bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparisons in Cell Phone Use Rates between Talking and Manually Manipulating the Handheld Device
Authors: Fakhrmoosavi Fatemeh , Kavianipour Mohammadreza , Savolainen Peter T. , Gates Timothy J.
Published: August 2020

Cell phone use is among the most prevalent types of in-vehicle distractions. Studies have shown cell phones to have a negative impact on driving performance, with the magnitude of these impacts varying based on the level of engagement required for phone use, as well as the complexity of the driving environment. The development of effective policies and programs to mitigate distracted driving is contingent on an improved understanding of the nature of these relationships. To this end, this study investigates the rate of cell phone use under various settings through a statewide direct observation survey. Data were collected from 200 roadside locations throughout the State of Michigan and a random effects multinomial logit model was estimated to assess how the prevalence of cell phone use varies across drivers. While several studies have investigated the prevalence of cell phone use, this study distinguishes differences in the manner of cell phone use (i.e., talking on a handheld device versus manual manipulation of the device) across drivers while controlling for important contextual factors. The results show cell phone use is generally higher among female drivers and use rates consistently decrease with age. The prevalence of cell phone use is also shown to vary significantly depending on the manner of use. Use rates are shown to differ based on changes in the driving environment, suggesting potential risk compensation on the part of motorists. The results also show a significant correlation in use rates at the same sites over time, which is reflective of important unobserved site-specific factors.
Social Equity and Bus On-Time Performance in Canada’s Largest City
Authors: Palm Matthew , Shalaby Amer , Farber Steven
Published: August 2020

Bus routes provide critical lifelines to disadvantaged travelers in major cities. Bus route performance is also more variable than the performance of other, grade-separated transit modes. Yet the social equity of bus operational performance is largely unexamined outside of limited statutory applications. Equity assessment methods for transit operations are similarly underdeveloped relative to equity analysis methods deployed in transit planning. This study examines the equity of bus on-time performance (OTP) in Toronto, Ontario, the largest city in Canada. Both census proximity and ridership profile approaches to defining equity routes are deployed, modifying United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Title VI methods to fit a Canadian context. Bus OTP in Toronto is found to be horizontally equitable. It is also found that the U.S. DOT approach of averaging performance between equity and non-equity routes masks the existence of underperforming routes with very significant ridership of color. These routes are overwhelmingly night routes, most of which are only classified as equity routes using a ridership definition. These results suggest that the underperformance of Toronto’s “Blue Night” network of overnight buses is a social equity issue. This OTP data is also applied to a household travel survey to identify disparities in the OTP of bus transit as experienced by different demographic groups throughout the city. It is found that recent immigrants and carless households, both heavily transit dependent populations in the Canadian context, experience lower on-time bus performance than other groups.
Automated Real-Time Roadway Asset Inventory using Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Kargah-Ostadi Nima , Waqar Ammar , Hanif Adil
Published: August 2020

Roadway asset inventory data are essential in making data-driven asset management decisions. Despite significant advances in automated data processing, the current state of the practice is semi-automated. This paper demonstrates integration of the state-of-the-art artificial intelligence technologies within a practical framework for automated real-time identification of traffic signs from roadway images. The framework deploys one of the very latest machine learning algorithms on a cutting-edge plug-and-play device for superior effectiveness, efficiency, and reliability. The proposed platform provides an offline system onboard the survey vehicle, that runs a lightweight and speedy deep neural network on each collected roadway image and identifies traffic signs in real-time. Integration of these advanced technologies minimizes the need for subjective and time-consuming human interventions, thereby enhancing the repeatability and cost-effectiveness of the asset inventory process. The proposed framework is demonstrated using a real-world image dataset. Appropriate pre-processing techniques were employed to alleviate limitations in the training dataset. A deep learning algorithm was trained for detection, classification, and localization of traffic signs from roadway imagery. The success metrics based on this demonstration indicate that the algorithm was effective in identifying traffic signs with high accuracy on a test dataset that was not used for model development. Additionally, the algorithm exhibited this high accuracy consistently among the different considered sign categories. Moreover, the algorithm was repeatable among multiple runs and reproducible across different locations. Above all, the real-time processing capability of the proposed solution reduces the time between data collection and delivery, which enhances the data-driven decision-making process.
A Systematic Literature Review Exploring Objectification and Motherhood
Authors: Beech Olivia Donati , Kaufmann Leah , Anderson Joel
Published: August 2020

