bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and Implementation of an Oncology Clinical Research Nursing Residency Program for Newly Licensed Nurses
Authors: Legor Kristen A. , Caparrotta Caryn M. , Sze Cameron K. , Killion Leah J. , Gross Anne H.
Published: May 2022

A paucity of nurses trained in clinical research prompted the development and implementation of a newly licensed nurse residency program in oncology research. The components of the program, funding, curriculum development, preceptor model, and partnerships, are described. Formal evaluation to quantify success in creating a pipeline for the future, increasing retention, and reducing costs is underway and will be reported in a future publication.
Six Steps in Reading to Appraise Scientific Publications
Authors: Pierce Linda L. , Gies Cheryl E.
Published: May 2022

Background

Effectively reading scientific publications, for example, research/quality improvement, is an acquired skill. Critical appraisal identifies articles’ strengths and weaknesses related to credibility and authenticity or appropriate standards.

Aim

To stimulate rehabilitation nurses’ interest/participation in reading to appraise published studies (using brief evaluation questions).

Steps Approach

Read in this order: (1) title, abstract, and key words (are these words clear and directly connected to identified problem?), (2) discussion and conclusion (how are results/findings interpreted; are there recommendations for actions?), (3) results/findings (do key outcomes relate to the problem?), (4) introduction and review of literature (what are main arguments for study/project; does the study build on what‘s already known?), (5) data collection and analysis methods (are materials/procedures described for gathering information and evaluation?), and (6) references (are citations accurate/up-to-date?).

Discussion/Relevance/Conclusion

Steps taken on this path help close the gap in reading to appraise scientific publications, discovering ways to build evidence-based rehabilitation nursing practices.
How much can we differentiate at a brief glance: revealing the truer limit in conscious contents through the massive report paradigm (MRP)
Authors: Qianchen Liang , Gallagher Regan M. , Tsuchiya Naotsugu
Published: May 2022

Upon a brief glance, how well can we differentiate what we see from what we do not? Previous studies answered this question as ‘poorly’. This is in stark contrast with our everyday experience. Here, we consider the possibility that previous restriction in stimulus variability and response alternatives reduced what participants could express from what they consciously experienced. We introduce a novel massive report paradigm that probes the ability to differentiate what we see from what we do not. In each trial, participants viewed a natural scene image and judged whether a small image patch was a part of the original image. To examine the limit of discriminability, we also included subtler changes in the image as modification of objects. Neither the images nor patches were repeated per participant. Our results showed that participants were highly accurate (accuracy greater than 80%) in differentiating patches from the viewed images from patches that are not present. Additionally, the differentiation between original and modified objects was influenced by object sizes and/or the congruence between objects and the scene gists. Our massive report paradigm opens a door to quantitatively measure the limit of immense informativeness of a moment of consciousness.
Exploring the need for external input through the prism of social, material and sensation seeking input
Authors: Krpan Dario
Published: May 2022

External input is any kind of physical stimulation created by an individual's surroundings that can be detected by the senses. The present research established a novel conceptualization of this construct by investigating it in relation to the needs for material, social and sensation seeking input, and by testing whether these needs predict psychological functioning during long- and short-term input deprivation. It was established that the three needs constitute different dimensions of an overarching construct (i.e. need for external input). The research also suggested that the needs for social and sensation seeking input are negatively linked to people's experiences of long-term input deprivation (i.e. COVID-19 restrictions), and that the need for material input may negatively predict the experiences of short-term input deprivation (i.e. sitting in a chair without doing anything else but thinking). Overall, this research indicates that the needs for social, material and sensation seeking input may have fundamental implications for experiences and actions in a range of different contexts.
Female presence does not increase testosterone but still ameliorates sickness behaviours in male Japanese quail
Authors: Gormally Brenna M. G. , Bridgette Kaelyn , Emmi Aubrey , Schuerman Delilah , Lopes Patricia C.
Published: May 2022

Infections can dramatically modify animal behaviour. The extent of these changes depends on an animal's environment. It has been proposed that testosterone modulates the suppression of behavioural symptoms of sickness under certain reproductive contexts. To further understand the role played by testosterone in modulating sickness behaviours under reproductive contexts, we studied a species, the Japanese quail, in which female exposure rapidly decreases circulating testosterone in males. Males received either an immune challenge (lipopolysaccharide – LPS) or a control injection and their behaviours, mass change and testosterone levels were quantified in the presence or absence of a female. Both the presence of a female and LPS treatment reduced testosterone levels. LPS-treated males maintained in isolation expressed expected sickness behaviours, including increased resting (quantified as crouching) and decreased food and water intake. Despite the reduction in testosterone, when paired with females LPS-treated males showed similar amounts of mating behaviours to controls and reduced crouching. In sum, even under very low levels of testosterone, male quail had reduced sickness behaviours when exposed to females, indicating that testosterone may not be key in modulating sickness behaviours, at least in this species.
Differential impact of brain network efficiency on post-stroke motor and attentional deficits
Authors: Evangelista Giorgia G. , Egger Philip , Brügger Julia , Beanato Elena , Koch Philipp J. , Ceroni Martino , Fleury Lisa , Cadic-Melchior Andéol , Meyer Nathalie , de León Rodríguez Diego , Girard Gabriel , Léger Bertrand , Turlan Jean-Luc , Mühl Andreas , Vuadens Philippe , Adolphsen Jan , Jagella Caroline , Constantin Christophe , Alvarez Vincent , Ghika Joseph-André , San Millán Diego , Bonvin Christophe , Morishita Takuya , Wessel Maximilian J. , Van de Ville Dimitri , Hummel Friedhelm C.
Published: May 2022

