bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Automated Office Blood Pressure Readings After Zero or Five Minutes of Rest
Authors: Tobe Sheldon W. , Dubrofsky Lisa , Nasser Daniel I. , Rajasingham Raveenie , Myers Martin G.
Published: June 2021

The purpose of the Zero to Five study was to compare automated office blood pressure (AOBP) readings obtained after either 0 or 5 minutes of antecedent rest in relation to the awake ambulatory blood pressure. AOBP is recommended in different jurisdictions following either a 0- or 5-minute rest. This was a prospective, randomized, 2 arm, trial with blinded outcomes, recruiting adult patients referred for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Participants had an AOBP measurement performed according to clinical practice guidelines with an OMRON HEM-907XL set to measure after 0 or 5 minutes of rest. The primary outcome was the difference between the mean AOBP and mean awake ABPM in the 0-minute wait group versus that in the 5-minute wait group. The study enrolled 618 participants, mean age 57.1 years, 52% women. For the 0-minute rest group, the mean AOBP was 141.2/83.1 (17.1/12.1 mm Hg) and the awake ABPM was 141.3/83.8 (16.1/10.2 mm Hg), with difference −0.02/0.52 (17.4/11.4 mm Hg). For the 5-minute rest group, the mean AOBP was 138.2/81.7 (16.9/12.4 mm Hg) and the awake ABPM was 143.4/83.6 (17.3/10.3 mm Hg), with difference −5.16/−0.8 (18.6/11.6 mm Hg). The difference of differences in systolic blood pressure (AOBP-awake ABPM) for the 0 versus the 5-minute wait group was 5.1 mm Hg (95% CI, 2.3–8.0,
P
=0.005) with the 0-minute AOBP measurement closest to the awake ABPM. The Zero to Five study demonstrated that a wait time of 0 minute before an AOBP measurement was closer to the daytime ABPM result than a 5-minute wait before the AOBP.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT03732924.
Role of Complement Component 3 in Early Erythrolysis in the Hematoma After Experimental Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Wang Ming , Xia Fan , Wan Shu , Hua Ya , Keep Richard F. , Xi Guohua
Published: June 2021

Background and Purpose:

Early erythrolysis occurs within the hematoma following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and the release of erythrocyte cytoplasmic proteins such as hemoglobin and Prx2 (peroxiredoxin 2) can cause brain injury. Complement activation can induce erythrolysis. This study determined the function of complement component 3 (C3) in erythrolysis in hematoma and brain injury after ICH in mice.

Methods:

This study has 3 parts. First, ICH was induced in adult male C3-sufficient and deficient mice and animals were euthanized on days 1, 3, 7, and 28 for immunohistochemistry after magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral testing. Second, C3-sufficient and deficient mice with ICH were euthanized on day 1 for Western blot analysis. Third, C3-sufficient mice received injections of PBS and Prx2. Mice underwent both magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral tests on day 1 and were then euthanized. Brains were harvested for immunohistochemistry and Fluoro-Jade C staining.

Results:

Erythrolysis occurred in the hematoma in C3-sufficient and deficient mice on day 3 following ICH. C3-deficient mice had less erythrolysis, brain swelling, and neuronal degeneration in the acute phase and less brain atrophy in the chronic phase. There were fewer neurological deficits on days 3, 7, and 28 in C3-deficient mice. C3-deficient mice also had less extracellular Prx2 release. Moreover, Prx2 induced brain edema and brain injury and recruited macrophage scavenger receptor-1- and CD4-positive cells following ICH in mice.

Conclusions:

C3-deficient mice had less severe erythrolysis and brain injury following ICH compared with C3-sufficient mice. Prx2 released after erythrolysis can cause brain damage and neuroinflammation in mice.
A potential telephlebiid dragonfly (Odonata: Anisoptera: Aeshnoidea) from Miocene of Yunnan, southwestern China
Authors: ZHENG DA-RAN , LI SHA , ZHAO YI-SHAN , ZHANG HAI-CHUN
Published: June 2021

A new aeshnoid dragonfly, Jingguaeshna taoae gen. et sp. nov., is described based on an incomplete hindwing from a new Miocene deposit in Jinggu, Yunnan Province, southwestern China. Jingguaeshna gen. nov. is most likely a member of the Telephlebiidae, sharing a number of typical characters of this family. Jingguaeshna taoae gen. et sp. nov. is the first aeshnoid dragonfly fossil found from Yunnan and probably the oldest-known telephlebiid dragonfly. This study also reveals a new entomofauna in southwestern China, contributing new information to the understanding of the Miocene ecosystems in this region.
Application of confocal laser scanning microscopy to the study of amber bioinclusions
Authors: FU YAN-ZHE , LI YAN-DA , SU YI-TONG , CAI CHEN-YANG , HUANG DI-YING
Published: June 2021

