bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ischemic Stroke in Patients With Congenital Heart Disease and Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Holmgren Arvid , Giang Kok Wai , Fedchenko Maria , Eriksson Peter , Dellborg Mikael , Mandalenakis Zacharias
Published: August 2024

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), but little is known about the risk for ischemic stroke among younger patients with CHD (aged <65 years) with AF.

Methods and Results

Using data from the National Swedish Patient Register and Cause of Death Register, we identified all patients with both CHD and AF born in Sweden between 1970 and 2017. The Swedish total population register was used to identify age‐ and sex‐matched patients without CHD; those with AF were used as controls. Bottos hierarchical classification was used to define CHD as either complex or noncomplex. Controls were followed from the onset of AF until the index ischemic stroke, death, or end of study (December 31, 2017). We identified 951 patients with CHD with AF and 606 controls with AF. Among patients with both CHD and AF, 2.9% of patients (n=28) developed ischemic stroke, compared with 0.5% (n=3) in controls. When adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, and heart failure, a hazard ratio (HR) of 5.16 (95% CI, 1.52–17.46) was acquired. The HR in noncomplex CHD was 3.84 (95% CI, 1.07–13.84), and the HR in complex CHD was 8.34 (95% CI, 2.27–30.57). For patients born in 1970 to 1989, the HR in ischemic stroke was 7.35 (95% CI, 1.70–31.75). No adjusted HR for patients with CHD born in 1990 to 2017 could be acquired due to few events.

Conclusions

The risk for ischemic stroke may be 5 times higher in patients with both CHD and AF compared with patients without CHD with AF. However, larger studies may be needed to confirm/refute these results.
Relation of Cognitive Reserve Indicator to Heart Disease and Cardiac Structure and Function: A Large Community‐Based Longitudinal Study
Authors: Li Xuerui , Yang Wenzhe , Miao Yuyang , Dove Abigail , Wang Jiao , Du Tingting , Fang Zhongze , Xu Weili , Zhang Qiang
Published: August 2024

Background

High cognitive reserve (CR) has been related to lower dementia risk, but its association with heart disease (HD) is unknown. We aimed to explore the relation of CR to HD and cardiac structure and function.

Methods and Results

Within the UK Biobank, 349 907 HD‐free participants were followed up. A composite CR indicator involving education/occupation attainment/television viewing time/confiding frequency/social connection frequency/variety of leisure activities was generated, and further categorized into low/moderate/high levels. Incident HD, including coronary HD, cardiac arrhythmia, and heart failure, was ascertained on the basis of medical records. During the follow‐up, a subsample (n=31 182) underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to assess ventricular structure and function. Data were analyzed using Cox regression, Laplace regression, and linear regression. Compared with low CR, the hazard ratio and 95% CI of any HD for high CR was 0.78 (0.75–0.80) (including 0.68 [0.66–0.71] for coronary HD, 0.91 [0.87–0.95] for cardiac arrhythmia, and 0.63 [0.58–0.68] for heart failure). Furthermore, high CR was associated with delayed HD onset by 1.59 (95% CI, 1.37–1.82) years compared with low CR. In cardiac magnetic resonance imaging data analysis, compared with low CR, high CR was associated with larger left ventricular end‐diastolic volume (β, 0.13 [95% CI, 0.09–0.17]), left ventricular end‐systolic volume (β, 0.05 [95% CI, 0.01–0.10]), left ventricular stroke volume (β, 0.16 [95% CI, 0.12–0.21]), and left ventricular ejection fraction (β, 0.08 [95% CI, 0.03–0.13]).

Conclusions

High CR is associated with favorable HD health. Our findings suggest that the beneficial effect of CR is not limited to dementia but also HD.
Incidence and Predictors of Stroke in Australian Adults With Congenital Heart Disease (2000–2017)
Authors: Sodhi‐Berry Nita , Burchill Luke J. , Kleinig Timothy J. , Nedkoff Lee , Katzenellenbogen Judith M.
Published: August 2024

Background

Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at increased risk of stroke but high‐quality population level data on stroke incidence in these patients are scant.

Methods and Results

A retrospective whole‐population Western Australian cohort of adult patients with CHD aged 18 to 64 years was created and followed from January 2000 to December 2017 using linked hospital data. Stroke incidence rates within the adult cohort with CHD were calculated and compared with the general population via direct standardization. A nested case–control design assessed predictors of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke within the cohort. Among 7916 adults with CHD, 249 (3.1%) incident strokes occurred at a median age of 47 years; 186 (2.3%) ischemic, 33 (0.4%) hemorrhagic and 30 (0.4%) unspecified strokes. Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke incidence was, respectively, 9 and 3 times higher in adults with CHD than the general population. Absolute risk was low with annual rates of 0.26% (ischemic) and 0.05% (hemorrhagic). Highest rates were observed in adults with shunt and left‐sided lesions. Predictors of ischemic stroke in adults with CHD included recent cardiac surgery, left‐sided valve repair/replacements, shunt lesions, and traditional risk factors (hypertension, infective endocarditis, peripheral vascular disease, and tobacco use). Mental health disorders and increasing Charlson's comorbidity scores were strongly associated with higher risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. The CHA
2
DS
2
VASc score was associated with ischemic stroke incidence.

