bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of sublingual tacrolimus in adults undergoing hematopoietic cell transplant: A pilot study
Authors: May Heather P , Bartoo Gabriel T , Wolf Robert C , Shah Mithun V , Litzow Mark R , Hogan William J , Alkhateeb Hassan
Published: February 2021

Introduction

Orally administered tacrolimus is widely used in hematopoietic cell transplant patients, but multiple clinical situations may arise rendering oral administration infeasible. The undesirable sequelae of intravenous administration, including toxicity, challenges with administration and cost call for innovative solutions to conserve existing supply and optimize safety and efficacy of medication delivery. We sought to demonstrate feasibility of sublingual tacrolimus use and estimate a sublingual-to-oral (SL:PO) conversion ratio in the hematopoietic cell transplant setting.

Methods

Ten adults undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant received tacrolimus 0.04 mg/kg/dose twice daily. Initial doses were given via sublingual route and a steady state trough level was collected after 4 consecutive doses. Participants were then switched to oral tacrolimus, the dose adjusted for a goal trough 8-12ng/mL, and another steady state trough was drawn. Total daily dose was divided by trough concentration for each route to determine the dosing ratio of SL:PO.

Results

Median trough level following sublingual administration was 11.3 ng/mL. Three of these were within goal, 3 were low (4.7–6.4 ng/mL) and 4 were elevated (15.9–18.6 ng/mL). Median SL:PO ratio was 1.02. In 5 participants the SL:PO ratio was <1 (range 0.57–0.94) and in 5 the ratio was ≥1 (range 1.10–1.92). No significant barriers or intolerance to sublingual tacrolimus use were noted.

Conclusions

Results demonstrate reliable absorption with sublingual tacrolimus use in patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplant. Sublingual administration may allow for avoidance of the undesirable complications of IV tacrolimus, such as increased toxicities, required hospitalization for continuous infusion, risk of dose conversion and dilution errors and increased cost. Trial Registry name: Use of Sublingual Tacrolimus in Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Patients, NCT04041219 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04041219?term=NCT04041219&draw=2&rank=1
Police Officer Stress and Coping in a Stress-Awareness Era
Authors: Edwards Kerry Lynne , Eaton-Stull Yvonne M. , Kuehn Sarah
Published: February 2021

This study was conducted as controversy and turmoil engulfed police worldwide. Police-community conflict was widespread and conceivably increased officers’ stress levels. Because stress affects officers’ health and job performance, it is important to understand the phenomenon. This study was designed to ascertain officers’ stress levels, coping mechanisms, and perspectives regarding police-community relations, their perceived stress-related needs, and their perceptions of departmental assistance. Participants (N = 128) were police officers across several jurisdictions of various sizes in the northeastern United States. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected; analytic methods included statistical correlations and regression, as well as qualitative, thematic analysis. Results indicated the following: Participants experienced stress across multiple areas; some coping mechanisms predicted higher expressions of stress, as did certain perspectives of police-community relations and years in law enforcement. Participants’ perspectives of their needs and their suggestions for action contributed to data-driven policy recommendations regarding both prevention and symptom reduction approaches.
Calibrating Police Activity Across Hot Spot and Non-Hot Spot Areas
Authors: Koper Christopher S. , Wu Xiaoyun , Lum Cynthia
Published: February 2021

Maximizing crime prevention through large-scale implementation of hot spot policing requires a more refined understanding of how to calibrate police activity across high and low-risk areas. This study investigates these issues based on the experience of a large urban police agency that substantially reduced proactive activities across a large area due to resource cutbacks while also shifting a larger share of its declining proactive work into prioritized micro hot spots. Time series models were used to estimate the effects of these changes on crime-related calls in hot spots and non-hot spot areas. Hot spots required higher levels of proactivity (expressed as rates per day or per crime) to control crime, and serious crime rose in these locations following modest reductions in proactivity. In areas outside hot spots, minor and property crimes rose, but only after reductions of one-half to two-thirds in proactive work. Violence was unaffected in these areas, and they did not experience accelerated growth in crime relative to prioritized hot spots. These results help to illuminate minimum levels of police activity that may be necessary to control crime in places of varying risk. They also suggest that police can reduce proactive work by substantial amounts in lower risk areas to place more emphasis on hot spots. Better understanding of these issues is central to widespread, systematic operationalization of hot spot policing as a means to reduce crime across large areas.
Flexure of a rigidly clamped orthotropic sandwich plate strip – An elasticity solution using superposition method
Authors: Menon R Alok , Bhaskar K
Published: February 2021

A simple two-dimensional elasticity solution is presented here for flexure of an infinite sandwich strip with rigidly clamped ends; it is based on the superposition of a strong form solution for a simply supported strip under transverse loading and a Ritz solution for end-loading. Results useful for future comparisons are presented in tabular form. On the basis of these results, the accuracy of classical plate theory and first-order shear deformation theory is critically examined. Finally, the difference between rigidly clamped end conditions and a softer version of clamped conditions is highlighted with reference to far-field response.
Characterization of the vibration, stability and static responses of graphene-reinforced sandwich plates under mechanical and thermal loadings using the refined shear deformation plate theory
Authors: Yaghoobi Hessameddin , Taheri Farid
Published: February 2021

