bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Care Delivery for Children With Epilepsy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Survey of Clinicians
Authors: Wirrell Elaine C. , Grinspan Zachary M. , Knupp Kelly G. , Jiang Yuwu , Hammeed Biju , Mytinger John R. , Patel Anup D. , Nabbout Rima , Specchio Nicola , Cross J. Helen , Shellhaas Renée A.
Published: July 2020

Objective:

To evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on global access to care and practice patterns for children with epilepsy.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional, online survey of pediatric neurologists across the world affiliated with the International Child Neurology Association, the Chinese Child Neurology Society, the Child Neurology Society, and the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium. Results were analyzed in relation to regional burden of COVID-19 disease.

Results:

From April 10 to 24, 2020, a sample of 212 respondents from 49 countries indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed many aspects of pediatric epilepsy care, with 91.5% reporting changes to outpatient care, 90.6% with reduced access to electroencephalography (EEG), 37.4% with altered management of infantile spasms, 92.3% with restrictions in ketogenic diet initiation, 93.4% with closed or severely limited epilepsy monitoring units, and 91.3% with canceled or limited epilepsy surgery. Telehealth use had increased, with 24.7% seeing patients exclusively via telehealth. Changes in practice were related both to COVID-19 burden and location.

Conclusions:

In response to COVID-19, pediatric epilepsy programs have implemented crisis standards of care that include increased telemedicine, decreased EEG use, changes in treatments of infantile spasms, and cessation of epilepsy surgery. The long-term impact of these abrupt changes merit careful study.
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange: A potential Management Strategy for Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Tabibi Seena , Tabibi Tara , Conic Rosalynn R. Z. , Banisaeed Nassim , Streiff Michael B.
Published: July 2020

In the 5 months since initial reports of COVID-19 came to light, the death toll due to SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly increased. The morbidity and mortality of the infection varies based upon patient age, comorbid conditions, viral load, and the availability of effective treatments. Findings from limited autopsies, clinical observations, and laboratory data suggest that high cytokine levels and a procoagulant state can precipitate acute respiratory distress syndrome and multi-organ dysfunction syndrome in critically ill patients. To complicate matters, comorbidities may affect the response to medical treatments currently in use, all of which are still in trial phase. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) merits consideration in the treatment of critically ill COVID-19 patients and is an avenue for clinical trials to pursue. If efficacious, faster recovery of patients may lead to shorter intensive care unit stays and less time on mechanical ventilation. Herein, we briefly discuss some of the various approaches currently being investigated for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 with a focus on potential benefits of TPE for selected critically ill patients.
COVID-19 and Youth Living in Poverty: The Ethical Considerations of Moving From In-Person Interviews to a Photovoice Using Remote Methods
Authors: Liegghio Maria , Caragata Lea
Published: July 2020

COVID-19 hit and instantaneously research using in-person methods were paused. As feminist and critical social work scholars and researchers, we began to consider the implications of pausing our ongoing project exploring the provisioning and resilience of youth living in low-income, lone mother households. Reflexively, we wondered how the youth, families, and issues we were connected to would be impacted by the pandemic. We were pulled into both ethical and methodological questions. While the procedural ethics of maintaining safety were clear, what became less clear were the relational ethics. What was brought into question were our own social positions and our roles and responsibilities in our relationships with the youth. For both ethical and methodological reasons, we decided to expand the original research scope from in-person interviews to include a photovoice to be executed using online, remote methods. In this article, we discuss those ethical and methodological tensions. In the first part, we discuss the relational ethics that propelled us to commit to expanding our work, while in the second part, we discuss our move to combining photovoice and remote methods.
Effect of stretching speed on morphologies and properties of in situ microfibrillar POE/PLA composites
Authors: Sun Jing , Huang Anrong , Luo Shanshan , Shi Min , Luo Heng , Sui Yuanming
Published: July 2020

In situ microfibrillar ethylene–octene copolymer (POE)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites (MFCs) with different phase morphologies were prepared by controlling the stretching speed and maintaining the weight ratio of POE/PLA of 80/20. Four different stretching speeds were employed to study the effect of PLA microfibrillar morphology on tensile, crystalline, and rheological properties of MFCs. Scanning electron microscopic images revealed that the morphology of PLA phase was strongly influenced by stretching speed. MFCs with highest aspect ratio and smaller diameter of PLA microfibrils were obtained with a stretching speed of 60 rpm. The PLA microfibrils with high aspect ratio had the best reinforcement effect on MFCs. The dynamic rheological properties indicated that the MFCs achieved higher storage modulus and loss modulus at the stretching speed of 60 rpm.
Mechanism of the scratching of monocrystalline silicon carbide with a diamond grit at different wear stages
Authors: Liu Qing , Duan Nian , Yu Yiqing , Huang Hui , Xu Xipeng
Published: July 2020