Confocal laser scanning microscopy is an essential analytical tool in biological, biomedical, and material sciences, integrating microscope manufacturing technology, optical-electronic technology, and computer technology. In the last decade, confocal laser scanning microscopy has been successfully applied to the study of amber bioinclusions. Enhanced signal to noise ratios, resolution power, capability of optical sectioning, three-dimensional reconstruction, and better performance when imaging thicker samples provide a great deal of valuable and detailed morphological information about amber fossils. We briefly discuss the practical applications of CLSM in amber studies and compare it with other imaging methods commonly used in the field, including bright-field microscopy, wide-field fluorescence microscopy, and micro-computed tomography. A general procedure for imaging amber inclusions with CLSM is provided, with a focus on pretreatments and image processing.
Morphological revision of Siphonophora hui (Myriapoda: Diplopoda: Siphonophoridae) from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber
Authors: SU YI-TONG , CAI CHEN-YANG , HUANG DI-YING
Published: June 2021

Siphonophora hui Jiang et al., 2019, known from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, is the first formally described fossil species of the extant myriapod family Siphonophoridae. Here we re-study this species using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) on the basis of three new specimens from the same deposit. A comparison between the fossil and extant species of Siphonophora is given and several new morphological details are discussed.
Comparative morphology of extant raptorial Mantispoidea (Neuroptera: Mantispidae, Rhachiberothidae) suggests a non-monophyletic Mantispidae and a single origin of the raptorial condition within the superfamily
Authors: ARDILA-CAMACHO ADRIAN , MARTINS CALEB CALIFRE , ASPÖCK ULRIKE , CONTRERAS-RAMOS ATILANO
Published: June 2021

Adult external morphology of the extant raptorial Mantispoidea (Insecta: Neuroptera: Mantispidae and Rhachiberothidae) is compared emphasizing the morphology of the subfamily Symphrasinae as a key group to understand the phylogenetic relationships among the members of the superfamily. Plega dactylota Rehn, 1939 is thoroughly characterized in order to exemplify the morphology of the Symphrasinae. Additionally, following a review of the literature and examination of comparative material of Dilaridae, Berothidae, Rhachiberothidae and all Mantispidae subfamilies, a new interpretation of the components of the raptorial apparatus (i.e., head, prothorax, grasping forelegs, as well as integumentary specializations) is presented. Also, wing venation for these groups is reinterpreted, and new homology hypotheses for wing venation are proposed based on tracheation and comparative analyses. Given the high morphological divergence on the genital sclerites within the Mantispoidea, plus the confusing previous usage of neutral terminology and terms referring to appendages across taxonomic and morphological studies, we attempt to standardize, simplify, and situate terminology in an evolutionary context under the “gonocoxite concept” (multi-coxopod hypothesis). The remarkable morphological similarity of the genital sclerites of Symphrasinae and Rhachiberothidae (sensu U. Aspöck & Mansell 1994) with the Nallachinae (Dilaridae) was taken as a starting point to understand the morphology of other Mantispidae subfamilies. Based on these morphological comparisons, we provide a revised phylogenetic analysis of Mantispoidea. This new phylogenetic analysis supports a sister group relationship between the family Rhachiberothidae, comprising Rhachiberothinae and Symphrasinae, and the family Mantispidae, including the subfamily Mantispinae and its sister taxa Drepanicinae and Calomantispinae, which may represent a single subfamily. Based on these analyses, raptorial condition probably evolved a single time in these insects and subsequently became diversified in the two sister clades of the raptorial Mantispoidea.
The Impact of Reflectivity Gradients on the Performance of Range-Oversampling Processing
Authors: Curtis Christopher D. , Torres Sebastián M.
Published: June 2021

Range-oversampling processing is a technique that can be used to lower the variance of radar-variable estimates, reduce radar update times, or a mixture of both. There are two main assumptions for using range-oversampling processing: accurate knowledge of the range correlation and uniform reflectivity in the radar resolution volume. The first assumption has been addressed in previous research; this work focuses on the uniform reflectivity assumption. Earlier research shows that significant reflectivity gradients can occur in storms; we utilized those results to develop realistic simulations of radar returns that include effects of reflectivity gradients in range. An important consideration when using range-oversampling processing is the resulting change in the range weighting function. The range weighting function can change for different types of range-oversampling processing and some techniques, such as adaptive pseudowhitening, can lead to different range weighting functions at each range gate. To quantify the possible effects of differing range weighting functions in the presence of reflectivity gradients, we developed simulations to examine varying types of range-oversampling processing with two receiver filters: a matched receiver filter and a wider-bandwidth receiver filter (as recommended for use with range oversampling). Simulation results show that differences in range weighting functions are the only contributor to differences in radar reflectivity measurements. Results from real weather data demonstrate that the reflectivity gradients that occur in typical severe storms do not cause significant changes in reflectivity measurements, and the benefits from range-oversampling processing outweigh the possible isolated effects from large reflectivity gradients.
Applications of Narrative Medicine to Surgical Education
Authors: Scott-Conner Carol E.H. , Agarwal Divyansh
Published: June 2021