An analytical investigation was carried out to assess the free vibration, buckling and deformation responses of simply-supported sandwich plates. The plates constructed with graphene-reinforced polymer composite (GRPC) face sheets and are subjected to mechanical and thermal loadings while being simply-supported or resting on different types of elastic foundation. The temperature-dependent material properties of the face sheets are estimated by employing the modified Halpin-Tsai micromechanical model. The governing differential equations of the system are established based on the refined shear deformation plate theory and solved analytically using the Navier method. The validation of the formulation is carried out through comparisons of the calculated natural frequencies, thermal buckling capacities and maximum deflections of the sandwich plates with those evaluated by the available solutions in the literature. Numerical case studies are considered to examine the influences of the core to face sheet thickness ratio, temperature variation, Winkler- and Pasternak-types foundation, as well as the volume fraction of graphene on the response of the plates. It will be explicitly demonstrated that the vibration, stability and deflection responses of the sandwich plates become significantly affected by the aforementioned parameters.
Switching to intravitreal fluocinolone acetonide implant for refractory diabetic macular edema: 12- and 24-month results
Authors: Chronopoulos Argyrios , Chronopoulos Panagiotis , Ashurov Agharza , Korb Christina , Pfeiffer Norbert , Hattenbach Lars-Olof
Published: February 2021

Purpose:

To report visual and anatomical outcomes of chronic/refractory diabetic macular edema (DME) treated with intravitreal fluocinolone acetonide implant.

Setting:

Retrospective, one arm, multicentric study.

Method:

Between 2013 and 2018, 27 consecutive eyes of 25 patients with chronic/refractory DME were treated with a fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant. Best registered visual acuity (BRVA), central retinal thickness (CRT), and Goldmann tonometry intraocular pressure (IOP) were assessed at 12 and 24 months. The need for IOP lowering treatment as well as top-up therapy during the follow-up were also assessed.

Results:

The duration of DME prior to treatment in our study was 54 ± 24 months. The baseline mean BRVA of 0.7 ± 0.34 logMAR improved to 0.5 ± 0.3 ( p = 0.01) at 12 months and 0.46 ± 0.3 ( p = 0.04) at 24 months. At 12 months, BRVA improved in 14 eyes (52%), stabilized in 5 eyes (20%), and decreased in 3 eyes (11%). At 24 months, BRVA improved further in 6 eyes (24%), stabilized in 3 eyes (12%), and decreased in 6 eyes (24 %). Mean CRT decreased from 497 ± 176 to 349 ± 186 μm at 12 months ( p = 0.0005) and to 267 ± 104 μm at 24 months ( p = 0.001). Only five eyes required additional treatment for DME and only three eyes required treatment for raised IOP.

Discussion:

Our results show that the visual and the anatomical improvements achieved by a single injection of a fluocinolone acetonide implant were maintained up to 24 months with minimal additional therapy even in eyes with a long and heavy history; however, IOP monitoring remains essential.
Avoiding extinction: the importance of protecting isolated Indigenous tribes
Authors: Ortiz-Prado Esteban , Cevallos-Sierra Gabriel , Vasconez Eduardo , Lister Alex , Pichilingue Ramos Eduardo
Published: February 2021

Isolated Indigenous peoples are a group of Indigenous tribes that live in voluntary isolation in remote and mostly inaccessible territories. Together with Indigenous peoples in initial contact, Isolated Indigenous peoples are threatened continuously by advancing extractive activities, the absence of public policies and protection measures by the State, and the pressure of illegal activities on their territories. Generating multidimensional public policies that protect these groups is essential. This commentary shares South America’s perspective on the matter as it is the region where most of the isolated groups reside.
Strengthening Pacific voices through Talanoa participatory action research
Authors: Cammock Radilaite , Conn Cath , Nayar Shoba
Published: February 2021

Approaches to health and social research and development in the Pacific are dominated by Eurocentric frameworks that fail to reflect the region’s ethnic diversity and inherent cultural knowledge and belief systems. We aimed to advance innovative, indigenous methodology with a focus on youth voice and transformative approaches that contribute to a decolonising and sustainable model of development. Talanoa—a Pacific framework for communicating and connecting—and participatory action research were adapted to create a unique Pacific “action cycle” focused on providing opportunities to (a) hear from fruit and vegetable young entrepreneurs and (b) foster healthy and sustainable food systems among young entrepreneurs in Suva, Fiji. A Fijian worldview helped to centralise Fijian concepts of knowledge enquiry and research. This article describes the way in which Pacific Talanoa can be incorporated within a Fijian epistemological paradigm for research and development undertaken in the Fijian context.
Best Management Practices for Sustaining Agricultural Production at Choctawhatchee Watershed in Alabama, USA, in Response to Climate Change
Authors: Afroz Mahnaz Dil , Li Runwei , Muhammed Khaleel , Anandhi Aavudai , Chen Gang
Published: February 2021