Background

Most studies on stroke have been designed to examine one deficit in isolation, yet survivors often have multiple deficits in different domains. While the mechanisms underlying multiple-domain deficits remain poorly understood, network-theoretical methods may open new avenues of understanding.

Methods

50 subacute stroke patients (7±3days post-stroke) underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and a battery of clinical tests of motor and cognitive functions. We defined indices of impairment in strength, dexterity, and attention. We also computed imaging-based probabilistic tractography and whole brain connectomes. Overlaying individual lesion masks onto the tractograms enabled us to split the connectomes into their affected and unaffected parts and associate them to impairment.

Results

To efficiently integrate inputs from different sources, brain networks rely on a “rich-club” of a few hub nodes. Lesions harm efficiency, particularly when they target the rich-club. We computed efficiency of the unaffected connectome, and found it was more strongly correlated to impairment in strength, dexterity and attention than efficiency of the total connectome. The magnitude of the correlation between efficiency and impairment followed the order attention > dexterity ≈ strength. Network weights associated with the rich-club were more strongly correlated to efficiency than non-rich-club weights.

Conclusions

Attentional impairment is more sensitive to disruption of coordinated network activity between brain regions than motor impairment, which is sensitive to disruption of localized network activity. Providing more accurate reflections of actually functioning parts of the network enables the incorporation of information about the impact of brain lesions on connectomics contributing to a better understanding of underlying stroke mechanisms.
School principal's self-regulated learning: a conceptual framework of learning-centered leadership
Authors: Qadach Mowafaq , Schechter Chen , Da'as Rima'a
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This study explores a conceptual framework that addresses a school principal's self-regulated learning (SPSRL) as well as possible avenues for future conceptualization of, and research into this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual framework of SPSRL is based on an extensive literature review of the research on student’s and teacher’s self-regulated learning models.

Findings

A novel conceptual and practical SPSRL framework for planning, performing, monitoring and self-reflection is elaborated.

Research limitations/implications

This novel SPSRL conceptual framework provides school principals with a means to shape and develop processes, strategies and structures to monitor and evaluate their learning, enabling them to react effectively in uncertain and dynamic environments. This framework may open the way to future research into possible contributions of the SPSRL construct with other variables related to principal effectiveness. The suggested framework should be examined empirically in various sociocultural contexts, possibly substantiating its conceptual validity.

Originality/value

The SPSRL conceptual framework can improve school learning, which might connect the individual (the school principal) and organizational (teachers) learning levels.
Required competencies for e-learning among science and mathematics supervisors: post-pandemic features of education
Authors: Alhashem Fatimah , Agha Nasser , Mohammad Anwar
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The aim of this study was to measure the readiness of science and mathematics supervisors to utilize technology and online learning platforms for teachers' plans and professional development, during and after the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve this aim, the researchers developed a questionnaire comprising of 55 items based on the instruments used in pertinent studies. A mixed-methods research design was employed, whereby a quantitative online survey was supplemented by focus group discussions with selected supervisors. Survey data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance and t-test, while information obtained via focus groups was coded to identify common themes related to the obstacles and challenges supervisors face.

Findings

When completing the survey, the supervisors approached proficiency using technology; however, focus group discussions revealed misconceptions related to e-leaning and limitations in their abilities to use technology in schools, as well as obstacles imposed by the structure and management of the educational system. T

Practical implications

These findings indicate that supervisors need support in acquiring the competencies required for integrating technology in education, and that their support to teacher community needs to be grounded in clear and systematic approaches and best educational practices.

Originality/value

These findings indicate that supervisors need support in acquiring the competencies required for integrating technology in education, and that their support to teacher community needs to be grounded in clear and systematic approaches and best educational practices.
SIPOC-OI: a proposal for open innovation in supply chains
Authors: Assis de Souza Thais , Alcântara Pinto Guilherme , Rodrigues Antunes Luiz Guilherme , Grützmann André
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Regarding the premises of open innovation (OI) in terms of knowledge sources, this paper aims to discuss how to manage the existing sources of knowledge in supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

An integrative review was developed focusing on studies related to supply chain and OI, seeking to understand the relationships between them, supporting the innovative discussion.

Findings

The SIPOC-OI was proposed as a tool to support the management of knowledge sources present in the supply chain, promoting efficiency to the company and improving its innovative capacity.