Narrative medicine describes the application of story to medical education and practice. Although it has been implemented successfully in many medical schools as a part of undergraduate medical education, applications to the residency environment have been relatively limited. There are virtually no data concerning the adoption of narrative medicine within surgical residencies. This paper provides a brief introduction to the formal discipline of narrative medicine. We further discuss how storytelling is already used in surgical education and summarize the literature on applications of narrative medicine to residents in other specialties. The relevance of narrative medicine to the ACGME core competencies is explored. We conclude with specific suggestions for implementation of narrative medicine within surgical residency programs.
When can display of authenticity at work facilitate coworker interactions? The moderating effect of perception of organizational politics
Authors: Tang Yipeng , Xu Erica , Huang Xu , Pu Xiaoping
Published: June 2021

Authenticity has long been held as a virtue. However, is it beneficial for employees to be true to themselves in coworker interactions? Drawing on social penetration theory, we argue that a focal employee’s exhibited authenticity at work helps the employee penetrate the interpersonal boundaries of an interacting coworker and as a result, the employee is more likely to be included in this coworker’s social circles and receive help from the coworker. Accordingly, we propose a dyadic-level model and test this model in two survey studies using a round-robin design. The results of both studies consistently demonstrated that the focal employee’s exhibited authenticity is positively related to help received from the coworker via inclusion in the coworker’s social circle. Further, this positive indirect relationship is moderated by the coworker’s perception of organizational politics, such that the relationship is weaker when the coworker’s perception of organizational politics is high. These findings help advance the understanding of when and how employees can gain relational benefits from displaying authenticity at work.
Liquid/solid flow field in a centrifugal pump with different impeller blade types by PIV
Authors: Shi Baocheng , Xue Kun , Pan Jianpeng , Zhang XingKai , Ying Ruomeng , Wu Lijuan , Zhang Yindi
Published: June 2021

In this study, a non-stirred Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) testing device is developed to measure the flow field in a solid–liquid two-phase centrifugal pump. The pump casing and impeller are made of an organic glass material. Two types of impellers are designed considering different structure parameters. The performance curves of the pump are obtained for the different impellers at a rotating speed of 900 rpm with particle concentrations of 0%, 3%, 5%, and 10%. The flow fields for water and a solid–liquid two-phase mixture for the two impellers are measured utilizing the PIV system in a centrifugal rotating frame at the designed condition. The distribution of the particles, together with its influence on the performance of the different impellers, is analyzed. From a comparison of the relative velocity vector fields, the following can be concluded. First, the pump with a double arc-shaped profile demonstrated a more uniform and stable flow field distribution and higher performance than that with a single arc profile. Secondly, the solid particles were distributed mainly at the outlet of the impeller and volute wall, whereas the concentration distribution of the larger particles tended to match the pressure surface. This research can provide theoretical guidance for the design and optimization of two-phase flow centrifugal pumps.
The Spiritual Tasks of Aging towards Death
Authors: DeVries Dawn
Published: June 2021

This article presents experiential reflections on the spiritual tasks for the last stage of human life. These tasks—experiencing escalating losses, accepting growing dependence on others, reframing the meaning of one’s life, and finding purpose even as one slowly lets go of life—are challenging, at least in part because they are counter-cultural for twenty-first century Americans. Exploring the spiritual tasks of aging towards death is necessary and important work for both aging elders and those who accompany them on the last stage of their life’s journey.
Enhancing Economic Growth and Government Revenue Generation in Nigeria: The Role of Diaspora Remittances
Authors: Didia Dal , Tahir Suleiman
Published: June 2021

Even though remittances constitute the second-largest source of foreign exchange for Nigeria, with a $24 billion inflow in 2018, its impact on economic growth remains unclear. This study, therefore, examined the short-run and long-run impact of remittances on the economic growth of Nigeria using the vector error correction model. Utilizing World Bank data covering 1990–2018, the empirical analysis revealed that remittances hurt economic growth in the short run while having no impact on economic growth in the long run. Our parameter estimates indicate that a 1% increase in remittances would result in a 0.9% decrease in the gross domestic product growth rate in the short run. One policy implication of this study is that Nigeria needs to devise policies and interventions that minimize the emigration of skilled professionals rather than depending on remittances that do not offset the losses to the economy due to brain drain.
Assessing the employability and employment destinations of professional psychology alumni
Authors: Senekal Janine S , Smith Mario R
Published: June 2021

