bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Lived Experience of Parents’ Receiving the Diagnosis of CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder for Their Child
Authors: Demarest Scott , Marsh Rebekah , Treat Lauren , Fisher Michael P. , Dempsey Amanda , Junaid Mohammed , Downs Jenny , Leonard Helen , Benke Tim , Morris Megan A.
Published: February 2022

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD), a severe developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, is being diagnosed earlier with improved access to genetic testing, but this may also have unanticipated impacts on parents’ experience receiving the diagnosis. This study explores the lived experience of parents receiving a diagnosis of CDD for their child using mixed methods. Thirty-seven semistructured interviews were conducted with parents of children with a diagnosis of CDD, which were coded and analyzed to identify themes. Grief was a nearly universal theme expressed among participants. Parents of younger children discussed grief in the context of receiving the diagnosis, whereas parents of older children indicated they were at different stages along the grieving journey when they received the diagnosis. Parents with less understanding of their child's prognosis (poorer prognostic awareness) connected their grief to receiving the diagnosis as this brought a clear understanding of the prognosis. Several themes suggested what providers did well to improve the diagnostic experience for parents, much of which aligns with existing literature around how to provide serious news. Additionally, parents identified long-term benefits of having a diagnosis for their child's medical problems. Although interview data were concordant with a survey of parents’ diagnostic experience from a large international cohort, most participants in this study were relatively affluent, white mothers and further research is needed to better understand if other groups of parents have a different diagnostic experience. This study gives context of parental experience that providers should be aware of when conveying new genetic diagnoses to families.
Canon Fodder and the Intimacy of Dialogues
Authors: Blume Oeur Freeden
Published: February 2022

Michael Burawoy’s 2021 essay, ‘Decolonizing Sociology: The Significance of W.E.B. Du Bois’, forges dialogues between the scholar denied and established theorists with the aim of reconstructing the sociological canon. My commentary situates the author’s essay and his own Du Boisian turn in a long career dedicated to reflexive science and recomposing theory. I reflect on the seemingly innocuous notion of a dialogue itself: its implications for sociological theory and practice, and how it supports decolonial efforts. Thinking with Toni Morrison, Hazel Carby, Lisa Lowe, and others, I offer a sketch of a decolonial methodology—what I call a Du Boisian shadowplay—that brings into view the intimate dimensions of imperialism. Ultimately, such a feminist methodology reconstructs dialogues that reflect on researcher standpoints and nested imperial histories; and in the face of today’s social crises, nurtures dialogues that are animated by an ethic of love.
Time-delay-locked dynamic mode decomposition for extracting flow patterns of compressor in experiment
Authors: Wang Jiaqi , Chen Jin , Song Moru , Dong Guangming
Published: February 2022

Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is widely used in extracting the main features of high-dimensional nonlinear systems in computational fluid dynamics. However, it cannot be directly applied to real compressors due to the limitations of data acquisition over the entire flow field. In order to overcome this limitation, our paper proposes a time-delay-locked DMD algorithm. It combines the idea of phase locking, Hankel time-delay method, and DMD method. Based on it, the flow patterns are successfully extracted and the unsteady flow phenomena including rotating stall and rotating instability are explained as modal waves. Multi-peak spectrum nearly 1/2 BPF observed under off-design RI conditions is explained. In addition, multi-scale of rotating stall is analyzed and shock wave is captured.
Gallic acid protects against isoproterenol-induced cardiotoxicity in rats
Authors: Shackebaei Dareuosh , Hesari Mahvash , Ramezani-Aliakbari Soudabeh , Hoseinkhani Zohreh , Ramezani-Aliakbari Fatemeh
Published: February 2022

Background

Gallic acid (GA) is a polyphenolic agent with interesting pharmacological impacts on the cardiovascular system.

Objective

The present study purposed to study the protective effects of GA at 25 and 50 mg/kg against isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiac damage in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in rats.

Methods

Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into six groups: Control, Control treated with GA at 25 mg/kg (GA25), Control treated with GA at 50 mg/kg (GA50), Hypertrophic rats induced by ISO (ISO), Hypertrophic rats treated with GA at 25 mg/kg (ISO+GA25), and Hypertrophic rats treated with GA at 50 mg/kg (ISO+GA50). Heart isolation was performed to induce a cardiac I/R injury model. Cardiac hemodynamic parameters were recorded. Serum Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) and Creatine Kinase-MB (CK-MB) and cardiac Superoxide dismutases (SOD) levels were evaluated. The gene expression of Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a) was assessed.

Results

We found that GA at 50 mg/kg was significantly increased cardiac function at post I/R period in ISO-induced hypertrophic hearts. Moreover, it suppressed cardiac hypertrophy, the serum LDH and CK-MB levels in ISO injected rats. Administration of GA at 50 mg/kg was significantly increased SOD level and SERCA2a gene expression in the hypertrophic hearts.