Objectification theory provides a theoretical framework for understanding how socialization and experiences of objectification can lead women to place excessive value on their appearance—a process known as self-objectification. Despite the number of women that are mothers, the application of objectification theory to motherhood has been relatively limited. This review synthesizes the available research exploring objectification during motherhood. We conducted a systematic search for published and unpublished articles that quantitatively examined the objectification of, or self-objectification during, motherhood across five databases in March 2019. The search yielded 23 studies across 20 articles, which in combination revealed strong evidence of societal objectification of mothers and self-objectification by mothers. Effects were found for pregnant and postpartum women, in both community and university samples of mothers. Outcomes included more body shame, concerns about the negative impact of breastfeeding, barriers to breastfeeding, fear of childbirth, disordered eating, and greater appearance concerns in mothers, and sexualized behaviors and body surveillance for their children. Some evidence indicated that self-objectifying may be protective for mothers in certain situations, but it was mostly associated with harmful consequences. Finally, some evidence suggested that there may be age and generational effects of objectification, which may impact all women, including mothers. We hope these findings highlight the benefits for women to engage in healthy relationships with their bodies and to consider the functionality of their body as it changes in preparation for entering motherhood.
The Effect of Boarding on Obesity Among Middle School Students: Evidence From China
Authors: Yu Linyue , Chen Wei
Published: August 2020

Purpose:

This paper examines the effect of boarding on obesity among middle school students at boarding schools.

Design:

Quantitative, cross-sectional study.

Setting:

Data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) were analyzed. The CEPS samples middle school students from 7th grade to 9th grade in China.

Subjects:

The final sample included 3,892 observations of boarding school students.

Measures:

Measures included body mass index (BMI) that determined obesity, boarding status, demographic information, and instruments for boarding status.

Analysis:

The instrumental variables approach based on the 2 stage least squares (2SLS) methodology was utilized. The endogenous models and the extended probit models were also applied to the data to confirm the robustness of the results.

Results:

Boarding has a significant negative effect on obesity for middle school boys but a smaller negative effect on obesity for middle school girls. Boarding was estimated to reduce obesity by roughly 14% (p < 0.01) among middle school boys and 6% (p > 0.1) among middle school girls. The overall estimated effect based on the pooled sample was about 10% (p < 0.01).

Conclusion:

School or government policies that encourage boarding at school can reduce obesity among middle school students, at least for middle school boys. Boarding at school can be a positive factor in preventing and controlling obesity among middle school students.
Maternal Transfer of Cetirizine Into Human Milk
Authors: Wilkerson Hannah , Datta Palika , Rewers-Felkins Kathleen , Baker Teresa , Hale Thomas W.
Published: August 2020

Introduction

Cetirizine hydrochloride is a second-generation H1 histamine antagonist with Food and Drug Administration approval for treatment of allergic rhinitis and urticaria. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration does not recommend use of cetirizine during breastfeeding, as there are insufficient studies on both the transference of cetirizine into human milk and the effects of cetirizine in infants.

Main issue

To determine the concentration of cetirizine in human milk, samples were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry.

Management

Based on calculations, relative infant dose was found to be 1.77% at 24 hr. In addition, there were no reported adverse effects seen in the infants.

Conclusion

We suggest that transfer of cetirizine into human milk is minimal and unlikely to pose a significant risk to the breastfeeding infant. This is the first report presenting the transfer of cetirizine in human milk.
Practicing Accountability, Challenging Gendered State Resistance: Feminist Legislators and Feminicidio in Mexico
Authors: García-Del Moral Paulina
Published: August 2020

In the late 1990s, Mexican feminists mobilized transnationally to demand state accountability for the feminicidios (feminicides) of women in Ciudad Juarez. Feminicidio refers to the misogynous killing of women and the state’s complicity in this violence by tolerating it with impunity. Drawing on debates of the Mexican Federal Congress (1997–2012) and interviews with feminist state and non-state actors, I examine feminist legislators’ response to transnational activism, which was to pass the “General Law on Women’s Access to a Life Free of Violence” and to create the penal-type code of feminicidio, which includes provisions to punish negligent state actors. These laws make the state a target of its own punitive power. To pass these acts, feminist legislators faced resistance from male legislators and the Federal Executive. I build on feminist institutionalism to theorize this resistance as gendered. Gendered state resistance was pervasive because feminist legislators practiced accountability by identifying the complicity of state institutions, including Congress, in perpetuating feminicidio. As part of the process, they built alliances with other female legislators and framed their arguments with notions of modern statehood. Although this framing strategy resulted in innovative legal change, I interrogate the assumption that modernity is the solution to feminicidio, because it can lead gendered state resistance to manifest as a simulation of accountability.
Introduction: Solidarities in Motion: Hybridity and Change in Migrant Support Practices
Authors: della Porta Donatella , Steinhilper Elias
Published: August 2020

The so-called ‘Eurozone’ and ‘migration’ crises mark critical moments in Europe’s recent political history and share similarities to the extent that they both have increased political conflict, mobilised large parts of civil society, and put renewed attention upon the notion of ‘solidarity’. Focusing on the specific case of solidarity with migrants, this articles argues that times of crises have increasingly blurred the lines between contentious and non-contentious forms of civil society engagement. Scrutinising these dynamics of hybridisation, we bridge diverse, yet largely disconnected literatures, including social movement, civil society and humanitarian studies. In particular, we suggest that the disciplinary and analytical distinction between volunteering and non-profit activities on the one hand and social movements and political activism on the other is too rigid and does obscure parts of a complex phenomenon, which is characterised by activities that often intersect between humanitarian practices and contentious politics.
Thinking with feeling: Children’s emotional orientations to public life
Authors: Aruldoss Vinnarasan , Nolas Sevasti-Melissa , Varvantakis Christos
Published: August 2020