Professional training in psychology typically focuses on competencies and learning outcomes. However, this does not necessarily translate into long-term employability. Graduate tracer studies are recommended for exploring employment destinations and employability. Graduate tracer studies are noted to be of particular use for investigating health professionals’ career paths and examining field-specific issues. The reported study examined the employability and employment destinations of 29 alumni from two psychology Master’s programmes at a South African higher education institution, by incorporating best practices for tracer studies and survey research. Results indicated that 86.2% had secured employment in various fields and sectors, suggesting their skills and training were relevant and transferable. Differential patterns of registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa were reported. Most respondents identified their studies as closely related to their work, and pragmatic reasons were provided by those pursuing work in unrelated fields. Entrepreneurial skills were identified as a gap in their training, that, if included, has the potential to boost employability. Graduate employability was identified to be a complex, non-linear issue. Professional competencies are, therefore, not sufficient for conceptualising employability within the South African context. A broader and more nuanced understanding of employability is needed. Practically, this means that educational processes need to prepare students for securing long-term employment. The tracer study methodology applied in this study may be utilised by other institutions and disciplines to explore key issues of employment and employability in the South African health professions and higher education context.
Acculturation Mitigates the Negative Impact of Perceived Stress on Depressive Symptoms Among U.S. Chinese Older Adults
Authors: Chen Yiwei , Xu Huanzhen , O’Brien William , Gao Yanling , Dong Xinqi
Published: June 2021

The present study aimed to examine the role of acculturation in mitigating the negative impact of perceived stress on depressive symptoms among U.S. Chinese older adults. Data of 3,159 Chinese adults over 60 years old were drawn from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE). In addition to socio-demographic variables, participants’ acculturation levels, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms were assessed. Perceived stress was positively related to depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults. However, no significant association was found between acculturation level and depressive symptoms. Regression analysis supported the moderation hypothesis of acculturation level on the relationship between perceived stress on depressive symptoms. The negative impact of perceived stress on depressive symptoms was mitigated for Chinese older adults who had higher levels of acculturation than for those who had lower levels of acculturation. The findings have implications in minority aging and mental health policies during the on-going pandemic era.
Archetype Profiles of Military Spouses in Australia–Identifying Perfect Partners and Mean Girls
Authors: Johnson Amy , Ames Kate , Lawson Celeste
Published: June 2021

Military spouses are situated at the junction of the military and civilian worlds. They provide necessary support to military strategic and operational objectives and are also expected to perform a traditional spousal role of the ‘good’ military wife. This article demonstrates the existence of strong military partner archetypes which guide military community norms and expectations of spousal behaviour. In 14 qualitative interviews and five focus groups with Australian military partners, participants revealed many different, yet firm, sentiments related to identity, including fierce independence; a sense of belonging; self-reliance; a desire to help others; belief in fairness and pragmatism. The archetypes outlined in this article shape how partners see their role, and how they interact with other non-military partners and the military organization. This research delivers insights into optimizing military partner services to better support spouses through deployment, relocation and other military experiences.
Multi-objective optimization design of cement grate cooler control system based on improved long short-term memory network
Authors: Hongyi Wang , Kun Zhang , Xinjun Zhu , Limei Song , Feng Dong
Published: June 2021

For the cement production process, the optimization method of the grate cooler is important in reducing energy consumption and ensuring product quality. As a complicated and slow control process, there are several control objectives of the grate cooler, which are determined by design parameters. To compute the time delay of the design parameters automatically, we propose an improved long short-term memory with adaptive computation time (ACT-LSTM) model for objective prediction. An improved multi-objective optimization algorithm named bounded stable non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (BS-NSGA-II) is proposed to solve the optimal solutions. With the proposed methods, the average electricity consumption is reduced by 13.2%, the secondary air temperature is increased, the clinker outlet temperature is stabilized in a reasonable range, and the design parameters change smoothly. The experiment results have indicated that the proposed method is effective in the optimization of objectives and the stability operation of the equipment.
Association Between Postoperative Vertigo and Hearing Outcomes After Stapes Surgery for Otosclerosis
Authors: Job Katarzyna , Wiatr Agnieszka , Wiatr Maciej
Published: June 2021

Objective:

During the postoperative period, most patients with otosclerosis report vertigo and/or nausea caused by interventions within the inner ear. The aim of this study was to evaluate both early and late vertigo associated with hearing improvement after stapes surgery for otosclerosis.

Methods:

The analysis included 170 patients admitted to the hospital undergoing their first surgery for otosclerosis. Audiological diagnostics, surgical techniques, and symptoms reported by the patients were all analyzed.

Results:

A statistical correlation and an unfavorable influence of late, undesired symptoms, such as vertigo, nausea/vomiting, and nystagmus, on final hearing improvement after surgical treatment of otosclerosis were found. Prostheses that were too long or placed too deep within the inner ear space were the most frequent cause of both vertigo and lack of hearing improvement observed after stapedotomy.

