bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fractional order modeling and recognition of nitrogen content level of rubber tree foliage
Authors: Hu Wenfeng , Tang Rongnian , Li Chuang , Zhou Teng , Chen Jing , Chen Kai
Published: October 2020

The Nondestructive estimation method of nitrogen content level of rubber tree foliage was investigated utilizing near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and Grünwald-Letnikov fractional calculus. Four models, including partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), support vector machine (SVM), extreme learning machine (ELM) and convolutional neural networks (CNN) are applied to construct the nitrogen estimation model. The results show that models established by 0.6-order or 1.6-order spectra achieved better performance than models with integer-order spectra. Afterward, the successive projections algorithm (SPA) is applied to reduce the number of variables, which is critical for developing portable nitrogen-level detector devices for rubber trees. The PLS-DA method achieved the best performance with an optimal recognition rate (97.73%) using the 1.6-order spectra. The results suggest that nitrogen content of rubber trees could be reliably estimated by fractional calculus processed NIR spectra. The method proposed here has a wide range of applicability and can provide more useful information for NIR spectral analysis in agriculture as well as other fields.
Improving informed consent by enhancing the role of nurses
Authors: Wilkenfeld Daniel A , Campbell Grace
Published: October 2020

From a legal perspective, before a physician engages in a serious medical intervention they must obtain informed consent. In this paper, we argue that there are serious deficits in our processes of obtaining informed consent; it is often seen as just a bureaucratic hurdle, and people agree to interventions without being in an appropriate epistemic state. We explore some possible reasons for this, including ignorance, trust in physicians’ authority, and the minimal time physicians spend with patients. We trace many of these issues to one central cause, which is that in the United States obtaining informed consent is the purview of physicians. We argue that a simple shift in how we obtain informed consent can help to ameliorate these issues. Specifically, we argue that obtaining informed consent should be the responsibility of nurses rather than physicians. While there are several reasons for this, the central ideas are that (1) since nurses are the ones who know the patient, they will be in better position to tell when patients are genuinely informed, and (2) patients will be more comfortable asking questions and admitting ignorance to nurses rather than physicians. While we focus on US law, our conclusions are more broadly applicable.
‘These are “our” sports’: Kabaddi and Kho-Kho women athletes from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Authors: Hussain Umer , Cunningham George B
Published: October 2020

Women’s participation in sports and physical activities lags behind that of men, particularly among members of underrepresented or marginalized groups. Pakistani women from the rural areas of southern Punjab represent one such group. The aim of this study was to examine how traditional sports that are less well-known outside the Indian subcontinent offer opportunities for marginalized Pakistani women from Southern Punjab to participate in physical activities. Following a phenomenological approach, we conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with Kho-Kho and Kabaddi women athletes from underrepresented groups in Pakistan. Elo and Kyngäs’ three-phase content analysis process (preparation, organization and reporting) was used to examine interviews. The results of the study revealed that participants feel constrained by the systematic masculine hegemonic culture institutionalized by Pakistani society and the western sporting paradigm. However, the participants reported a sense of liberation and security via traditional sports. Our study contributes to the limited knowledge about women’s participation in traditional sports beyond the western world.
Rapid Development of a Hospital Checklist in a Time of COVID-19
Authors: Lintern Gavan , Motavalli Al , Chua Zarrin , Rantanen Esa M. , Peres S. Camille , Boorman Daniel
Published: October 2020

The discipline of human factors and ergonomics is largely focused on principled development of generalizable solutions. The process is typically slow, spanning months, even years. A crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic presents a different problem. How can human factors and ergonomics professionals react quickly, within hours or days, to provide viable solutions to unanticipated problems as they become apparent? Here we report on a small project in which we were able to respond rapidly to an emergent COVID-19 requirement. Given time constraints, we had no opportunity to follow a systematic analysis and design strategy. Our development and testing strategies reveal lessons that can be applied more generally to development of human factors and ergonomics interventions within emerging crises.
The Usefulness of Brief Family Health Conversations Offered to Families Following the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
Authors: Holst-Hansson Annette , Vejzovic Vedrana , Idvall Ewa , Wennick Anne
Published: October 2020

Currently, there are few studies which examine targeted family-focused support when a family member is diagnosed with breast cancer. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore families’ experiences of participating in a family nursing intervention identified as Brief Family Health Conversations (BFamHC) following the diagnosis of breast cancer. Semi-structured family interviews were conducted with nine families (including 29 family members) 2 weeks following the family-focused intervention of three sessions of BFamHC. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Families reported the BFamHC as positive and as a unique kind of family health conversation, one that afforded them the opportunity to communicate and share their experiences as a family group. A family conversation, even one as time-limited as BFamHC, offered a sense of relational sharing and togetherness, thus preventing feelings of isolation and vulnerability. Therapeutic family-focused conversations, such as BFamHC, hold promise as a useful family nursing intervention following the diagnosis of breast cancer.
Perspectives of Transgender Youth on Parental Support: Qualitative Findings From the Resilience and Transgender Youth Study
Authors: Andrzejewski Jack , Pampati Sanjana , Steiner Riley J. , Boyce Lorin , Johns Michelle M.
Published: October 2020