The article explores how the concept of ‘emotional orientation’ helps us to reimagine the relationship between childhood and public life. By comparing a subset of two ethnographic biographies of underprivileged children, aged 6–8 years from contrasting neighbourhoods in Hyderabad, India, we illustrate the ways in which ‘emotional orientation’ could mediate and signify children’s experiences of public life. The analysis builds on the girls’ common experience of ‘scolding’ to map out the visceral aspects of poverty, local belonging, place sensitivity, power and social inequality in their lives; the implications for their engagement with public life is noted throughout. Thinking with feeling, we argue, offers crucial insights for (re)imagining the relationship between childhood and public life, and children’s participation therein. In particular, the affective analysis provides the opportunity to tap into children’s political knowingness: a knowingness that eludes normative discourses of public life, but which nevertheless is a vital source of children’s everyday participation.
Numerical investigation of aerodynamic characteristics of free-spinning tail projectile with canards roll control
Authors: Zhang Jiawei , Lei Juanmian , Niu Jianping
Published: August 2020

To reduce aerodynamic coupling between the canards and the tail fins of a canard-controlled projectile, the afterbody of the projectile is decoupled from the forebody by a bearing structure, namely, a free-spinning tail. A series of numerical simulations was conducted for different angles of attack using NASA’s canard-controlled projectile with a free-spinning tail. The results were then compared with the wind tunnel test data. The spin rate of the free-spinning tail shows that, with the canard roll control, the tail section will rotate at lower angles of attack and “lock-in” at higher ones, demonstrating nonlinearization between the rotating rate and the angle of attack. According to a flow structure analysis, the circular flow velocity induced by canards is responsible for the non-linear characteristics of the tail. Moreover, the change in position of the circular flow velocity results in a reverse of the rolling moment of the “+” fixed tail projectile at different angles of attack. Furthermore, a comparison of the aerodynamic characteristics of the fixed (“+” and “x”) and free-spinning tail configurations proves that when the tail is spinning, all the aerodynamic coefficients of the free-spinning tail projectile are between those of the “+” and “x” fixed tail projectiles. The longitudinal difference in aerodynamic characteristics is related to the rolling angle, whereas the lateral difference is related to both the rolling angle and rotation rate. When the tail section “locks-in,” different rolling angles lead to different characteristics in both the longitudinal and lateral directions.
Finding the Pattern: On-Line Extraction of Spatial Structure During Virtual Navigation
Authors: Graves Kathryn N. , Antony James W. , Turk-Browne Nicholas B.
Published: August 2020

While navigating the world, we pick up on patterns of where things tend to appear. According to theories of memory and studies of animal behavior, knowledge of these patterns emerges gradually over days or weeks via consolidation of individual navigation episodes. Here, we discovered that navigation patterns can also be extracted on-line, prior to the opportunity for off-line consolidation, as a result of rapid statistical learning. Thirty human participants navigated a virtual water maze in which platform locations were drawn from a spatial distribution. Within a single session, participants increasingly navigated through the mean of the distribution. This behavior was better simulated by random walks from a model that had only an explicit representation of the current mean, compared with a model that had only memory for the individual platform locations. These results suggest that participants rapidly summarized the underlying spatial distribution and used this statistical knowledge to guide future navigation.
An integrated best–worst decomposition approach of nonlinear systems using gap metric and stability margin
Authors: Ahmadi Mahdi , Haeri Mohammad
Published: August 2020

This article uses gap metric method to design a multi-model controller for nonlinear systems. In order to decompose the nonlinear system into a reduced nominal local models bank as much as possible, and assure the closed-loop robust stability and performance, the decomposition and designing of local controllers are integrated. To this end, robust stability, performance, and gap metric are incorporated to build a binary distance matrix that supports defining the driving and dependence powers for each local model. Then a best–worst analysis is employed considering the driving and dependence powers to find out the nominal local models. The proposed approach screens the value of all local models to choose each nominal local model. As a result, the global multi-model controller has a simple structure and avoids the computational complexity issues. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, two highly nonlinear systems, pH neutralization and continuous stirred tank reactor process, are simulated.
Nonlinear adaptive position control of hydraulic servo system based on sliding mode back-stepping design method
Authors: Ji Xinhao , Wang Chengwen , Zhang Zhenyang , Chen Shuai , Guo Xinping
Published: August 2020

