement, (c) forms of encouragement, and (d) life as a music teacher. Specific implications for practice for multiple stakeholders and implications for future research are provided based on these findings.
Predicting Recovery in Individuals With Serious Mental Illness: Expanding the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Framework
Authors: Sánchez Jennifer
Published: December 2020

People with psychiatric disabilities experience significant impairment in fulfilling major life roles due to the severity of their mental illness. Recovery for people with serious mental illness (SMI) can be a long, arduous process impacted by various biological, functional, sociological, and psychological factors that can present as barriers and/or facilitators. The purposes of this study were to (a) investigate the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework’s ability to predict recovery in adults with SMI and (b) determine to what extent the ICF constructs in the empirical model explain the variance in recovery. Participants ( N = 192) completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and various measures representing all predictor and outcome variables. Results from hierarchical regression analysis with six sets of predictors entered sequentially (1 = personal factors-demographics, 2 = body functions-mental, 3 = activity-capacity, 4 = environmental factors, 5 = personal factors-characteristics, and 6 = participation-performance) accounted for 75% (large effect) of the variance in recovery. Controlling for all factors, by order of salience, the factors found to significantly predict recovery were higher levels of significant other support, education, executive function impairment, and social self-efficacy; primary, non-bipolar SMI diagnosis; greater resilience; lower levels of explicit memory-health impairment, affective self-stigma, and cognitive self-stigma; being younger; fewer self-care limitations; less severe psychiatric symptoms; and being unemployed and unmarried. Findings support the validation of the ICF framework as a biopsychosocial recovery model and the use of this model in the development of effective recovery-oriented interventions for adults with SMI. Clinical and research implications are discussed.
Keeping It Relevant: Student-Centered Reflections, Choices, and Actions of Critical Race Womanist Pedagogues
Authors: Watson Wanda , Devereaux Cathryn A.
Published: December 2020

This article examines how three Black women educators disrupt oppressive norms in urban schooling through their applications of critical race womanist pedagogy (CRWP). Using narrative excerpts formed from semi-structured interviews exploring how they contend with sociopolitical injustices through their pedagogical choices and actions, CRWP characterizes their daily classroom practices in four ways: (1) teacher reflexivity and student-centered curriculum, (2) authentic and reality-based curriculum, (3) culturally and politically relevant pedagogy, and (4) self-actualization and capacity-oriented approaches. Concretizing enactments of CRWP can inform the work of teachers, teacher educators, and administrators committed to prioritizing student-centered, politicized, academically responsive, and asset-based urban education.
A Collaborative Multimedia Project Model for Online Graduate Students Supported by On-Campus Undergraduate Students
Authors: Goode Jennifer
Published: December 2020

This descriptive narrative depicts an academic program that deploys a collaborative project model for delivering concurrent multimedia courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Applying this model, online master’s students who are studying the management of technical communication activities remotely manage teams of on-campus undergraduate students who are studying multimedia production skills. The author piloted the collaborative project model during a recent academic term. Student response to the format was overwhelmingly positive from both graduates and undergraduates, and the resulting projects were of exceptional quality and well received by their respective clients.
Game Design Tactics for Teaching Technical Communication in Online Courses
Authors: McDaniel Rudy , Telep Peter
Published: December 2020

This article describes an interdisciplinary, partially online honors course entitled Video Game Theory and Design. The article reviews the literature surrounding video games and technical communication and then outlines the learning objectives for the course. The authors describe individual and team-produced assignments and suggest game design techniques for motivating students. We explain how we assess different projects, including oral game pitches and the complex technical Game Design Documents that are students’ final deliverables. Finally, we discuss how game design techniques provide new perspectives on writing and generate new possibilities for technical communication assignments. We close by proposing three tactics that are useful for teaching technical communication students in hybrid and fully online courses: (a) nonlinear association for creative thinking; (b) team-based assignments for writing and editing using game-based tools; and (c) iterative prototyping and playtesting for multimodal production. Each tactic is contextualized using examples drawn from the field.
Sawyer’s Theory of Social Causation: A Critique
Authors: Cresswell Mark
Published: December 2020