Transgender youth are more likely than cisgender youth to report health risks related to violence victimization, substance use, mental health, and sexual health. Parental support may help foster resilience and better health outcomes among this population. However, limited research has characterized parental support among transgender youth. To address this gap, we conducted a thematic analysis of 33 in-depth interviews with transgender youth. We coded interviews using the dimensions of the social support framework (i.e., emotional, instrumental, appraisal, and informational) as well as inductive codes to identify emergent themes. Almost all participants described some form of general parental support (e.g., expressions of love, housing, advice, and affirmation). Parental support specific to gender identity was also noted (e.g., emotional support for coming out as transgender and chosen name and pronoun use) but was more limited. Parents may benefit from resources and programming to promote acceptance and gender-affirming behaviors.
Evaluation of the time to desensitization of the larynx of cats following topical lidocaine application
Authors: Jones Teela L , Boyer Kyrissa , Chapman Kelly , Craigen Brea , da Cunha Anderson , Hofmeister Erik H
Published: October 2020

Objectives

The objective of this study was to evaluate the time to decreased reactivity of the arytenoid cartilages in cats after application of topical lidocaine.

Methods

One hundred and ten mixed-breed cats were randomly assigned to one of five groups based on the time between application of lidocaine and stimulation of the larynx: 5 (T5), 15 (T15), 30 (T30), 45 (T45) or 60 (T60) s. Cats were premedicated with dexmedetomidine, ketamine and buprenorphine. Anesthesia was induced with propofol to effect. Lidocaine 2% (2 mg/kg) was applied topically to the vocal cords using a catheter attached to a syringe under direct laryngoscopy. After lidocaine application, the designated time elapsed and the vocal cords were stimulated with the patient end of an endotracheal tube. Severity of reaction was reported as none, mild, moderate or severe. All cats were intubated after the reactivity score was recorded. Anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane and 100% oxygen while cats were spayed or castrated. Cats were monitored in recovery for signs of respiratory complications and pain.

Results

There was a significant difference in overall reactivity score between T5 and T45 ( P = 0.0038). Also, there was a significant difference in the number of cats with no reaction compared with cats with any reaction between T5 and T30 ( P = 0.03), as well as between T5 and T45 ( P = 0.0028). No cat had a severe reactivity score at T45 or T60. All cats were successfully intubated. There were no complications during intubation, maintenance of anesthesia or recovery.

Conclusions and relevance

As the lowest overall reactivity score occurred at T45, it is recommended to wait at least 45 s after application of topical lidocaine before attempting tracheal intubation.
“Bungkalan” and the Manobo-Pulangihon tribe’s resistance to corporate land-grab in Bukidnon, Mindanao
Authors: Imbong Jerry Degollacion
Published: October 2020

The island of Mindanao, dubbed as the “Land of Promise” is home to more than half of natural and mineral resources in the country. It hosts the largest rubber, banana and pineapple plantations as well as huge mining explorations. These big agri-plantations and mining corporations encroach peasant communities and Indigenous Peoples or Lumads in Bukidnon, South Cotabato, Sarangani, Compostela Valley and Davao provinces. Around 500,000 hectares of land in the five regions of Mindanao are planted with crops primarily for export. Ethnographic data were collected during fieldwork in the province of Bukidnon from May to October 2017. Raw data were obtained through formal and informal interviews, direct observation and collective discussions. Field research was carried out mostly with the Manobo-Pulangihon tribe in the municipality of Quezon. This article explores how corporate land-grabbing generates Lumad resistance, thus creating emancipatory politics. First, I briefly lay down the basis of “development programs” of the government within the framework of the neoliberal economic system and contextualize the issue of land-grabbing in Lumad communities in Bukidnon. I rely heavily on the theories provided by David Harvey in crystallizing the neoliberal economic paradigm. I then propose that this market-driven economic model inevitably results in accumulation by dispossession as experienced by the Manobo-Pulangihon tribe. Third, I describe how big landlords and agro-corporations encroach the Manobo-Pulangihon Tribe ancestral lands and explore a novel form of Lumad resistance against corporate land-grab.
Minithoracoscope versus Conventional Medical Thoracoscope in Patients with Exudative Pleural Effusion
Authors: Okasha Hamoda Hamed , Abdel Hafez Sayed Ahmed Mohamed , Abouelkhier Abdalla Dina , Shebl Abd Alhady Mohamed , Elnahas Mohamed , Rezk Nasef Abd-Elsalam
Published: October 2020

Background:

Thoracoscopy allows visualization of the pleural cavity including diaphragm, visceral pleura, and lungs. It provides the physician with information about the disease extent and it has the ability to get a biopsy from these lesions to differentiate between tumors and fibrotic reactions. This study aims to compare minithoracoscopy and medical thoracoscope in patients with exudative pleural effusion as regards the diagnostic yield, safety, complications, and duration of hospital stay.