Conclusions:

A significant negative influence on bone conduction thresholds, particularly at 2000 Hz, was associated with vestibular symptoms persisting for 7 days after the surgery. Symptoms of impaired bony labyrinth function after stapedotomy, persisting for more than 1 year, were associated with insufficient reduction of the air–bone gap and worse improvement in bone conduction thresholds at 1000 and 2000 Hz. The cause of both problems was related to a prosthesis that was too long or placed too deep in the inner ear during stapedotomy.
Post-traumatic Growth, Belief in a Just World, and Psalm 137:9
Authors: Li Xi
Published: June 2021

The historical background of Psalm 137, the traumatic event of the exile, makes it appropriate to read this psalm from the post-traumatic perspective. Most of the time, a trauma may negatively harm the mental health of its victim(s), but sometimes it may positively contribute to the mental development of the victim(s). Post-traumatic growth defines the positive psychological changes that result from a traumatic event, and the possession of belief in a just world is an indicator of post-traumatic growth. The textual evidence shows that the speaker of Psalm 137 is in the process of post-traumatic growth and that the speaker's belief in a just world, which is reflected in the text of Psalm 137:9, is at the core of this growth. The concept of post-traumatic growth and the belief in a just world work together to make sense of the language of violence in Psalm 137:9.
Marital Status, Marital Transitions, and Sleep Quality in Mid to Late Life
Authors: August Kristin J.
Published: June 2021

This study aimed to understand how marital status and marital transitions were related to sleep quality in mid to late life and whether these findings differed by gender. Data from 2,872 participants 50–74 years old from the ORANJ BOWLSM, a longitudinal panel study in New Jersey, were used. Marital status and sleep quality were examined in two waves that were approximately 10 years apart. Individuals in a significant romantic relationship and women had worse sleep quality than those in other marital status groups and men. Compared to individuals who remained married, individuals who remained divorced or widowed or who became widowed had better sleep quality, whereas those who became divorced had worse sleep quality; individuals who transitioned into marriage had better sleep quality than those who remained divorced or widowed. Marital status and gender appear important for at least some indices of sleep quality, an important predictor of late-life health.
From ‘Pretty’ to ‘Pretty Powerful’: The communicatively constituted power of facial beauty’s performativity
Authors: Hollis David , Wright Alex , Smolović Jones Owain , Smolović Jones Sanela
Published: June 2021

The face is a significant locus of power upon which judgements concerning a person’s status, worth and attractiveness are made. This study contributes to knowledge of facial norms’ shifting performative power in daily organizing, theorizing facial beauty as a communicatively constituted authoritative text. We achieve this through blending Butlerian and communication as constitutive of organization (CCO) theorizing. This allows us to enrich understandings of power and performativity’s necessarily entangled and co-constitutive unfolding, as we trace how a normative understanding of facial beauty becomes more and/or less performatively powerful through embodied-textual processes. Our theorizing is generated from an ethnography of a UK cosmetics firm and demonstrates how facial beauty functions as a (figurative) authoritative text that corporealizes, subjectivizes and is resisted by makeup artists within a confluence of (concrete) text and conversation. We show how through communicative, citational and embodied processes of corporealization, regulation and subjection, everyday performances like makeup applications become performatively powerful on the ground level of interaction. Further, returning authoritative texts to their original figurative formulation uncovers something of how their transformative power shapes organizing’s ongoing accomplishment.
The impact of a music education program on meta-musical awareness, logical-mathematical, and notational skills in preschoolers
Authors: Incognito Oriana , Scaccioni Laura , Pinto Giuliana
Published: June 2021

A number of studies suggest a link between musical training and both specific and general cognitive abilities, but despite some positive results, there is disagreement about which abilities are improved. This study aims to investigate the effects of a music education program both on a domain-specific competence (meta-musical awareness), and on general domain competences, that is, cognitive abilities (logical-mathematical) and symbolic-linguistic abilities (notational). Twenty 4- to 6-year-old children participated in the research, divided into two groups (experimental and control) and the measures were administered at two different times, before and after a 6-month music program (for the experimental group) and after a sports training program (for the control group). Children performed meta-musical awareness tasks, logical-mathematical tasks, and emergent-alphabetization tasks. Non-parametric statistics show that a music program significantly improves the development of notational skills and meta-musical awareness while not the development of logical-mathematical skills. These results show that a musical program increases children’s meta-musical awareness, and their ability to acquire the notational ability involved in the invented writing of words and numbers. On the contrary, it does not affect the development of logical skills. The results are discussed in terms of transfer of knowledge processes and of specific versus general domain effects of a musical program.
Who can talk about abortion? Information, offence, freedom of speech, and the advertising ban in Germany
Authors: Ulbricht Alexej
Published: June 2021