This article critiques R. Keith Sawyer’s theory of social causation from his 2005 book Social Emergence. It considers his use of analogy with the philosophy of mind, his account of individual agency, the legacy of Emile Durkheim, the concepts of supervenience, multiple realization, and wild disjunction, and the role of history in social causation. Sawyer’s theory is also evaluated in terms of two examples of empirical research: his own micro-sociological studies into group creativity; and Margaret Archer’s macro-sociology of education systems.
TUSC (TUrbinate Surgery Classification): A Novel Classification Proposal for Turbinate Surgery
Authors: Stefano Pelucchi , Cristina Cogliandolo , Fabio Pagella , Enzo Emanuelli , Manlio Galiè , Claudio Vicini , Andrea Ciorba
Published: December 2020

Aim of this manuscript is to propose a clear and easily applicable classification for turbinate surgery, based on the use of a numerical model, which could be introduced in the practice of Otolaryngologists and Maxillo-Facial surgeons.Applying this classification, it will be possible to offer an easy format when describing which turbinates are involved in a procedure, and to offer a quick method to record and analyse clinical data, also for scientific purpose.
The Impact of Standards-Based Learning: Tracking High School Students’ Transition to the University
Authors: Guskey Thomas R. , Townsley Matt , Buckmiller Thomas M.
Published: December 2020

This study sought to determine if the implementation of standards-based learning in high schools affects students’ transition to learning in university courses. Surveys and interviews with 13 students who had graduated from high schools implementing standards-based learning and who had completed their first academic semester at a midsize, private, Midwest university revealed no detrimental effects. The most frequently mentioned transition difficulties related to social issues and time management. Implications for implementing high school grading reforms are discussed.
The Self-Surveillance Failures of Wearable Communication
Authors: Zimdars Melissa
Published: December 2020

By discursively analyzing blogs and popular press articles written by people who discontinued using Fitbit, this article reveals the incongruities between the tracking of our bodily information, the communication of that bodily information via wearables, and the promises of changing of users’ attitudes and behaviors with how wearables are actually used in practice. The discourses of discontinuance in this analysis also reveal how former Fitbit engenders feelings of disconnection and may affect users in detrimental ways. As a result, and despite the predominant framing and conceptualization of wearables as “motivating,” “empowering,” and “useful” (self)surveillance tools, I argue that Fitbit is an example of a failure both of self-surveillance and of wearable communication for helping users achieve their health and fitness goals. Finally, I argue that we need to start thinking about wearable communication like other forms of communication that are inherently inconsistent and contradictory, and that can be accepted, negotiated, or rejected by users. Instead of focusing on the disciplinary or controlling potentials of wearables as a form of self-surveillance, this paper considers the resistance and negotiations inherent in the (dis)use of wearables, and demonstrates the necessity of exploring both wearables and surveillance itself in relation to fundamental understandings of communication.
Effectiveness of interventions for optimising adherence to treatments for the prevention and management of scars: A systematic review
Authors: Killey Jessica , Simons Megan , Tyack Zephanie
Published: December 2020

Objectives:

To identify the adherence interventions used with people receiving treatments to prevent or manage scarring, the effectiveness of these interventions, and the theoretical frameworks on which these interventions were based.

Data sources:

Databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsychINFO and OTseeker) were searched (09.10.2020) with no date or language restrictions. Grey literature databases, clinical trial registries and references lists of key papers were also searched.

Review methods:

Eligible randomised controlled trials included people using treatments for scarring following skin wounds, interventions that may improve adherence, and outcomes measuring adherence. Risk of bias (selection, performance, detection, attrition, reporting) and certainty of evidence (inconsistency, imprecision, indirectness, publication bias) were assessed.

Results:

Four randomised trials were included with 224 participants (17 children) with burn scars. Interventions involved educational (three trials) or technology-based components (four trials) and ranged in length from two weeks to six months. All four trials reported greater adherence rates in the intervention group compared with standard practice [standardised mean difference = 1.50 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.91–2.08); 2.01 (95% CI 1.05–2.98); odds ratio = 0.28 (95% CI = 0.11–0.69)]. One trial did not report original data. The certainty of evidence was very low.