Patients and methods:

Sixty patients were diagnosed with exudative pleural effusion and were randomly divided into 2 equal groups: Group (1): included 30 patients who underwent minithoracoscopy and Group (2): included the remaining 30 cases who underwent the standard thoracoscope.

Results:

Pathological examination of the sample revealed that biopsy size was 2.02 and 1.25 in group 1 and group 2 was respectively with highly statistically significant between both groups ( P < .001). Group 1 revealed TB, malignant, chronic nonspecific pleurisy, Staph aureus, Klebsiella, and Pseudomonas in 30% (9), 30% (9), 33.3% (10), 69% (9), 15% (2), and 15% (2) of cases respectively. While group 2 reveled TB, malignancy, chronic nonspecific pleurisy, Staph aureus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, and other causes in 40% (12), 23.3% (7), 23.3% (7), 67% (8), 8% (1), 8% (1), and 16% (2) respectively with no statistically significant differences between both groups ( P > .05).

Conclusion:

Minithoracoscopy is well tolerated by patients as minimal pain and early hospital discharge could be achieved by that approach.
A performance-based optimization approach for diffusive surface topology design
Authors: Shtrepi Louena , Mendéz Echenagucia Tomás , Badino Elena , Astolfi Arianna
Published: October 2020

Different numerical techniques have been used in the last decades for the acoustic characterization and performance optimization of sound diffusive surfaces. However, these methods require very long calculation times and do not provide a rapid feedback. As a result, these methods can hardly be applied by designers at early stages of the design process, when successive design iterations are necessary from an aesthetic point of view. A suitable alternative could be the use of parametric modeling in combination with performance investigations during the design process of sound diffusive surfaces. To this aim, this study presents a design process for diffusive surfaces topology optimization based on the combination of parametric models and geometrical acoustic simulations. It aims to provide architects and designers with rapid visual feedback on acoustic performances at a preliminary stage of the design process. The method has been tested on different case studies, which have been modelled based on geometric guidelines for diffusive surface optimization. The sensitivity of the method showed that it could be a very useful tool for comparisons among surface design alternatives. Finally, the advantages and limitations of the integrated optimization in comparison with conventional optimizations are discussed.
Associations between lifetime stress exposure, race, and first-birth intendedness in the United States
Authors: Malat Jennifer , Johns-Wolfe Elaina , Smith Teresa , Shields Grant S , Jacquez Farrah , Slavich George M
Published: October 2020

This study examined how lifetime stress exposure and race are associated with first-birth intendedness, and whether these associations differ based on stress exposure timing. Greater lifetime stress exposure was related to increased first-birth intendedness for black women but was unrelated or even associated with decreased first-birth intendedness for white women, depending on stress exposure timing. These effects were robust while controlling for age, partner status, household income, and education, and they differed based on the timing of participants’ stress exposure. These data thus provide evidence that first-birth intendedness is influenced by both lifetime stress exposure and race in the United States.
A queer(er) temporality: A posthumanist analysis of the performative agencies of time with/in gay men’s anal fisting
Authors: Martin Jarred H
Published: October 2020

Gay men’s anal fisting has been rendered in sharply divided terms through cautionary-toned medico-forensic studies or more affirmative queer commentary. Despite these paradigmatic and tonal differences, both have tended to share an analytically narrow humanocentric lens. Drawing data from a project with South African gay men who incorporate fisting into their sexual relations, a posthumanist performative account of temporality is put to work in exploring how anal fisting entails the co-participation of the often unacknowledged agency/ies of time. What emerges through this analysis is a peculiar and queer(er) temporality of slowtime which actively co-produces the corpo-erotics of gay men’s fisting.
The applicability of nearly/net zero energy residential buildings in Brazil – A study of a low standard dwelling in three different Brazilian climate zones
Authors: Resende Jaime , Monzón-Chavarrías Marta , Corvacho Helena
Published: October 2020