Climate change will ultimately result in higher surface temperature and more variable precipitation, negatively affecting agricultural productivity. To sustain the agricultural production in the face of climate change, adaptive agricultural management or best management practices (BMPs) are needed. The currently practiced BMPs include crop rotation, early planting, conservation tillage, cover crops, effective fertilizer use, and so on. This research investigated the agricultural production of BMPs in response to climate change for a Hydrologic Unit Code12 sub-watershed of Choctawhatchee Watershed in Alabama, USA. The dominating soil type of this region was sandy loam and loamy sand soil. Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator and Cropping Systems Simulation Model were used to estimate the agricultural production. Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and RCP8.5 that projected a temperature increase of 2.3℃ and 4.7℃ were used as climate scenarios. The research demonstrated that crop rotation had positive response to climate change. With peanuts in the rotation, a production increase of 105% was observed for cotton. There was no consistent impact on crop yields by early planting. With selected peanut-cotton rotations, 50% reduced nitrogen fertilizer use was observed to achieve comparable crop yields. In response to climate change, crop rotation with legume incorporation is thus suggested, which increased crop production and reduced fertilizer use.
COVID-19 Pandemic and Environmental Health: Effects and the Immediate Need for a Concise Risk Analysis
Authors: Maipas Sotirios , Panayiotides Ioannis G , Tsiodras Sotirios , Kavantzas Nikolaos
Published: February 2021

COVID-19 pandemic, as another disease emerging in the interface between animals and humans, has revealed the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations such as the One Health initiative. Environmental Health, whose role in the One Health concept is well established, has been associated with COVID-19 pandemic via various direct and indirect pathways. Modern lifestyle, climate change, environmental degradation, exposure to chemicals such as endocrine disruptors, and exposure to psychological stress factors impact human health negatively. As a result, many people are in the disadvantageous position to face the pandemic with an already impaired immune system due to their exposure to environmental health hazards. Moreover, the ongoing pandemic has been associated with outdoor and indoor air pollution, water and noise pollution, food security, and plastic pollution issues. Also, the inadequate infrastructure, the lack of proper waste and wastewater management, and the unequal social vulnerability reveal more linkages between Environmental Health and COVID-19 pandemic. The significant emerging ecological risk and its subsequent health implications require immediate risk analysis and risk communication strategies.
Detection of EGFR Activating and Resistance Mutations by Droplet Digital PCR in Sputum of EGFR-Mutated NSCLC Patients
Authors: Hackner Klaus , Buder Anna , Hochmair Maximilian J , Strieder Matthaeus , Grech Christina , Fabikan Hannah , Burghuber Otto C. , Errhalt Peter , Filipits Martin
Published: February 2021

Background:

Proof of the T790M resistance mutation is mandatory if patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progress under first- or second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. In addition to rebiopsy, analysis of plasma circulating tumor DNA is used to detect T790M resistance mutation. We studied whether sputum is another feasible specimen for detection of EGFR mutations.

Methods:

Twenty-eight patients with advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC were included during stable and/or progressive disease. The initial activating EGFR mutations (exon 19 deletions or L858R mutations) at stable disease and at progressive disease (together with T790M) were assessed in simultaneously collected plasma and sputum samples and detected by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR).

Results:

Activating EGFR mutations were detected in 47% of the plasma samples and 41% of sputum samples during stable disease, and in 57% of plasma samples and 64% of sputum samples during progressive disease. T790M was detected in 44% of the plasma samples and 66% of the sputum samples at progressive disease. In ddPCR T790M-negative results for both specimens (plasma and sputum), negativity was confirmed by rebiopsy in 5 samples. Concordance rate of plasma and sputum for T790M was 0.86, with a positive percent agreement of 1.0 and a negative percent agreement of 0.80.

Conclusions:

We demonstrated that EGFR mutation analysis with ddPCR is feasible in sputum samples. Combination of plasma and sputum analyses for detection of T790M in NSCLC patients with progressive disease increases the diagnostic yield compared with molecular plasma analysis alone.
Substance Use Disorders and Associated Factors Among Adult Psychiatric Patients in Jimma Town, Southwest Ethiopia, 2017. Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Dawud Badiru , Yeshigeta Eyerusalem , Negash Alemayehu , Mamaru Almaz , Agenagnew Liyew , Tolosa Daniel , Kerebih Habtamu , Mekuriaw Birhanie , Abdisa Eba , Abera Mubarek , Hailesilassie Hailemariam , Soboka Matiwos
Published: February 2021

Background:

Substance use disorders are more common among people with mental illness than in the general population. It makes recovery from mental illness more difficult, leads to frequent thoughts of suicide and re-hospitalization.