This article examines the debate in Germany on Article 219a of the criminal law, which prohibits doctors from advertising for abortions. This ban prevents advertising for abortions on the grounds that it would be offensive, while defining ‘advertising’ so broadly that it prevents doctors from publicly providing any information about abortions. The article offers an overview of the law, as well as the controversy following the conviction of General Practitioner Kristina Hänel, which led to a reform of the law. The curtailment of the provision of factual information by medical professionals is contrasted with the freedom of speech protection given to highly offensive speech acts by anti-abortion activists. The argument is made that there is a Christian perfectionism at the heart of the law on abortion in Germany that is shared by anti-abortion activists, leading to a situation that facilitates the mobilisation of anti-abortion sentiment while curtailing the freedom of speech of doctors.
How doctors actually (do not) involve families in decisions to continue or discontinue life-sustaining treatment in neonatal, pediatric, and adult intensive care: A qualitative study
Authors: Akkermans A. (Aranka) , Lamerichs J.M.W.J. (Joyce) , Schultz M.J. (Marcus) , Cherpanath T.G.V. (Thomas) , van Woensel J.B.M. (Job) , van Heerde M. (Marc) , van Kaam A.H.L.C. (Anton) , van de Loo M.D. (Moniek) , Stiggelbout A.M. (Anne) , Smets E.M.A. (Ellen) , de Vos M.A. (Mirjam)
Published: June 2021

Background:

Intensive care doctors have to find the right balance between sharing crucial decisions with families of patients on the one hand and not overburdening them on the other hand. This requires a tailored approach instead of a model based approach.

Aim:

To explore how doctors involve families in the decision-making process regarding life-sustaining treatment on the neonatal, pediatric, and adult intensive care.

Design:

Exploratory inductive thematic analysis of 101 audio-recorded conversations.

Setting/participants:

One hundred four family members (61% female, 39% male) and 71 doctors (60% female, 40% male) of 36 patients (53% female, 47% male) from the neonatal, pediatric, and adult intensive care of a large university medical center participated.

Results:

We identified eight relevant and distinct communicative behaviors. Doctors’ sequential communicative behaviors either reflected consistent approaches—a shared approach or a physician-driven approach—or reflected vacillating between both approaches. Doctors more often displayed a physician-driven or a vacillating approach than a shared approach, especially in the adult intensive care. Doctors did not verify whether their chosen approach matched the families’ decision-making preferences.

Conclusions:

Even though tailoring doctors’ communication to families’ preferences is advocated, it does not seem to be integrated into actual practice. To allow for true tailoring, doctors’ awareness regarding the impact of their communicative behaviors is key. Educational initiatives should focus especially on improving doctors’ skills in tactfully exploring families’ decision-making preferences and in mutually sharing knowledge, values, and treatment preferences.
From the Bottom-Up: Probing the Gap Between Street-Level Bureaucrats’ Intentions of Engaging in Policy Entrepreneurship and Their Behavior
Authors: Frisch Aviram Neomi , Beeri Itai , Cohen Nissim
Published: June 2021

This article takes the perspective of the street-level bureaucrat (SLB) as policy entrepreneur, asking when SLBs are more or less likely to engage in actions aimed at policy change. Drawing on an interdisciplinary approach that connects the public management and policy implementation literatures, this article explores the gap between intentions and behavior in street-level policy entrepreneurship. It investigates two individual and organizational variables (coupling self-efficacy and organizational climate for innovation) that mediate and moderate the relationships between attitudes toward policy entrepreneurship, intentions to engage in policy entrepreneurship, and actual entrepreneurial behavior among SLBs. We demonstrate how strengthening the individual and organizational variables discussed can help organizations improve their bottom-up policy making.
Fears, beliefs, and quality of life of patients with cancer vs the general population during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Lombardy
Authors: Ripamonti Carla Ida , Massa Giacomo , Insolvibile Daniela , Guglielmo Mauro , Miccinesi Guido , Regalia Camillo , Saita Emanuela , Pagnini Francesco
Published: June 2021

Aim:

To understand how patients with cancer reacted to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and whether their quality of life (QoL) was affected.

Methods:

In June 2020, 111 patients with cancer treated in the supportive care unit of a Comprehensive Cancer Center in Milan and 201 healthy controls from the general population were enrolled and assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively for fears and COVID-19–related beliefs as well as for QoL.

Results:

Fear of COVID-19 was significantly lower among patients (41% vs 57.6%; p = 0.007), as was fear of cancer (61.5% vs 85.6%; p < 0.001) and other diseases. The perceived risk of getting COVID-19 was lower among patients (25.2% vs 52.7%; p < 0.001), as was the belief of having been exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (18.1% vs 40.8%; p < 0.001). The physical component of QoL was better among the population (54.5 vs 43.8; p < 0.001); the reverse was true for patients’ psychological well-being (44.6 vs 39.6; p < 0.001). The qualitative data supported such results, showing a reduced psychological effect on the patients with cancer compared to the controls. Various reasons explain this result, including the awareness of being treated for cancer and nevertheless protected against getting infected in a cancer center of public health reorganized to continue treating patients by protecting them and personnel from the risk of infection.

Conclusions:

The experience of a cancer diagnosis, together with proper hospital reorganization, may act as protective factors from fears and psychological consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Return-to-Competition Criteria After Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Anderson Matthew J.J. , Crockatt William K. , Mueller John D. , Hellwinkel Justin E. , Alexander Frank J. , Trofa David P. , Ahmad Christopher S.
Published: June 2021

Background:

Injury to the ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow is common among overhead throwing athletes and can result in significant functional limitations. While surgical reconstruction offers high rates of return to competition, there are no validated or universally accepted guidelines for determining when an athlete can safely resume play.