Buildings account for 34% of world energy consumption and about half of electricity consumption. The nearly/Net Zero Energy Building (nZEB/NZEB) concepts are regarded as solutions for minimizing this problem. The countries of Southern Europe, which included the nZEB concept recently in their regulatory requirements, have both heating and cooling needs, which adds complexity to the problem. Brazil may benefit from their experience since most of the Brazilian climate zones present significant similarities to the Southern European climate. Brazil recently presented a household energy consumption increase, and a growing trend in the use of air conditioning is predicted for the coming decades. Simulations with various wall and roof solutions following the Brazilian Performance Standard were carried out in a low standard single-family house in three different climate zones in order to evaluate thermal comfort conditions and energy needs. Results show that in milder climate zones, achieving thermal comfort with a low energy consumption is possible, and there is a great potential to achieve a net zero-energy balance. In the extreme hot climate zone, a high cooling energy consumption is needed to provide thermal comfort, and the implementation of a nearly zero-energy balance may be more feasible.
Evaluation of membrane-based air pre-dehumidification for a capillary radiant air conditioning system
Authors: Wang Zan-She , Yin Fang-Ting , Li Ran , Gu Zhao-Lin
Published: October 2020

The polyvinylidene fluoride hollow fibre membrane air dehumidification tests were carried out between the liquid desiccant solutions and the wet air. Three liquid desiccant solutions of LiBr solution (50%), LiCl solution (35%) and CaCl2 solution (40%) were tested under different wet air conditions. The results showed that all the membrane dehumidification processes were stable. The air moisture content in the outlet of the membrane was maintained as 6.5 g/kg (da)–8.2 g/kg (da) when the air moisture content in the inlet of the membrane was operated from 17.1 g/kg (da) to 32.4 g/kg (da). The dehumidification amount of LiBr solution (50%) and LiCl solution (35%) was more productive. On this basis, a membrane-based air pre-dehumidification process for the capillary radiant air conditioning system was built. Since the ideal dew point temperature range of the indoor air is below 14–17°C according to the cold supply water, all the air moisture content at the membrane outlet is much lower than that of the ideal dew point temperature range, which means non-condensing occurs in the capillary tube surface. The membrane-based air pre-dehumidification process can easily form an adaptive regulation process of humidity with the capillary radiant air conditioning system under different environmental parameters.
Carceral churn: A sensorial ethnography of the bail and remand court
Authors: Russell Emma K , Carlton and Bree , Tyson Danielle
Published: October 2020

This article discusses findings from an ethnographic study of a bail and remand court in Victoria, Australia. Through a focus on the sensory dimensions of forced movements within and through the bail court, the article contributes to the burgeoning sub-field of sensory criminology and develops the concept of ‘carceral churn’. The article argues that the bail court’s churn reproduces criminal and carceral subjects and is implicated in a project of carceral buildup. The churn of the bail court involves forms of mobility and exchange via the inter- and intra-carceral spaces that variously dull, distort, deprive or assault the senses with oppressive effects. This includes both ‘new’ and ‘old’ penal technologies such as holding cells, the custody dock, AV links and court-prison transport. The analysis of sensory violence challenges the notion that court ‘efficiency’ can improve justice experiences and outcomes and instead calls for increased attention to the harms and lethality that flow from carceral churn left un-checked.
Multicultural citizenship for the highly skilled? Naturalization, human capital, and the boundaries of belonging in Canada’s middle-class nation-building
Authors: Winter Elke
Published: October 2020

Taking Canada as a widely envied and imitated example of liberal, “difference-blind” economic immigration, in this paper, I examine the permeability, constraints, and symbolic meaning of the different requirements of the naturalization process from the perspective of those who have undergone the process. Based on interviews with recently naturalized Canadians, my study reveals that the three steps of the application process – filing the application, studying the citizenship guide and sitting the test, attending the citizenship ceremony and swearing the citizenship oath – constitute mostly blurred boundaries for skilled and highly educated immigrants, with occasional bright boundaries related to management flaws, classed naturalization, and cultural biases. Specifically, immigrants endowed with valued forms of human capital are naturalizing fast and easily even if they are members of racial, ethnic or religious minorities. This underscores the strength of multiculturalism as national identity and ethos of societal integration. However, the attainment of citizenship in the multicultural nation does not come quasi-automatically as a right for everyone after years of lawful residency. Rather, it is granted as an earned privilege only to those who demonstrate the successful mastery of the skills and mindset of middle-class professionals. Since naturalization now operates along the same econocentric logic that governs immigrant selection through the points system, individuals admitted through non-economic streams, such as refugees and immigrants in the family class are increasingly struggling with the naturalization process. This raises questions about the implicit biases and new fault lines of seemingly difference-blind middle-class nation-building through immigration.
Collecting immigrant voices to inform a participant-centered dialogical facilitation method
Authors: Uttal Lynet , Frausto Leticia R
Published: October 2020