Objective:

Aimed to assess the prevalence of substance use disorders and associated factors among adult psychiatric patients in Jimma Town, Southwest, Ethiopia, 2017.

Methods:

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 300 patients with mental illness using the case tracing method. Participants were interviewed using the alcohol use disorder identification test questionnaire to assess Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Fagerstrom test tool for nicotine dependence and structured questionnaires were utilized to assess the socio-demographic characteristics of participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. The variable that showed association with AUD and nicotine dependence at P < .25 in the bivariate analysis was entered into multivariable logistic regressions to control confounders for both outcome variables independently. The significance of association was determined by P < .05 and strength was described using an adjusted odds ratio at a 95% confidence level.

Results:

The prevalence of alcohol use disorder and nicotine dependence was 14.3% and 23.3%, respectively. Female gender (AOR 0.15, 95% CI = 0.04-0.57), starting treatment within the first month of the onset of the illness (AOR 0.20, 95% CI = 0.05-0.82) and nicotine dependence(AOR 4.84, 95% CI = 1.85-12.67) associated with AUD. Additionally, being female (AOR 0.04, 95% CI = 0.01-0.25), joblessness (AOR 3.05, 95% CI = 1.30-7.16), absence of relapse of illness (AOR 0.18, 95% CI = 0.065-0.503), no improvement in illness (AOR 5.3, 95% CI = 1.70-16.50), and current khat use (AOR 3.09, 95% CI = 1.21-7.90) were associated with nicotine dependence.

Conclusion:

This study revealed a high prevalence of substance use disorders among psychiatric patients in the community. Being female, experiencing a shorter duration of illness before initiating treatment, and nicotine-dependence were significantly associated with AUD. On the other hand, female sex and absence of relapse of illness were negatively associated with nicotine dependence whereas, joblessness, less improvement of illness, and khat chewing were positively associated with it. Therefore, services on substance use disorders have to be extended to the community level with wide-scale training for the town’s health care providers, including health extension workers who have direct contact with these individuals. Accordingly, comprehensive and suitable interventions were advised to be provided on factors contributing to substance use disorders in general.
Mendelian randomization provides no evidence for a causal role in the bidirectional relationship between depression and multiple sclerosis
Authors: Harroud Adil , Marrie Ruth Ann , Fitzgerald Kathryn C , Salter Amber , Lu Yi , Patel Mitulkumar , Kowalec Kaarina
Published: February 2021

Background:

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) and its incidence rises before MS diagnosis. However, the causality and direction of this association remain unclear.

Objective:

The objective is to investigate the bidirectional relationship between MS and MDD using Mendelian randomization (MR).

Methods:

We selected genetic instruments associated with risk of MDD ( n = 660,937 cases; 1,453,489 controls) and MS ( n = 47,429 cases; 68,374 controls). Using two-sample MR, we examined putative causal effects in either direction, with sensitivity analyses to assess pleiotropy. Also, we adjusted for body mass index (BMI) in multivariable MR.

Results:

We found no effect of genetic liability to MDD on the odds of MS (OR = 1.07/doubling in odds, 95% CI = 0.90–1.28). Similarly, our findings did not support a causal effect of genetic liability to MS on MDD (OR = 1.00/doubling in odds, 95% CI = 0.99–1.01). Despite heterogeneity, sensitivity analyses indicated that bias from pleiotropy was unlikely. Conversely, genetic predisposition toward higher BMI increased the odds of MS (OR = 1.34/SD increase, 95% CI = 1.09–1.65) and MDD (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.01–1.15).

Conclusion:

This study does not support a causal association between MDD genetic liability and MS susceptibility, and vice versa. Genetic evidence suggesting commonality of obesity to both conditions may partly explain the increased incidence of depression pre-MS diagnosis.
Multi-layer analysis of quantitative 7 T magnetic resonance imaging in the cortex of multiple sclerosis patients reveals pathology associated with disability
Authors: Lema Dopico Alfonso , Choi Seongjin , Hua Jun , Li Xu , Harrison Daniel M
Published: February 2021

Background:

Cortical demyelination is a relevant aspect of tissue damage in multiple sclerosis (MS). Microstructural changes may affect each layer in the cortex differently.

Objectives:

To evaluate the sensitivity of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) measurements on cortical layers as clinically accessible biomarkers of grey matter (GM) pathology.

Methods:

Forty-five participants with MS underwent 7 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. Magnetization prepared two rapid acquisition gradient echoes (MP2RAGE) was processed for T1-weighted images and a T1 map. Multi-echo gradient echo images were processed for quantitative susceptibility and R2* maps. Cortical GM volumes were segmented into four cortical layers, and relaxometry metrics were calculated within and between these layers.

Results:

Significant correlations were found for disability scales and multi-layer metrics, for example, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and peak height (PH) in the subpial (T1: ρ = −0.372, p < 0.050) and inner (R2*: ρ = −0.359, p < 0.050) cortical layers. Multivariate regression showed interdependency between atrophy and cortical metrics in some instances, but an independent relationship between cortical metrics and disability in others.