Conclusion:

Adherence interventions using education or technology for people receiving burn scar treatment may improve adherence. Further studies are needed particularly in children, with a focus on including outcomes of importance to patients (e.g. quality of life) and identifying core components of effective adherence interventions using theoretical frameworks.
Perceived Physical Functioning and Gait Speed as Mediators in the Association Between Fear of Falling and Quality of Life in Old Age
Authors: Steckhan Greta M. A. , Fleig Lena , Schwarzer Ralf , Warner Lisa M.
Published: December 2020

Preserving Quality of Life (QoL) in old age gains in importance, but Fear of Falling (FoF) considerably limits QoL. The aim of our study was to understand how physical mediators may translate FoF to QoL. At Time 1, FoF, subjective leg strength, balance, QoL, and objective gait speed were assessed. QoL was reassessed after 6 months, at Time 2 ( n = 125). A sequential mediation analysis examined whether the relationship between FoF and QoL could be mediated by leg strength, balance, and gait speed. FoF was directly associated with QoL (β = −.27; 95% CI [−0.007, −0.001]) as well as indirectly via leg strength, balance, and gait speed (specific sequential indirect effect: β = −.03; 95% CI [−0.06, −0.001]; R2 = .40 in QoL; controlled for age, QoL at Time 1). An intervention approach could be to address FoF and foster physical functioning and gait speed to maintain QoL.
Chinese Youth’s Reported Social and Moral Transgressions and Strategies for Self-Correction
Authors: Liu Jianjin , Midgette Allegra J.
Published: December 2020

The aim of this study was to explore Chinese adolescent’s social and moral transgressions and strategies for self-correction. For this study, following protocols that have been approved by an Institutional Review Board, 61 Chinese adolescents living in Guangzhou—distributed across three age groups: 10- to 11-year-olds ( N = 21, Mage = 11.03 years, SD = 0.43 years), 12- to 13-year-olds ( N = 20, Mage = 12.92 years, SD = 0.35 years), and 15- to 16-year-olds ( N = 20, Mage = 16.15 years, SD = 0.30 years)—participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The study employed a deductive analytical approach based on prior social domain research on children’s and adolescents’ transgressions and strategies for self-correction. This study found that Chinese youth reported conventional transgression events more frequently than any other domain. Moreover, many of adolescents’ transgressions involved academic considerations, suggesting that how adolescents’ time is organized and the social expectations for adolescent behavior influence the types of transgressions and justifications adolescents will make. Furthermore, participants reported developing self-correcting strategies following 73.6% of events, while 74.5% of strategies were reported to be developed by the adolescents themselves. Therefore, the findings suggest that there is room for adults to collaborate with adolescents in developing strategies to prevent future misbehavior and to encourage youth to not only be “good” or “moral” but also to be and do better.
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Children With Developmental Delay: Time to Look Beyond Conventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Authors: Rajvanshi Nikhil , Bhakat Rahul , Saxena Sudhir , Rohilla Jitendra , Basu Sriparna , Nandolia Khanak Kumar , Agrawal Sonam , Bhat Nowneet Kumar , Chacham Swathi
Published: December 2020

Developmental delay (DD) is an important long-term neuromorbidity owing to various insults to the developing brain and neuroimaging plays a key role in evaluating these children. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is the only noninvasive method to determine the levels of various metabolites in the brain which aids in delineating the underlying abnormalities. A total of 48 children aged between 6 months to 6 years with developmental delay were included and evaluated with neuroimaging in our study. Sensitivity of MRS in children with DD and DD plus (DD along with seizures, abnormal motor findings, behavior, brainstem evoked response audiometry, visual assessment, and microcephaly) was 81.2% and 89.6% respectively. 86.6% of children with microcephaly had abnormal MRS. MRS detected abnormalities in two-thirds of children with normal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Children with behavioral abnormalities had significantly lower N-acetyl aspartate (NAA)–creatine and NAA-choline ratios on MRS. Thus, MRS is additive to MRI in delineating the underlying pathophysiology in children with DD.
Researching Otherwise? Autoethnographic Notes on the 2013 Stockholm Riots
Authors: de los Reyes Paulina , Lundström Markus
Published: December 2020