This article describes how a new participant-centered facilitation method developed because the workshop facilitators wanted a process that was more culturally responsive to the perspectives of immigrant participants. Because conventional workshop methods focus on teaching immigrants about how things work in the United States, they often fail to make space for immigrants to talk about how they respond to this information or develop their own bicultural understandings. The participant-centered, Dialogical Facilitation Method emerged when participants were given more time and opportunities to reflect on their own values and share how they responded to the prevailing U.S. values. By shifting away from an expert-centered facilitation approach with a set curriculum to a participant-centered approach promoting emergent dialogues, the workshops evolved from an assimilation perspective to a bicultural approach. New knowledge about immigrant life emerged because participants were encouraged to discuss topics even if the concerns were not explicitly part of the original workshop theme or curriculum. Immigrants with longer experiences in the United States were encouraged to share their learned wisdom about how to be bicultural. Facilitators did not judge nor evaluate what participants said, but instead encouraged a diversity of perspectives and strategies, and encouraged participants to be the experts. The Dialogical Facilitation Method provides social service professionals with a rapid method to identify contemporary issues and strategies than allowed by conventional research methods or programming practices.
A Decade’s Progress in the Development of Molecular Imaging Agents Targeting the Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor
Authors: Childs Marina D. , Luyt Leonard G.
Published: October 2020

The growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHSR), also called the ghrelin receptor, is a G protein-coupled receptor known to play an important metabolic role in the regulation of various physiological processes, including energy expenditure, growth hormone secretion, and cell proliferation. This receptor has been implicated in numerous health issues including obesity, gastrointestinal disorders, type II diabetes, and regulation of body weight in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome, and there has been growing interest in studying its mechanism of behavior to unlock further applications of GHSR-targeted therapeutics. In addition, the GHSR is expressed in various types of cancer including prostate, breast, and testicular cancers, while aberrant expression has been reported in cardiac disease. Targeted molecular imaging of the GHSR could provide insights into its role in biological processes related to these disease states. Over the past decade, imaging probes targeting this receptor have been discovered for the imaging modalities PET, SPECT, and optical imaging. High-affinity analogues of ghrelin, the endogenous ligand for the GHSR, as well as small molecule inhibitors have been developed and evaluated both in vitro and in pre-clinical models. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the molecular imaging agents targeting the GHSR reported to the end of 2019.
The Cost of Innovation and Evidence in Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Chikwe Joanna , Gaudino Mario
Published: October 2020

This review summarizes a systematic analysis of 216 randomized trials of cardiovascular interventions performed during 2008–2019, according to the source of trial funding. The systematic analysis showed that on average the results of each trial would change significance if only 5 patients experienced different outcomes. Industry-sponsored trials were more likely to use composite endpoints, noninferiority designs, and twice as likely as nonindustry trials to report results favoring the device arm. Over 80% of industry trials used reporting strategies or “spin” suggesting the device arm was advantageous versus fewer than half of non-industry trials. The review discusses the implications of these findings.
Percutaneous Inferior Vena Cava Valve Implantation May Improve Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation and Cardiac Output: Lessons Learned
Authors: Aalaei-Andabili Seyed Hossein , Bavry Anthony A. , Choi Calvin , Arnaoutakis George , Anderson R. David , Beaver Thomas M.
Published: October 2020

Tricuspid valve regurgitation (TR) can be associated with poor prognosis. Transcatheter valve technology was adopted to treat the upstream effects of severe TR by placing a transcatheter valve in the inferior vena cava (IVC). In this study, we report off-label transcatheter valve implantation into the stented IVC in patients with severe TR for compassionate use. From September 2018 to February 2020, 6 inoperable patients with severe TR who failed medical treatment underwent percutaneous caval valve implantation (CAVI). Severity of TR was confirmed by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography. Z-stents (Cook, Inc., Bloomington, IN, USA) were placed in the proximal IVC, and then a transcatheter valve was deployed in the suprahepatic cava without rapid pacing. Six patients, 2 females and 4 males, with a mean ± SD age of 74.7 ± 8.0 years were included. The procedure was successfully performed in all 6 patients (100%) employing a 29-mm SAPIEN 3 valve (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA) with supranominal volume. No procedural complication was detected. At 30 days, TR improved from severe to trace in 1 patient, to mild-moderate in 3 patients, and 2 patients remained with severe TR. Among patients with improved TR, left ventricular ejection fraction increased from 47.5% ± 18.5% to 55% ± 20.4% ( P = 0.014). No patient had readmission at 30 days. Four patients needed rehospitalization within 6 months. Percutaneous CAVI is feasible and can be considered as a short-term palliative measure in patients with severe TR. CAVI can improve TR and potentially improve cardiac output in selected patients.
How playing area dimension and number of players constrain football performance during unbalanced ball possession games
Authors: Nunes Nuno André , Gonçalves Bruno , Coutinho Diogo , Nakamura Fábio Yuzo , Travassos Bruno
Published: October 2020