Electro-hydraulic servo system is often affected by parameter uncertainties and mismatched random disturbances, which are two major obstacles to achieving high-performance servo control. In this article, a sliding mode adaptive controller is proposed to solve these two problems. The proposed controller employs sliding mode control method to eliminate unknown mismatched disturbances, adaptive design to deal with parametric uncertainties. A new smooth and continuous sliding mode control law is proposed to solve the design conflicts between sliding mode control technology and back-stepping adaptive control technology. The stability of the algorithm is proved based on the Lyapunov theory. Theoretically, the algorithm can make the position tracking error arbitrarily small. Through the co-simulation platform of AMESim and MATLAB/Simulink, the control performance of the developed control algorithm is verified. The results show that the developed sliding mode adaptive controller scheme can achieve high-performance tracking under the condition of parametric uncertainties and unknown mismatched disturbances.
Innovation in the library: Adoption of smartphones in accessing electronic resources in a Ghanaian university
Authors: Adzobu Patrick , Okyere Stephen , Banji George Tesilimi
Published: August 2020

This paper examines the influence of innovation on the adoption of smartphones for accessing electronic resources in the library by postgraduate students at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. The theoretical model that underpinned this study was the diffusion of innovation theory. Based on a quantitative research approach, a survey research design was used. Questionnaire was employed in the collection of data from 278 postgraduate students. The responses were coded, captured and analysed using IBM’s Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 22. The findings of the study show that postgraduate students’ gender and faculty influenced their adoption of smartphones for accessing e-resources at the University of Cape Coast. However, the age of the students did not have any significant influence on the adoption of smartphones. The findings further show that only two of the perceived characteristics of innovation, complexity and compatibility, had a significant influence on the adoption of smartphones among the postgraduate students.
Rashomon in the Sahel: Conflict dynamics of security regionalism
Authors: Baldaro Edoardo
Published: August 2020

The African Sahel is a region whose geopolitical dimensions are constantly changing and evolving as a result of new intersections of international, regional and local security dynamics. In this context, various actors have initiated different regional projects in an attempt to reframe the area according to their interests and specific interpretations of security and to impose the form of order that best fits with their goals. The discursive, normative and material struggle about the definition of the region is having obvious effects on security and conflict, furthering regional instability. This article disentangles the different region-building initiatives at work in the area by identifying the four groups of actors advancing a specific project around the Sahel, namely: (1) international security deliverers, (2) jihadist insurgent groups, (3) regional governmental elites, and (4) local communities and populations. In so doing, it explores how the different spatial and security imaginaries advanced by these four collective agents struggle and interact, and shows that the Sahel can be considered the unintended result of a competitive process that is furthering conflict and violence in a shifting regional security system.
Factors affecting patient adherence to lung cancer screening: A multisite analysis
Authors: Stowell Justin T , Narayan Anand K , Wang Gary X , Fintelmann Florian J , Flores Efren J , Sharma Amita , Petranovic Milena , Shepard Jo-Anne O , Little Brent P
Published: August 2020

Objective

To identify factors associated with delayed adherence to follow-up in lung cancer screening.

Methods

Utilizing a data warehouse and lung cancer screening registry, variables were collected from a referred sample of 3110 unique participants with follow-up CT during the study period (1 January 2016 to 17 October 2018). Adherence was defined as undergoing chest CT within 90 days and 30 days of the recommended time for follow-up and was determined using proportions and multiple variable logistic regression models across the American College of Radiology Lung Imaging Reporting and Data System (Lung-RADS®) categories.

Results

Of 1954 lung cancer screening participants (51.9% (1014/1954) males, 48.1% (940/1954) female; mean age 65.7 (range 45–87), smoking history median 40 pack-years, 60.2% and 44.5% did not follow-up within 30 and 90 days, respectively. Participants receiving Lung-RADS® category 1 or 2 presented later than those with Lung-RADS® category 3 at 90 days (coefficient −27.24, 95% CI −51.31, −3.16, p = 0.027). Participants with Lung-RADS® category 1 presented later than those with Lung-RADS® category 2 at both 90- and 30-days past due (OR 0.76 95% CI [0.59–0.97], p = 0.029 and OR 0.63 95% CI [0.48–0.83], p = 0.001, respectively).

Conclusions

Adherence to follow-up was higher among participants receiving more suspicious Lung-RADS® results at index screening CT and among those who had undergone more non-lung cancer screening imaging examinations prior to index lung cancer screening CT. These observations may inform strategies aimed at prospectively identifying participants at risk for delayed or nonadherence to prevent potential morbidity and mortality from incident lung cancers.
Commons as Demanding Social Constructions: The Case of Aquifers in Rural Karnataka
Authors: Landy Frédéric , Ruiz Laurent , Jacquet Julie , Richard-Ferroudji Audrey , Sekhar M. , Guétat-Bernard Hélène , Oger-Marengo Marlène , Venkatasubramanian G. , Noûs Camille
Published: August 2020