Conclusion

GA at 50 mg/kg could improve cardiac performance possibly by increasing antioxidant defense enzymes, reducing cell damage, and enhancing SERCA2a gene expression in hypertrophic heart induced by ISO in I/R injury conditions.
Social Work at the Crossroads: The Empirical Highway or the Postmodern/Critical Off-Ramp?
Authors: Drake Brett , Hodge David R.
Published: February 2022

The social work profession may be at a paradigmatic inflection point. Social work’s emphasis on evidence and scientific evaluation of knowledge is being challenged by what we term a “Postmodern/Critical Theory” perspective. To facilitate understanding of this crossroads and some of the issues involved, we trace the lineage of both perspectives and describe the core components of each. We conclude with a section laying out some of the advantages and disadvantages of either staying the “Empirical Highway” or taking the “Postmodern/Critical Off-Ramp”.
A Communication Skills Training Workshop to Improve ICU Team Relational Coordination about Goals of Care: A Pilot Study
Authors: Fettig Lyle , Tang Qing , Newton Erin , Rosario Rafael , Matthias Marianne S. , Torke Alexia M.
Published: February 2022

Background: Families of critically ill patients and their healthcare team must make life and death decisions together. Ideally, intensive care unit team members collaborate in the support of patients and families as goals of care are clarified and care plans are created. Few interventions exist to improve collaboration around this process. Team-based communication skills training about goals-of-care conversations represents one promising intervention. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a communication skills training workshop on coordination and collaboration among ICU team members. Design: Participants from a single institution completed surveys immediately before and six months after completion of the workshop. All participants, including nurses, physicians, social workers, and chaplains, completed a goals-of-care Relational Coordination survey. Nurses and physicians completed a Jefferson Scale of Attitudes Toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration (JSAPNC) survey. Results: Thirty-six participants were enrolled in three workshops. Seventeen and fifteen participants completed the relational coordination survey and JSAPNC respectively at both time points. The mean intergroup relational coordination index increased from 2.94 pre-intervention to 3.19 6-month post ( P = .002, d= .89). Nurse relational coordination index ratings of all other groups increased from 2.84 pre-intervention to 3.08 6-month post ( p = .004, d=1.23). Mean total scores on the JSAPNC survey did not change significantly from pre-intervention (53.8) to 6-month post (54.2, P = .45). Conclusion: Team-based communication skills training may improve ICU team relational coordination surrounding goals of care.
The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Cleft Lip and Palate Service Delivery for New Families in the United Kingdom: Medical and Community Service Provider Perspectives
Authors: McWilliams Danielle , Costa Bruna , Blighe Sabrina , Swan Marc C. , Hotton Matthew , Hudson Nichola , Stock Nicola Marie
Published: February 2022

Objectives

Professionals in the United Kingdom providing care to new families affected by cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) had to adapt to ensure families’ needs were met during a time of uncertainty due to Covid-19. The aims of this study were to explore the impacts of the pandemic on CL/P care provision for new families from the perspectives of professionals working in medical and community settings along with any personal impact on professionals and their reflections on the future of CL/P care.

Design

Semistructured interviews (n  =  27) were completed about experiences from March 2020 to October 2020 with consultant cleft surgeons (n  =  15), lead clinical nurse specialists (n  =  8), and staff working at the Cleft Lip and Palate Association (n  =  4). Transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results

Three themes were identified: (1) the impact of Covid-19 on the provision of cleft care in the United Kingdom, including working conditions, delays to treatment, and Covid-19 policies; (2) the impact of the pandemic on professionals’ mental health, including personal distress and concerns about Covid-19 exposure; and (3) reflections on the future of CL/P care, whereby professionals expressed both hope and concern about the Covid-19 recovery effort.

Conclusions

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has impacted CL/P service delivery for new families significantly, warranting recommendations for cohesive psychological support for families in addition to a safe and resourced recovery effort. Support for professionals is also suggested, following existing evidence-based models for providers’ needs that address the difficulties of working throughout challenging times.
Differentiation of Self, Life Span Theory, and Higher Stages of Human Development
Authors: Travis Frederick , Thompson Erik , Parim Nyazi
Published: February 2022

What are the relationships among differentiation of self in Bowen theory, the object-referral/self-referral continuum of self in life-span development theory, and enduring self-states associated with peak experiences during meditation practice? Examining their interactions has practical implications: Can self-development in one system support development in others?

Thirty-seven students were administered Skowron and Friedlander's Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI) and the Survey of Peak Experiences (SPE), measuring frequency of momentary transcendent experiences during rest and enduring peak experiences during activity and sleep.

