bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and Safety of Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation for Postoperative Pain: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Wang Dan , Shi Hongshuo , Yang Zhenguo , Liu Wenbin , Qi Lu , Dong Chengda , Si Guomin , Guo Qi
Published: April 2022

Objective. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) in treating post-operative pain. Methods. This meta-analysis was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021286753). We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about TEAS in treating postoperative pain that were published before November 2021. The primary outcome was visual analogue scale (VAS) within 24 h after surgery. The secondary outcomes included postoperative opioid analgesic drug consumption and the occurrence of adverse reactions within the postoperative 24–72 h. Adverse reactions included dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. Continuous variables were analyzed using mean difference (MDs) or standardized mean difference (SMDs) and 95% CIs. Relative risk (RR) and 95% CI were used for dichotomous data. The data were pooled and analyzed by RevMan 5.4 and STATA15.0 software. Results. Seventeen trials with 1375 participants were included. The current results suggested that application of TEAS showed obvious superiority in reducing VAS scores (SMD = −1.51, 95% CI = −2.20∼−0.82, I2 = 96%). Subgroup analysis was performed according to open surgery and minimally invasive surgery. VAS scores were decreased after surgery at 24 h (SMD = −0.84, 95% CI = −1.07∼−0.6, I2 = 96%; SMD = −0.88, 95% CI = −1.02∼−0.75, I2 = 96%). The incidence of postoperative dizziness and nausea and vomiting was significantly lower in the TEAS group within postoperative 24–72 h (RR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.34∼0.68, I2 = 0%; RR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.44∼1.01, I2 = 69%; and RR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.24∼1.00, I2 = 51%). Postoperative opioid analgesics were also reduced in the TEAS group within 72 h after surgery (SMD = −2.10, 95% CI = −3.37∼−0.82, I2 = 96%). Conclusions. TEAS can reduce postoperative pain as well as the incidence of dizziness, nausea, and vomiting and the number of analgesics used after surgery. TEAS is a reasonable modality to incorporate into a multimodal management approach for postoperative pain.
The Effect of Mind-Body Exercise on Blood Pressure in Middle-Aged and Elderly Patients with Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Ge Beihai , Chen Hao , Liao Xianhui
Published: April 2022

Objectives. The effects and safety of mind-body exercise in improving blood pressure in middle-aged and elderly patients with hypertension were explored in this meta-analysis. Methods. A meta-analysis of studies from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane was performed to identify related experimental studies by screening out the randomized controlled trials from the time of respective database creation until January 22, 2021. In addition, first, we completed the research registration on the INPLASY platform on March 20, 2021 (registration number: INPLASY202130072) and, second, on the PROSPERO platform on December 28, 2021 (registration number: CRD42021289125). The data were analyzed using a random-effects model with the help of Stata 14.0 software. Results. A total of 2,277 patients from 30 studies were reflected in the present study. The results show that mind-body exercise can effectively improve systolic blood pressure [SMD = −0.994, 95% CI: −1.239∼−0.748,

P
<
0.01

] and diastolic blood pressure [SMD = −0.757, 95% CI: −1.009∼−0.505,

P
<
0.01

] in middle-aged and elderly patients with hypertension. Conclusion. The results of this meta-analysis show that mind-body exercise can effectively improve blood pressure in middle-aged and elderly patients with hypertension without adverse events.
Role of Apoptosis in HIV Pathogenesis
Authors: Jabea Ekabe Cyril , Asaba Clinton Njinju , Agyei Eugene Kusi , Kehbila Jules
Published: April 2022

The apoptotic pathway is an important cell death pathway that contributes to the maintenance of homeostasis in living systems. However, variations in apoptosis have been linked to many diseases such as cancers and chronic infections. The HIV infection has contributed to increase mortality and morbidity worldwide, predominantly through the induction of gradual depletion of CD4+ T cells. The induction and mediation of both the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways are crucial in HIV pathogenesis and intracellular survival. Consequently, a deep molecular understanding of how apoptosis is induced and modulated in HIV-mediated CD4+ T cell depletion is paramount, as this can lead to new portals of therapeutic intervention and control.
A bibliometric analysis of clinical research on fracture‐related infection
Authors: Li Cheng , Foster Andrew L. , Han Nicholas Hang Bao , Trampuz Andrej , Schuetz Michael
Published: April 2022