Research limitations/implications

The conceptual proposal should be empirically verified to understand the management tool's obstacles and benefits for a company's innovation performance. Additionally, it would be useful to understand the results of this proposal in the relationships between agents of the chain, as well as the direction (inbound, outbound or coupled). Additionally, relevant points were highlighted as future agendas.

Practical implications

The point of view based on OI treats the collaboration's aspects and its benefits to agents, which becomes an essential factor in improving the entire chain's integration and performance.

Originality/value

The analysis of the flow of knowledge in supply chains from an OI perspective is an innovation in theory. Besides, the multidisciplinary proposal is expressed in the framework developed as it is based on a tool from engineering. Supply chain competencies/mindset is important to develop OI as well as is the contrary – there is a mutual practical and theoretical relevance between the integration of the concepts.
Pedagogical gaps in the bridge from classroom to field for pre-service principal competence development
Authors: Dexter Sara , Moraguez Daniel , Clement Davis
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This cross-sectional survey captured educational leadership preparation programs' (ELPPs') relative emphases on 12 evidence-based school leadership competences and related pedagogical approaches to identify the gap between optimal performance per the literature base and actual practice reported for US ELPPs.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey with closed and open-ended questions was sent to all program coordinators of US-based ELPPs.

Findings

Results indicate instructional leadership and use of data are especially emphasized competences, and readings and class-based work were the most prevalent modes of instruction. The most prevalent teaching methods are text and class-based work, and residencies/internships. The least prevalent are instructional tools associated with practice and rehearsal, such as simulations.

Research limitations/implications

The data were collected prior to the world-wide shift in educational delivery associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. While they do not capture during-pandemic approaches, the national-level findings provide an impetus for altering or strengthening approaches to leader preparation based upon the shortcomings these results suggest.

Originality/value

There has been no previous inquiry into all US ELPPs regarding how their curriculum aligns with empirically based leadership competences, what their pedagogical approaches include or the needs they identify to further improve their program's quality.
Stimulation strategies to promote green building uptake in developing countries: the case of Ghana
Authors: Anzagira Lee Felix , Duah Daniel , Badu Edward , Simpeh Eric Kwame , Marful Alexander B.
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the significant stimulating measures/enablers relating to the existing building regulations for promoting the adoption and overcoming the barriers to the uptake and implementation of the green building concept (GBC) in developing countries using Ghana as a case.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative research approach was used to attain the study’s goal. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were found to be suitable for collecting data from 292 relevant stakeholders in Ghana’s construction industry. The mean score ranking technique, in conjunction with the relative importance index, was used to establish the relative ranking of, among other things, the stimulus measures for increasing green building uptake in Ghana. An exploratory factor analysis was also used to classify the most significant stimulation strategies for improving green building uptake.

Findings

“Educational programmes relevant to GBTs for developers, contractors, and policymakers,” “sufficient information on the cost and benefits of GBTs” and “mandated green building codes and regulations” were the top three listed stimulating measures to promote increasing use of green building technologies (GBTs). The enablers were classified as follows: government regulations and policies; commitment and GB research; education and publicity; and incentives and support.

Research limitations/implications

The study was conducted in Ghana, a developing nation, and thus the findings and implications are peculiar to Ghana. However, the study’s findings have important practical implications for the adoption and marketing of GBCs and GBTs in other developing nations.

Originality/value

Prioritizing major stimulation initiatives may be beneficial in terms of overcoming the constraints to the adoption of GBCs and GBTs in developing countries.
Ideas of how peer support workers facilitate interprofessional learning in mental health care teamwork: conceptual paper
Authors: Viking Tuija , Nilsson Lena
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute theoretical ideas of how peer support workers (PSWs) bring added value to interprofessional learning (IPL) in mental health care teamwork. The question is: How can we theoretically understand the value of PSWs’ expertise for IPL in mental health care teamwork?

Design/methodology/approach

Initially, the authors formulate a hypothesis. Then, the authors describe the focus and context in IPL and PSWs, respectively, and the PSWs’ and mental health professions’ different roles, expertise and perspectives. The authors also refer to some peer provided programs related to IPL. Finally, the authors construct an outline and apply ideas from Wenger’s Communities of Practice (CoP).

Findings

Using CoP, the PSWs as newcomers can by their perspectives change mental health professions’ perspectives and stimulate IPL in teamwork.

Originality/value

The paper gives theoretical insights of how PSWs can facilitate IPL in mental health care teamwork.
Limited impacts of adaptive multi‐paddock grazing systems on plant diversity in the Northern Great Plains
Authors: Grenke Jessica S. J. , Bork Edward W. , Carlyle Cameron N. , Boyce Mark S. , Cahill James F.
Published: May 2022

Grassland plant community structure and function are dependent on the type, timing, frequency and intensity of disturbance. Grazing systems employing dense herds of livestock for short periods of time (e.g. Adaptive Multi‐paddock Grazing; AMP) are gaining popularity as a potentially sustainable practice. Effects of AMP systems on plant diversity and composition are unknown, though theory provides some expectations. Spatially homogeneous grazing used by AMP may be a uniform ecological filter, thereby lowering plant diversity; alternatively, the AMP practice of using multiple paddocks might enhance habitat heterogeneity. Maintaining plant diversity, particularly of native species, is a key aspect of sustainability. As such, an understanding of the real‐world effects of AMP grazing is needed.