Scores on the DSI in these subjects were similar to those in other adult populations. Between the two measures, there was a strong correlation between lower Fusion with Others and lower Emotional Reactivity on the DSI and higher peak experiences during rest and sleep on the SPE. Growth of the self-referral aspect of self, which is associated with peak experiences cultivated by transcendence, were meaningfully correlated with two subscales of differentiation of self.
Climate Finance Effectiveness: A Comparative Analysis of Geothermal Development in Indonesia and the Philippines
Authors: Chelminski Kathryn
Published: February 2022

In light of commitments made under the UNFCCC Paris Agreement and Glasgow Climate Pact, trillions of dollars are needed to fund climate mitigation and adaptation in developing countries. However, few studies have investigated the effectiveness of climate finance or how it impacts barriers to renewable energy development in recipient countries. This article contributes to the literature by investigating climate finance effectiveness through comparative case study analysis of its impacts on geothermal development in Indonesia and the Philippines. The article finds that three mechanisms of climate finance—utility modifier, social learning and capacity building—work interdependently in impacting the financial, regulatory, and technical barriers to geothermal development in Indonesia and the Philippines but are individually insufficient to scale the industry; political will and energy shocks play a significant intervening role. This paper raises policy implications for climate finance effectiveness and renewable energy technology deployment in developing countries.
Empowering Low-Income Asian American Women to Conduct Human Papillomavirus Self-Sampling Test: A Community-Engaged and Culturally Tailored Intervention
Authors: Ma Grace X. , Zhu Lin , Zhai Shumenghui , Lin Timmy R. , Tan Yin , Johnson Cicely , Fang Carolyn Y. , Belinson Jerome L. , Wang Min Qi
Published: February 2022

Background

Asian American women face disproportionate burden of cervical cancer (CC) than non-Hispanic white women in the U.S. The goal of this study was to assess the feasibility and impact of a culturally tailored intervention to promote Human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling test among hard-to-reach Asian American women.

Methods

We adopted the community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to conduct this efficacy study. A total of 156 female participants (56 Chinese, 50 Korean, and 50 Vietnamese) were recruited from community-based organizations (CBOs) in the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. The intervention components included HPV-related education, HPV self-sampling test kit and instructions, group discussions, and patient navigations, all available in Asian languages. We examined several outcomes, including the completion of HPV self-sampling, HPV-related knowledge, perceived social support, self-efficacy, and comfort with the self-sampling test at post-intervention assessment.

Results

The majority of Asian American women had low annual household income (62.3% earned less than $20,000) and low educational attainment (61.3% without a college degree). We found significant increase in participants’ knowledge on HPV (baseline: 2.83, post: 4.89, P <.001), social support (baseline: 3.91, post: 4.09, P < .001), self-efficacy (baseline: 3.05, post: 3.59, P < .001), and comfortable with HPV self-sample test (baseline: 3.62, post: 4.06, P < .001).

Conclusion

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first intervention study that promoted HPV self-sampling test among Asian American women. Our findings showed that CBPR culturally tailored intervention of self-sampling was highly effective in empowering low-income Asian American women to conduct HPV self-sampling tests.
Choroidal vasculature analysis in MEK inhibitor-associated retinopathy
Authors: Cerquaglia Alessio , Lupidi Marco , Chhablani Jay , Gujar Ramkailash , Iaccheri Barbara , Fiore Tito , Fruttini Daniela , Ramundo Antonello , Vupparaboina Kiran Kumar , Castellani Luca , Simonetti Edoardo , De Carolis Luca , Tiacci Enrico , Falini Brunangelo , Cagini Carlo
Published: February 2022

Purpose

To evaluate choroidal vascularity index (CVI) in patients developing mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor-associated retinopathy (MEKAR).

Methods

In this prospective observational study, extensive ophthalmic examination was performed, including enhanced-depth-imaging-optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). EDI-OCT scans of patients receiving Cobimetinib, taken at baseline and at MEKAR manifestation, were considered for choroid analysis. Choroidal thickness (CT) was measured on high-resolution b-scans passing through the fovea at three different locations. Same scans were therefore imported for binarization into a previously reported software and CVI was calculated as the ratio of luminal area (LA) to total choroid area (TCA).

Results

When compared to baseline, eyes with MEKAR (14 eyes) did not show significative CT variation in subfoveal region (p = 0,57), 750-µm-nasal to the fovea (p = 0,08) and 750-µm-temporal to the fovea (p = 0,07). Similarly, there were no statistically significant differences for TCA (p = 0.54), LA (p = 0.85), stromal area (SA) (p = 0.13), LA/SA (p = 0.34) and CVI (p = 0.47). Best-corrected visual acuity was significantly reduced at fluid accumulation when compared to baseline values (p = 0.03), with complete recovery after fluid resolution (p = 0.73).