Background. Infection following orthopaedic trauma surgery is increasingly recognized as one of the major research priorities with as primary goal, improving patient care. This increased interest has been anecdotally recognized through published research, research grants, and, finally, with the development of the fracture‐related infection (FRI) consensus group. In 2017, the accepted consensus definition of FRI was published, which has been followed by consensus recommendations from both a surgical and medical perspective. A bibliometric analysis was performed to objectively describe the trends in published clinical research related to FRI. Methods. The terms related to FRI were searched in the Web of Science database between 2000 and 2020. The characteristics of clinical research on FRI regarding the author, country, journal, institution, scientific output, top 100 most cited articles, and trend topics were analyzed using Bibliometrix and WPS Office. Results. A total of 2597 records were eligible for inclusion in this bibliometric approach, with studies originating from 89 countries, including eight languages. The United States of America (USA) published the highest number of articles and citations. International collaborations were present between 72 countries, with the most active country being the USA. The most contributive institution was the University of California. The highest number of papers and citations were from the Injury‐International Journal of the Care of the Injured and the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma. The top 100 most cited articles were published in 27 different journals, with the number of citations ranging between 97 and 1004. The latest trend topics were related to the diagnosis of FRI. Conclusion. The present bibliometric analysis shows the research characteristics and trends of FRI from multiple perspectives. The fact that there is an increasing number of studies being published on FRI shows the agreement among scientists and clinicians that standardization with respect to this topic is very important.
Neural Networks Application for the Data of PID Controller for Acrobot
Authors: Danh Nguyen Cong
Published: April 2022

Acrobots are a system that has levels of operating states in many investigated cases, and they are subjects to many events during operation due to the mechanisms of locomotion processes. These states have been investigated in specific situations. Due to the limited nature of surveying under conditions without the aid of software fine-tuning the desired output values, designers have to create a number of algorithms that control the system most appropriately in a complex working environment of this system. In this study, the author has proposed design problems to suit the working needs. The author has modeled the objects to be investigated, and at the same time, the author has combined simulation of phenomena that have been documented from the theoretical model of this system before. Control an Acrobot system, including Neural Network Application for the data of the PID controller (closed form). Mathematical models, Simulink, are also presented specifically through this study. The simulation parameters have been adjusted to match the set criteria, and the reader’s perception will be more intuitive through simulation interpretations. Based on simulation data, the system performance analysis becomes more accurate than ever. The above suggestions are intended to serve vocational education and scientific research, and at the same time, they also contribute to suggesting new and unique ideas. The ANN is the most intelligent control method currently added in this study to firmly confirm its effectiveness in all problems related to artificial intelligence. Proposing control strategies for different models is also suggested by the author in the conclusion. Neural networks application is a highly applicable method because it works in sync with other methods. In other words, neural networks application can be applied to any situation based on given data. Specifically, in this study, the application of neural networks becomes more flexible and vivid thanks to the data of the PID controller. The purpose of this method is to increase the security of the system against the attack of hackers on facilities of the automatic control system. Simulation is done by Matlab.
Automatic Extraction of English-Chinese Translation Templates Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Dong Zhaofeng
Published: April 2022

Translation templates are an important cause of knowledge in machine translation (MT) systems. Their quality and scale directly influence the performance of MT systems. How to obtain high-quality and efficient translation templates from corpora has become a hot topic in recent study. In this paper, a tree to String alignment template (TAT) based on syntactic structure is proposed. This template describes the alignment between the source language syntax tree and the target language string. The syntactic structure, a large number of construction tags, and variables are introduced into the template, which enables the syntactic model to deal with discontinuous phrases and has the ability of generalization. Templates can be used in syntactic statistics, case-based, and rule-based MT systems according to different decoders. ATTEBSC algorithm is a basic method to learn translation templates by comparing sentence pairs. It demands that sentence pairs be constructed in a precise comparison structure ahead of time, but there are no strict guidelines on how to do it. In this paper, we propose a method to calculate the specific comparison scheme using the longest common subsequence (LCS) and use the normalized LCS distance to screen sentences with high similarity and then use the ATTEBSC algorithm to automatically remove the template. Experiments show that this method is easy and effective, and many expensive templates can be learned.
Improving Diabetes Care: A Fijian Diabetes Service Improvement Study
Authors: Ibrahim Abdul Mushib , Lawrence Stephen
Published: April 2022