An investigation was conducted to explore the mechanisms of the scratching of monocrystalline silicon carbide with a single diamond grit. The scratching was repeated on a silicon carbide workpiece to generate different wear shapes of the diamond grit. The forces were recorded during each scratching and the wear of the diamond grit together with the silicon carbide morphologies was monitored at a fixed interval. Based on the different diamond wear shapes determined through scratching experiments, a smoothed particle hydrodynamics method was used to simulate the scratching process. In addition to the items monitored in the experiments, the simulation was also used to analyze the change of subsurface damages on silicon carbide and to predict the mechanisms of diamond damage. It is shown that double-edged abrasive grits might lead to a better silicon carbide surface quality in scratching. The simulation results indicate that the maximum equivalent stress distribution might be used to predict the damage of the diamond grits during scratching. The findings of this article will be of benefit to the optimal selection of machining parameters and the optimal design of diamond tools for abrasive machining of monocrystalline silicon carbide.
Yaw rate tracking-based path-following control for four-wheel independent driving and four-wheel independent steering autonomous vehicles considering the coordination with dynamics stability
Authors: Liang Yixiao , Li Yinong , Zheng Ling , Yu Yinghong , Ren Yue
Published: July 2020

The path-following problem for four-wheel independent driving and four-wheel independent steering electric autonomous vehicles is investigated in this paper. Owing to the over-actuated characters of four-wheel independent driving and four-wheel independent steering autonomous vehicles, a novel yaw rate tracking-based path-following controller is proposed. First, according to the kinematic relationships between vehicle and the reference path, the yaw rate generator is designed by linear matrix inequality theory, with the ability to minimize the disturbances caused by vehicle side slip and varying curvature of path. Considering that the path-following objective and dynamics stability are in conflict with each other in some extreme path-following conditions, a coordinating mechanism based on yaw rate prediction is proposed to satisfy the two conflicting objectives. Then, according to the desired yaw rate and longitudinal velocity, a hierarchical structure is introduced for motion control. The upper-level controller calculates the generalized tracking forces while the allocation layer optimally distributes the generalized forces to tires considering tire vertical load and adhesive utilization. Finally, simulation results indicate that the proposed method can achieve excellent path-following performances in different driving conditions, while both path-following objective and dynamics stability can be satisfied.
Study of integrated vortex ventilation and dust removal system in mechanized excavation face
Authors: Liu Xiaofei , Qian Jifa , Wang Enyuan , Zhang Zhenguo
Published: July 2020

The aerosolized dust produced during coal mining operations pollutes underground air environment and increases the risk of lung diseases in coal miners, such as pneumoconiosis. Aiming to solve the dust pollution in mechanized excavation face, the integrated vortex ventilation and dust removal system is designed based on swirling jet flow theory. The design principles and technological parameters of the major components of integrated vortex ventilation and dust removal (IVVDR) system, namely vortex ventilation device and wet dust collector are described systematically. Through numerical simulation and field experiments, the dust control and dust removal effects of IVVDR system were analyzed and tested. The numerical simulation results show that the swirling jet flows produced by wall-attached duct can control most of total and respirable dust in the area between working face and exhausting air outlet. In addition, the IVVDR system provides better control and removal effect of smaller respirable dust. In field application, the IVVDR system has better performance compared with the long-compression short-suction (LCSS) ventilation. In conclusion, the concentration of total and respirable dust in purified air are below 10 mg/m3, and in accordance with the mine safety regulations.
Development and surgical application of a custom implant that enables a vertical vector of mandibular distraction
Authors: Gonzalez Alvarez Alba , Dovgalski Lawrence , Evans Peter Ll. , Key Steven
Published: July 2020

Hemifacial microsomia is a congenital malformation that involves the underdevelopment of the mandible and the ear leading to facial asymmetry. Distraction osteogenesis is the gold standard surgical procedure for severe cases of hemifacial microsomia in which two sectioned bone parts are lengthened gradually to promote bony infill. The final shape of the bone depends on the position of the distractor and the vector of distraction. This article presents a complex clinical case of a 7-year-old patient with severe hemifacial microsomia that required distraction to correct mandibular asymmetry. Digital technology was applied to virtually plan the surgery pre-operatively. Optimal symmetrisation required a vertical vector of distraction that none of the ‘off-the-shelf’ distractors could provide. Consequently, a three-dimensional printed titanium implant was designed as a spacer to be attached to the inferior plate of a standard distractor, allowing the achievement of a vertical vector. By adding the spacer, the inferior footplate of the distractor was not directly fixed to bone and the vector of distraction was not dictated by the anatomical contour of the patient but by the shape of the spacer. Surgical guides were created to translate the virtual plan to the operating room. The guides prevented potential damage to tooth buds and the inferior alveolar nerve. This article describes the three-dimensional computer-aided design and additive manufacture of the custom devices that delivered the following: (1) symmetrisation of the mandible after distraction surgery without manipulation of the healthy side of the mandible; (2) a feasible and safer surgical solution; and (3) an innovative method that enables a wider range of vectors of distraction, bringing new prospects to the treatment of distraction osteogenesis in the future.
Henry Head’s lifelong studies of cutaneous sensation
Authors: Swash Michael
Published: July 2020