It is only recently that research on Indian groundwater has considered a perspective in terms of commons. ATCHA, an interdisciplinary project that includes among others hydrology, crop modelling and remote sensing analysis, includes such a lens in its study of the Berambadi watershed, Karnataka, India. Participant observation, semi-structured interviews and focus groups have shown that the local aquifers are not managed as a commons, and brought into light several factors hindering collective action. In this paper, these factors are reconsidered, in particular through Ostrom’s criteria. The national policy is currently trying to define a new legal framework for more sustainable management of the resource, but this new law is not known to users and it seems difficult to implement because it calls into question too many vested interests. We argue for aquifer management committees, which could be an intermediary between national policy orientations and users who are (rationally) not endorsing collective action.
Book review: Lakhwinder Singh and Anita Gill (Eds.). 2020. Agriculture Innovation Systems in Asia: Towards Inclusive Rural Development
Authors: Mehta Swati
Published: August 2020

Lakhwinder Singh and Anita Gill (Eds.). 2020. Agriculture Innovation Systems in Asia: Towards Inclusive Rural Development. London, UK and New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, xxiv + 340 pp., ₹1,495. ISBN: 978-0-367-14666-5 (Hardback).
Determinants of Livelihood Diversification Under Environmental Change in Coastal Community of Bangladesh
Authors: Roy Apurba , Basu Sudipa
Published: August 2020

The life and livelihood of coastal farming communities in Bangladesh are highly vulnerable to climate and environmental change. Diversification of farmers’ income sources beyond agriculture can be an effective way to cope with the adverse impacts of environmental change. The purpose of this study is to analyse the options and determinants of livelihood diversification (LD) strategies adopted by farmers in the coastal region of Bangladesh. Multiple linear regression technique along with Simpson index, Herfindahl index and priority index have been used for the analysis. Simple random sampling and multistage sampling have been used to select the sample and the study area, respectively. The magnitude of farming household diversification is at medium level. A significant share of annual income comes primarily from fish and rice production, domestic bird rearing and working as agricultural labour. The adoption of diversified activities is strongly influenced by age and education of household head, number of earning family members, social network and government donation. The frequent occurrence of natural disasters, inadequate infrastructure and lack of financial capacity are the critical constraints to LD.
Spirituality, Quality of Life, and End of Life Among Indigenous Peoples: A Scoping Review
Authors: Terpstra Jodi , Lehto Rebecca , Wyatt Gwen
Published: August 2020

Introduction:

While spirituality and quality of life (QOL) are essential components of end-of-life (EOL) care, limited studies have examined these constructs for indigenous peoples. Therefore, the purpose of this article was to examine the state of the science regarding spirituality and QOL at EOL for indigenous people, particularly Native Americans.

Method:

The Arksey and O’Malley (2005) framework guided this scoping review, which examined 30 articles that included qualitative and quantitative studies, commentary papers, and reviews.

Results:

The findings identified five spiritual dimensions: the life and death journey, a belief in spirits, tribally grounded traditions, dominant cultural religion influences, and a family focus. QOL indicators included survivorship, optimization of holistic health, communication, and access to appropriate resources. Death rituals were important EOL elements.

Discussion:

Given the importance of spirituality to QOL for indigenous people, clinicians must be knowledgeable and responsive to indigenous spiritual needs to promote QOL at EOL.
Early Use of the Palliative Approach to Improve Patient Outcomes in HIV Disease: Insights and Findings From the Care and Support Access (CASA) Study 2013-2019
Authors: Alexander Carla S. , Raveis Victoria H. , Karus Daniel , Carrero-Tagle Monique , Lee Mei Ching , Pappas Gregory , Lockman Kashelle , Brotemarkle Rebecca , Memiah Peter , Mulasi Ila , Hossain Basile Mian , Welsh Christopher , Henley Yvonne , Piet Leslie , N’Diaye Sabrina , Murray Renard , Haltiwanger David , Smith Carlton Ray , Flynn Colin , Redfield Robert , Silva Caroline L. , Amoroso Anthony , Selwyn Peter
Published: August 2020

Young men of color who have sex with men (yMSM) living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in syndemic environments have been difficult-to-retain in care resulting in their being at-risk for poor health outcomes despite availability of effective once-daily antiretroviral treatment (ART). Multiple methods have been implemented to improve outcomes for this cohort; none with sustainable results. Outpatient HIV staff themselves may be a contributing factor. We introduced multidisciplinary staff to the concept of using a palliative approach early (ePA) in outpatient HIV care management to enable them to consider the patient-level complexity of these young men. Young MSM (18-35 years of age) enrolled in and cared for at the intervention site of the Care and Support Access Study (CASA), completed serial surveys over 18 months. Patients’ Global and Summary quality of life (QoL) increased during the study at the intervention site (IS) where staff learned about ePA, compared with patients attending the control site (CS) (p=.021 and p=.018, respectively). Using serial surveys of staff members, we found that in the era of HIV disease control, outpatient staff are stressed more by environmental factors than by patients’ disease status seen historically in the HIV epidemic. A Community Advisory Panel of HIV stakeholders contributed to all phases of this study and altered language used in educational activities with staff members to describe the patient cohort.
Impact of a Multidisciplinary Craniofacial Clinic for Patients With Craniofacial Syndromes on Patient Satisfaction and Outcome
Authors: Hoffman Caitlin , Yuan Melissa , Boyke Andre , Perera Imali , Rabbin-Birnbaum Corinne , O’Connor Ashley , Souweidane Mark , Imahiyerobo Thomas
Published: August 2020