Conclusion

Multiple parameters reflecting the status of the choroid seemed not influenced by Cobimetinib administration. Retinal pigment epithelium toxic disfunction likely represents the crucial step in MEKAR pathogenesis.
Individual-Level Factors are Significantly More Predictive of Employee Innovativeness Than Job-Specific or Organization-Level Factors: Results From a Quantitative Study of Health Professionals
Authors: Hewko Sarah J
Published: February 2022

Individual innovativeness is particularly indispensable among health professionals. The healthcare environment is complex and its knowledge workers must continually adapt to change and be comfortable with ambiguity. The objective of this study was to determine the relative importance of individual, job-specific, and organizational factors on innovative output of health professionals. Employed Canadian Registered Dietitians (n = 237) completed an online survey incorporating relevant validated tools, including the 10-item Big Five Inventory and the Alberta Context Tool. Factors were classified by level and introduced in blocks to a multivariate linear regression model, with the outcome of self-reported innovative output. Factors included in the model explained 44% of variation in self-reported innovative output. Although all blocks contributed significantly to the model, minimal variation was explained by factors at the job-specific (4%) and organizational levels (4%). Factors at the individual level most predictive of innovative output were role innovation, the personality trait of conscientiousness and voluntary membership in a professional association. To encourage employee innovativeness, health administrators, and managers of health professionals should consider how best to incorporate screens for individual-level indicators of innovative output (eg, personality tests) in their institutional hiring and selection processes.
A Case of M-Type Phospholipase A2 Receptor-Associated Membranous Nephropathy With IgG4-Positive Cells Infiltration in the Interstitium
Authors: Ishibuchi Kento , Iwakura Takamasa , Ema Chiemi , Nakagami Daisuke , Uchiyama Yuri , Kaneko Mai , Fukasawa Hirotaka , Matsuyama Takashi , Yasuda Hideo , Furuya Ryuichi
Published: February 2022

A 70-year-old man was referred to our department for evaluation of nephrotic syndrome. Renal biopsy revealed membranous nephropathy (MN). Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated IgG4-positive staining in the glomeruli and interstitial cells. The presence of serum anti-phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) antibody and enhanced staining of PLA2R in the glomeruli was noted. Computed tomography unidentified the extrarenal lesions of IgG4-related disease. He was diagnosed with PLA2R-associated MN possibly complicated with IgG4 related kidney disease (IgG4-RKD). Storiform fibrosis, a typical manifestation of IgG4-RKD, was not apparent. We herein describe a case of serologically and histologically confirmed PLA2R-associated MN with IgG4+ cell infiltration into the interstitium without any signs of IgG4-RD.
Using global research on ventilation and airborne infection control for impacting public policy through the Indian Judiciary
Authors: Singh Raja , Dewan Anil
Published: February 2022

This paper aims to bring to light the need, with an example, for the intervention of the government agencies in developing regulations for ventilation in buildings to prevent airborne diseases. The authors have highlighted the missing areas in the current regulations in India and prepared a public interest litigation. This plea was filed in the Delhi High Court, and the court responded positively and instructed the authorities to treat the plea as a representation and work out solutions to the problem. In India, the right to a healthy environment has become a Fundamental Right under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. The petitioners, as researchers in the area themselves, send the message of immediate public intervention through their research, especially if it is an area of urgent attention. This piece is written to encourage researchers across the world to become active in making sure their research is put into action.
Effects of water spray on smoke layer in buildings with natural venting
Authors: Zhang Cunfeng
Published: February 2022

Fire safety is always an important issue in the indoor and built environment. There might be hidden conflicts among different systems such as suppression and smoke control. The effect of water spray on smoke movement in halls with natural venting system is reported in this paper. A series of scale modelling experiments were carried out to study the temperature variation under water spray. A small vent on the opposite side of fire source would intensify smoke stratification and result in a higher smoke temperature. Water spray would weaken the smoke stratification due to the cooling effect on the smoke and the downward drag on the smoke layer. The temperature development of smoke was the result of competition of these two effects on the smoke layer. When the effect of water spray was stronger, the average smoke temperature tended to be lower, and the temperature difference of the ceiling to the smoke layer interface was smaller. When the effect of the opening dominated, the results were reversed. These results would be useful for providing fire safety in indoor and built environment.
Fire safety of building integrated photovoltaic systems: Critical review for codes and standards
Authors: Ko Yoon , Aram Monireh , Zhang Xin , Qi Dahai
Published: February 2022

A critical review of current regulations and standards is presented pertaining to the fire safety of the integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems into buildings. Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems need to meet both fire safety requirements as PV systems as well as the building fire codes requirements as building structural components (e.g. facades, roofing and glazing). However, the current building codes do not provide provisions that cover various applications of BIPV. Furthermore, the new building materials of glazing, tiles and claddings with the added function of solar energy collection are beyond the scopes of most of the current codes and standards. The present study also identified gaps in addressing the fire risk of BIPV systems with respect to the application to buildings considering potential fire hazards specific to the application.
Investigation of particle erosion of polytetrafluoroethylene and its composites
Authors: Özzaim Pelin , Korkusuz Orkan Baran , Fidan Sinan , Sınmazçelik Tamer
Published: February 2022