Conclusions

This study provides the first population‐based stroke incidence estimates for adults with CHD in Australia, showing elevated stroke risk across different CHD lesions. It highlights the potential clinical importance of managing comorbidities, especially mental health.
Bucking the Trend: Civil Society and the Strengthening of Environmental Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Stevenson Hayley
Published: August 2024

In 2021, environmental procedural rights were strengthened in Latin America and the Caribbean when the legally binding Escazu Agreement came into force. This new treaty seeks to implement Principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration, which promotes access to information, participation, and justice in environmental matters. The treaty is empirically and theoretically surprising: it bucks the growing trend of informalization in regional and international cooperation and is more highly legalized than institutional design theory would predict. Applying an interpretivist logic of inquiry and drawing on interviews with twenty-three participants in the negotiations, I argue that this outcome can be explained by an alignment of structural conditions that facilitated an alliance between ambitious state and nonstate actors and enabled their influence throughout negotiations. Applying theories of political opportunities and mobilization structures, I show how a network created by the World Resources Institute influenced the agreement’s design and helped secure a high degree of obligation and precision in Latin America’s first environmental treaty.
Positive Complementarity in Action: International Criminal Justice and the Ongoing Armed Conflict in Ukraine
Authors: Anosova Iuliia , Aksamitowska Karolina , Sancin Vasilka
Published: August 2024

Complementarity has been traditionally understood in a twofold manner. On the one hand, the principle of complementarity explicates the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. On the other hand, it has been conceptualised as the broader principle that governs the functioning of the international criminal justice system built after the entry into force of the Rome Statute. Understood in this sense, complementarity outlines the interplay between different (domestic and international) accountability actors, including national authorities and civil society. This article explores the ways in which the principle of complementarity has been operationalised in Ukraine since 2014, in an attempt to highlight the challenges faced by domestic and international justice actors in the situation of atrocities being committed in an ongoing armed conflict. It puts forward an argument that ad hoc responses introduced in cooperation and coordination with local and international partners—including the civil society—have been prioritised over permanent legislative solutions. These ad hoc responses have the potential to influence the expansion of the complementarity architecture, shape the coordinated accountability approaches and advance positive complementarity for core international crimes in ongoing armed conflicts.
Private legal practice and public authority in early Venetian Ithaca: thirteen new notarial documents (1575–1599)
Authors: Nikias K.
Published: August 2024

The Greek notarial documents produced in the centuries after the fall of Byzantine rule are important sources for retracing the development of private legal practices under the influence of the different administrative and legal orders which came to rule the Greek-speaking territories. In the vast areas which came under Venetian control, the system of private transactions was conditioned by a tension between the widespread practice of notaries operating as private professionals during the Byzantine period, and the intervention of Venetian administrators who sought to regulate notaries as public officers. This article considers this tension in an understudied peripheral context, the small island of Ithaca in the period of early Venetian rule, through an analysis of thirteen new Greek notarial sources from 1575–1599 which are presented here in a critical edition. Owing to the small size of the Ithacan economy and the informality of the island’s administration during the sixteenth century, private transactions were executed mainly by independent scribes, priests, and in some cases by public notaries from neighbouring Cephalonia. This was gradually changed by successive regulatory interventions by the Venetians which formalised administrative structures on Ithaca, traced here through several unpublished sources from the local archives, in addition to documents from Cephalonia and Venice. These reforms led to the establishment of a system of publicly appointed and supervised notaries on Ithaca in the early seventeenth century, putting the freer practice of the earlier period under the closer control of the public administration and bringing Ithaca into line with practices in the larger Venetian possessions.
A Surrealist with a Gun
Authors: Lovitt Sean
Published: August 2024

Allen Van Newkirk sought to revitalize the surrealists’ project of transforming everyday life with practices inspired by the series of riots that swept across the United States in the 1960s. Although largely forgotten, Van Newkirk was once a key figure in the underground press, helping to shape the counterculture’s understanding of surrealism’s relationship to contemporary social movements. This article draws on archival research and interviews with Van Newkirk’s collaborators in order to reconstruct his surrealist life. His direct-action approach to surrealism is examined through a close reading of his best-known act, the mock assassination of the poet Kenneth Koch. This provocative action, organized with the anarchist group Black Mask, exemplifies their combined attempt to extricate surrealism from its legacy in the art world and wield it as an insurrectionary weapon. Riot-inspired actions like this one led Van Newkirk to develop a concept of poetry that was identical to revolution.
“Poetic Insubordination”
Authors: Löwy Michael
Published: August 2024