We studied grasslands within 18 pairs of ranches across the northern Great Plains. Ranches managed under AMP were paired with a neighbouring ranch (N‐AMP) using regionally representative grazing practices. We collected surveys of management practices and conducted 2 years of on‐farm sampling to identify plant composition and diversity.

Ranch management practices used by self‐identified AMP ranchers differed significantly (p < 0.1) from those used on neighbouring ranches, with higher stocking densities (number of animals per area at a single time) but not stocking rates (total number of animals per unit time per area) on AMP relative to N‐AMP ranches.

There were fewer plant species in AMP grasslands at both the plot and landscape scales compared to N‐AMP ranches despite no overall difference in plant community composition. Management type did not alter the variability of plant community composition (beta diversity) or plot‐level species evenness. Although there were trends for lower diversity of native and introduced species at both spatial scales, a significant effect was found only for native species at the landscape scale.

Synthesis and applications. The impacts of AMP grazing system management were limited to a minor reduction in plant diversity, with a modest decline in native species richness. We conclude that the benefits of AMP grazing in the northern Great Plains do not include the maintenance of plant diversity, and this system could hinder the conservation of remaining native plant species.
Parties’ attack behaviour in parliaments: Who attacks whom and when
Authors: POLJAK ŽELJKO
Published: May 2022

Various research have been directed towards investigating the behaviour of political parties engaging in attacks. However, this topic has predominantly been studied in campaigning venues while focusing only on the attacker (parties that are attacking). This study contributes to the existing literature by (i) studying attack behaviour in the parliamentary venue, and (ii) analysing the interactions between both the attacker and the target. To this end, this paper uses longitudinal data on attacks during question time sessions in the parliaments (2010 to 2020) of Belgium, Croatia and the United Kingdom. More specifically, I investigate the conditions that make parties engage in mutual attacks. These conditions can be characterised along three dimensions: time (proximity to elections), status (government vs. opposition), and ideology (close vs. distant). The results confirm the overarching argument that: (i) more attacks in parliaments happen closer to election day; (ii) opposing parties are more likely to attack the government rather than vice‐versa; (iii) governing parties equally attack the opposition and themselves; and finally, (iv) the larger the ideological distance between parties, the more likely attacks happen (with mainstream parties engaging equally in attack behaviour compared to radical parties). As such, these findings contribute to our understanding of attack strategies between parties in regular day‐to‐day politics.
Do body‐worn cameras reduce disparities in police behavior in minority communities? Evidence of nuanced influences across Black and Hispanic neighborhoods
Authors: Huff Jessica
Published: May 2022

Research Summary

The adoption of body‐worn cameras (BWCs) is often promoted in response to contentious police use of force incidents involving minority civilians. BWCs are expected to improve policing outcomes by enhancing accountability, although researchers have yet to determine whether BWCs can reduce racial/ethnic disparities. I examine whether BWCs mitigate the influence of neighborhood racial/ethnic context on arrests and use of force using cross‐classified logistic regression models to examine the outcomes of 900,000+ police–civilian contacts in Phoenix. Arrests were significantly more likely to occur in Hispanic and Black neighborhoods before and after BWC deployment, even accounting for situational, officer, and neighborhood characteristics. When BWCs were activated in Black neighborhoods, the odds of arrest decreased by 38%. However, BWCs did not moderate the influence of neighborhood percentage of Hispanic on arrest. The neighborhood racial/ethnic context was not associated with the use of force pre‐ or post‐BWC deployment.

Policy Implications

Although BWCs have been associated with several positive outcomes, their ability to reduce racial/ethnic disparities appears to be overstated. As such, more targeted approaches to reducing disparities in policing outcomes are needed. For example, leveraging the information collected through BWCs could facilitate enhanced supervision to identify officers engaging in racially disparate practices and hold them accountable. Although neighborhood racial/ethnic context was a robust predictor of arrest, these results point to nuanced influences of BWC activation in minority communities. This could be due to differential causes of arrest in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods.
Cutaneous adverse reactions following the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID‐19 vaccine
Authors: Luo Anna , Oakley Amanda
Published: May 2022

A growing number of cutaneous adverse reactions have been reported following the administration of a COVID‐19 vaccine. We describe a series of twenty patients who developed a variety of cutaneous conditions within two weeks of receiving the Pfizer/ BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, serum cytokines, and dementia among rural‐dwelling older adults in China: A population‐based study
Authors: Wang Yongxiang , Li Yuanjing , Liu Keke , Han Xiaolei , Dong Yi , Wang Xiaojie , Wang Mingqi , Cong Lin , Zhang Qinghua , Tang Shi , Hou Tingting , Liu Cuicui , Song Lin , Han Xiaojuan , Vetrano Davide L. , Du Yifeng , Qiu Chengxuan
Published: May 2022

Background and purpose

Little is known about whether nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with dementia or the role of serum proinflammatory cytokines in the association. We aimed to investigate the interrelationships of NAFLD, serum cytokines, and dementia among rural‐dwelling older adults.