The aim of this investigation was to analyse the external workload, tactical individual actions of passing, and perceived internal load during unbalanced small-sided games. Ball possession formats (4v3, 4v4 and 4v5) were played in three different playing area dimensions (20 × 15m, 25 × 20m and 30 × 25m) by under-23 football players. Data were analysed under opposition-based perspective, by fixing one team (4vX), and by cooperation-based perspective according to teammates (4v2+X) for each playing area condition. GPS monitors were used to collect and compute external workloads (distance covered while walking, running, sprinting, and maximal speed) and tactical individual actions (passing with dominant and non-dominant foot, and maximum passing speed), and Borg Scale CR10 to evaluate rating of perceived exertion (RPE). On both opposition- and cooperation-based perspectives, significant differences were found on external workload variables for all game formats, with smaller areas associated with more distances covered while walking and larger areas with running and sprinting. Likewise, 4v3, 4v4 and 4v2 + 3 revealed significant differences for tactical individual actions, where a larger area was associated with an increase in repetitions. Medium playing area, for both perspectives, was associated with a higher RPE. Overall, larger playing areas with higher number of players involved promoted more high-intensity running, while the same area with fewer number of players fostered tactical individual actions. Smaller areas allowed to reduce game pace, especially in formats with fewer players. Different unbalance scenarios under dissimilar playing area dimensions promote diverse performance outcomes on player’s action capabilities.
Docosahexaenoic acid alleviates cell injury and improves barrier function by suppressing necroptosis signalling in TNF-α-challenged porcine intestinal epithelial cells
Authors: Xiao Kan , Xu Qiao , Liu Congcong , He Pengwei , Qin Qin , Zhu Huiling , Zhang Jing , Gin Ashley , Zhang Guolong , Liu Yulan
Published: October 2020

Long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are known to have beneficial effects on intestinal health. However, the underling mechanisms are largely unknown. The present study was conducted to investigate whether docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) attenuates TNF-α-induced intestinal cell injury and barrier dysfunction by modulating necroptosis signalling. Intestinal porcine epithelial cell line 1 was cultured with or without 12.5 µg/ml DHA, followed by exposure to 50 ng/ml TNF-α for indicated time periods. DHA restored cell viability and cell number triggered by TNF-α. DHA also improved barrier function, which was indicated by increased trans-epithelial electrical resistance, decreased FD4 flux and increased membrane localisation of zonula occludins (ZO-1) and claudin-1. Moreover, DHA suppressed cell necrosis in TNF-α-challenged cells, as shown in the IncuCyte ZOOM™ live cell imaging system and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, DHA decreased protein expression of TNF receptor, receptor interacting protein kinase 1, RIP3 and phosphorylation of mixed lineage kinase-like protein, phosphoglycerate mutase family 5, dynamin-related protein 1 and high mobility group box-1 protein. Furthermore, DHA suppressed protein expression of caspase-3 and caspase-8. Collectively, these results indicate that DHA is capable of alleviating TNF-α-induced cell injury and barrier dysfunction by suppressing the necroptosis signalling pathway.
Developing Emotion Research: Insights From Emotional Development
Authors: Walle Eric A.
Published: October 2020

A full understanding of emotion necessitates the bridging of disciplinary perspectives and methodological approaches. This special section uses emotional development as a foil to illustrate how such a bridge may be constructed and how studying emotional development can benefit the field as a whole. In doing so, this collection of articles points to three key principles for the study of emotion, specifically that emotions are relational, flexible, and temporally dynamic.
Curling stone tracking based on an enhanced mean-shift algorithm using optimal feature vector
Authors: Kim Junghu , Han Youngjoon
Published: October 2020

Computer vision technology can automatically detect and recognize objects on the ground or on a court, such as balls, players, and lines, using camera sensors. These are non-contact sensors, which do not interfere with an athlete’s movement. The game elements detected by such measuring equipment can be used for game analysis, judgment, context recognition, and visualization. This paper proposes a method to automatically track the position of stones in curling sport images using computer vision technology. The authors extract the optimal feature vector of the mean-shift tracking algorithm by obtaining the optimal histogram from the color and edge information of the curling stone, thereby adaptively controlling the number of bins in the histogram. After evaluating the performance of the curling stone tracking method among 1424 image frames from curling sport videos, the authors found that the proposed method improved detection rate (overlap threshold = 0.9) by 14.85% compared to the general mean-shift method.
Orwellian codes of behaviour exploring ideological power in education research policy
Authors: Holligan Chris
Published: October 2020