Modern-day engineering applications favor polymers and polymer composites on the grounds of their high specific properties. They can offer many different advantages compared to metals; such as high strength-to-weight ratio, ease of production, but their erosion resistance is weaker. In polymer composites, material loss occurs because of high-speed and repeated exposure to erosive particles, therefore service performance and life of the parts are adversely affected. Due to this, it is crucial to predict the particle erosion that may occur in engineering applications and to know the erosive wear behavior of the materials well. Polytetrafluoroethylene and its composites are widely used in tribological applications because of their load-carrying capacity, self-lubricating, and low-density properties, but there is inadequate literature on particle erosion behavior. In this study, particle erosion behaviors of polytetrafluoroethylene, its randomly oriented short glass fiber, and carbon particle and bronze particle-reinforced composites were investigated under different test conditions. Two different types of erosive particles (garnet and alumina) were used to present the effect of erodent type on particle erosion behavior. After particle erosion tests, surface topographies were examined by an optical profilometer, and surface morphologies were examined by scanning electron microscopy. It has been found that the type of reinforcement and the type of erodent significantly affects the particle erosion behavior of polytetrafluoroethylene and its composites.
Drawing social worlds: a methodological examination of children’s artworks
Authors: Payne Rachel
Published: February 2022

This paper presents one aspect of a sociocultural micro-ethnographic study examining how 11- and 12-year-old children formulate meanings when working with an artist in a contemporary art gallery. My primary focus is an examination of methodological contributions emerging from an imaginative coding and analysis of children’s art. Ninety-nine artworks were created in collaboration with the artist and were organised and interpreted using a constructionist interviewing coding scheme. This unorthodox approach to visual analysis unearthed information that oral accounts cannot provide alone revealing meanings which would otherwise remain dormant. By intuitively applying the coding framework I expose how participants’ meanings are negotiated by appropriating and re-organising cultural concepts into personalised narratives. As such, artworks reveal participants’ desires, interpretations and intentions, operating as agentic cultural producers as well as unconsciously reproducing visual epistemologies ubiquitous in Western cultures.
A critical realist theory of ideology: Promoting planning as a vanguard of societal transformation
Authors: Xue Jin
Published: February 2022

This article explores the potential values of a critical realist theory of ideology on the analysis of planning issues. In particular, it argues its usefulness in promoting planning as a vanguard of societal transformation. The critical realist theory of ideology revitalizes the epistemological inquiry of beliefs, which enables an evaluation of the social, economic and environmental impacts of the ideas and beliefs embedded in planning. Furthermore, the essence of critical realist theory of ideology is to explain the (re)production of the ideology, which paves the way for transformative planning, as transformation cannot be realized without eliminating constraining social conditions. Finally, critical realism situates its critique of ideology within the wider transformation process by rendering visible the dimensions that can contribute to eradicating the ideology in question, and shaping better planning ideas, including ethical reasoning, utopia thinking and transformative agency. A meta-theoretical framework based on critical realism is proposed to guide a critique of ideology in planning. By using an example of planning for sustainable urban development in Copenhagen and Oslo, the paper demonstrates the ways in which the meta-theoretical framework can be applied to planning in a quest for societal transformation.
Data Ableism: Ability Expectations and Marginalization in Automated Societies
Authors: Charitsis Vassilis , Lehtiniemi Tuukka
Published: February 2022

While data is increasingly proffered as the resource that unlocks the promises of the digitalized world, for underprivileged individuals and communities, instead of fulfilled promises, datafication means additional marginalization. Examining these forms of marginalization, this article considers how technological advancements come with ability expectations, and highlights the exclusion and discrimination of disadvantaged segments of the population that result from failing to meet digital ability expectations and reach prescribed data norms. Drawing from critical disability scholarship, we introduce the notions of data ableism and data disablism, which encapsulate privileged ability expectations pertaining to data production and the resulting forms of exclusion that are prevalent in automated societies. Underlining the intersectional nature of data ableism, we discern its two main mechanisms, namely data (in)visibility and data (un)desirability, and document the role of free market ideology in producing and upholding data ableism.
Recruiting Men for a Study Exploring First-Time Father’s Involvement in Pregnancy and Childbirth: Reflections From Fieldwork Conducted in Nigeria
Authors: Onyeze-Joe Chiemeka , Godin Isabelle
Published: February 2022