The Surrealist movement in Paris has kept alive, since the early 1970s, the red and black flame of rebellion, the antiauthoritarian dream of radical freedom, the poetical insubordination to the powers that be, and the obstinate desire to reenchant the world. Unfortunately, most academic or mainstream accounts of surrealism take it for granted that the group dissolved itself in 1969. It is quite strange that this attitude persisted despite the very visible presence of the surrealist movement in Paris after 1970. Historians have been trying to decree the end of surrealism for years. For most of them, surrealism was nothing else than one of the innumerous artistic vanguards, such as Cubism or Futurism.
The monophyly of Magelona F. Müller, 1858 (Polychaeta, Magelonidae): Comments on Meißner et al.’s (2023) reinstatement of Octomagelona Aguirrezabalaga, Ceberio & Fiege, 2001
Authors: FITZHUGH KIRK , MORTIMER KATE , BRASIL ANA C. DOS SANTOS
Published: August 2024

The first published phylogenetic hypotheses involving members of the polychaete taxon Magelonidae Cunningham & Ramage, 1888, were reported by Mortimer et al. (2021), wherein results showed that for the two genera in the family, Magelona F. Müller, 1858, was paraphyletic relative to Octomagelona Aguirrezabalaga, Ceberio & Fiege, 2001. The only option to formally name at least some of the resultant phylogenetic hypotheses was to place Octomagelona into synonymy with Magelona, leaving the definition of Magelonidae redundant with that of a monophyletic Magelona. Meißner et al. (2023) subsequently described specimens as members of new species, Octomagelona borowskii Fiege, Knebelsberger & Meißner, 2023, and O. sp. cf. O. borowskii, with the view that Octomagelona should be maintained as distinct from Magelona. We present reasons why reestablishing the paraphyly of Magelona is scientifically unwarranted.
A new species of Nactus gecko from boulder-pile habitat on Dauan Island, Torres Strait, Australia
Authors: HOSKIN CONRAD J. , DAVIES ALEXANDER , ALAND KIERAN
Published: August 2024

The Torres Strait Islands lie between Cape York Peninsula, north-east Australia, and the southern coast of Papua New Guinea. The vertebrate fauna of these islands is a relatively depauperate mix of Australian and New Guinean species, with only two endemic species described to date. Here we describe a new species of Nactus gecko discovered during a targeted survey of Dauan Island in the northern Torres Strait. Nactus simakal sp. nov. is a genetically (ND2 mtDNA) and morphologically highly distinct species, with a banded pattern and a slender, elongate form. It is saxicoline, living on deeply piled boulder habitat, and is likely to be restricted to Dauan Island. Nactus simakal sp. nov. is currently known from a very small area and further surveys, and assessment of current and potential threats, are required to assess the conservation status of this species. Nactus simakal sp. nov. is similar in general appearance to N. galgajuga (Ingram, 1978), which is restricted to boulder-pile habitat 750 km to the south in mainland north-east Queensland but is readily distinguished from that species morphologically and genetically.
MJO Diversity in CMIP6 Models
Authors: Back Seung-Yoon , Kim Daehyun , Son Seok-Woo
Published: August 2024

Recent studies have shown that individual Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) events can be categorized into four types based on their propagation characteristics: standing, jumping, slow-propagating, and fast-propagating MJOs. While their structures and impacts are well documented in observations, their representation in state-of-the-art climate models has not been investigated. This study evaluates the four types of MJOs in phase 6 of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) models. While most models show reasonable MJO propagation characteristics, their performance varies among MJO types, with better performance for the propagating MJO types. To identify the factors that drive each MJO type, background conditions at the surface, troposphere, and stratosphere are examined. We found that the standing and fast MJOs are closely associated with sea surface temperature (SST) and precipitable water (PW) distributions. Specifically, negative and positive SST and PW anomalies are observed over the equatorial Pacific during the standing and fast-propagating MJOs, respectively. In contrast, the jumping and slow-propagating MJOs do not show noticeable SST and PW distributions, suggesting that they may be more strongly influenced by the internal dynamics than by the background conditions. It is further found that the models with more frequent standing MJO than fast MJO generally have stronger negative biases in both SST and PW over the equatorial western Pacific. Although the standing MJO is also preferred when the stratospheric wind at 50 hPa is westerly, such a relationship is absent in the models. These results suggest that MJO diversity in climate models could be improved by better simulation of the mean state, especially for the standing and fast-propagating MJOs.
Equatorial Pacific Cold Tongue Bias Degrades Simulation of ENSO Asymmetry due to Underestimation of Strong Eastern Pacific El Niños
Authors: Bayr Tobias , Lübbecke Joke F. , Vialard Jérôme , Latif Mojib
Published: August 2024

El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) exhibits a considerable asymmetry in sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTa), as El Niño events tend to be stronger and centered further east than La Niña events. Here, we analyze ENSO asymmetry in observations and preindustrial control integrations of 32 models participating in phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). Observations indicate a significant link between strong eastern Pacific (EP) El Niño events and the ENSO amplitude and asymmetry. The large CMIP6 database confirms this strong link. Most CMIP6 models suffer from an equatorial Pacific cold SST bias. This cold tongue bias hinders the southward migration of the ITCZ toward the equator over the eastern equatorial Pacific, which is characteristic of strong EP El Niño events in observations. Therefore, many models underestimate the eastern equatorial Pacific rainfall anomalies and simulate a wind stress feedback over the western Pacific that is too weak and too far west. As a result, the cold tongue bias exerts a strong control on the climate models’ ability to generate strong EP El Niño events and therefore on the ENSO overall amplitude and asymmetry. We discuss the relevance of these results in view of a potential increase of strong EP El Niño events under global warming.