Background. Achieving good outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients’ needs a decent integrated care service with access to resources. The Fiji Islands has one of the highest rates of diabetes disease burden and has available resources to alleviate the diabetic disease pandemic in its population, yet patient outcomes are getting worse. We hypothesize that a dysfunction in health-care delivery system may be accentuating the diabetic disease process; therefore, this service evaluation study was conducted to provide insight into the management of T2DM in a secondary care clinic setting. Methods. We conducted a retrospective chart review of patient records for the past three years (2015-2018). Random quota sampling was used to extract patient folders over a one-month period. A total of 113 patient charts were analyzed which met the inclusion criteria. Results. The overall glycemic levels were uncontrolled in every seven out of ten patients. Most of the patients were on combination drug therapy and at maximum dosing ranges. HbA1c tests, as a monitoring tool, were being inadequately used. Nonadherence to management was prominent in poor controlled patients, and physicians failed to provide appropriate interventions in this group. Nearly all the patients had not received eye assessments, foot risk assessment, and individualized dietetic counselling over three years. Macrovascular complications were more common than microvascular end organ damage. Conclusion. There is a high degree of uncontrolled glycemia and comorbidities in patients attending the service of study which is being perpetuated by poor integrated diabetes care. Strengthening educational initiatives, using validated strategic tools to streamline diabetic services and astute evidence-based resource allocation and management, is needed.
Response of Balanced Laminate Subjected to Abrupt Heat Flux: A New Perspective
Authors: Akour Salih N.
Published: April 2022

A new perspective presents how the interaction between the material stiffness of both matrix and fibre took place to form the laminate response. Thin square simply supported balanced laminated composite plate of different ply arrangements subjected to abrupt heat flux is utilized in this investigation. The effect of ply arrangement on the elapse time for vibrations to vanish and the maximum response amplitude is also investigated. The finite element analysis results show that the response is an amplitude modulated signal that represents frequencies of both fibre and matrix. The analysis shows that the ratio of the carrier frequency to the modulating frequency matches the ratio of the fibre stiffness to ply lateral stiffness. Through the investigation, the maximum static deformation and the dynamic amplitude are illustrated for different ply arrangements. Furthermore, it is found that almost all laminates have a similar elapsed time for vibrations to vanish.
Erythropoietin Resistance Development in Hemodialysis Patients: The Role of Oxidative Stress
Authors: Joksimovic Jovic Jovana , Antic Svetlana , Nikolic Tomislav , Andric Kristina , Petrovic Dejan , Bolevich Sergey , Jakovljevic Vladimir
Published: April 2022

Oxidative stress (OS) is considered a significant risk factor for the development of anemia in patients treated by regular hemodialysis (HD). Moreover, OS represents a risk factor for the development of erythropoietin (EPO) resistance in these patients. The aim of this study was to examine the role of OS regarding EPO resistance development in patients treated by regular HD. 96 patients treated with standard HD and on-line hemodiafiltration were included in this study. The patients were treated with short-acting and long-acting EPOs for anemia. The concentration of superoxide anion radical, hydrogen peroxide, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and nitric oxide in the form of nitrites and the activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase and reduced glutathione were measured in patients’ blood spectrophotometrically. Standard biochemical analysis, inflammatory markers, nutritional status, HD parameters, and erythropoietin resistance index were also determined. Patients with resistance to short-acting EPO had significantly lower concentration of hemoglobin in the blood and hematocrit value, a significantly higher serum ferritin concentration, and significantly lower catalase activity in erythrocytes than patients without EPO resistance. Patients with resistance to long-acting EPO have a significantly lower hemoglobin concentration in the blood, hematocrit values, and serum concentration of prealbumin and vitamin D, as well as significantly higher concentration of C-reactive protein, superoxide anion, and hydrogen peroxide concentration than those without resistance. OS significantly contributes to EPO resistance development. OS, higher ferritin and CRP levels, lower hemoglobin, hematocrit and prealbumin levels, and vitamin D deficiency represent significant risk factors for EPO resistance development in HD patients.
Research on Marketing Management Risk Decision Model Based on LINEST Function
Authors: Deng Cheng , Ahmad Muhammad Talal
Published: April 2022