In 1900 research on cutaneous sensation was defined by histological techniques defining sensory receptors in skin, leading to undetermined conceptual problems when considered in relation to Brown-Séquard’s startling finding that there were two qualitatively different afferent pathways in the spinal cord. Four modalities were considered to function as the determinants of sensory input. In 1903 Rivers and Head carried out the first interventional study of human cutaneous sensation, and analysed the return of sensation following section and immediate suture of the dorsal cutaneous branch of Head’s left radial nerve. This resulted in the revolutionary idea summarised in his description of protopathic and epicritic sensory systems in peripheral sensory nerve. Although this concept was at best seen as controversial and even ridiculed by some of his many contemporaneous critics, more recently this concept has proven a fundamentally important stimulus to understanding the physiology of cutaneous sensation. His writings show him to have been capable of deeply instructive thought, based on his clinical experience and his admiration of Hughlings Jackson’s teaching concerning the hierarchical organisation of brain function. First and foremost a clinician neuroscientist, his ideas were ahead of their time and not understood.
Leonardo Botallo (1530–1587) and his pioneering contributions to traumatology, cardiology and deontology
Authors: Tozzo Pamela , Zanatta Alberto , D’Angiolella Gabriella , Caenazzo Luciana , Zampieri Fabio
Published: July 2020

Leonardo Botallo (1530–c. 1587) is widely known for the eponymous “foramen Botalli” and “ductus Botalli”. The first, most commonly named “foramen ovale”, allows blood in the fetal heart to enter the left atrium from the right atrium. The second, named “ductus arteriosus”, consists of a blood vessel in the developing fetus connecting the trunk of the pulmonary artery to the proximal descending aorta. However, Botallo was a multifaceted figure who studied many aspects of human anatomy and physiology, also making important contributions to clinical and surgical practices. Moreover, as we will see in the last section of this paper, Botallo wrote a book on medical deontology having significant features in relationship to the history of medical ethics. Botallo’s multidisciplinary approach is a typical characteristic of Renaissance physicians and scientists, who contributed to making this period a fundamental prelude to the scientific revolution of the 17th century.
Promoting public confidence in the medical profession: Learning from the case of Dr. Bawa-Garba
Authors: Case Paula , Sharma Gunjan
Published: July 2020

In a 2015 prosecution which divided public opinion, Dr Bawa-Garba was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter and sentenced to 2-years’ imprisonment, suspended for 2 years. The post-conviction litigation which sought to determine whether and when Dr Bawa-Garba could return to clinical practice threatened to destabilise the already fragile relationship between the medical profession and its regulator, the General Medical Council. At the heart of this litigation lay the regulator’s quest to maintain and promote public confidence in the profession, in a case where the doctor concerned was not regarded as posing a future risk to patient safety. Using the Bawa-Garba litigation, this commentary examines the position and use of the nebulous concept of ‘public confidence’ within the fitness to practise framework for doctors. Although the authors’ observations arise specifically from a case decided in the UK, ‘public confidence’ is a touchstone concept in professional regulation regimes around the world and so these observations have relevance beyond this jurisdiction. The authors argue that, for too long, use of the rhetoric of public confidence in the regulation of the medical profession has been characterised by an unsatisfactory lack of transparency, excessive deference by the courts to regulatory tribunals and that research is increasingly signalling that instinctual ‘expert’ judgements on the issue of ‘what the public think’ may be unreliable.
Endotracheal intubation in a ramped versus supine position in the emergency department: A randomised crossover manikin study
Authors: Hung Carolyn Cheuk Lam , Wong Anthony
Published: July 2020

Background:

Performing endotracheal intubation by placing patients in a ramped position has been shown to improve the ease of intubation and to reduce complications. The above findings, however, were only established in the operation theatre and intensive care settings.

Objective:

In order to establish the findings in the setting of the emergency department, we attempt to compare the ramped versus supine positions in normal and difficult airway scenarios.

Methods:

Medical doctors practicing at a local Accident and Emergency Department were recruited into a crossover randomised study. They were asked to perform intubations on a manikin in four scenarios. The manikin was put in a ramp or supine position. In addition, the manikin settings were adjusted to normal and difficult airways.

Results:

A total of 39 Accident and Emergency Department doctors were recruited. There was no statistically significant difference in the first-attempt success rates using the ramped position compared to supine position in either airway scenario (100% vs. 97.4%, P = 1 in normal airway, 79.5% vs. 74.4%, P = 0.789 in difficult airway). The mean intubation time in difficult airway setting was shorter when the manikin was put into ramped position (28.3 s vs. 38.4 s, P = 0.134). The ramped position improved the glottic view in the difficult airway setting ( P = 0.017). More intubators preferred to place the manikin into a ramped position during difficult airway setting (67%, P = 0.007). Experienced male intubators performed better in normal airway scenarios, whereas Accident and Emergency Department fellows performed better in difficult airway scenarios.