Methods

This population‐based cross‐sectional study included 5129 participants (aged ≥60 years; 61.79% women) who were living in rural communities and examined in March 2018–September 2018. NAFLD was defined through transabdominal ultrasound examination in the absence of hepatitis B or excessive alcohol consumption. Serum cytokines were measured in a subsample (n = 1686). Dementia, Alzheimer disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD) were diagnosed following international criteria. Data were analyzed with logistic regression and mediation models.

Results

Of the 5129 participants, 455 (8.87%) were detected with moderate‐to‐severe NAFLD, and 292 (5.69%) were diagnosed with dementia (188 with AD and 96 with VaD). The multivariable adjusted odds ratios associated with moderate‐to‐severe (vs. no‐to‐mild) NAFLD were 2.22 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.41–3.49) for all‐cause dementia, 1.88 (95% CI = 1.01–3.50) for AD, and 2.62 (95% CI = 1.33–5.17) for VaD. In the cytokine subsample, controlling for multiple potential confounders, moderate‐to‐severe NAFLD was significantly associated with higher levels of serum monocyte chemotactic protein‐1, interleukin‐17A, interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), interleukin‐8, and tumor necrosis factor‐α (P < 0.05). The mediation analysis showed that IL‐6 mediated 12.56% of the association between NAFLD and VaD.

Conclusions

Moderate‐to‐severe nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with dementia and AD, especially with VaD, among rural‐dwelling Chinese older adults, in which the association with VaD is partly mediated by serum inflammatory cytokines.
Fracture mechanics and hot spot stress‐based fatigue life calculation: Case study for a crane runway girder
Authors: Hectors Kris , Chaudhuri Somsubhro , De Waele Wim
Published: May 2022

This work presents the case study of a welded overhead crane runway girder. A full‐shell global finite element model was developed and validated using strain measurements. The global model drives solid submodels of different scales. Using load spectra based on real operational data, hot spot stress and XFEM‐based fracture mechanics simulations are performed to assess the fatigue properties of two critical joints. For the fracture mechanics‐based approach, it is shown that small cracks quickly converge to the same aspect ratio. Hence, the choice of the initial crack aspect ratio was found to be inconsequential. But the aspect ratio must not be assumed to be constant during the fatigue crack growth simulations. Finally, it is shown that the size at which a crack is transferred from one submodel to a subsequent is critical for the accuracy of the fatigue crack growth simulations.
Work in pandemic times: Exploring precarious continuities in paid domestic work in India
Authors: Banerjee Supurna , Wilks Lauren
Published: May 2022

Research on crisis have brought to fore the necessity of studying the gendered impact of such events. Covid‐19 too has shown how gender relations play a role in the political economy of crisis, relief and response as well as recovery. This article focusses on the experiences of paid domestic workers in India who are among the most invisible and marginalized of India's informal workers and largely excluded from labor discourse and employment legislation. With Covid‐19, the precariousness characterizing the sector has also been further exposed and exacerbated, with vast numbers of workers now facing significant challenges to livelihood, as well as several new/additional pressures and risks, both at work and at home. In this article, we examine these Covid‐related challenges, drawing on interviews conducted with domestic workers, NGO practitioners, and labor rights' activists in Delhi and Kolkata between April and August 2020. We show how, during the national lockdown, many domestic workers in these cities experienced increased insecurity related to jobs and housing, as well as an increased control and surveillance at home. Furthermore, with the partial easing of lockdown and the associated ‘return’ to work, many experienced reduced bargaining power at work, increasingly blurred roles, and heavier workloads. Workers also experienced more overt forms of avoidance behavior, linked to ideas of caste/class and more recent notions of ‘hygiene’/‘distancing’. In detailing these experiences and contextualizing them within a much longer history of invisibilization and marginalization facing workers engaged in social reproduction, we draw attention to what we call the ‘precarious continuities’ in paid domestic work. We argue that the crisis allows for a lens to widen the theoretical understanding around social reproduction as a form of underpaid and devalued labor.
Acute vestibular neuritis may provoke atrial fibrillation
Authors: Mirabelli Adam G. , Dick Ronald , Infeld Bernard , Gerraty Richard P.
Published: May 2022

Background

Exclusion of stroke is the focus of guidelines in the emergency department assessment of acute vertigo, especially with new‐onset atrial fibrillation (AF). Early diagnosis of vestibular neuritis (VN) is also important but may be deferred awaiting brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for exclusion of stroke. This may delay potentially beneficial corticosteroid therapy.