Objective:

Multidisciplinary clinics are becoming widely utilized. Given the number of patients with craniofacial syndromes evaluated at our institution, and the burden of assessment by multiple subspecialists, we created an American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association–certified Craniofacial Multidisciplinary Clinic (CMC) composed of a nurse practitioner, neurosurgeon, plastic surgeon, otolaryngologist, oromaxillofacial surgeon, geneticist, pulmonologist, occupational therapist, dentist, and child life specialist to improve patient experience, lessen the burden of assessment, decrease time to surgery, and improve patients’ understanding of the diagnosis and treatment plan specifically for patients with complex craniofacial syndromes. We reviewed the impact of this clinic after 1 year of implementation.

Design:

Retrospective review was performed to identify patients with craniofacial syndromic diagnoses seen by the neurosurgery department before and after implementation of the CMC from February 2017 to present.

Setting:

The CMC is an outpatient clinic based in a tertiary care academic institution.

Patients:

Chart review was performed to identify demographic, diagnostic, clinical, and treatment data. We assessed clinic experience, and the impact on quality of clinical and surgical care was assessed via survey. We compared this cohort to patients with similar craniofacial syndromes treated prior to the CMC. Thirty patients seen at the CMC were identified, and data from a comparable cohort of 30 patients seen prior to the clinic’s inception was reviewed.

Results:

Our CMC survey response rate was 67% (n = 20/30) for the CMC patients. Second opinions sought by parents prior to CMC was higher (mean = 0.85, range: 0-3) than for patients seen at the CMC (mean = 0.16, range: 0-1). Mean time to surgery before the CMC was 10.1 months (range: 1-15) compared to 4 months (range: 3-5) after implementation. Parents agreed that they felt well-informed about their diagnosis (n = 18/20, 90%), and that the presence of a plastic surgeon (19/20, 95%) and a nurse practitioner (17/20, 85%) were valuable in coordination of their care. Following surgery, 76% (n = 13/17) of patients who received surgery were happy with the outcome, 76% (n = 13/17) were happy with the appearance of the scar, and 95% (n = 19/20) would recommend the CMC to others.

Conclusion:

Multidisciplinary evaluation of patients with complex craniofacial conditions provides comprehensive, efficient, and effective care, as well as improved parent satisfaction and knowledge base.
An introduction to papers from workshops on the evolution of cultural complexity
Authors: Carrignon Simon , Coto-Sarmiento María , Bentley R Alexander , O’Brien Michael J
Published: August 2020

Organized as a satellite to the annual Conference on Complex Systems, the Evolution of Cultural Complexity held its inaugural workshop in Tempe, Arizona, in 2015, a second in Cancún, Mexico, in 2017, and a third in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2018. The goal of those satellite sessions was to bring together a community of researchers from different fields who had interests in the evolution of cultural complexity. This special issue includes three papers that grew out of those workshops and one paper that was solicited. Each brings a unique perspective on myriad issues that surround how and why culture evolves. One issue that is key to understanding the evolution of cultural complexity—and it is addressed in the papers included here—is how humans learn and transmit information and the rate at which it is learned and transmitted.
Two Cases of Intraosseous Pseudomyogenic (Epithelioid Sarcoma-Like) Hemangioendothelioma With Unusual Features, Expanding the Clinicopathological Spectrum
Authors: Rekhi Bharat , Rane Swapnil , Puri Ajay
Published: August 2020

Pseudomyogenic (epithelioid sarcoma–like) hemangioendothelioma (PMHE) is a distinct vascular neoplasm mostly observed in the lower extremities of young adults with characteristic histopathological features. In this article, we present 2 unusual cases of PMHE. Case 1: A 28-year-old male presented with pain and stiffness in his left shoulder. Radiologic examination revealed an expansile, lytic, heterogeneously enhancing, destructive lesion in his left scapula, along with multiple avid marrow lesions in his other bones. Biopsy revealed a cellular tumor composed of plump spindly and epithelioid cells arranged in fascicles and focally, in clusters, admixed with neutrophils and histiocytes, with interspersed many osteoclast-like giant cells and reactive bone. Case 2: A 63-year-old male presented pain and swelling in his right middle finger, with no other lesion elsewhere in his body. Radiologic imaging disclosed a 1.5-cm-sized lobulated, expansile, lytic, destructive lesion in the distal end of the third metacarpal bone of his right hand. Biopsy examination revealed a cellular spindle cell tumor, composed of plump spindly cells, arranged in fascicles, including “tadpole-like” or “strap-like” cells and interspersed inflammatory cells. Immunohistochemically, tumor cells in both cases were positive for AE1/AE3, CD31, and Fli1, while negative for desmin and CD34. INI11 was retained. The presented cases of PMHE, occurring at unusual locations, in an older individual in the second case, along with variable histopathological features, noted in the first case, seem to expand the clinicopathological spectrum of these uncommon neoplasms. Differential diagnoses and review of similar cases are presented.
Indications for Deltoid and Spring Ligament Reconstruction in Progressive Collapsing Foot Deformity
Authors: Deland Jonathan T. , Ellis Scott J. , Day Jonathan , de Cesar Netto Cesar , Hintermann Beat , Myerson Mark S. , Sangeorzan Bruce J. , Schon Lew C. , Thordarson David B. , Johnson Jeffrey E.
Published: August 2020