Conclusion:

The ramped position improves glottic view and operator ease when intubating a simulated difficult airway.
Artificial Intelligence and Entrepreneurship: Implications for Venture Creation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Authors: Chalmers Dominic , MacKenzie Niall G. , Carter Sara
Published: July 2020

This article explores the ways artificial intelligence (AI) may impact new venture processes, practices and outcomes. We examine how such technology will augment and replace tasks associated with idea production, selling, and scaling. These changes entail new ways of working, and we consider implications for the organizational design of entrepreneurial ventures. While AI can enhance entrepreneurial activities, liabilities stem from this technological leverage. We advance a research agenda that draws attention towards negative social and economic implications of AI, particularly for more traditional small firms at risk of disintermediation in an AI economy.
A Context-Choice Model of Niche Entrepreneurship
Authors: Audretsch David B. , Lehmann Erik E. , Schenkenhofer Julian
Published: July 2020

Entrepreneurship research has gravitated towards a singular focus on the Silicon Valley model as the standard model of entrepreneurship. By contrast, some entrepreneurship scholars have more recently suggested embracing entrepreneurship as diverse and colorful. We build on this latter stream of literature by analyzing the diversity of entrepreneurship from complementary institutional arrangements inherent in national economies. Drawing from Robert’s (2004) model of complementarities between context and organizational choice variables, we analyze the contextualization of diverging entrepreneurship models. Our findings indicate that some economies are complementary to a specialized niche strategy, while others instead promote a scalable mass-market manifestation of entrepreneurship.
The Effect of Student Work Group Emotional Intelligence on Individual Task Performance in Teams
Authors: Román-Calderón Juan Pablo , Aguilar-Barrientos Sara , Escalante Juan Esteban , Barbosa Jaime , Arias Salazar Alejandro
Published: July 2020

Background: The development of employability skills is a concern of educational institutions, which must introduce experiential learning scenarios for undergraduate students. Purpose: This study is aimed at testing the relationship between emotional intelligence and individual task performance in teams, during a recruiting activity for an experiential learning program. Methodology/Approach: Self-reported and third rater’s measures were used to assess both variables as part of the selection process of participants on an experiential learning program focused on engineering competitions. Exploratory structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Findings/Conclusions: Results show partial support of the hypothesis by revealing a significant but apparently counterintuitive relationship. Implications: The study reveals the measurement of employability skills as a challenge and a necessity. For employers, it reinforces that teamwork, socialization, and daily organizational endeavors require the appropriate soft skills to obtain good performance levels.
State Congressional Delegations and the Distribution of Federal Funds
Authors: Curry James M. , Donnelly Christopher P.
Published: July 2020

Most scholarship on U.S. distributive politics either focuses on the abilities of individual representatives and senators to bring home the bacon or highlights the role the president plays in influencing funding decisions. Little attention is paid to collective efforts in Congress involved in securing grants-in-aid to states. In this paper, we assess how characteristics of House and Senate state delegations affect the collective efforts of a state’s federal officeholders to secure statewide funds. In both the House and Senate, we find that partisan cohesion in a state delegation predicts more federal funds to states. In particular, states receive more funds when larger shares of their delegations are members of a chamber’s majority party. Moreover, we find that the importance of majority party status is increasing over time. These results have important implications for the U.S. federal system and distributive politics.
Examining the Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children in a Diverse Sample of Trauma-Exposed Adolescents
Authors: Morelli Nicholas M. , Elson Damian , Duong Jacqueline B. , Evans Meghan C. , Villodas Miguel T.
Published: July 2020

The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) is a widely used youth assessment of broad, transdiagnostic symptomatology following trauma. However, its factor structure has not been thoroughly tested in diverse samples. Youth ( N = 738) exposed to interpersonal violence, including physical and sexual abuse, completed the TSCC. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test one-, six-, and eight-factor models of the TSCC clinical scales, based on previous literature and the TSCC manual. We examined measurement invariance across boys and girls and Black and non-Black participants, as well as convergent and discriminant validity. An eight-factor structure, consisting of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression, anger, overt dissociation, fantasy dissociation, sexual preoccupation, and sexual distress, demonstrated the best fit, with two items removed. Invariance tests supported configural and metric (but not scalar) invariance. This research highlights the need for further testing before differences between gender and racial groups can be accurately compared.
Using Intensive Longitudinal Data to Identify Early Predictors of Suicide-Related Outcomes in High-Risk Adolescents: Practical and Conceptual Considerations
Authors: Czyz Ewa K. , Yap Jamie R.T. , King Cheryl A. , Nahum-Shani Inbal
Published: July 2020