Aims

To highlight that VN can provoke acute AF.

Methods

In the course of a prospective study of acute vertigo in patients assessable within 24 h of admission, we encountered three patients with acute onset transient AF associated with VN. We performed a detailed neurological examination and quantitated the vestibulo‐ocular reflex (VOR) gain with video‐oculography. Brain MRI was performed in all patients.

Results

There were two men and one woman, aged 58–66 (mean 61) years. All patients had typical non‐direction‐changing rotatory nystagmus and positive head impulse tests. The horizontal VOR gains ranged 0.38–0.62 (mean 0.47). Diffusion‐weighted MRI within 36 h was normal in all. AF reverted in all three within 24 h.

Conclusions

Acute AF can be precipitated by vertigo such as in VN. In VN, the concurrence of acute AF may distract from the correct neurological diagnosis, delaying potentially beneficial corticosteroid therapy, especially if exclusion of stroke is dependent on MRI, which may be delayed.
FBXL6 is dysregulated in keloids and promotes keloid fibroblast growth by inducing c‐Myc expression
Authors: Feng Guangdong , Sun Hui , Piao Meishan
Published: May 2022

C‐MYC‐mediated keloid fibroblasts proliferation and collagen deposit may contribute to the development of keloids. F‐box and leucine‐rich repeat protein 6 (FBXL6) is reported to be involved in tumour progression, while the role of FBXL6 in keloid fibroblasts is not deciphered. Normal control skins, hypertrophic scars and keloid tissues were collected and prepared for FBXL6 detection. FBXL6 short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) or FBXL6 over‐expression plasmids were transfected into keloid fibroblasts, and then c‐MYC plasmids were further transfected. Cell viability was assayed with a Cell‐Counting Kit‐8 kit. The relative expression of FBXL6, Cyclin A1, Cyclin D2, Cyclin E1 and Collagen I was detected with real‐time PCR and Western blot. Elevated FBXL6 expression could be observed in keloid tissues and hypertrophic scars. FBXL6 shRNAs transfection could inhibit the viability of keloid fibroblasts with diminished c‐MYC expression and down‐regulated Cyclin A1, Cyclin D2, Cyclin E1 and Collagen I expression. At the same time, overexpressed FBXL6 could promote the proliferation of keloid fibroblasts. Overexpression of c‐MYC could promote the proliferation of keloid fibroblasts reduced by FBXL6 shRNAs with up‐regulated Cyclin A1 and Collagen I expression. FBXL6 could promote the growth of keloid fibroblasts by inducing c‐MYC expression, which could be targeted in keloids treatment.
Volatilization of fluorine in a CaO–SiO2–CaF2‐based system with the substitution of Na2O with K2O
Authors: Seo Min Seok , Sohn Il
Published: May 2022

Cuspidine‐based systems are used to control the crystallization in mold fluxes, which is enabled by CaF2 additions. However, excess CaF2 increases the corrosion of casting machines. Therefore, Na2O and K2O are added to the mold flux system to ensure an optimized crystallization and lubrication ability of the flux with the CaF2 content. This study investigated the effect of substituting Na2O with K2O on the volatilization of fluorine in a CaO–SiO2–CaF2‐based slag system at high temperatures. The substitution of Na2O with K2O was performed at 5 mol% intervals. The volatilization was observed by thermogravimetric analysis under several isothermal conditions. The mass loss was measured at a heating rate of 5, 10, and 20 K/min. As the temperature increased, the volatilization of the mixed samples increased. The activation energy was calculated using the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose methods. A kinetic analysis of the volatilization of fluorine was conducted using the calculated parameters and several known kinetic models. Consequently, the volatilization of the Na‐rich sample was controlled by chemical reactions and that of the K‐rich sample was identified to be controlled by a phase‐boundary‐controlled reaction. These results suggest that the addition of mixed alkali oxide promote the volatilization during the early stages of the reaction. From the post‐experimental composition analyses, the remaining Na and K in the samples suggested a different mechanism for the Na and K volatilization. The volatilization of Na increased with time, whereas K volatilized easily during the beginning of the reaction.
Design and evaluation of coconut fiber bionic‐stripping device based on Lucanidae palate frictional characteristics
Authors: Wang Jufei , Ahmad Riaz , Mbugua Nyambura Samuel , Li Xuhui , Li Hua , He Ruiyin , Li Bohong , Pan Xingjia , Xu Jialiang
Published: May 2022

Manual stripping of coconut fiber has low processing efficiency coupled with difficulty in operation. To overcome these problems, a coconut fiber bionic‐stripping device based on Lucanidae palate frictional characteristics was designed. The device relied on the torsion spring edge hook and brush working principle to strip the coconut fiber. The coconut shell was not damaged during the stripping operation owing to the elasticity and toughness of the bionic torsional spring. The test parameter optimization was carried out using the coconut fiber bionic‐stripping device and analyzed using Design‐Expert.V8.0.6 Software. The results showed that the planting distance between torsion springs had significant effect on stripping coconut fiber (p < .001), but the diameter of torsion spring had the least effect on stripping coconut fiber. Regression analysis of the test data showed that the device had higher processing efficiency at coconut rotation speed of 1200 rad/min, coupled with bionic torsion springs diameter and planting distance of 2.0 and 17 mm, respectively. Under optimal combination of parameters, coconut fiber removal thickness was found to be R△ = 30.9 mm. The data obtained showed high repeatability, thereby indicating that the coconut fiber bionic‐stripping device can meet the technological requirements for coconut fiber removal.