Significance Statement

El Niño and La Niña are asymmetric, as El Niño events tend to be stronger and further east than La Niña events. Due to an equatorial Pacific cold tongue bias with too cold SSTs, the simulation of ENSO asymmetry is degraded in many climate models participating in CMIP6. Here, we show how the cold tongue bias influences ENSO asymmetry. The cold bias hampers the simulation of strong eastern Pacific El Niños by making it more difficult for SST to exceed the threshold for deep atmospheric convection over the eastern equatorial Pacific. Recent research indicates that climate models with a realistic ENSO asymmetry agree on the projected ENSO under global warming. The results of this study suggest that reducing the cold tongue bias has the potential to enhancing the reliability of future ENSO projections.
Process and Outcome Evaluation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Think. Test. Treat TB Health Communications Campaign, United States, March–September 2022
Authors: Caruso Elise , Parmer John , Allen Leeanna , Maiuri Allison , Mangan Joan , Bouwkamp Beth , DeLuca Nickolas
Published: August 2024

Objectives:

The Think. Test. Treat TB health communications campaign aims to increase the awareness of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) primarily among people born in the Philippines and Vietnam and other non–US-born groups (consumers) and the health care providers (providers) who serve them. We conducted a process evaluation to assess reach and audience engagement and an outcome evaluation to assess awareness, knowledge, perceptions, and behavioral intentions among audiences of the campaign.

Methods:

To evaluate the process, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measured exposure to (eg, with impressions [total advertisements]) and engagement with (eg, online clicks) the campaign during its rollout (March–September 2022). After the rollout, to evaluate outcomes, we administered online surveys to consumers and providers who were exposed and not exposed to the campaign.

Results:

The Think. Test. Treat TB campaign resulted in >33 million impressions, >2000 materials downloaded from the internet, and >33 000 materials shipped. Of 173 consumers who completed the evaluation survey, 123 (71.1%) were exposed to the campaign, with 108 (87.8%) reporting intention to ask their provider about tuberculosis (TB) during their next visit. Of 44 providers who completed the evaluation survey, 24 (54.5%) did not feel that they were the intended audience of the campaign, yet all felt the campaign materials were relevant to their patients, and 42 (95.5%) felt the materials were relevant to providers who serve patients at risk for TB.

Conclusion:

The Think. Test. Treat TB campaign was successful in raising awareness of LTBI among the intended audiences. Continuing engagement with key audiences about LTBI to encourage testing and treatment is integral to eliminate TB in the United States.
Impact of Site-Neutral Payments for Commercial and Employer-Sponsored Plans
Authors: Parente Stephen T
Published: August 2024

Site-neutral payment is a policy created by federal rule making and implemented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that aims to reduce healthcare costs by aligning payment rates for certain services provided in multiple care settings. Site-neutral payments are intended to eliminate the incentive for providers to acquire facilities, such as physician offices or ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), that Medicare reimburses at the lower non-facility rate and convert those settings into hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs), where Medicare reimburses at the higher facility rate. Although initiated by Congress to address payment disparities in Medicare, similar payment discrepancies can be seen in the commercial market where individual and employer-sponsored health plans often pay more for certain outpatient services depending on their location. This analysis presents a simulation of the impact of applying site-neutral payments to the commercial market with respect to overall potential savings for consumers, health plans and the federal government. To conduct the analysis, we use an all-payer claims data base generalizable to the United States. The analysis focused on a select group of outpatient services identified by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). We mapped the MedPAC identified 68 Ambulatory Payment Classifications (APCs), the codes Medicare uses to reimburse facilities for outpatient services, to the relevant CPT4/HCPCS codes, which the commercial market uses for billing. The potential cost savings of applying the site-neutral payment policy to the commercial insurance market to be $58 billion for year 2022. We estimate the 10-year total (2024-2033) employer market premium reduction ranges from 5.35% to 5.0% and found that those premium reductions would result in employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) tax subsidy savings of $140 billion to the federal government over a 10-year period (2024-2033).
A Taste of Telework: Effects of Remote Work Arrangements During and After the Global Pandemic
Authors: Kim Joohi , Fay Daniel L.
Published: August 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented changes in global work dynamics including mandating telework for most of the U.S. federal workforce to protect employees from health and safety hazards of the communicable virus. Although not ubiquitous, many federal employees had experience with these arrangements because they voluntarily chose telework prior to the pandemic through provisions in the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010. Using the 2020 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), which focuses on telework perceptions and experiences, this study explores the effect of the involuntary telework mandate on employees’ attitudes toward telework after several months through a prospect theory framework. Findings demonstrate that several factors including previous telework experience and experiential learning may influence employees’ preference for and voluntary selection into telework moving forward. These dynamics suggest an endowment effect for telework among employees who gained telework experience before and during the pandemic. In addition, employees may choose telework as an alternative work arrangement when they are not satisfied with their organizations or jobs but want to maintain employment. These findings suggest that agencies should continue to offer robust telework opportunities to satisfy and retain employees.
High Frequency Ultrasound Transducer Based on Sm-Doped Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.28PbTiO3 Ceramic for Intravascular Ultrasound Imaging
Authors: Weiyan Ding , Chen Xingfei , Zhang Yongcheng , Li Xiaobing , Sun Fenglong , Yang Zhaoping , Tang Xi , Zhou Changjiang , Wang Feifei , Zhao Xiangyong
Published: August 2024