The primary purpose of this research study is to describe the research on the marketing management risk decision model based on the LINEST function. This research is conducted in China and is used for measuring the risk decision model using different questions related to marketing management. The nature of this research is primary, and data were collected from 100 plus responders related to the marketing management fields. The research participants included males, females, employees of marketing, and other people from marketing management organizations. We used smart PLS software to measure the data and ran different informative statistical analyses. For measuring the marketing, research management used techniques that included a test of equality, PLS algorithm model, LINEST model, least-square model, histogram analysis, and different graphs related to the marketing management performance. The marketing management used different subvariables, including strategic management analysis, marketing mix planning, implementation, and control. The risk decision model is used as a dependent variable based on the LINEST functions. The overall result found that the marketing management risk decision model shows a significant relationship with each other based on LINEST function marketing management, which plays a vital role in organizations.
Fault Diagnosis Method of Distribution Equipment Based on Hybrid Model of Robot and Deep Learning
Authors: Rongrong Shan , Zhenyu Ma , Hong Ye , Zhenxing Lin , Gongming Qiu , Chengyu Ge , Yang Lu , Kun Yu
Published: April 2022

In view of the poor effect of most fault diagnosis methods on the intelligent recognition of equipment images, a fault diagnosis method of distribution equipment based on the hybrid model of robot and deep learning is proposed to reduce the dependence on manpower and realize efficient intelligent diagnosis. Firstly, the robot is used to collect the on-site state images of distribution equipment to build the image information database of distribution equipment. At the same time, the robot background is used as the comprehensive database data analysis platform to optimize the sample quality of the database. Then, the massive infrared images are segmented based on chroma saturation brightness space to distinguish the defective equipment images, and the defective equipment areas are extracted from the images by OTSU method. Finally, the residual network is used to improve the region-based fully convolutional networks (R-FCN) algorithm, and the improved R-FCN algorithm trained by the online hard example mining method is used for fault feature learning. The fault type, grade, and location of distribution equipment are obtained through fault criterion analysis. The experimental analysis of the proposed method based on PyTorch platform shows that the fault diagnosis time and accuracy are about 5.5 s and 92.06%, respectively, which are better than other comparison methods and provide a certain theoretical basis for the automatic diagnosis of power grid equipment.
EGFR Inhibition Potentiates FGFR Inhibitor Therapy and Overcomes Resistance in FGFR2 Fusion–Positive Cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Wu Qibiao , Zhen Yuanli , Shi Lei , Vu Phuong , Greninger Patricia , Adil Ramzi , Merritt Joshua , Egan Regina , Wu Meng-Ju , Yin Xunqin , Ferrone Cristina R. , Deshpande Vikram , Baiev Islam , Pinto Christopher J. , McLoughlin Daniel E. , Walmsley Charlotte S. , Stone James R. , Gordan John D. , Zhu Andrew X. , Juric Dejan , Goyal Lipika , Benes Cyril H. , Bardeesy Nabeel
Published: April 2022

FGFR inhibitors are approved for the treatment of advanced cholangiocarcinoma harboring FGFR2 fusions. However, the response rate is moderate, and resistance emerges rapidly due to acquired secondary FGFR2 mutations or due to other less-defined mechanisms. Here, we conducted high-throughput combination drug screens, biochemical analysis, and therapeutic studies using patient-derived models of FGFR2 fusion–positive cholangiocarcinoma to gain insight into these clinical profiles and uncover improved treatment strategies. We found that feedback activation of EGFR signaling limits FGFR inhibitor efficacy, restricting cell death induction in sensitive models and causing resistance in insensitive models lacking secondary FGFR2 mutations. Inhibition of wild-type EGFR potentiated responses to FGFR inhibitors in both contexts, durably suppressing MEK/ERK and mTOR signaling, increasing apoptosis, and causing marked tumor regressions in vivo. Our findings reveal EGFR-dependent adaptive signaling as an important mechanism limiting FGFR inhibitor efficacy and driving resistance and support clinical testing of FGFR/EGFR inhibitor therapy for FGFR2 fusion–positive cholangiocarcinoma.