Conclusion:

Cortical layer 7 T qMRI analyses reveal layer-specific relationships with disability in MS and allow emergence of clinically relevant associations that are hidden when analysing the full cortex.
The relative contributions of obesity, vitamin D, leptin, and adiponectin to multiple sclerosis risk: A Mendelian randomization mediation analysis
Authors: Harroud Adil , Manousaki Despoina , Butler-Laporte Guillaume , Mitchell Ruth E , Davey Smith George , Richards J Brent , Baranzini Sergio E
Published: February 2021

Background:

Obesity is associated with increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS); however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Objective:

To determine the extent to which decreased vitamin D bioavailability and altered levels of adiponectin and leptin mediate the association between obesity and MS.

Methods:

We performed Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to estimate the effects on MS of body mass index (BMI), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), adiponectin, and leptin levels in a cohort of 14,802 MS cases and 26,703 controls. We then estimated the proportion of the effect of obesity on MS explained by these potential mediators.

Results:

Genetic predisposition to higher BMI was associated with increased MS risk (odds ratio (OR) = 1.33 per standard deviation (SD), 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09–1.63), while higher 25OHD levels reduced odds of MS (OR = 0.72 per SD, 95% CI = 0.60–0.87). In contrast, we observed no effect of adiponectin or leptin. In MR mediation analysis, 5.2% of the association between BMI and MS was attributed to obesity lowering 25OHD levels (95% CI = 0.3%–31.0%).

Conclusions:

This study found that a minority of the increased risk of MS conferred by obesity is mediated by lowered vitamin D levels, while leptin and adiponectin had no effect. Consequently, vitamin D supplementation would only modestly reverse the effect of obesity on MS.
How does institutional quality moderates the impact of tourism on economic growth? Startling evidence from high earners and tourism-dependent economies
Authors: Adedoyin Festus Fatai , Erum Naila , Bekun Festus Victor
Published: February 2021

Over the years, policymakers in tourism-reliant economies have been saddled with the mandate to not only accelerate economic growth but also increase the living standards of domestic citizens. Tourism development has been highlighted in the extant literature as a route to attaining sustainable economic growth. Past studies affirm that tourism contributes significantly to both the wealth of nations and cultural diffusion. However, whether institutional quality moderates the impact of tourism on economic growth has yet to be given sufficient academic attention. The study uses data from 2002 to 2017 and the generalised method of moments methodology, while the Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel causality test is applied to check the robustness of results. The empirical results show that a 1% increase in tourist arrivals or air transport led to a 0.41% and 0.17% increase in economic growth, respectively. However, when particular governance variables are taken into consideration, this impact is reduced to −0.09% and −0.02% for both tourism proxies. This implies that the influence of governance on the tourism-led growth hypothesis through an interaction term between institutional quality and tourist arrivals was found to reverse the impact of tourism on growth from positive to negative in both high-earning and tourism-dependent countries. While infrastructure also contributes to economic growth, its impact is slightly higher in top earners than in tourism-dependent economies. The results of the study suggest that weak institutions in both country groups allow corrupt practices, which divert the positive impact that tourism should have on economic growth.
Placemaking through mobile social media platform Snapchat
Authors: Wilken Rowan , Humphreys Lee
Published: February 2021

In this article, we examine the particular ways that place is configured in and through mobile social media platform Snapchat, and how Snapchat is designed and conceptualized in such a way as to encourage digital placemaking. The position we take in this article is that place is not a thing that is merely recorded through this platform. Rather, place is something that is continually enacted, negotiated and renegotiated across multiple levels of media engagement. In developing this position, we first review the previous research on Snapchat that relates to placemaking. Then, we examine placemaking through two primary lens: Snapchat’s design and Snapchat’s business model. Our argument is that close examination of the place-based materiality and meaning of the Snapchat service for itself and for its clients reveals the interconnected construction and commodification of place through this service.
Using discussion to inform action: Formative research on nature-based physical activity as a means of fostering relatedness for girls in physical and health education
Authors: Gruno Jennifer , Gibbons Sandra L
Published: February 2021

The long-standing challenges and issues associated with girls’ disengagement from secondary school physical and health education (PHE) are serious and well documented. This disengagement has provided the incentive for the examination of alternative strategies to facilitate girls’ engagement in PHE. This paper discusses the first phase in a formative research process designed to develop a resource manual to help teachers utilize nature-based physical activity (NBPA) as a means of fostering relatedness for girls in PHE. Participating teachers collaborated and generated specific NBPA ideas and pedagogical strategies during an all-day planning session. Four focus groups with the teachers ( N = 20) were used to identify ways to develop NBPA interventions. Five broad topics are reported: (a) defining NBPAs, (b) specific NBPAs to use in PHE, (b) how NBPA can foster relatedness, (d) how NBPA in PHE differs from outdoor education, and (e) barriers to implementing NBPA in PHE. This paper emphasizes the valuable contribution of formative research to the integrity and fidelity of an intervention as well as to quality practice in the implementation of theory-based PHE initiatives.
Calcifying characteristics of peripheral vascular smooth muscle cells of chronic kidney disease patients with critical limb ischemia
Authors: Lee Dong-Oh , Kim Ji Hye , Kang Ho Won , Kim Dae Yoo , Lee Wonik , Cho Tae-Joon , Lee Dong Yeon
Published: February 2021