Conceptions of education research as independent and serving the interests of truth have come to represent freedoms that emerge from the application of intellectual inquiry. Critiques of education research and its relevance to the enhancement of education, coupled with neoliberal market-led pragmatism, have contributed to the erosion of an enlightenment heritage. In this nexus, empowerment is replaced by control. There is an absence of analysis of the Scottish National Party’s education research policy which means its regime of governance through logics of quantification productive of asymmetries of power has gone unrecognized. It is argued this policy produces a metrification of teaching and research which constructs teaching and research as servile to external discourses. These encroachments into autonomy and professionalism are intellectually clandestine as they operate through assumptive worlds holding that evidence is value-free rather than the outcome of constructivist processes driven by choice. Orwell’s dystopian vision of a subjugated society informs the meaning of the argument in the paper—that technologies of control and surveillance re-shape teacher autonomy and instrumentalize research such that its power to arbitrate is emasculated.
Comparison of Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation and Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation of the Knee in a Large Insurance Database: Reoperation Rate, Complications, and Cost Analysis
Authors: Sochacki Kyle R. , Varshneya Kunal , Calcei Jacob G. , Safran Marc R. , Abrams Geoffrey D. , Donahue Joseph , Chu Constance , Sherman Seth L.
Published: October 2020

Objective

To compare (1) the reoperation rates, (2) risk factors for reoperation, (3) 30-day complication rates, and (4) cost differences between autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) and osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCA) of the knee in a large insurance database.

Design

Subjects who underwent knee ACI (Current Procedural Terminology [CPT] code 27412) or OCA (CPT code 27415) with minimum 2-year follow-up were queried from a national insurance database. Reoperation was defined by ipsilateral knee procedure after index surgery. Multivariate logistic regression models were built to determine the effect of independent variables (age, sex, tobacco use, obesity, diabetes, and concomitant osteotomy) on reoperation rates. The 30-day complication rates were assessed using ICD-9-CM codes. The cost of the procedures per patient was calculated. Statistical comparisons were made. All P values were reported with significance set at P < 0.05.

Results

A total of 909 subjects (315 ACI and 594 OCA) were included (mean follow-up 39.2 months). There was a significantly higher reoperation rate after index ACI compared with OCA (67.6% vs. 40.4%, P < 0.0001). Concomitant osteotomy at the time of index procedure significantly reduced the risk for reoperation in both groups (odds ratio [OR] 0.2, P < 0.0001 and OR 0.2, P = 0.009). The complication rates were similar between ACI (1.6%) and OCA (1.2%) groups ( P = 0.24). Day of surgery payments were significantly higher after ACI compared with OCA ( P = 0.013).

Conclusions

Autologous chondrocyte implantation had significantly higher reoperation rates and cost with similar complication rates compared with OCA. Concomitant osteotomy significantly reduced the risk for reoperation in both groups.
Periodontal Disease: Its Impact on Restorative Dentistry
Authors: Culshaw Shauna
Published: October 2020

A healthy periodontium provides stable gingival margins and stable tooth position prior to tooth preparations for indirect restorations. Good periodontal health allows easier tissue handling during tooth preparation, impression taking and restoration fitting. Periodontal health is integral to successful restorative care. This report documents common clinical scenarios in which periodontal problems cause aesthetic concern.
Acid Erosion: An Increasingly Relevant Dental Problem. Risk Factors, Management and Restoration
Authors: Milosevic Alex
Published: October 2020

A review of risk factors and management of acid erosion. Particular emphasis is placed on the use of direct composite as a reversible and relatively straightforward restorative option.
We're Going Digital: The Current State of CAD/CAM Dentistry in Prosthodontics
Authors: Ahmed Khaled E
Published: October 2020

This paper reviews the current state of computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) in dentistry, with a special focus on restorative dental applications. The potential, advantages, and limitations of the technology will be discussed, comparing the digital workflow to conventional techniques, based on contemporary clinical evidence. The technology does seem to offer a more streamlined and efficient means of treatment planning and delivery of care through reduced chairside time, with reported improved patient satisfaction. Nonetheless, the accuracy and treatment outcomes of CAD/CAM treatment modalities are inconsistent and do not support a superior performance to existing conventional techniques, rather a comparable one.
Health-related quality of life and its associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Zare Forouzan , Ameri Hosein , Madadizadeh Farzan , Reza Aghaei Mohammad
Published: October 2020

Background:

Assessing the health-related quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is important for evaluation of treatment outcome. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health-related quality of life in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and its related factors in Yazd.

Methods:

Data were gathered by using the EuroQoL-five-dimension-5 level instrument as well as using medical records of 734 outpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were referred to the largest governmental diabetes center in South of Iran, Yazd province. When appropriate, the Kruskal–Wallis test or the Wilcoxon test was used to test the difference in the health-related quality-of-life scores in each factor. Finally, the adjusted limited dependent variable mixture model was developed to investigate factors associated with health-related quality-of-life scores.