Mobile technology offers new possibilities for assessing suicidal ideation and behavior in real- or near-real-time. It remains unclear how intensive longitudinal data can be used to identify proximal risk and inform clinical decision making. In this study of adolescent psychiatric inpatients ( N = 32, aged 13-17 years, 75% female), we illustrate the application of a three-step process to identify early signs of suicide-related crises using daily diaries. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses, we considered the utility of 12 features—constructed using means and variances of daily ratings for six risk factors over the first 2 weeks postdischarge (observations = 360)—in identifying a suicidal crisis 2 weeks later. Models derived from single risk factors had modest predictive accuracy (area under the ROC curve [AUC] 0.46-0.80) while nearly all models derived from combinations of risk factors produced higher accuracy (AUCs 0.80-0.91). Based on this illustration, we discuss implications for clinical decision making and future research.
Sexual Minority High School Boys’ and Girls’ Risk of Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Bullying
Authors: Mennicke Annelise , Bush Heather M. , Brancato Candace , Coker Ann L.
Published: July 2020

We report the prevalence and number of violent events of sexual violence, sexual harassment, stalking, and bullying experienced among sexual minority girls, sexual minority boys, heterosexual girls, and heterosexual boys. We conducted covariate-adjusted analyses of variance on 16,243 high school youth from 13 schools in Kentucky. Sexual minority boys and girls and heterosexual girls had higher rates of all forms of violence compared with heterosexual boys, but rates of violence between sexual minority girls and boys were statistically equivalent. Prevention and intervention programs must incorporate elements of minority stress theory to disrupt heterosexist norms that contribute to violence.
Consideration of Cultural Practices When Characterizing the Vaginal Microbiota Among African and African American Women
Authors: Nsereko Etienne , Moreland Patricia J. , Dunlop Anne L. , Nzayirambaho Manase , Corwin Elizabeth J.
Published: July 2020

This manuscript considers intravaginal practices prevalent among African and African-American women, with the aim of providing a framework for how these practices may affect vaginal health and the vaginal microbiota, and consequently, impact pregnancy outcomes. Intravaginal practices are influenced by traditional socio-cultural beliefs and gender norms, with prominent practices including intravaginal insertion of substances (herbs and traditional medicines), intravaginal cleansing (douching), and anatomical modification of the female organs (labia elongation and female genital mutilation). Common motivations for such practices included hygiene, prevention of infection, enhancement of sexual pleasure, and compliance with societal or cultural norms. The use of soaps and other chemicals for vaginal douching has been reported to reduce diversity of the vaginal microbiota and lower pH, thus increasing the chances of bacterial vaginosis, but the evidence is minimal. The practice of vaginal insertion of natural or other substances is associated with physical abrasions, disruption of the vaginal flora, bacterial vaginosis, and HIV and other infections, but effects on pregnancy outcomes and the vaginal microbiota are unclear. Finally, female genital mutation has been reported to have immediate and prolonged physiological and psychological effects, including frequent infections and chronic inflammation, but similar to most other practices, consequences for preterm birth remain understudied and for the vaginal microbiota, unknown. Overall, findings identify the need for additional research, focusing on how these common practices influence both birth outcomes and the vaginal microbiota, so that nurses, midwives, physicians, and other providers worldwide are better equipped to assess and care for pregnant women.
The Metabolomics of Chronic Pain Conditions: A Systematic Review
Authors: Aroke Edwin N. , Powell-Roach Keesha L.
Published: July 2020

Background:

Chronic pain is a significant public health problem in the United States, affecting approximately 100 million people. Yet there is a lack of robust biomarkers for clinical use in chronic pain conditions. Downstream effects of environmental, genomic, and proteomic variations in individuals with chronic pain conditions can be identified and quantified using a metabolomic approach.

Aim/Design:

The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the literature for reports of potential metabolomic signatures associated with chronic pain conditions.

Methods:

We searched relevant electronic databases for published studies that used various metabolomic approaches to investigate chronic pain conditions among subjects of all ages.

Results:

Our search identified a total of 586 articles, 18 of which are included in this review. The reviewed studies used metabolomics to investigate fibromyalgia ( n = 5), osteoarthritis ( n = 4), migraine ( n = 3), musculoskeletal pain ( n = 2), and other chronic pain conditions ( n = 1/condition). Results show that several known and newly identified metabolites differ in individuals with chronic pain conditions compared to those without these conditions. These include amino acids (e.g., glutamine, serine, and phenylalanine) and intermediate products (e.g., succinate, citrate, acetylcarnitine, and N-acetylornithine) of pathways that metabolize various macromolecules.