The role of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in vascular calcification, which is related to chronic kidney disease (CKD), has been studied in greater detail in the major arteries relative to the peripheral arteries. We compared the calcifying characteristics of peripheral VSMCs relative to non-pathologic major VSMCs in patients with severe peripheral artery disease (PAD). We isolated peripheral VSMCs from the posterior tibial artery of 10 patients with CKD who underwent below-knee amputation for critical limb ischemia (CLI). Using normal human aortic VSMCs as a control group, we cultured the cells in normal and high phosphate media for 10 days, and subsequently tested by immunofluorescence staining. We compared the calcification levels between the two groups using various assays, tests for cell viability, and scanning electron microscopy. As a result, calcification of pathologic peripheral VSMCs increased significantly with time ( p = 0.028) and was significantly higher than that in human aortic VSMCs in calcium assays ( p = 0.043). Dead cells in the pathologic VSMC group were more distinct in high phosphate media than in human aortic VSMCs. In conclusion, VSMCs from the peripheral artery of patients with severe CKD and CLI who underwent amputation surgery showed marked calcifying characteristics compared to normal human aortic VSMCs.
Firefighter hemodynamic responses to different fire training environments
Authors: Lefferts Elizabeth C , Rosenberg Alexander J , Grigoriadis Georgios , Wee Sang Ouk , Kerber Stephen , Fent Kenneth W , Horn Gavin P , Smith Denise L , Fernhall Bo
Published: February 2021

Firefighting is associated with an increased risk for a cardiovascular (CV) event, likely due to increased CV strain. The increase in CV strain during firefighting can be attributed to the interaction of several factors such as the strenuous physical demand, sympathetic nervous system activation, increased thermal burden, and the environmental exposure to smoke pollutants. Characterizing the impact of varying thermal burden and pollutant exposure on hemodynamics may help understand the CV burden experienced during firefighting. The purpose of this study was to examine the hemodynamic response of firefighters to training environments created by pallets and straw; oriented strand board (OSB); or simulated fire/smoke (fog). Twenty-three firefighters had brachial blood pressure measured and central blood pressure and hemodynamics estimated from the pressure waveform at baseline, and immediately and 30 minutes after each scenario. The training environment did not influence the hemodynamic response over time (interaction, p > 0.05); however, OSB scenarios resulted in higher pulse wave velocity and blood pressure (environment, p < 0.05). In conclusion, conducting OSB training scenarios appears to create the largest arterial burden in firefighters compared to other scenarios in this study. Environmental thermal burden in combination with the strenuous exercise, and psychological and environmental stress placed on firefighters should be considered when designing fire training scenarios and evaluating CV risk.
Perceptions of patients with wounds due to chronic limb-threatening ischemia
Authors: Ceja Rodriguez Maria , Mark John R , Gosdin Melissa , Humphries Misty D
Published: February 2021

Patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) face numerous barriers to caring for lower extremity wounds. We explored the perceptions of CLTI patients to their wound/management and sought to determine attitudes towards their vascular provider as well as willingness for management through telemedicine. Patients admitted to hospital for treatment of Rutherford Grade 5 and 6 CLTI were asked complete a wound evaluation survey and took part in a semi-structured interview. Semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using an inductive coding strategy. Codes were grouped for thematic analysis and aggregated into assertions. Eleven patients with a mean age of 60 years (35–79 years) were interviewed. All patients had peripheral artery disease (PAD) and eight patients had diabetes as well. Three overarching themes were identified. First, patients appear to have limited coping mechanisms and are overwhelmed by the care of their wounds. Second, in this cohort of patients, many had become passive observers of their care as demonstrated by a limited understanding of their disease processes and detachment from wound management. The third theme was how strong the desire to do everything to prevent limb loss was, but patients acknowledged this is hard to translate into real life with limited resources. Patients with CLTI have concerns that vascular providers must recognize and address to build strong patient–provider relationships and increase activation for management of their wounds and other medical conditions. Patients who have access to technology and with guidance may be able to understand getting care through remote medicine.
Understanding young adult Muslim and Christian attitudes toward queer identity: A Canadian and UK comparison
Authors: Page Sarah-Jane , Shipley Heather
Published: February 2021