Significance:

We demonstrate that feedback activation of EGFR signaling limits the effectiveness of FGFR inhibitor therapy and drives adaptive resistance in patient-derived models of FGFR2 fusion–positive cholangiocarcinoma. These studies support the potential of combination treatment with FGFR and EGFR inhibitors as an improved treatment for patients with FGFR2-driven cholangiocarcinoma.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1171
Safety of Plasmapheresis in Donors with Low IgG Levels: Results of a Prospective, Controlled Multicentre Study
Authors: Moog Rainer , Laitinen Teija , Taborski Uwe
Published: April 2022

Background and Objectives: Although plasmapheresis is generally considered safe, there are still concerns about the long-term effects of plasma donation on immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels. The aim of the present study was to investigate if there is a need to permanently defer donors who donated three times with an IgG level below 6.0 g/L. Study Design and Methods: From September 2007 to December 2017, adverse events (AEs) including infections were analysed from data of a prospective, controlled multicentre study of healthy volunteer donors, participating in an individualized plasmapheresis programme stratified by initial IgG level and body weight (individualized arm) or in standard plasmapheresis according to national guidelines (control arm). IgG was monitored at every fifth donation, and donors with IgG levels below the threshold were identified and followed up for possible AEs. Results: In total, 97,540 donations in 1,462 donors in the control arm and 1,491,223 donations in 14,281 donors in the individualized arm were included. Donation-based incidences of at least severe AEs and any infections were 0.019% and 0.192% in the control arm, and 0.014% and 0.153% in the individualized arm. Three or more IgG-measurements below the threshold occurred in 38.2% of control arm donors and 20.9% of individualized arm donors. There were no increased incidence rates of at least severe AEs or any infections in donors with ≥3 IgG-measurements below the threshold in either donor’s arm. Conclusions: Our data show no signs of compromised donor safety in donors with ≥3 IgG-measurements below the threshold, indicating that plasmapheresis is feasible and safe in these donors.
Advances in Recurrent Stroke Prevention: Focus on Antithrombotic Therapies
Authors: Mac Grory Brian , Yaghi Shadi , Cordonnier Charlotte , Sposato Luciano A. , Romano Jose G. , Chaturvedi Seemant
Published: April 2022

The past decade has seen significant advances in stroke prevention. These advances include new antithrombotic agents, new options for dyslipidemia treatment, and novel techniques for surgical stroke prevention. In addition, there is greater recognition of the benefits of multifaceted interventions, including the role of physical activity and dietary modification. Despite these advances, the aging of the population and the high prevalence of key vascular risk factors pose challenges to reducing the burden of stroke. Using a cause-based framework, current approaches to prevention of cardioembolic, cryptogenic, atherosclerotic, and small vessel disease stroke are outlined in this paper. Special emphasis is given to recent trials of antithrombotic agents, including studies that have tested combination treatments and responses according to genetic factors.
Advances in Acute Ischemic Stroke Therapy
Authors: Xiong Yunyun , Wakhloo Ajay K. , Fisher Marc
Published: April 2022