Purpose:

To assess the existing scientific literature for return-to-competition criteria utilized after ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction.

Study Design:

Systematic review and meta-analysis; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

The PubMed database was searched for clinical investigations of ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction in overhead throwing athletes published between January 2000 and June 2020. Only studies that had a minimum follow-up of 1 year and included at least 1 specific return-to-competition criterion were considered.

Results:

A total of 15 studies were included in the final analysis, encompassing 1156 patients with an average age of 20.7 years (SD, 2.0 years). Baseball players composed 96.3% of patients for whom sport was specified, and 92.4% of baseball players were pitchers. The most common return-to-competition criterion, identified in 87% of studies, was completion of a return-to-throwing program, which started on average 16.7 weeks (range, 12-18 weeks) after surgery. A return-to-mound program was utilized in 53% of studies, starting on average 7.4 months (range, 6-9 months) postoperatively. Minimum time from surgery was used in 73% studies, with players waiting 7 to 12 months (mean, 9.7; SD, 1.4 months) after surgery before return-to-competition consideration. The overall rate of return to competition at the preinjury level or higher was 85.7% (SD, 8.5%) at an average of 12.2 months (SD, 0.6 months).

Conclusion:

In general, we observed a paucity of literature describing the return-to-competition process after ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction in overhead throwing athletes. Only 3 explicit return-to-competition criteria were identified across all studies: completion of a return-to-throwing program, completion of a return-to-mound program for pitchers, and minimum time from surgery. Increased transparency regarding postoperative rehabilitation protocols and further research are necessary to identify and validate sport-specific return-to-competition criteria, which will ultimately help athletes return to play in a safe and timely fashion after ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction.
Last Year of Life, Frailty, and Out-of-Pocket Expenses in Older Adults: A Secondary Analysis of the Mexican Health and Aging Study
Authors: Salinas-Escudero Guillermo , Carrillo-Vega María Fernanda , García-Peña Carmen , Martínez-Valverde Silvia , Jácome-Maldonado Luis David , Cesari Matteo , Pérez-Zepeda Mario Ulises
Published: June 2021

Objective:

To determine the association of frailty with out-of-pocket expenses (OOPEs) during the last year of life of Mexican older adults.

Methods:

Cross-sectional secondary analysis of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), a representative population-based cohort study. Health care expenses were estimated, and a probit model was used to estimate the probability that older adults had OOPE. A general linear model was applied to explain OOPE magnitudes.

Results:

A total of 55.8% of individuals reported having OOPE with a mean of 3,261 USD. Average OOPE for hospitalization during the last year of life was 7,011.9 USD. Older adults taking their own medical decisions during the last year of life expended less than those who did not.

Conclusion:

No affiliation to health services, frailty, and health decision-making by others increased the probability of OOPE. The magnitude is determined by age, hospitalization, medical visits, affiliation, frailty, and health decision-making by others.
The Planning Profession Questioned: Evidence from the Role and Practice of Planners in Zimbabwe
Authors: Matamanda Abraham R. , Chirisa Innocent , Leboto Lucia , Dunn Mischka , Kwangwama Audrey N.
Published: June 2021

The planning profession is contested, especially in southern Africa where it remains rooted in colonial political economy, the consequential Western ideologies it poses on African cities, and its seeming failure to address the myriad problems inherent in these cities. In exploring the planning profession in Zimbabwe, this commentary involved document analysis and empirical engagement with planning professionals. It was revealed that the planning profession in Zimbabwe is exposed to and frustrated by multiple factors that complicate the integrity of the professionals and their practice. The commentary contributes to the critical reading of planning’s history and contemporary circumstances in Zimbabwe.
“You Kind of Find Yourself Helpless”: Teens’ Identity Constructions and Responses to Childhood Trauma
Authors: Irwin Katherine
Published: June 2021

Innovations in the trauma-informed care (TIC) field have promised to transform youth-serving institutions by asking practitioners to pay attention to the developmental needs of young people facing maltreatment. Despite notable TIC innovations, our knowledge about childhood trauma tends to be adult-centric, presenting youth as passive recipients of (rather than active agents responding to) harm. How 27 high school students made sense of childhood trauma emerged during an 11-year ethnographic study of students in a school-based counseling program in Oahu, Hawai‘i. To overcome hardships, the teens constructed what they believed to be strong, resilient, and respectable identities, although teens’ identity performances differed. Adolescents’ narratives highlight sociological understandings of trauma survival whereby youth creatively negotiated their sense of self and drew from ideologies embedded in larger institutional contexts.
Structure and optic properties of the nanocomposites based on polypropylene and amorphous silica nanoparticles
Authors: Ramazanov MA , Shirinova HA , Nuriyeva SG , Jafarov MA , Hasanova MR
Published: June 2021