Conclusion:

Though more high-quality research is needed, this review provides insights into potential biomarkers for future metabolomics studies in people with chronic pain conditions.
Bile Acids and Microbiome Among Individuals With Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Kamp Kendra J. , Cain Kevin C. , Utleg Angelita , Burr Robert L. , Raftery Daniel , Luna Ruth Ann , Shulman Robert J. , Heitkemper Margaret M.
Published: July 2020

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder. High bile acid (BA) profiles have been associated with abdominal pain symptoms, mucosal inflammation, and diarrhea in a subgroup of those with IBS. The purpose of this study was to compare: 1) fecal primary and secondary BAs in women with and without IBS; and 2) symptoms, gut microbiome, and diet between women with high and normal BAs (i.e., similar to healthy [HC] women). Women (ages 18–45) with IBS and HCs were recruited from healthcare providers or the community. Participants kept a 28-day symptom diary, completed a 3-day food journal, and collected a stool sample for microbiome analysis (16 S rRNA gene sequencing). Primary and secondary BA levels were determined by mass spectrometry. Primary BAs did not differ between IBS (n = 45) and HC (n = 28) groups; women with IBS had significantly increased conjugated secondary BAs (glycodeoxycholic acid [ p = 0.006], taurodeoxycholic acid [ p = 0.006], and glycolithocholic acid [ p = 0.01]). Sixty percent of women with IBS had normal BAs whereas 40% had high BAs. Women with high fecal BAs were predominantly IBS-Diarrhea or IBS-Mixed and consumed less fiber and vegetable protein and more animal protein compared to women with IBS whose fecal BAs levels were comparable to HCs. Those with high conjugated secondary fecal BAs also had a greater Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, less abundance of phylum Bacteroidetes and genus Gemmiger, and more abundance of family Erysipelotrichaceae compared to IBS women with normal BAs. Determination of fecal BA levels provides additional insights into pathophysiological links between diet and microbiome in IBS.
‘Be a model, not a critic’: Self-help culture, implicit censorship and the silent organization
Authors: du Plessis Erik Mygind
Published: July 2020

This article seeks to explain ‘silent organizations’ (i.e. organizations with an absence of critical voices) through an analytical perspective derived from Judith Butler’s work on censorship, and in this way suggest an alternative to explanations in the existing literature on employee silence, which are often tied to the actions and motivations of the individual employee. It is thus argued that self-help books are reflective of wider cultural dynamics and concomitant normative pressures directed at the subject in contemporary capitalism, which among other things promote the absence of criticism in the workplace. The empirical point of departure for this argument is the two bestselling and culturally resonant self-help books The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Theoretically, the article applies Butler’s notion of ‘implicit censorship’ where censorship is understood as productive in the sense of being constitutive of language and subjects. Hence, in the analysis, it is shown how discursive regimes in self-help literature tend to be constructed in such a way that extroverted criticism cannot emerge as a meaningful activity, and is thus implicitly censored.
Numerical study of acoustic transmission across heavily damped plate using hybrid Ray-Tracing-SEA method
Authors: Yan Feng , Wilson Robin , Rutherford Peter
Published: July 2020

Energy transmission across lightly damped structures has been well studied including the approved success of statistical energy analysis in mid and high frequency bands. For heavily damped elements, the diffuse field theory, which is used in computing coupling loss factors, tends to fail. Energy attenuation with distance becomes more significant for such elements and hence the energy is less likely to be evenly distributed within those elements. A ray tracing algorithm is developed taking account of this phenomenon by tracking the travel history of a great number of discrete rays. The predicted transmitted energy is used in a modified statistical energy analysis model to calculate energy level difference between different subsystems. Numerical validation and comparison on a concrete five-plate system are conducted in both lightly damped and heavily damped cases. Both the classic and the hybrid models show good agreement for lightly damped system and differ for heavily damped system. The difference tends to become larger with increasing frequency and internal damping level. The parameter “effective length ratio” is proposed to describe the phenomena of energy concentration along the edge and as in indicator of whether the application of diffuse field theory is appropriate.
A reconsideration of tourism specialization in Europe
Authors: Nowak Jean-Jacques , Petit Sylvain
Published: July 2020

Tourism specialization has been studied so far at an aggregate geographical level and by considering tourism as a homogeneous product. The result is a simplistic and stereotypical image of tourism specialization, as for Europe where southern European Union (EU) countries are commonly viewed as highly specialized in tourism services and northern EU countries highly specialized in other activities. The purpose of this article is to provide a method for a deeper analysis of tourism specialization. We study comparative advantages and disadvantages of a sample of 20 European countries over the period 2010–2016 by considering bilateral flows of three different quality tourism services (high, middle, low). Our results show serious differences with those obtained by the traditional approach.
Theorizing Korean transracial adoptee experiences: Ambiguity, substitutability, and racial embodiment
Authors: Gustafsson Ryan
Published: July 2020