Practical Applications

This study focuses on coconut characteristics as well as the process requirements for coconut fiber removal. A mechanism to strip the fiber using bionic torsion springs was proposed, which was designed based on the characteristics of the Lucanidae palate. Including a device for peeling coconut fiber using bionic torsion springs. Furthermore, the structural stress analysis of the device was carried out so as to explore the feasibility of using the bionic torsion spring group to peel coconut fiber. Parameter optimization test, performance analysis, and comparative performance analysis were carried out using the device to analyze the influence of different bionic torsion spring group parameters on the thickness of stripped coconut fiber. This can provide a theoretical and experimental basis for the study of coconut fiber stripping mechanism, and can broaden the existing research methods of coconut fiber stripping.
Intermediaries in the criminal justice system and the ‘neutrality paradox’
Authors: TAGGART JOHN
Published: May 2022

The intermediary special measure was introduced by the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 (YJCEA) to assist vulnerable witnesses to give evidence in court. This article focuses on the role's relationship with its underpinning value of neutrality. Findings from 31 interviews with intermediaries in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as judges in Northern Ireland, suggest that this aspect of the role is problematic and deserves critical examination. Though there is a broad commitment to neutrality among intermediaries, the role's practice reveals latent tensions and contradictions that contribute towards what I term the ‘neutrality paradox’. This article uses the Bourdieusian concept of ‘illusio’ as an explanatory tool to examine deviations from the normative expectation of neutrality. It focuses on how intermediaries experience and conceptualize their own neutrality and explores how this can aid understanding of the role's scope and position within the criminal justice system.
Peptide 17 alleviates early hypertensive renal injury by regulating the Hippo/YAP signalling pathway
Authors: Xu San‐Bin , Xu Bin , Ma Zhi‐Heng , Huang Mei‐Qin , Gao Zhi‐Sheng , Ni Jian‐Li
Published: May 2022

Aim

Hypertensive nephropathy is embodied by kidney tissue fibrosis and glomerular sclerosis, as well as renal inflammation. The Hippo/YAP (yes‐associated protein, YAP) axis has been reported to promote inflammation and fibrosis and may participate in the pathogenesis of heart, vascular and renal injuries. However, the role of the Hippo/YAP pathway in hypertensive renal injury has not been reported so far. We explored the role of the Hippo/YAP signalling pathway in hypertensive renal injury and the effect of peptide 17 on its effects.

Methods

Histopathological analyses were performed based on the Masson and Haematoxylin/eosin (HE) staining approaches. Biochemical indexes were determined and immunofluorescence and western blotting were used to detect protein expression levels. The mRNA expression levels were determined by qRT‐PCR.

Results

Our results showed that peptide 17 reduced the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and urine protein/creatinine ratio in hypertensive rats. In addition, peptide 17 reduced the histopathological damage of kidneys in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Moreover, peptide 17 downregulated genes in the Hippo/Yap pathway in kidney tissue of SHRs and Ang II‐treated kidney cells. The expression levels of inflammatory factors TNF‐α, IL‐1β and MCP‐1 and the pro‐fibrotic factors TGF‐β1, fibronectin, and CTGF were increased in the kidney of hypertensive rats, but reversed by peptide 17 treatment. Silencing of YAP had effect similar to that of peptide 17 in vivo and in vitro.

Conclusion

Peptide 17 alleviates early renal injury in hypertension by regulating the Hippo/YAP signalling pathway. These findings may be useful in the treatment of hypertensive renal injury.
Overlaps with bladder pain syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome are associated with higher symptom burden and reduced quality of life in functional dyspepsia
Authors: Wuestenberghs Fabien , Baron Maximilien , Melchior Chloé , Desprez Charlotte , Cornu Jean‐Nicolas , Leroi Anne‐Marie , Gourcerol Guillaume
Published: May 2022

Background

Functional dyspepsia and bladder pain syndrome are well‐known to overlap with irritable bowel syndrome. Whether functional dyspepsia overlaps with bladder pain syndrome remains unknown. Our aim was to evaluate the presence of bladder pain syndrome in functional dyspepsia patients and its impact.