Results:

The mean and median of the EuroQoL-five-dimension-5 level index values of 717 patients who completed the questionnaires were 0.75 ± 0.006 and 0.72 ± 0.20, respectively, and those of the Visual Analogue Scale scores were 69.25 ± 0.63 and 75 ± 30, respectively. The mean scores for health-related quality of life were significantly higher for employed, educated, single, and male patients, as well as patients without comorbidities, diabetes-related complications, and hemoglobin A1c level >7%. Adjusted limited dependent variable mixture model showed that gender, age, marital status, and diabetes-related complications are significant independent predictors of EuroQoL-five-dimension-5 level index value.

Conclusion:

The mean scores for health-related quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were moderate in this study, and this finding is consistent with health-related quality-of-life scores reported in other studies conducted in the Middle East region. Therefore, health-related quality of life should be the most important consideration in the management of patients. In parallel, some factors, especially gender, should be considered to improve health-related quality of life.
Baicalin improves the survival in endotoxic mice and inhibits the inflammatory responses in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages
Authors: Kuo Shi-Wen , Su Wen-Lin , Chou Tz-Chong
Published: October 2020

Introduction:

Sepsis is a severe disease with a high morbidity and mortality. Baicalin, an active compound of Chinese medicine, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (Huang Qui), exhibits several beneficial effects. In this study, we examined whether administration of baicalin increases the survival in mice with endotoxemia and investigated its anti-inflammatory mechanisms in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages.

Methods:

The production of NOx, PGE2, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, the mRNA and protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB in LPS-stimulated macrophages or endotoxic mice were determined. The model of severe endotoxic mice was established by injection of LPS (60 mg/kg, i.p.).

Results:

Baicalin significantly inhibited the production of NO, PGE2, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Baicalin treatment also markedly suppressed LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 expression at the transcriptional and translational levels, and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB in macrophages. Similarly, the serum concentrations of NOx, PGE2, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and the lung myeloperoxidase activity were greatly reduced in baicalin-treated endotoxic mice. Notably, after LPS injection, the 3-day survival rate of mice treated with pre- or post-administration of baicalin (50 mg/kg, i.p.) remarkably increased to 100% and 90%, respectively compared with LPS-injected alone mice with a survival rate of 0%.

Conclusion:

Baicalin has a potent anti-inflammatory activity in LPS-stimulated macrophages and endotoxic mice. Moreover, treatment with baicalin dramatically increased the survival in the severe septic mice, suggesting that baicalin may be a potential agent for sepsis therapy.
Acceptance and commitment therapy for appearance anxiety: three case studies
Authors: Shepherd Laura , Turner Anna , Reynolds Darren P , Thompson Andrew R
Published: October 2020

Introduction:

Due to scarring, appearance anxiety is a common psychological difficulty in patients accessing burns services. Appearance anxiety can significantly impact upon social functioning and quality of life; thus, the availability of effective psychological therapies is vital. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is considered useful for treating distress associated with other health conditions and may lend itself well to appearance anxiety. However, no published research is currently available.

Methods:

Three single case studies (two male burns patients; one female necrotising fasciitis patient) are presented where appearance anxiety was treated using ACT. A treatment protocol was followed and evaluated: the Derriford Appearance Scale measured appearance anxiety; the Work and Social Adjustment Scale measured impairment in functioning; the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire measured acceptance (willingness to open up to distressing internal experiences); and the Committed Action Questionnaire measured engagement in meaningful and valued life activities. Measures were given at every treatment session and patient feedback was obtained. One-month follow-up data were available for two cases.

Results:

After the intervention, all patients had reduced functional impairment and were living more valued and meaningful lives. No negative effects were found.

Discussion:

These case studies suggest that ACT may be a useful psychological therapy for appearance anxiety. The uncontrolled nature of the intervention limits the conclusions that can be drawn.

Conclusion:

A pilot feasibility study to evaluate the effectiveness of ACT for appearance anxiety is warranted.

Lay Summary

Many patients with scars can feel distressed about their appearance. This is known as appearance anxiety and can include patients accessing burns services. Appearance anxiety can stop patients from enjoying a good quality of life and impact upon important areas of daily functioning. It is therefore important that psychological therapies are effective. However, research investigating the effectiveness of psychological therapies is limited. This paper describes the psychological therapy of three patients who were distressed about scarring. A psychological therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) was used as part of standard care and evaluated using questionnaires and patient feedback. After the course of ACT, all patients were less impacted day-to-day by their appearance anxiety and were living more valued and meaningful lives. No negative effects were found. These case studies suggest that ACT may be a useful psychological therapy for appearance anxiety and further research evaluating it should be completed.