This article articulates a critical phenomenological account of the being of the Korean transracial adoptee, through an analysis of three fundamental interrelated experiences. First, I argue that adoptee being is marked by epistemological ambiguity, or the impossibility of knowing and the ambiguous value of any knowledge gained. Second, the arbitrary sense of one’s place and identity contribute to a sense of substitutability among adoptees. Drawing on Merleau-Ponty’s concept of the body schema, I then argue that for the Korean adoptee, racial difference is inscribed in the body schema as absence. The article ends with a discussion of the complexities of racial embodiment that underpin adoptees’ identifications and experiences of belonging and place, and which result in what I term ‘hyper(in)visibility’.
Seismic retrofit of structures using rotational friction dampers with restoring force
Authors: Naeem Asad , Kim Jinkoo
Published: July 2020

In this study, the seismic performance of a rotational friction damper with restoring force is presented. The torsional spring friction damper consists of rotational friction pads with the heavy duty torsional springs attached on both sides of the friction damper. An analytical model and a design procedure for the damper are developed using capacity spectrum method. A parametric study is carried out to investigate the influence of the torsional spring in the response of the structure when subjected to ground motions. The seismic performances of steel structures retrofitted with the torsional spring friction damper and conventional rotational friction dampers are evaluated using fragility analysis, which shows that the structure retrofitted with the torsional spring friction damper has the smallest probability of reaching the specific limit states.
Seismic and economic performance of a mid-rise cassette structure
Authors: Chen Zhi-Peng , Feng De-Cheng , Wu Gang , Ma Ke-Jian
Published: July 2020

In this article, a new structure called cassette structure is presented. A comparative analysis of seismic and economic performance of a cassette structure and a frame structure is conducted. An existing frame office building is selected and redesigned as a cassette structure to compare the performance of the two kinds of structures. Three-dimensional finite element models are built for the two prototype structures, where fiber elements are used to simulate plastic behavior. To assess the advantages fully, seismic analysis and economic analysis are performed. Eighteen Federal Emergency Management Agency recommended seismic records are used, and the roof displacement, story drift ratio, plastic hinges development, and Park–Ang damage index are compared. Furthermore, the material, template, transportation, and assembling costs are calculated based on Chinese quotas, and the overall economic impact is evaluated. In this case, all indexes show that the cassette structure has an obvious advantage over conventional frame structure.
Association between alcohol, socioeconomic position and labour market participation: A prospective cohort study of transitions between work and unemployment
Authors: Egan Kia K. , Jørgensen Maja B. , Christensen Anne I. , Bramming Maja , Lau Cathrine J. , Becker Ulrik , Tolstrup Janne S.
Published: July 2020

Aims: This study aimed to test the hypothesis that heavy alcohol consumption and problem drinking is associated with a higher risk of becoming unemployed and a lower chance of entering the job market across socioeconomic positions. Methods: A sample of 84,474 men and women aged 18–60 years from the Danish National Health Survey 2010 participated in the study. Information on alcohol consumption and problem drinking was obtained by questionnaire. The primary outcomes were becoming unemployed and entering the job market. The follow-up period was five years. Information on labour market transitions and socioeconomic position (educational level) was obtained through nationwide registers. Multiplicative analyses were performed. Results: Heavy alcohol consumption and problem drinking were associated with a higher risk of unemployment among low-educated (hazard ratio (HR)=1.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3–1.9) and medium-educated (HR=1.3; 95% CI 1.1–1.5) individuals in comparison to individuals with a similar educational level drinking one to seven drinks per week. Excessive alcohol consumption and problem drinking were associated with a lower chance of entering the job market for individuals with a medium or high level of education: medium-educated individuals drinking >28 drinks per week had a HR of 0.82 (95% CI 0.69–0.98) when compared to medium-educated individuals drinking one to seven drinks per week. The corresponding HR among high-educated individuals was 0.71 (95% CI 0.49–1.0). Conclusions: Heavy alcohol consumption and problem drinking are associated with a higher risk of unemployment in some social strata, whereas excessive alcohol consumption and problem drinking are associated with a lower chance of entering the job market in other social strata.
Size distribution and lung deposition of particle mass generated by indoor activities
Authors: Vora Apeksha , Chalbot Marie-Cecile G. , Shin Jin Y. , Kavouras Ilias G.
Published: July 2020

Particle inhalation is associated with adverse respiratory outcomes including death. Particle deposition in the respiratory tract and therefore the type and severity of health outcomes depend on size that varies by type and source. The size distribution of particle mass generated by indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, visitors, smoking and candle/incense burning was monitored in this study using a real-time cascade impactor system was measured. Particle mass measurements allow for the direct estimation of dose. The KDEP lung deposition model was used to determine the fractional deposition of particle mass in lung regions in adult males and females for each indoor activity. The average dose rate was higher for cleaning, cooking and having visitors than that computed for hookah smoking, candle and incense burning. The deposition rates for females were higher than those measured for males during cleaning, cooking and visitors, while the male deposition rates were higher than those estimated for females during smoking and candle, incense burning. The majority of particles settled in the alveolar region of lungs in males, as compared to the extrathoracic region in females. Overall, this study demonstrated that exposures to different particle size distribution vary by sex, which may have implications for different health outcomes for males and females.
Statistical analysis and investigation of tensile test data of coir composites reinforced with graphene, epoxy and carbon fibre
Authors: Kuclourya Tanay , Jain Mohit Kumar , Mudliar Shubham , Thamba Narendiranath Babu
Published: July 2020