While participant recruitment and qualitative interviewing are very crucial in data collection, researchers must be mindful of cultural contexts to ensure quality outcomes. This article explores the methodological and personal challenges encountered while recruiting and interviewing men in a research study. It addresses the influence of ‘who you know’ and researcher’s flexibility in negotiating one’s way while conducting fieldwork in African contexts. I describe the initial plan to recruit men only from health settings and why that failed. Then I outline other options explored and describe my encounters entering male-dominated workspaces. Additionally, I describe the recruitment strategy in the rural communities that resulted in my locating more engaged participants and having more extended interviews. Finally, I draw on my experiences to share some lessons learnt in the process and coping strategies that may be interesting for social researchers in similar dilemmas.
B-vitamin supplementation on mitigating post-stroke cognition and neuropsychiatric sequelae: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Tan Hong Kuang , Narasimhalu Kaavya , Ting Simon Kang Seng , Hameed Shahul , Chang Hui Meng , De Silva Deidre Anne , Chen Christopher Li Hsian , Tan Eng King
Published: February 2022

Background and Purpose:

A third of stroke patients suffer from post-stroke cognitive decline, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. B-vitamin supplementation provides a possible safe and affordable treatment to mitigate post-stroke neuropsychiatric sequelae via reducing homocysteine levels. Our study aims to examine the effect of B-vitamin supplementation in the prevention of post-stroke cognitive decline, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Our secondary aims were to investigate associations between baseline factors and the three outcomes.

Methods:

Patients were recruited as part of a Singaporean substudy of a randomized controlled trial that examined the effect of B-vitamin supplementation on recurrent cardiovascular events. Cognitive decline, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms were assessed with neuropsychological assessments and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale 6 monthly. Cox regression analyses were performed to determine treatment efficacy. Logistic regression used to examine factors associated with cognitive decline, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms.

Results:

A total of 707 were included in the analyses. Survival and hazards ratio analysis showed no treatment effect of B-vitamins on cognitive decline, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Cognitive decline was only associated with age. Depressive symptoms were associated with large anterior cerebral infarcts and hyperlipidemia.

Conclusions:

Our study showed no benefit of supplementation with B-vitamins for post-stroke cognitive decline, depressive symptoms, or anxiety symptoms. Depressive symptoms were associated with larger anterior cerebral infarcts, which may be reflective of the disability associated with larger infarcts.
Title: Clinico-pathological and survival profiles of orbito-ocular tumors in Enugu Nigeria. Is there an emerging trend?
Authors: Uche Nkechinyere J , Okoye Onochie , Okoye Obiekwe , Oguegbu I , Uche Enoch O
Published: February 2022

Background

Orbito-ocular tumors are rare, but they cause significant morbidity and mortality. There are reported variations in their pattern of presentation and frequency of occurrence.

Objective

To evaluate the occurrence, clinico-pathologic spectrum, and patterns of orbito-ocular neoplasms as well as the treatment and outcome profiles.

Methods

A 5-year retrospective analysis of consecutive patients treated for orbito-ocular tumors. We evaluated patterns of occurrence, clinic-pathological concordance, and outcome of treatment. Associations were evaluated with chi square and confidence interval. Data analysis was performed using SPSS for windows version 23 and inferences were judged using the 95% level of significance.

Results

Among 100 patients with orbito-ocular masses, 62 were histologically confirmed. The female to male ratio (F:M) was 1.0. Their ages ranged from 7 months to 93 years, mean = 33.4 ± 2.7 years. There was an age variation among tumor types. Patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) had a mean age of 46.4 years, while for retinoblastoma the mean age was 3.09 years. All patients with retinoblastoma had proven macroscopic orbital extension. SCC was the most common tumor type ( n = 19), however, among children, retinoblastoma ( n = 11) was more common. Melanocytic nevus, sebaceous gland carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma of lacrimal gland ( n = 6, n = 5, n = 5), respectively, among other tumors were treated. Concordance between clinical and histopathological diagnoses was obtained among 30 (48.3%) cases. 1-year and 3-year survival for retinoblastoma was 90% and 72.9%, respectively, and 78.9% and 68.4% for SCC.

Conclusion

SCC is currently the most common orbito-ocular tumor in our setting.
Student learning performance and satisfaction with traditional face-to-face classroom versus online learning: Evidence from teaching Statistics for Business
Authors: Lin Tin-Chun
Published: February 2022

In this research, we investigated whether business students enrolled in a statistics course gained more by engaging in traditional face-to-face (FTF) learning or online learning. Empirical evidence suggested that students learned statistics more effectively when engaged with an instructor in a traditional FTF classroom versus through online learning; however, when the option of teaching virtually in fully online (ONL) classes was available, students successfully learned about statistics whether in a traditional FTF classroom or a ONL learning experience. In addition, evidence suggested that students’ overall satisfaction with the course and the instructor was higher in the FTF setting than in the ONL setting. Evidence also suggested that offering online zoom lecture meetings in the ONL setting remarkably enhanced students’ satisfaction with the course and the instructor and, importantly, reduced the gap in effective instruction between traditional FTF and ONL settings.
Dignity in urban geography: Starting a conversation
Authors: Grossmann Katrin , Trubina Elena
Published: February 2022