Recommendation:

There is evidence supporting medial soft tissue reconstruction, such as spring and deltoid ligament reconstructions, in the treatment of severe progressive collapsing foot deformity (PCFD). We recommend spring ligament reconstruction to be considered in addition to lateral column lengthening or subtalar fusion at the initial operation when those procedures have given at least 50% correction but inadequate correction of the severe flexible subluxation of the talonavicular and subtalar joints. We also recommend combined flatfoot reconstruction and deltoid reconstruction be considered as a joint sparing alternative in the presence of PCFD with valgus deformity of the ankle joint if there is 50% or more of the lateral joint space remaining.

Level of Evidence:

Level V, expert opinion.
Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition: Role in Cardiac Fibrosis
Authors: Cheng Weijia , Li Xiao , Liu Dongling , Cui Chaochu , Wang Xianwei
Published: August 2020

Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is a complex biological process by which endothelial cells lose their endothelial cell characteristics and acquire mesenchymal cell properties under certain physiological or pathological conditions. Recently, it has been found that EndMT plays an important role in the occurrence and development of fibrotic cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we first summarize the main induction pathways involved in EndMT process. In addition, we discuss the role of EndMT in fibrotic cardiovascular diseases and its potential implication in new therapeutic interventions.
High-voltage synthetic inductor for vibration damping in resonant piezoelectric shunt
Authors: Dekemele Kevin , Van Torre Patrick , Loccufier Mia
Published: August 2020

Resonant piezoelectric shunts are a well-established way to reduce vibrations of mechanical systems suffering from resonant condition. The vibration energy is transferred to the electrical domain through the bonded piezoelectric material where it is dissipated in the shunt. Typically, electrical and mechanical resonance frequencies are several orders apart. As such, finding a suitable high inductance component for the resonant shunt is not feasible. Therefore, these high inductance values are mimicked through synthetic impedances, consisting of operational amplifiers and passive components. A downside of these synthetic impedances is that standard operational amplifiers can only handle up to 30 V peak to peak and the state-of-the-art amplifiers up to 100 Vpp. However, as mechanical structures tend to become lighter and more flexible, the order induced voltages over the piezoelectric material electrode voltages increase above these limitations. In this research, a high-voltage synthetic inductor is proposed and built by combining the bridge amplifier configuration and the output voltage boost configuration around a single operational amplifier gyrator circuit, effectively quadrupling the range of the synthetic inductor to 400 Vpp. The impedance of the circuit over a frequency range is numerically and experimentally investigated. The synthetic inductor is then connected to a piezoelectric material bonded to a cantilever beam. Numerical and experimental investigation confirms the high-voltage operation of the implemented circuit and its suitability as a vibration damping circuit.
On Evolving Nature of Relationship by Perspective Mutuality: Reconceptualizing Relationship Typology Between Organization and Its Publics
Authors: Lee Yeunjae , Kim Jeong-Nam
Published: August 2020

To address conceptual and methodological issues regarding the exchange–communal relationship typology in public relations scholarship, this study reconceptualizes and validates three relationship types—egoistic, provident, and communal relationships. Two distinct relationship perspectives, organization-oriented and public-oriented, are also explored. The results of the two studies, focusing on an organization’s respective relationships with internal (i.e., employees) and external (i.e., consumers) publics, demonstrate the construct reliability and validity of newly conceptualized relationship types. The association between relationship types and relationship quality—trust, control mutuality, commitment, and satisfaction—is examined with structural equation modeling (SEM) and each path of two studies was compared through multigroup analysis. Theoretical and practical implications for public relations disciplines are discussed.
Cardio-Cerebrovascular Disease is Associated With Severity and Mortality of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Yu Jia-Ning , Wu Bing-Bing , Yang Jie , Lei Xiao-Ling , Shen Wang-Qin
Published: August 2020