This article utilises data from two parallel mixed-methods projects to examine attitudes to queer identity among heterosexual Muslim and Christian young adults aged between 18 and 25 in Canada and the UK. Drawing on questionnaires, interviews and video diaries, our analysis revealed the enormous complexity regarding how participants made sense of their, largely contextually mediated, attitudes. A qualitative approach enabled us to carefully consider how these attitudes are forged, formulated and embodied, offering greater nuance and detail compared with attitudinal approaches focused solely on quantitative data. Responses by these young Muslim and Christian participants explore the fluidity and movement in the attitudes expressed, further emphasising complexity.
When a cross-linguistic tendency marries incomplete acquisition: Preposition drop in Russian spoken in Daghestan
Authors: Panova Anastasia , Philippova Tatiana
Published: February 2021

Aims and Objectives/Purpose/Research Questions:

The purpose of the study is to figure out what factors condition the phenomenon of preposition drop (P-drop) in locative, directional and temporal phrases. Specifically, we investigate what kind of phrases allow P-drop in Russian spoken in Highland Daghestan and aim at understanding the rationale for this phenomenon.

Design/Methodology/Approach:

We conduct a quantitative analysis of data extracted from the Corpus of Russian spoken in Daghestan, which includes interviews with 53 native speakers of 15 Daghestanian and Turkic languages, amounting to 228 thousand tokens.

Data and Analysis:

Data from 47 (29 male; 18 female) consultants speaking Russian as a second language (L2) who produced a sufficient number of prepositional phrases (PPs) were included in the analysis. 50 PPs were collected from each speaker, resulting in a data set of 2350 PPs. Each PP was annotated for P-drop and several sociolinguistic and linguistic parameters. We fitted a logistic mixed-effects regression model to determine which parameters are significant predictors of P-drop.

Findings/Conclusions:

We show that the probability of P-drop depends on preposition type, phonetic context and the speaker’s fluency in Russian. We propose that the prominence of P-drop in the speech of Daghestanian highlanders results from an interplay of two factors: a typological tendency for certain spatial and temporal locations to be formally unmarked, and incomplete acquisition of the Russian prepositional system.

Originality:

This is the first detailed quantitative study of P-drop based on an inferential statistical analysis of data from a large number of L2 Russian speakers from Daghestan.

Significance/Implications:

The results show that the apparently contact-induced phenomena such as P-drop may be explained both by typological tendencies and incomplete acquisition of L2. This paper is thus important both for the typological study of this phenomenon and for L2 acquisition research.
Health-related quality of life of preschool-aged children with type 1 diabetes in the context of family and maternal functioning
Authors: Lukács Andrea , Bettina Zagraj Veronika , Bartkóné Kovács Anett , Soós Andrea , Török András , Barkai László
Published: February 2021

In this study, generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of young children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) was compared to healthy peers taken in consideration of family functioning and psychological well-being of mothers. A total of 113 mothers provided data (28 mothers had a preschool-aged child with T1D). There were no significant differences in background parameters of two investigated groups. No significant differences between children with and without T1D were detected either in HRQoL or in family functioning. Moreover, mothers of children with diabetes reported lower levels of resilience and more depressive symptoms than mothers of healthy peers. In the regression analysis, mothers’ depressive symptoms and the family functioning significantly affected children’s HRQoL regardless of the presence of diabetes. These results suggest that parents of children with T1D handle the burden of diabetes well and integrate into the daily activities of the families. Mothers experience distress, presumably because diabetes management is burdensome; however, the family can function well and the young children can live in a similar way to their healthy peers.
Socio-family support for parents of technology-dependent extremely preterm infants after hospital discharge
Authors: Fernández-Medina Isabel María , Granero-Molina José , Hernández-Padilla José Manuel , Jiménez-Lasserrotte María del Mar , Ruiz-Fernández María Dolores , Fernández-Sola Cayetano
Published: February 2021

Parents of extremely preterm infants (<28 weeks of gestation) report high levels of stress and anxiety related to daily needs after hospital discharge. Social support has a significant role in reducing the negative psychological impact of preterm birth and parents’ adaptation to caregiving. We conducted a hermeneutic phenomenological study using Gadamer’s approach to explore and describe the experiences of parents of technology-dependent extremely preterm infants of socio-family support after hospital discharge. The study was conducted in four several Spanish organizations for families with preterm infants. It includes 17 semi-structured interviews (12 mothers and 5 fathers). Three main themes emerged from the analysis: post-discharge formal support for extremely preterm infants and families, home neonatal care: family support, and a thread of hope: parent-to-parent support. The parents’ main support resources to deal with everyday difficulties are healthcare professionals, their partners, grandmothers, and peer parents of extremely preterm infants. The findings may be used to guide healthcare professionals in the creation of a support program according to preferences and needs of parents.
The ethnicised hustle: Narratives of enterprise and postfeminism among young migrant women
Authors: Idriss Sherene
Published: February 2021