Studies in critical urban geography actively deal with injustices and humiliation, employing concepts like equity, justice, sustainability and the like, but strikingly, dignity is not among such current normative concepts. Analytic perspectives and definitions of dignity are widely discussed by philosophy, legal studies, and race and Indigenous studies, but a dialogue of this literature with urban geographical work is still pending. This article initiates a conceptual conversation between these traditions. It reviews how dignity occurs in urban geographical work, then presents contemporary literature on the concept of dignity, and suggests a heuristic approach that can then serve geographical analyses. We outline the potential of scholarly engagement with the concept of dignity and its merits in considering two classic topics of urban geographical scholarship from a dignity-perspective: the employment of dignifying rhetoric for promotion of mega-events, and large housing estates as a stigmatized type of neighbourhood. We highlight affectual and relational perspectives of dignity, including the interpersonal and societal emergence of dignifying or humiliating practices, and the contingency of the concept of dignity across time and context. For critical urban studies and human geography, we thus establish dignity as the moral status of a person, of a collective, and of a place within a given context rather than a universal moral status.
Organizing an “organizationless” protest campaign in the WeChatsphere
Authors: Cao Hao
Published: February 2022

The introduction of digital technologies in collective actions seems to have transformed the dynamics of movement organizing and enabled divergent forms of protest organizing. While some studies emphasize “organizationless” organizing in which traditional organizational forms—social movements organizations and formal-bureaucratic structures—have been pushed into the margins, other studies showcase how traditional forms have assumed alternative features, for example, connective leadership and organizations with fluid boundaries. While existing research correctly points out the evolving organizing dynamics and forms in digital activism, few studies have accounted for why digitally enabled protests take certain organizing forms over others among multiple modes of interaction between protesters and digital technologies. Using a case study of a protest campaign organized by Chinese American immigrants, this study illustrates why immigrant activists struggled to keep the campaign “organizationless” on WeChat, a China-based digital platform that afforded other forms of organizing over such an organizing mode. Building on the mechanism-based approach in social movement studies, the findings show that immigrant activists’ emotional–cognitive responses to the changing digital environments became the driving force behind the relational choices to maintain the protest “organizationless.” The study, therefore, may not only inform future studies to explore why certain structures of protest networks emerge and develop but also contribute to the mechanism-based approach by foregrounding emotional–cognitive mechanisms, which mediate environmental and relational mechanisms.
A scoping review of feasibility, cost-effectiveness, access to quality rehabilitation services and impact of telerehabilitation: A review protocol
Authors: Nizeyimana Eugene , Joseph Conran , Louw Quinette A
Published: February 2022

Background

Telerehabilitation is an emerging segment of telehealth and telemedicine that has a potential to deliver quality, accessible, cost-effective and efficient rehabilitation services where geographical distance is a critical factor. The objectives of this review are: to describe the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of telerehabilitation, to scope to what extent telerehabilitation has the potential impact on access to quality of rehabilitation services with specific references to low to middle income countries, and to understand key process factors including barriers and facilitators relevant to the implementation of telerehabilitation.

Methods

A scoping review of the literature will be conducted. An electronic search literature will be conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane library, Africa-wide information, CINAHL, MEDLINE, ProQuest, Web of science and reference lists. The review team will develop a data charting form and pilot it on four randomly-selected studies. The form will be refined based on the results of the piloted articles. Studies identified will be screened at the title and abstract levels by the first reviewer, followed by an independent verification for the accuracy and eligibility by two more reviewers prior to obtaining the full texts. Studies to be included must report on feasibility, cost-effectiveness, access to rehabilitation services, implementation process factors including barriers and facilitators of telerehabilitation. The analysis will include both descriptive summary and inductive thematic analysis.

Conclusion

Telerehabilitation has ability to change the current standard of care and allow for improved access and health outcomes in cost-effective ways, while addressing the scarce and unequal distribution of limited number of healthcare providers especially in low to middle income country settings. Thus, the research findings could be used by different stakeholders including: researchers, clinicians, policy makers, and implementation teams as they determine the appropriate setup for new telerehabilitation programs.
Extended Interval Dosing Natalizumab and impact on neuropsychological deficits in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: McManus Eileen J. , Clark Karen M. , Frampton Christopher , Macniven Jamie A.B. , Schepel Jan
Published: February 2022