The structure and optic properties of the transparent PP+SiO2 nanocomposites with a relatively high refractive index and enhanced luminescence properties were investigated. X-ray analysis, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), Visible-ultraviolet, and photoluminescence spectroscopic methods were used for investigation. The XRD analysis indicated that the fraction of the amorphous phase of the polycrystalline polymer decreases with the introduction of SiO2 nanoparticles. Even though SiO2 nanoparticle is amorphous itself, they play the role of the crystallinity centers in the polymer matrix, and the degree of crystallinity increases in polymer nanocomposites. According to UV-vis spectroscopic analysis that, with the increasing of the concentration of SiO2 nanoparticles distributed in the polymer matrix, the absorption intensity of the samples also increases. It was explained by the hyperchromic effect which is related to raising the optical density of the polymer by introducing the filler particles (SiO2). It was calculated bandgap energy and refractive index on the base of the UV spectra of samples. It has been found that at low concentrations of amorphous silica nanoparticles, the polymer nanocomposite retains its transparency despite having a relatively high refractive index (1.96). Furthermore, the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of nanocomposites was investigated depending on filler concentration. It was clear that the intensity of the PL spectrums increases with the increase of the filler concentration that is explained by the raising of the luminescence centers in the nanocomposite material. These luminescence centers are oxygen-deficit centers in the spatial structure of the amorphous silica nanoparticles.
Correlation between production parameters and mechanical properties of ABS plus p430 fused deposition material
Authors: Corsi M , Bagassi S , Moruzzi MC , Seccia L
Published: June 2021

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), is one of the most popular and widely used Additive Manufacturing filament based technology employing materials such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polycarbonate (PC), Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) and Polylactic Acid (PLA). In this technique, the part is built up layer-by-layer, affecting, both the resolution along the z-axis, and the mechanical properties dependent on the mesostructure, controlled by a large amount of production parameters such as layer thickness, raster orientation, number of contour and air gap. When dealing with functional and structural printed parts, a deep understanding of these tunable building parameters and their influence on the mechanical properties is of the utmost importance and over the years many experimental studies have been carried to investigate this need. This study is intended to explore specimens realized through FDM technique with different combinations of printing parameters to analyse their effect on the mechanical properties of ABS Plus p430. To this aim, tensile and compression specimens, had been designed and tested. Sixteen different types of tensile specimen had been realized by varying four different parameters, namely, layer thickness, part interior style, infill orientation and number of contours. Whereas, the number of compression specimens had been limited to four considering the variation of two parameters: layer thickness and part interior style. Three samples for each specimen had been produced in ABS Plus p430 using a Stratasys Fortus 250mc FDM printer and tested with a universal testing machine through tension and compression tests to analyse the correlation between printing parameters and material properties. Test results had led to important conclusions on the consistency and homogeneity of the mechanical properties and on the variation of the material’s performances in accordance with the different combinations of production parameters.
An integrated approach for tracking climate-driven changes in treeline environments on different time scales in the Valle d’Aosta, Italian Alps
Authors: Masseroli Anna , Leonelli Giovanni , Morra di Cella Umberto , Verrecchia Eric P , Sebag David , Pozzi Emanuele D , Maggi Valter , Pelfini Manuela , Trombino Luca
Published: June 2021

Both biotic and abiotic components, characterizing the mountain treeline ecotone, respond differently to climate variations. This study aims at reconstructing climate-driven changes by analyzing soil evolution in the late Holocene and by assessing the climatic trends for the last centuries and years in a key high-altitude climatic treeline (2515 m a.s.l.) on the SW slope of the Becca di Viou mountain (Aosta Valley Region, Italy). This approach is based on soil science and dendrochronological techniques, together with daily air/soil temperature monitoring of four recent growing seasons. Direct measurements show that the ongoing soil temperatures during the growing season, at the treeline and above, are higher than the predicted reference values for the Alpine treeline. Thus, they do not represent a limiting factor for tree establishment and growth, including at the highest altitudes of the potential treeline (2625 m a.s.l.). Dendrochronological evidences show a marked sensitivity of tree-ring growth to early-summer temperatures. During the recent 10-year period 2006–2015, trees at around 2300 m a.s.l. have grown at a rate that is approximately 1.9 times higher than during the 10-year period 1810–1819, one of the coolest periods of the Little Ice Age. On the other hand, soils show only an incipient response to the ongoing climate warming, likely because of its resilience regarding the changeable environmental conditions and the different factors influencing the soil development. The rising air temperature, and the consequent treeline upward shift, could be the cause of a shift from Regosol to soil with more marked Umbric characteristics, but only for soil profiles located on the N facing slopes. Overall, the results of this integrated approach permitted a quantification of the different responses in abiotic and biotic components through time, emphasizing the influence of local station conditions in responding to the past and ongoing climate change.