A successful attempt has been made to develop coir fibre composites reinforced with graphene, epoxy and carbon fibre. The carbon fibres were arranged in an intercalated manner, which is similar to the coir fibres. The percentage composition of graphene was varied as 1, 2, 4 and 6% by weight of the holding matrix. Suitable surface modifications were done by treating natural fibres by 5% NaOH and 0.3% KMnO4 for better adhesion of fibre and epoxy resin. Sonication and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide treatments were also done to achieve the fine scattering of graphene in the epoxy matrix in order to achieve better mechanical behaviour. Moulds were made as per D638 American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The treated fibres were then arranged in the mould by the conventional hand layup technique. Tensile testing was carried out to determine the mechanical properties of the composites. Two-way analysis of variance was used as a statistical tool to find the effect of parameters such as ‘Percentage composition of graphene’ and ‘Type of mould’ on the modulus of the composites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was conducted to determine the interferential adhesion and homogeneous distribution of fibres in the composite matrix. At last, field emission scanning electron microscopy analyses were also done to the specimens before and after tensile testing to determine the morphology of different entities present in the composites.
Labour of love: Secrecy and kinship among Ghanaian-Dutch and Somali-Dutch in The Netherlands
Authors: Bakuri Amisah , Spronk Rachel , van Dijk Rijk
Published: July 2020

This paper examines the productive role of secrecy in the nexus of transnational mobility, kinship, and intimate relations among Ghanaian-Dutch and Somali-Dutch in the Netherlands. Whereas secrecy is typically understood as one person concealing knowledge from another, implying the latter’s passivity, we argue that secrecy depends on mutually constitutive interactions. Secrecy is explored as the result of an interaction between those who obscure knowledge in creative ways and those who maintain a not-knowing. The paper analyzes how people negotiate moral expectations regarding sexuality, respect, and loyalty, while also manoeuvring to fulfil their personal aspirations. Especially in kinship relations, when people are bound to each other by moral and social obligations, the management of secrecy often makes people mutually dependent. Secrecy is revealed as skillfully choreographing relations by the ebb and flow of information where kinship, respect, or love and (not-) knowing reinforce another.
Promising Practices: Triple M—A Coaching and Mentorship Program for Public Health Leadership Development
Authors: Bhimani Hamida , Roitenberg Julia , Suarly Michelle
Published: July 2020

The Triple M (Mobilizing Meaningful Mentorship) program is a leadership development initiative at the public health branch of the Regional Municipality of York (York Region Public Health) that uses individual and team coaching and mentoring strategies. The Triple M program consists of one-on-one mentoring, stretch assignments, a Triple M challenge, team coaching and LEADS seminars. Triple M has the following benefits (a) organization-wide and cross-departmental connections, (b) application of leadership concepts and theory to a practical stretch assignment, (c) guidance and support from mentors to navigate challenges, and (d) the formation of the next generation of public health leaders. The lessons learned from this initiative include (a) that additional time is needed to apply program learnings during stretch assignments and (b) that adequate protected time is required to actively participate in the mentorship component of the program. The next steps for Triple M include (a) exploring ways to increase the duration of stretch assignments and (b) introducing an online platform to promote accessibility to participate in the program.
An Exploration of Mindfulness in Speech-Language Pathology
Authors: Medina Angela M. , Mead Jean S.
Published: July 2020

For decades, mindfulness practices have been studied and applied across professions such as health care, business, education, law, and counseling as a means to reduce workforce stress and improve patient/client outcomes. Literature describing applications and outcomes of mindfulness has been growing in the field of speech-language pathology. While there is an abundance of work on treating fluency disorders as well as adult cognitive and language deficits, reports of the successful application of mindfulness techniques in the service area domain of voice are expanding. The purpose of this article is to describe mindfulness and how mindfulness techniques are currently being applied in the practice of speech-language pathology with clients as well as parents and caregivers of clients. Suggested mindfulness activities and means for measuring change in the context of speech therapy are described.
Home Advantage in Skeleton: Familiarity versus Crowd Support
Authors: Chun Seungwhan , Park Sang Soo
Published: July 2020

The paper investigates home advantages in skeleton. Our study broadens home advantage literature by providing models and estimation strategy applicable to other individual sports with tracks or courses such as biathlon, cross country skiing, etc. We identified two sources of advantages: support from the crowd; familiarity with the track. In the Olympics and the World Championships, home advantage leads to about a 0.510% improvement in performance on average, of which 0.110%-points are due to crowd support and 0.401%-points due to familiarity. Out-contribution of familiarity effect is common in all six major skeleton series.