Background: Cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms are frequently reported in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). Natalizumab (NTZ) is usually administered on a 4-weekly Standard Interval Dosing (SID) schedule. However, Extended Interval Dosing (EID) at 6–8 weekly intervals has been proven non-inferior regarding relapse risk, with a lower risk of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML). The impact of EID NTZ on neuropsychological deficits in RRMS has not been studied. Objective: To determine if EID NTZ demonstrates an improvement in neuropsychological parameters in RRMS patients. Method: We performed a retrospective, observational analysis of 34 RRMS patients treated between August 2015–2017. Patients underwent baseline neuropsychological testing before commencing EID NTZ. A second evaluation was performed, on average 28 months after commencing treatment. Results: Z scores at the initial assessment showed baseline cognitive impairment in multiple domains. 14/20 Z-scores showed an improvement post-NTZ and 5/14 reached statistical significance; namely Trails A (visual attention/processing speed), Line-orientation (visual-spatial), Picture-naming (word finding), Digital-Span (attention, executive function and memory) and Story-recall (memory). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) data remained unchanged. Correlation matrix showed no association between HADS scores, the time between assessments and the changes in Z scores. Conclusion: This data suggests the efficacy of EID NTZ in improving cognitive impairment in RRMS. A prospective observational study is warranted.
Time to Rethink: Educating for a Technology-Transformed World
Authors: McDiarmid G. Williamson , Zhao (赵勇) Yong
Published: February 2022

Purpose

We hope to provoke a conversation about preparing students for an uncertain future that unforeseeable technological innovations will transform in ways we cannot predict. The unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic makes this an opportune time to reconsider all dimensions of education.

Design/Approach/Methods

We present information on how technology is transforming virtually every aspect of our lives and the threats we face from social media, climate change, and growing inequality. We then analyze the adequacy of proposals for teaching new skills, such as 21st-Century Skills, to prepare students for a world of work that is changing at warp speed.

Findings

Despite harbingers of a radically different future, most schools continue to operate much as they have for centuries, providing a one-size-fits-all education. Technology now enables an unprecedented degree of personalization. We can tailor learning opportunities to individual students’ interests, talents, and potential with teachers serving as guides, resources, and critical friends. The Internet afford a cornucopia of learning opportunities—online courses, international experts, global collaborations, accessible databases, and libraries. Learning can occur virtually anywhere.

Originality/Value

The future depends on decisions we are making today about education. The value of this article is that we call for rethinking every component of education rather than considering each element independently.
Prediction of 90-Day Local Complications in Patients After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Nomogram With External Validation
Authors: Xie Chao , Ou Songwen , Lin Zhaowei , Zhang Jinwei , Li Qi , Lin Lijun
Published: February 2022

Background:

Local complications after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) significantly affect the patient’s prognosis. Nomograms can be a useful tool for predicting such complications.

Purpose:

To compare the preoperative and intraoperative factors of patients who underwent TKA with and without complications and to construct and validate a nomogram based on selective predictors of local complications within 90 days postoperatively.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

The nomogram was developed in a primary cohort that consisted of 410 patients who underwent primary TKA at the authors’ institution between January 2015 and September 2018. Predictor variables included 4 major local complications that can occur within 90 days: reoperation (including implant revision or removal for any reason and manipulation under anesthesia), infection, bleeding requiring ≥4 unit transfusion of red blood cells within 72 hours of surgery, and peripheral nerve injury. The authors used least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis for data dimension reduction and feature selection. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to develop the nomogram. Performance of the nomogram was assessed using C-index, calibration plot, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and decision curve analysis (DCA). The model was subjected to bootstrap validation and external validation using a prospective cohort of 249 patients.

Results:

Four significantly prognostic factors were incorporated into the nomogram: age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, tourniquet time, and estimated intraoperative blood loss. The model displayed good discrimination, with a C-index of 0.819 and an AUC of 0.819. The calibration curves showed optimal agreement between nomogram prediction and actual observation. A high C-index value of 0.801 could still be reached in bootstrap validation. Application of the nomogram in the validation cohort showed good discrimination (C-index, 0.731) and good calibration. DCA demonstrated that the nomogram was clinically useful.

Conclusion:

The authors developed and validated a novel nomogram that can provide individual prediction of local complications within 90 days for patients after TKA. This practical tool may be conveniently used to estimate individual risk and help clinicians take measures to minimize or prevent the incidence of complications.
Crafting in COVID: Engagement With Textile Arts and Crafts Among Senior Living Residents Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Nartker Kate
Published: February 2022

When the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the elderly were identified as a vulnerable group due to their significantly higher risk of severe or fatal outcome of COVID-19. Senior residential facilities were heavily affected and in an effort to constrain the spread of the virus, many organized enrichment programs were paused. This was a concern to many as clinical literature in the fields of Occupational Therapy and Art Therapy has found that art enrichment courses, including textile arts and crafts activities, are effective in managing excess time and coping with loneliness and other emotional challenges. The purpose of this research is to understand how senior residents engaged with textile arts and crafts independently and through a time of increased stress. Due to socializing restrictions, the pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine the benefits and challenges seniors face when working with textile crafts. Twelve interviews with senior participants were conducted and analyzed to locate key themes related to their experiences. Results of this analysis have applications for enrichment programming in senior housing facilities, design planning for senior housing, and in shaping further clinical research on the potential benefits of textile crafts.