Sm-doped Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.28PbTiO3 (PMN-0.28PT) ceramic has been reported to exhibit very large piezoelectric response ( d33~1300 pC/N) that can be comparable with PMN-0.30PT single crystal. Based on the Sm-doped PMN-0.28PT ceramics, a high frequency ultrasound transducer with the center frequency above 30 MHz has been designed and fabricated for intravascular ultrasound imaging, and the performance of the transducer was investigated via ultrasound pulse-echo tests. Further, for a porcine vessel wall, the 2D and 3D ultrasound images were constructed using signal acquisition and processing from the fabricated high-frequency transducer. The obtained details of the vessel wall by the IVUS transducer indicate that Sm-doped PMN-0.28PT ceramic is a promising candidate for high frequency transducers.
Pupils’ emotional expression observed in the primary school context / Observación de la expresión emocional de los alumnos en el contexto de educación primaria
Authors: Prosen Simona , Smrtnik Vitulić Helena
Published: August 2024

The present study investigated the expression of emotions in pupils of the first five grades of primary school. The sample ( N = 114) comprised pupils aged between 6.5 and 10.6 years, whose expression of emotions was observed using an observational schema. Observations were gathered in classrooms at 70 schools in different regions of Slovenia. Fourteen emotions were recognized in the pupils’ expressions, with joy and anger predominating. The intensity of the expression of positive and negative emotions, as well as basic and complex emotions, was moderate, and no significant difference in intensity was observed between these categories. Boys expressed more positive, negative and basic emotions than girls. The situations that elicited emotions varied and reflected the prominent issues in school, particularly academic achievement, social interactions with teachers and classmates, and activities during lessons. The applicability of the results to teachers’ work in the classroom was highlighted.
Architectures of disavowal and enduring acts of refusal
Authors: Ebbensgaard Casper Laing
Published: August 2024

Engaging with scholarship on vertical urbanism, this paper advances an understanding of architectural disavowal to account for the ways that vertical architectures deny their responsibility in causing harm to residential populations. The paper draws on Dionne Brand’s notion of disavowal in the vertical city to examine residents’ experience of and resistant responses to the harmful effects that vertical developments impose on their daily and nightly lives. In Aldgate, east London, the 13-storey high-rise development, Buckle Street Studio, has caused noise levels to rise, light pollution to intensify, the sky to vanish from sight and daylight to disappear from the flats in the neighbouring block Goldpence Apartments. Drawing on interviews with residents in Goldpence Apartments, the paper documents the extent of these changes and brings attention to the mundane strategies that residents deploy in their attempts to resist the overwhelming sensory invasions and affective intrusions of their homes. By showcasing how residents overturn the affective charge of their new high-rise neighbour/s and refuse – disavow – its force, the paper considers how mundane survival strategies might challenge architectural disavowal in the vertical city and beyond.
Solidification precipitation behaviour and growth kinetics of AlN inclusions in FeCrAl alloys
Authors: Chen Ji , Zhu Hangyu , Wang Lanqing , Zhao Jixuan , Guo Shuai
Published: August 2024

AlN inclusions are the major inclusions in FeCrAl alloys and precipitate during solidification. The precipitation behaviour and growth kinetics of AlN inclusions in FeCrAl alloys were theoretically calculated based on the Clyne–Kurz model and a diffusion-controlled growth model. The results indicated that AlN inclusions precipitated at a solid fraction of 0.45. Following precipitation, the Al concentration exhibited a slight decrease compared to scenarios where AlN inclusion precipitation was not considered, although it still showed an increasing trend. Conversely, the N concentration exhibited a significant turnaround, gradually dropping below its initial value. In addition, varying the cooling rate to 0.17, 0.83, 1.67, and 16.67 K/s, the final sizes of AlN inclusions were 46.5, 21.1, 14.8, and 4.7 μm, respectively. Fixing other factors, the solid fractions for AlN precipitation at initial Al concentrations of 4.19, 4.69, and 5.19 wt% were 0.535, 0.45, and 0.365, respectively, and the final sizes of AlN inclusions were 16.2, 14.8, and 13.6 μm, respectively. Similarly fixing the other factors and varying the initial N concentrations to 0.0045, 0.0053, and 0.0060 wt%, the solid fractions of AlN were 0.515, 0.45, and 0.40, respectively, and the final sizes of AlN inclusions were 14.6, 14.8, and 15.0 μm, respectively. This indicates that increasing the cooling rate, increasing the initial Al concentration, and decreasing the initial N concentration could effectively reduce the precipitation size of AlN inclusions. This work provides guidance for the investigation of the precipitation and growth kinetics of AlN inclusions in FeCrAl alloys.
Study on the control of transverse cracks at the corners of large square billets for continuous casting of marine 945 hypo-peritectic micro-alloyed steel
Authors: Liang Fengrui , Zhang Haibo , Liu Zhihong , Xu Lijun , Chai Feng , Su Hang
Published: August 2024