The treatment of acute ischemic stroke continues to advance. The mainstay of treatment remains intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase. Recent studies demonstrated that later treatment with alteplase is beneficial in patients selected with advanced imaging techniques. Tenecteplase has been evaluated as an alternative thrombolytic drug and evidence suggests that it is as least as effective as alteplase and may lyse large vessel clots more effectively. Endovascular therapy with mechanical thrombectomy has now been shown to be beneficial up to 24 hours after stroke onset in carefully selected patients with proximal, large vessel occlusions. Ongoing studies are evaluating the effectiveness of thrombectomy in patients with more distal vessel occlusions and patients with proximal large vessel occlusions with larger ischemic core volumes and also in patients with milder neurological deficits. Cytoprotection is another potential acute stroke therapy that has not demonstrated efficacy in prior clinical trials. It should be reconsidered as an adjunct to reperfusion and a variety of new clinical trials can be envisioned to evaluate the potential benefits of cytoprotection in patients before and after reperfusion.
Stroke Genetics: Discovery, Insight Into Mechanisms, and Clinical Perspectives
Authors: Debette Stéphanie , Markus Hugh S.
Published: April 2022

Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide and a complex, heterogeneous condition. In this review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on monogenic and multifactorial forms of stroke, highlighting recent insight into the continuum between these. We describe how, in recent years, large-scale genome-wide association studies have enabled major progress in deciphering the genetic basis for stroke and its subtypes, although more research is needed to interpret these findings. We cover the potential of stroke genetics to reveal novel pathophysiological processes underlying stroke, to accelerate the discovery of new therapeutic approaches, and to identify individuals in the population who are at high risk of stroke and could be targeted for tailored preventative interventions.
Aging Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Stroke Risk and Outcome
Authors: Honarpisheh Pedram , Bryan Robert M. , McCullough Louise D.
Published: April 2022

The microbiota-gut-brain-axis (MGBA) is a bidirectional communication network between gut microbes and their host. Many environmental and host-related factors affect the gut microbiota. Dysbiosis is defined as compositional and functional alterations of the gut microbiota that contribute to the pathogenesis, progression and treatment responses to disease. Dysbiosis occurs when perturbations of microbiota composition and function exceed the ability of microbiota and its host to restore a symbiotic state. Dysbiosis leads to dysfunctional signaling of the MGBA, which regulates the development and the function of the host’s immune, metabolic, and nervous systems. Dysbiosis-induced dysfunction of the MGBA is seen with aging and stroke, and is linked to the development of common stroke risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. Changes in the gut microbiota are also seen in response to stroke, and may impair recovery after injury. This review will begin with an overview of the tools used to study the MGBA with a discussion on limitations and potential experimental confounders. Relevant MGBA components are introduced and summarized for a better understanding of age-related changes in MGBA signaling and its dysfunction after stroke. We will then focus on the relationship between the MGBA and aging, highlighting that all components of the MGBA undergo age-related alterations that can be influenced by or even driven by the gut microbiota. In the final section, the current clinical and preclinical evidence for the role of MGBA signaling in the development of stroke risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and frailty are summarized, as well as microbiota changes with stroke in experimental and clinical populations. We conclude by describing the current understanding of microbiota-based therapies for stroke including the use of pre-/pro-biotics and supplementations with bacterial metabolites. Ongoing progress in this new frontier of biomedical sciences will lead to an improved understanding of the MGBA’s impact on human health and disease.
Reconnaître et intégrer les Antillais catholiques en Île-de-France
Authors: Malogne-Fer Gwendoline
Published: April 2022

Face à l’ ampleur des migrations antillaises vers la métropole à partir des années 1960, l’ Église catholique a mis en place une aumônerie nationale antillo-guyanaise destinée à aider les Antillais catholiques à s’ insérer dans leurs paroisses respectives. Après avoir rappelé le contexte historique de ces migrations antillaises en métropole, cet article analyse la genèse et les limites de ce modèle organisationnel de l’ aumônerie nationale antillo-guyanaise. Dans un troisième temps, à partir de l’ étude de la paroisse de Saint-Denys de l’ Estrée (à Saint-Denis), nous nous interrogerons sur les modalités d’ engagement des Antillais catholiques en montrant comment l’ engagement local se conjugue avec la fréquentation d’ autres hauts lieux du catholicisme parisien. Ces pratiques cumulatives ou circulatoires laissent entrevoir toute une gamme de pratiques populaires parfois qualifiées de « magico-religieuses » par la hiérarchie ecclésiale qui invitent à s’ interroger sur les modalités de catégorisation de l’ Église et sur le rapport que les Antillais catholiques entretiennent à l’ institution ecclésiale.
An Early Islamic Rock Crystal Amulet Seal from Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar
Authors: Sarathi Akshay , Kenoyer J. Mark , Walz Jonathan R.
Published: April 2022