Methods

All consecutive patients with investigated dyspeptic symptoms in our tertiary care center between March 2015 and November 2018 were studied. Functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome were diagnosed according to Rome III and IV criteria while bladder pain syndrome was diagnosed using ESSIC criteria. Validated questionnaires were filled to assess quality of life (GIQLI), anxiety and depression (HADS), sleep (PSQI), and insomnia (ISI). Dyspeptic symptoms severity was assessed individually for eight dyspeptic complaints.

Key Results

Among 1453 patients with dyspeptic symptoms, 61.4% fulfilled Rome criteria for functional dyspepsia. Bladder pain syndrome was present in 16.0% of the patients not fulfilling diagnostic criteria for functional dyspepsia, 22.2% of patients with functional dyspepsia alone, and 36.4% of patients with overlapping functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome (p‐values <0.0001). In patients with bladder pain syndrome overlapping with functional dyspepsia, dyspeptic symptoms severity, anxiety, depression, and insomnia levels were higher while quality of life and sleep quality were reduced (p‐values <0.0001). These results were even more pronounced in case of overlap with irritable bowel syndrome (p‐values <0.0001).

Conclusions and Inferences

Bladder pain syndrome is present in 26.9% of functional dyspepsia patients and is associated with higher gastrointestinal, psychological distresses, and sleep symptom burdens, and with reduced quality of life.
SATB1 promotes osteogenic differentiation of diabetic rat BMSCs through MAPK signalling activation
Authors: Guo Jing , Chen Zhuochen , Xiao Yue , Yu Guiyuan , Li Yong
Published: May 2022

Objective

Special AT‐rich binding protein 1 (SATB1), a chromatin organizer and global transcriptional regulator, plays an important role in tumorigenesis and immune response. However, its function in the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the role of SATB1 in osteogenesis.

Methods

BMSCs were collected from the type 2 diabetes rat model and the protein and gene expression of SATB1 and osteospecific genes were evaluated post osteogenic induction.

Results

SATB1 protein expression significantly decreased in diabetic rat BMSCs whereas it increased in BMSCs following osteogenic induction. SATB1 knockdown significantly suppressed the expression of osteospecific genes, including alkaline phosphatase (Alp), runt‐related transcription factor 2, and osteocalcin, and reduced the number of mineral deposits and ALP activity, whereas SATB1 overexpression yielded the opposite results. Moreover, SATB1 knockdown suppressed activation of the MAPK signalling pathway (phosphorylation of p38 and ERK), and MAPK pathway inhibitors could reverse the inhibitory effect of SATB1 knockdown on osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

Conclusion

SATB1 plays a key role in the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs via the p38 MAPK and ERK MAPK signalling pathways. These findings may provide a new strategy for the application of BMSCs in bone regeneration.
PATH to understanding cannabis and nicotine initiation and co‐use among emerging adults
Authors: Blair Lisa M. , Ickes Melinda , McCubbin Andrea , Ashford Kristin
Published: May 2022

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics and age of initiation of nicotine and cannabis use, with a particular focus on the emerging adult period (ages 18–24 years) and concurrent use of nicotine with cannabis.

Design

A secondary analysis of Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH).

Sample

32,078 participants from a nationally representative study of tobacco use and health outcomes.

Measurement

Variables of interest included ever use, regular use and age of initiation (first‐time use) of nicotine (including tobacco) and/or cannabis and selected demographic factors.

Results

Ever‐use of nicotine was associated with a 13‐fold increase in the likelihood of having ever used cannabis. Among those who reported cannabis use, 96.4% had also used nicotine. While initiation in adolescence was most common, 27.1% of those who use nicotine and 34.9% of those who use cannabis initiated during emerging adulthood. Among regular users of nicotine, 41.5% began regular use in emerging adulthood.

Conclusions

These findings underscore the continued susceptibility of emerging adults to initiation of these substances. Co‐use of nicotine and cannabis is an understudied phenomenon in emerging adults with significant potential to cause harm and should be a public health priority.
Federalism and the politics of oil and gas pipelines in Canada (Alberta) and the United States (Texas)
Authors: Lecours André , Béland Daniel
Published: May 2022

In recent years, pipeline policy has been a significant and controversial issue in Canadian politics. In the United States, pipeline projects to increase transportation capacity for Texas oil have also been high on the energy agenda, but they have not permeated national politics like in Canada. In fact, new pipelines to transport oil and gas out of Texas' Permian Basin have multiplied without generating serious national controversy or intergovernmental conflicts. This article develops an explanation for these distinct political outcomes in Canada and the United States. The article identifies three factors that have contributed to pipeline projects triggering serious intergovernmental conflicts in Canada around Alberta oil but not in the United States in relation to the transportation of Texas oil: (1) pipeline structures and the regulatory framework for oil and gas; (2) the ideological and political support for, or opposition to, oil and gas development; and (3) the level of Indigenous opposition to pipeline projects.

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Mahafza, Zachary, Jonathan M. Fisk, and David P. Adams. 2021. “Crude Contempt: Examining Local Pushback to Oil and Gas Development in California.” Politics & Policy 49(2): 479–501. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12401.

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