Hypo-peritectic micro-alloyed steel has strong crack sensitivity, and marine 945 steel, as a kind of sub-encapsulated crystalline micro-alloyed steel, has frequent corner cracks during production, which seriously affects the production rhythm and reduces the product quality. Through the study of the morphology and composition of the matrix near the crack, the study and analysis of the high-temperature mechanical properties of the steel itself, and combined with the actual production situation, the causes of the corner cracks were clarified and the process optimisation was carried out accordingly. The results of the study show that the generation of corner cracks is due to the improper deoxidation process, uneven heat transfer inside the crystallizer and inappropriate cooling water parameters in the steelmaking process. By changing the deoxygenation method, crystallizer protective slag performance, crystallizer cooling water volume, water volume in the second cooling zone and other measures, the occurrence of billet corner cracks was effectively reduced, and the frequency of billet corner cracks was reduced from 6.3 to 2/m.
Performance improvement of a DPC-FPID strategy with matrix converter using CDFIG in wind power system
Authors: Maafa Amar , Mellah Hacene , Sahraoui Hamza , Yahiou Abdelghani
Published: August 2024

This study focuses on optimizing energy extraction from Wind Power Generation Systems (WPGS) using a cascaded Doubly Fed Induction Generator (CDFIG) amidst variable wind speed operation. The aim of this study is to provide a new robust nonlinear control technique. The proposed method is founded on a fractional-order Proportional–Integral–Derivative controller (FPID). To well control the injection of both active and reactive power into the electrical grid and respond to the needs of consumers despite the changes in environmental conditions, a robust Direct Power Control (DPC) is employed with FPID (DPC-FPID) associated with Matrix Converter (MC). To extract the greatest aerodynamic power Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), is employed. We compare the suggested method’s outcomes with traditional PID results in order to confirm and validate the findings. It can be argued that the DPC-FPID method exhibits superior performance compared to the DPC-PI method. In terms of Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), the outcomes indicate that the proposed technique utilizing FPID (1.20%) outperforms the conventional technique relying on PID (1.87%). The DPC-FPID approach gives a reduction in ripple values in comparison to the DPC-PI strategy in terms of ratios for the torque (6.25%), active power (14.28%), and reactive power (14.705%).
Experimental and numerical investigation of Zephyr-type wind turbine
Authors: Lajnef Mariem , Mosbahi Mabrouk , Abid Hasna , Driss Zied , Sinagra Marco , Amato Emannuel , Tucciarelli Tullio
Published: August 2024

The search for more environmentally friendly energy sources has been prompted by growing environmental concerns. In this regard, wind energy can be an alternative viable source of energy for world electricity demand supply. Despite of their benefits in terms of simplicity of manufacture, independency on wind direction and good starting ability in turbulent flow, Savonius wind turbines as a vertical axis wind energy converter are not recommended for large-scale power generation because of their poor performances. This research emphasizes on the performance improvement of a Zephyr wind rotor (ZWR). Experimental tests were conducted in a wind tunnel for different Reynolds numbers. Maximum power coefficient of 0.074 was recorded for Re = 158,000 corresponding to V∞ = 10 m s−1 at a tip speed ratio of λ = 0.99. Numerical study was carried out with the use of Ansys Fluent 17.0 software through transient 3D simulations investigating the optimization of the ZWR rotor blades and stator vanes with the aim of performance betterment. Maximum power coefficient of 0.168 was found with 8-bladed ZWR with 12 stator vanes. Aerodynamic properties were also improved.
Measuring Elementary Student Reading Gain in the Context of School-Implemented Multitiered Systems of Support
Authors: Al Otaiba Stephanie , van Dijk Wilhelmina , Stewart Jennifer , Edwards Ashley A. , Russell Freudenthal Dayna , Allor Jill , Schatschneider Christopher , Yovanoff Paul
Published: August 2024

There is limited research with mixed results about student reading gains in Grades 1 to 5 within typical school-implemented Response to Intervention (RTI). As part of a larger study, we used school-administered screening data on a widely used computer-adaptive test (Measures of Academic Progress) to describe reading gains across one academic year. We observed relatively faster growth in the first grade than in the later grades. We found stronger growth for students not identified with a disability relative to students with low or high-incidence disabilities or a 504 plan. We explored moderation of gains for students receiving tiered interventions based on administrators’ interviews about RTI implementation. We observed that better ratings of administrators’ articulation about using the evidence-aligned RTI components of progress monitoring, data-based decision-making, and Tier 2 interventions were related to greater gains for students receiving Tier 2 or 3 intervention. We discuss implications, limitations, and directions for future research.
Examining the Supply of New Special Educators: Variations by Institutional Characteristics and For-Profit Status
Authors: Nguyen Tuan D. , Bettini Elizabeth , Gilmour Allison F. , Redding Christopher
Published: August 2024