Archaeological excavations at Unguja Ukuu recovered a rock crystal cabochon seal with the word lillāh (“for God”) inscribed in the Kufic script on its domed surface. The artifact is an intaglio amulet seal engraved in the negative. Microscopic examination of the seal surfaces reveals that a rotary tool was used to make the initial inscription. At some later point, a diagonal spall was removed across part of the inscription. The diagonal spall appears to be along a natural crystal plane. It is impossible to determine if this was the result of intentional defacement or an accidental process that might have resulted in the eventual deposition of the seal. Strata dated by radiometric and relative methods coupled with the style of the Kufic script date the seal to the late-8th to 9th centuries CE. This artifact is the earliest known example of an Islamic amulet seal and of writing in the Zanzibar Archipelago.
Male and Female in Distinction and Glory
Authors: Gilson Rachel
Published: April 2022

Contemporary questions of sex, gender, and transgender identities are not addressed directly by any biblical text, and yet the church needs wisdom on these topics. This article examines the so-called head-coverings passage, 1 Corinthians 11:2–16, with an eye towards principles that could be applied today. While no reading of this text is untroubled, the dynamic tension that the Apostle Paul puts forward between the distinction of male and female, and their equality before the Lord, can shed important light. After exegetical engagement with the text, the article discusses relevant continuities and discontinuities between the original audience and the modern West, leading to recommendations for faithful presence. These include holding to God’s good design of humanity as male and female, while striving to be a community of compassion towards those who identify as transgender or who experience gender dysphoria.
THE SCALE INSECTS OF IRAN (HEMIPTERA: COCCOMORPHA)
PART 2 THE MEALYBUGS (PSEUDOCOCCIDAE AND RHIZOECIDAE) AND PUTOIDAE
Authors: MOGHADDAM MASUMEH , WATSON GILLIAN W.
Published: April 2022

Iran is situated at the junctions of the Palaearctic and Oriental zoogeographical Regions, and the Caspian, Baluchi and Irano-Turanian floral zones, so it has a very diverse scale insect fauna. Scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) are economically important in forestry, agriculture and horticulture. This taxonomic work on the mealybugs (Pseudococcidae and Rhizoecidae) and Putoidae of Iran is the second of three parts planned to cover all the scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) in the country. It provides a resource for accurate laboratory identification of all the species known to occur in Iran or that are likely to be found there. Keys to the genera and species of mealybug found in Iran—29 genera and 62 species of Pseudococcidae, and one genus and one species in each of the families Rhizoecidae and Putoidae—are provided. Detailed line drawings of all the species are given to facilitate identification. These are accompanied by detailed descriptions, distribution data, information on natural enemies, economic importance and host-plants recorded in Iran. The main purpose of the work is to provide agricultural staff concerned with pest control and quarantine inspection in Iran with a reliable means of species identification. The species Dysmicoccus walkeri (Newstead), Peliococcus marrubii (Kiritshenko) and Phenacoccus transcaucasicus Hadzibejli are recorded for the first time from Iran, and Artemicoccus poacearum Moghaddam & Watson sp. n. and Spilococcus williamsi Moghaddam & Watson sp. n. are described.
Structural Predictors of Underemployment During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Psychology of Working Perspective
Authors: Duffy Ryan D. , Kim Haram J. , Allan Blake A. , Prieto Carla G. , Perez Gianella
Published: April 2022

In the present study, we surveyed a sample of working adults ( N = 495) in the United States to understand experiences with underemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing from psychology of working theory, we examined a structural model linking economic constraints and experiences of marginalization to underemployment, as mediated by work volition and moderated by perceptions of economic conditions. Economic constraints, experiences of marginalization, and work volition all significantly predicted underemployment, accounting for 52% of the variance. Additionally, work volition served as a significant, but minor, mediator variable and economic conditions were a significant moderator linking economic constraints and experiences of marginalization to work volition. The negative effect of these constructs on work volition was mitigated when participants had more favorable perceptions of the economy at large. Findings may have implications for both research and practice, highlighting the importance of assessing structural and psychological factors to understand individuals’ work experiences.
Chinese Assimilationist Policies in Xinjiang: From Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping
Authors: Debata Mahesh Ranjan
Published: April 2022