At present, COVID-19 is raging all over the world. Many comorbidities, such as diabetes mellitus (OR = 2.67, 95% CI = 1.91–3.74) and hypertension (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.76–3.00), have been shown to worsen the patient’s condition. However, whether cardio-cerebrovascular disease will affect COVID-19 remains unclear. In this meta-analysis, we collected studies from PubMed, Wed of Science and CNKI (Chinese) to July 25, which reported COVID-19 patients with and without cardio-cerebrovascular disease as well as their severity and mortality. The random-effect model meta-analysis was used to analyze them and get overall odds ratios (OR) with 95% CIs. Funnel plots and the Begg’s and Egger’s test were used to assess publication bias. Thirty-one studies with 23,632 patients were finally included in the meta-analysis. The results showed an OR of 3.004 (95% CI = 2.097–4.303) for COVID-19 severity and an OR of 5.587 (95% CI = 2.810–11.112) for COVID-19 mortality. Compared with cardiovascular disease, the subgroup analysis indicated that cerebrovascular disease was more likely to increase the severity (OR = 3.400, 95% CI = 1.569–7.368) and mortality (OR = 23.477, 95% CI = 3.050–180.735) of COVID-19. Therefore, it can be inferred that cardio-cerebrovascular disease is associated with an increase in the risk of severe illness and death among COVID-19 patients. This meta-analysis showed that cardio-cerebrovascular disease has a significant relation with severe and death outcomes of COVID-19. Nurses should pay special attention to COVID-19 patients with the cardio-cerebrovascular disease.
Transradial access for arteriovenous fistuloplasty in Singapore
Authors: Ong Chee Wui , Yong Enming , Hong Qiantai , Chandrasekar Sadhana , Quek Lawrence Han Hwee , Pua Uei , Tan Glenn Wei Leong , Lo Zhiwen Joseph
Published: August 2020

Background:

Endovascular balloon angioplasty is standard therapy for dysfunctional arteriovenous fistula in end-stage renal failure patients on hemodialysis. Venous antegrade or retrograde puncture of the fistula is typically performed to gain access for fistuloplasty. Transradial approach for brachiocephalic or brachiobasilic arteriovenous fistulas offers an alternative method of access with the advantage of addressing multi-focal juxta-anastomotic and venous stenosis from the same approach. We aim to review the efficacy, outcomes and complication rates of transradial access for arteriovenous fistuloplasty among patients in Singapore.

Methods:

A retrospective review of 195 endovascular fistuloplasties from September 2017 to August 2019, at a tertiary university hospital Vascular Surgery unit.

Results:

Of 195 fistuloplasties, 43 (22%) were transradial approach (23 brachiocephalic arteriovenous fistulas, 20 brachiobasilic arteriovenous fistulas) in 33 patients (67% male and mean age = 65 years). Of these 43 procedures, 11 (26%) were performed as balloon-assisted maturation fistuloplasties while 32 (74%) were performed for mature arteriovenous fistulas with multi-focal juxta-anastomosis and venous stenosis. Technical success rate was 95% with mean procedure duration at 43.5 ± 14.6 min. Mean pre- and post-fistuloplasty dialysis access flow rates increased from 502 to 952 ml/min (p < 0.001). Post-intervention primary patency was 100%, 66% and 20% at 1, 6 and 12 months, respectively. There were four patients with non-limb-threatening radial artery thrombosis (9.3%) while there was no radial artery pseudoaneurysm or post-procedural bleeding.

Conclusion:

Transradial approach for arteriovenous fistuloplasty is a safe and feasible option in patients requiring balloon-assisted maturation or with multi-focal juxta-anastomotic and venous stenosis.
Factors Associated with Binge Drinking during the Transition into Adulthood: Exploring Associations Within Two Distinct Young Adult Age Ranges
Authors: Leech Tamara GJ , Jacobs Sarah , Watson Dennis
Published: August 2020

Background:

Binge drinking among young adults aged 18-21 years has declined over the past decade, but binge drinking rates among people 22-25 years old have remained largely the same. This steady trend in later years represents a departure from the traditional course of maturing out of risky alcohol use, perhaps because young adults are delaying the transition into adulthood.

Aims:

This paper explores the relationship between binge drinking and aspects of the transition into adulthood that could inform interventions targeting these two distinct groups of young adults.

Methods:

We use survey data on 1,081 young adults aged 18-25 living in 10 Indiana counties. Our dataset is unique because it contains both college-attending and non-college attending young adults. We ran weighted logistic regressions to determine the association between college enrollment, living situation, roles common in adulthood, and stressors common during the transition to adulthood (e.g., relationships, economic conditions, job stability) and binge drinking.

Results:

Our data indicate that different factors are associated with binge drinking based on whether subjects who are in the earlier (18-21 years old) or later (22-25 years old) years of young adulthood. For example, within the 18-21 years old group, college enrollment is associated with higher rates of binge drinking, but it is not associated with increased binge drinking in the older age group. The type of stress related to binge drinking also varies by age group.

Conclusion:

Our results emphasize the need to disaggregate “young adulthood” into two separate periods when defining target populations and settings for binge drinking interventions.