U.S. schools have long experienced shortages of special education teachers (SETs), challenging the nation’s capacity to ensure qualified SETs for students eligible for special education services. Addressing SET shortages requires preparation programs supply sufficient numbers of new SETs to meet demand, yet prior research provides few insights into trends in the supply of new SETs. Thus, we examined how the supply of new SETs changed over time in relation to the characteristics of teacher preparation programs. We find decreasing supply of new SETs nationally, primarily driven by reduced supply of new SETs from small colleges. Results suggest the current SET shortage may be connected, in previously undocumented ways, to the broader decline of small- and mid-sized colleges. Finally, findings indicate the nation may be far more dependent on for-profit institutions for supplying new SETs, which has implications for the production of SETs by alternative certification and traditional teacher preparation programs.
Perinatal Intimate Partner Violence and Maternal-Infant Bonding in Women With Anxiety Symptoms in Pakistan: The Moderating Role of Breastfeeding
Authors: Naseem Hina , Park Soim , Rowther Armaan A. , Atif Najia , Rahman Atif , Perin Jamie , Zaidi Ahmed , Malik Abid , Surkan Pamela J.
Published: August 2024

Intimate partner violence (IPV) during the perinatal period can negatively affect both a woman’s health and the bonding with her infant. Research on IPV among pregnant women experiencing psychological distress in South Asia is limited. We examined associations between perinatal exposure to IPV and postnatal maternal-infant bonding in Pakistani women with symptoms of anxiety and assessed if breastfeeding practices moderated these associations. Postnatal data were collected from 720 Pakistani women who reported at least mild levels of anxiety symptoms in pregnancy. We performed Poisson regression with robust variance analyses to examine the associations between IPV during pregnancy or within 6 weeks after delivery (i.e., the perinatal period) and maternal-infant bonding. Interaction terms between IPV and breastfeeding practices were included in the analytic models to examine the moderating effects. About 27% of women were exposed to at least one type of perinatal IPV. Women who were exposed to IPV were more likely to have moderate to severe postpartum anxiety ( n = 57, 28.9% of IPV-exposed women), compared to those without IPV ( n = 65, 12.4% of unexposed women; p value < .001). Compared to women not reporting IPV, women exposed to any IPV showed a 38% increase in Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire scores, suggesting higher likelihood of impaired bonding (risk ratio [RR] = 1.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.21, 1.56]). Among women who initiated breastfeeding later than 1 hr post-delivery, IPV was associated with impaired bonding (RR = 1.09, 95% CI [1.06, 1.20]), whereas no association was present for women who initiated breastfeeding within 1 hr (RR = 1.03, 95% CI [0.98, 1.08]). In addition to the efforts to reduce IPV, encouraging IPV-exposed women to adhere to the breastfeeding guidelines (e.g., early breastfeeding) may enhance maternal-infant bonding.
Exact discrete-time stability analysis of multi-DOF haptic rendering: Impact of multi-rate, time-delay, and mechanical parameters
Authors: Ganiny Suhail , Koul Majid H , Ahmad Babar
Published: August 2024

Previous studies on the stability analysis of haptic devices have predominantly focused on single-DOF devices, thereby limiting attention to multi-DOF devices, particularly those employing multi-rate sampling schemes. In this paper, we introduce a formulation for the coupled dynamics between the haptic device and the virtual environment for a multi-DOF haptic device controlled using a dual-rate sampling scheme. Subsequently, we analyze its stability through the application of a dynamic decoupling strategy within an exact discrete-time state-space framework while the device is engaged in rendering a virtual wall along one of its operational space coordinates. Furthermore, we explore how the combined influence of the dual-rate sampling approach, time delay, and the mechanical design affects the stability boundaries of the multi-DOF haptic device at a fixed workspace location as well as within the entire usable workspace. Additionally, we utilize a model-order reduction (MOR) framework to simplify the determination of the device’s stability limits, irrespective of the specific combinations of time delay and sampling rates employed.
Numerical investigation on loading pattern of railway concrete slabs
Authors: Liravi Hassan , Khajehdezfuly Amin , Sadeghi Javad , Aela Peyman , Shafieyoon Yazdan , Shiraz Amir A.
Published: August 2024