Discourses of hustling are ever-present in a global, capitalist society in which, among other reforms, notions of time are compressed and intensified and neoliberalism is operationalised as a form of affective self-governance. Global brand campaigns like Nike’s ‘Rise and Grind’ want consumers to believe that hard work and persistence produces individual exceptionalism. Young people working in technology, cultural and creative industries in urban cities ‘never stop hustling – one never exits a kind of work rapture, in which the chief purpose of exercising or attending a concert is to get inspiration that leads back to the desk’ . This is the latest iteration of a corporatised vision of the hustle that seeks to glamourise exploitative working conditions, creating a culture where overwork and an obsession with being productive is the norm. This article considers how these discourses come into contact with localised migrant understandings of ‘the hustle’: an orientation to work rooted in the legacy of ethnic entrepreneurship. Drawing on a qualitative study with creative and cultural workers of ethnic minority backgrounds in Australia, the article explores their motivations to pursue creative vocational pathways in spite of structural challenges. While creative and cultural workers are heralded as model entrepreneurial subjects for their highly autonomous and flexible work patterns, here I draw on narratives about work and creative expression to suggest that the experiences of racialised young women lead to new possibilities for a race critical analysis of postfeminist, neoliberal discourses of entrepreneurship. By exploring how precarity and work insecurity is negotiated in the context of racialised young women’s lives, I ask what the implications are for minority young women who buy into the neoliberal values of individual exceptionalism and the myths of meritocracy while remaining embedded in their local communities.
Ambivalent influencers: Feeling rules and the affective practice of anxiety in social media influencer work
Authors: Lehto Mari
Published: February 2021

This article investigates the intimate cultures of Finnish influencer mothers. Through in-depth qualitative interviews with four Finnish influencer mothers and online observation of their social media accounts, the article asks how influencers negotiate the feeling rules that govern maternal femininity on social media and attempt to cope with the emotional weight of precarious social media work. The article argues for using the affective practice of anxiety as a theoretical concept to explore the influencers’ routinized emotional behaviour in their attempts to decrease the discrepancy between their emotions and cultural expectations. The article suggests that although anxiety can be considered a negative side effect of stressful social media work, sharing it on social media can also be understood as a tactic that plays a central role in the lifestyle influencer industry. Drawing on Loveday’s analysis of the ‘neurotic academic’, the article suggests that the construction of an entrepreneurial influencer self is underpinned by anxiety. This argument is formulated through the figure of the ‘neurotic influencer’ that is the embodiment of the ambivalent nature of gendered influencer work.
Network concepts in social theory: Foucault and cybernetics
Authors: August Vincent
Published: February 2021

Network concepts are omnipresent in contemporary diagnoses (network society), management practices (network governance), social science methods (network analysis) and theories (network theory). Instigating a critical analysis of network concepts, this article explores the sources and relevance of networks in Foucault’s social theory. I argue that via Foucault we can trace network concepts back to cybernetics, a research programme that initiated a shift from ‘being’ to ‘doing’ and developed a new theory of regulation based on connectivity and codes, communication and circulation. This insight contributes to two debates: Firstly, it highlights a neglected influence on Foucault’s theory that travelled from cybernetics via structuralism and Canguilhem into his concept of power. Secondly, it suggests that network society and governance are neither a product of neoliberalism nor of technological artefacts, such as the Internet. They rather resulted from a distinct tradition of cybernetically inspired theories and practices.
Adventures in the anti-humanist dialectic: Towards the reappropriation of humanism
Authors: Durkin Kieran
Published: February 2021

The hegemonic discourse on humanism in the contemporary academy – a critical discourse in the form of a theoretical anti-humanism – is marked by a certain degree of impoverishment. This impoverishment is the result of many contextual factors, including the ideological purposes to which the discourse has been put, but also the effects of internal workings of the paradigm associated with anti-humanism itself. In this article, I trace the development of this discourse in its foundational early- and mid-twentieth century manifestations, outlining its central characteristics as well as its tensions and aporias, both theoretical and political. I argue that the critical discourse, which has informed our contemporary understanding of humanism, needs to be meaningfully sublated and that a new discourse – one that has reflected deeply upon the anti-humanist discourse: its strengths and its weaknesses – should take its place.
Reactionaries of the lectern: Universalism, anti-empiricism and corporatism in Austrian (and German) social theory
Authors: Scott Alan , Rief Silvia
Published: February 2021

This article discusses one early manifestation of a recurring theme in social theory and sociology: the relationship between general (‘universal’ or ‘grand’) theory and empirical research. For the early critical theorists, empiricism and positivism were associated with technocratic domination. However, there was one place where the opposite view prevailed: science and empiricism were viewed as forces of social and political progress and speculative social theory as a force of reaction. That place was Red Vienna of the 1920s and early 1930s. We examine how this view came to be widespread among Austro-Marxists, empirical researchers and some members of the Vienna Circle. It focuses on the arguments and institutional power of their opponents: reactionary, universalistic and corporatist social theorists. The debate between Catholic corporatist theory and its empiricist critics is located not merely in Vienna but also within wider debates in the German-speaking world. Finally, we seek to link these lesser-known positions to more familiar strands of social thought, namely, those associated with Weber and, more briefly, Durkheim and Elias.