Market adaptation, fragmentation and precariousness have been widely documented as problematic features of knowledge production processes in the university. This article follows an undercurrent of critical scholarship to explore how paths of resistance can be opened up by researching otherwise. The article builds on autoethnographic notes from a collective and non-funded research project aimed at gathering in situ narratives from people who experienced the 2013 Stockholm Riots. The research strategy behind this project, its organization as well as its results and reception, is here used as a point of departure to scrutinize the conditions of the possibility of critical knowledge production. The article draws attention to a critical place for doing research – in the cracks of the university – which arguably complicates the academic–public divide and keeps open discursive spaces during troubling moments of closure.
Moral-Language Use by U.S. Political Elites
Authors: Wang Sze-Yuh Nina , Inbar Yoel
Published: December 2020

We used a distributed-language model to examine the moral language employed by U.S. political elites. In Study 1, we analyzed 687,360 Twitter messages (tweets) posted by accounts belonging to Democratic and Republican members of Congress from 2016 to 2018. In Study 2, we analyzed 2,630,688 speeches given on the floor of the House and Senate from 1981 to 2017. We found that partisan differences in moral-language use shifted over time as the parties gained or lost political power. Overall, lower political power was associated with greater use of moral language for both Democrats and Republicans. On Twitter, Democrats used more moral language in the period after Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election. In Congressional transcripts, both Democrats and Republicans used more of most kinds of moral language when they were in the minority.
To Split or Not to Split: Strategic Planning and Alignment at Jaffer Brothers Private Limited
Authors: Fayyaz Anjum , Syed Jawad
Published: December 2020

Jaffer Brothers Limited (JBL) was an established, seventy-year old, private-sector business group in Pakistan involved in diversified businesses operating across Pakistan. JBL group of companies was 100 per cent owned by the Jaffer family, and it was one of the few business groups in Pakistan with no public holdings in the group companies. In 2007–2008, JBL engaged a Pakistani consultant to prepare its corporate strategic plan in consultation with the management team of JBL. The company’s strategic plan for 2020 identified the strategic vision and path which the management team had chosen for 2020.

In 2013–2014, Fahim Azam was the country general manager of JBL, and there was a branch structure in the projects and machinery (P&M) division with three branches, namely Karachi (South), Lahore (Central) and Islamabad (North), all of which were reporting to Fahim. With the change of market situation such as an expansion of markets and demands across Pakistan, development of linkages with Chinese principals, opportunities offered by China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as well as the increasing operational complexity and diversity of operations and markets, JBL decided to restructure the P&M division and introduced four strategic business units (SBUs) under the leadership of Fahim Azam. These SBUs included projects, machinery sales, machinery support (service, maintenance) and rental and power system.

In 2017, the JBL P&M division was passing through a transition phase, and each SBU was required to develop and finalize its own vision and mission statement while also developing a strategic plan for 2030. Fahim was thinking about the many challenges associated with the bottom-up process of developing Vision 2030 for the division. He had a feeling that it was an issue of change management as the team was used to the old system of operations. JBL’s P&M division faced challenges related to the lack of integration of the SBUs and the lack of strategic thinking of the employees in each SBU.
Development and Initial Validation of Differential Diagnostic Indices for the MMPI-2-RF
Authors: Menton William H.
Published: December 2020

In this article, I discuss construction of a set of weighted indices for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) designed to provide direct guidance in three specific differential diagnostic problems. I created a calibration data set using a combined sample of mental health patients ( n = 2,043). Using the MMPI-2-RF’s Substantive Scales as a pool of potential predictors, I applied the lasso, a penalized regression technique, to derive three logistic regression equations differentiating three major diagnostic groups (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder) from one another. Then, I extracted empirically derived beta weights from these equations and used them to create composite differential diagnostic indices, which I scored in a separate holdout validation data set ( n = 873). The differential diagnostic indices performed well in the validation data set (schizophrenia vs. bipolar area under the curve [AUC] = .76; schizophrenia vs. major depression AUC = .90; bipolar vs. major depression AUC = .75). Moreover, they substantially outperformed any single existing MMPI-2-RF scale in the same differential diagnostic tasks. In addition to discussing the development and initial validation of these indices, I present methods for deriving clinically referenced standard scores and diagnostic classification probabilities for obtained raw index scores.