Despite the recent surge in the construction of ballastless railway tracks, there exists a notable research gap concerning the rail seat load (RSL) associated with these track types. The RSL is the load transferred from the rail to the fastening system, the plate beneath the rail and the rail pad. The prediction of RSL in ballasted track systems is widely investigated, however, there has been a relative lack of research into the ballastless railway track systems. In this paper, a 2D finite element model (2D FEM) was adopted to evaluate the RSL concerning the effective parameters, including sleeper spacing, fastening system stiffness and the flexural modulus of the rail. The numerical model was validated through a field test performed in the study. Moreover, a mathematical expression was proposed to determine the RSL ratio for concrete slab tracks. The RSL directly correlates with the sleeper spacing and the fastening stiffness, while this relation with the flexural rigidity is inverse. Based on the results, it was found that the RSL ratio obtained from the conventional methods differed considerably from the proposed mathematical expression. More specifically, this difference was observed in almost all of the values in the sleeper spacing and flexural rigidity of rail for the Kerr model except 0.68 m and 5 MN.m2, respectively.
Impact of STIs on cervical cancer screening: Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) positive women in Mozambique
Authors: Sineque Alberto , Ceffa Susanna , Parruque Fernanda , Guidotti Giovanni , Massango Cacilda , Sidumo Zita , Carrilho Carla , Bicho Clara , Rangeiro Ricardina , Orlando Stefano , Lorenzoni Cesaltina , Ciccacci Fausto
Published: August 2024

Background

Cervical cancer, primarily from HPV, is prevalent in countries like Mozambique, with HIV individuals at higher risk. The Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) screening method can be influenced by STIs like Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG). This study examines CT and NG prevalence in HIV-positive and negative women using VIA in Mozambique’s DREAM program.

Methods

In this cross-sectional research conducted at a DREAM program facility in Maputo from 01/07/2021 to 31/05/2022, cervical specimens were taken from VIA-positive patients. CT/NG testing was performed using the Cobas® 4800 DNA CT/NG test. Statistical analyses focused on associations and prevalence rates, considering demographic, clinical, and exposure data.

Results

Among 117 women, we observed a CT prevalence of 6.8% (8/117) and an NG prevalence of 2.6%(3/117). No significant associations between CT/NG infection rates and factors such as age, HIV status, VIA results, or high-risk HPV (hrHPV) was observed. We found a 47% prevalence of hrHPV infections among participants with cervical lesions; no significant association between hrHPV and CT/NG infections was observed.

Conclusion

This study highlights the prevalence of CT and NG in VIA-positive women in Mozambique, emphasizing the STI burden and suggesting integration of STI screening in cervical cancer prevention strategies.
Using Cognitive Models to Improve the Wisdom of the Crowd
Authors: Lee Michael D.
Published: August 2024

The wisdom of the crowd is the finding that aggregating the judgments of many people can lead to surprisingly accurate group judgments. Usually statistical methods are used to aggregate people’s judgments, but there are advantages to using cognitive models instead. Crowd judgments based on cognitive modeling can (a) identify experts and amplify their judgments, (b) provide a representational structure for aggregating complicated multidimensional judgments, (c) debias judgments that are affected by heuristic cognitive processes or competitive social situations, and (d) diversify the crowd by incorporating predictions about judgments that have not been observed. Demonstrations of these advantages are provided in case studies involving ranking, probability estimation, and categorization problems.
A strategic model of polytheism
Authors: Gauthier Laurent
Published: August 2024

We consider a formal model of polytheistic religion, where worshippers choose gods to address, and expect benefits in return. At the game-theoretic equilibrium, they choose gods optimally depending on how the gods return favors, as a function of divine efficiency. This efficiency can be modeled based on a random growth model of prayer benefit, and results in worship acts following power laws. A reduction in the range of random events associated to the various divinities, or to their range of interpretations, leads to more concentration of worship towards less divinities.
Malnutrition is Associated With Fatigue and Anxiety in Advanced Cancer Patients Admitted to Home Palliative Care
Authors: Mercadante Sebastiano , Bellavia Giuseppe Massimo , Fusco Flavio , Adamoli Lucia , Scibilia Carla , Lo Cascio Alessio , Casuccio Alessandra
Published: August 2024

Objective

Information regarding the nutrition profile of advanced cancer patients followed at home is lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status of patients who were admitted to specialized home palliative care, and examine eventual factors associated with malnutrition.

Design

Cross-sectional. Setting/subject: patients who were admitted to 2 specialized home palliative care programs.

Participants

A consecutive sample of patients admitted to home care was selected. Depression, anxiety, nausea, poor appetite, and poor well-being were measured by numerical scale 0-10. Mini nutritional assessment form (MNA-SF), fatigue assessment scale (FAS), and sarcopenia by SARC-F. were performed. The use of drugs used for anorexia, including corticosteroids, progestins, or others, was recorded.

Results

Data of 135 patients were analyzed. Sixty-eight per cent and 77% of patients resulted to be malnourished and sarcopenic. In the multivariate regression analysis, anxiety ( P = 0.036) and total FAS ( P = 0.013) were independently associated with malnutrition. Fifty-five per cent of patients were receiving corticosteroids or megestol acetate. No significant associations with parameters examined were found.

Conclusion

The majority of advanced cancer patients admitted to home palliative care were malnourished independently of the primary tumor diagnosis. Indeed, fatigue and anxiety were independently associated with malnutrition.