This research article argues that the China’s intention and contention to maintain stronghold in Xinjiang through different policies from time to time reflects the views of Realist theory of international relations, which gives primacy to ‘national interest’ and ‘national security.’ Furthermore, the article argues that the Chinese emphasis on national security and stability in Xinjiang negates the ‘interests and aspirations’ of minority groups in Xinjiang (especially Uyghurs), which form the basis of constructive approach of international relations. While elaborating Chinese policies of assimilation of Uyghurs in Xinjiang from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping, this article tries to examine how China’s bid to pursuing a kind of hardcore realism in preserving and protecting its interests in Xinjiang (stringent policies) has been contradicting and disregarding the essence of constructivist perspective (aims, and aspirations interests of Uyghurs).
Healthy Eating as a New Way of Life: A Qualitative Study of Successful Long-Term Diet Change
Authors: James Anna , Lawrence Blake , O’Connor Moira
Published: April 2022

Background

Improving diet quality has been shown to be an effective way to improve health and well-being. Yet information on how to assist those wanting to transition to and maintain a healthier diet is still limited. The aim of this study was to explore what motivated people to initiate and maintain a healthy diet.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants (all Australian residents) who had made significant improvements to their diets and had maintained these changes for a minimum of two years ( n female = 15, n male = 5, M age = 37.7, SD = 12.4). The transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis which identified five overarching themes: A desire to feel better, investigation and learning, helpful habits, benefits, and values.

Results

Participants reported a strong wish to feel better and investigated the role of diet as a possible way to improve well-being. Through daily habits and continuous engagement with the topic, healthy eating became a way of life for many participants. Experiencing the benefits of a healthier diet and having developed strong values regarding diet and health supported long-term maintenance.

Conclusions

Findings from the present study contribute to the literature in highlighting the importance of internal motivation and autonomy for health behaviours. Findings may inform the development of healthy eating interventions. Encouraging autonomy, fostering values aligned with a healthier diet, and helping individuals establish daily habits is likely to support change.
Cognition and Diabetes: Examining Sex Differences Using a Longitudinal Sample of Older Adults
Authors: Palarino Justin V. , Boardman Jason D. , Rogers Richard G.
Published: April 2022

Objectives: This study aims to investigate sex-based differences in the diabetes status and cognition relationship using a representative sample of older Americans. Methods: Using a sample of 19,190 females and 15,580 males from the Health and Retirement Study, we conduct mixed-effects linear regression analyses to examine sex differences in the association between diabetes and cognition over a 20-year follow-up period among older adults in the United States. Main Findings: Females experience slightly steeper declines in cognition that are further exacerbated by diabetes. At age 65, females without diabetes have significantly higher cognition than males; this gap is eliminated by age 85. Among diabetics, there is no initial sex disparity, but females’ cognition becomes significantly lower than males’ over the following 20 years. Principal Conclusions: Relative to males, females are particularly susceptible to diabetes-related declines in cognition with increasing age.
The gentle way in governing: Foucault and the question of neoliberalism
Authors: Tanke Joseph
Published: April 2022

This essay challenges some of the recent scholarship which claims that Michel Foucault was more sympathetic to neoliberalism than is typically acknowledged. Accordingly, it considers the possible motivations for Foucault’s 1978-1979 lecture course, The Birth of Biopolitics; the relationship between liberalism and the various forms of power identified by Foucault; and, finally, claims that Foucault’s account of the ‘care of the self’ was itself informed by the neoliberal theory of human capital. It finds that Foucault regarded neoliberalism as coercive social arrangement on par with the other forms of power/knowledge targeted by his work. And it concludes with some reflections on how Foucault’s account of the ‘aesthetics of existence’ might facilitate resistance to neoliberalism.
For the Commercially Insured, Equitable Health Benefits Begin With Equitable Health Insurance Design
Authors: Sherman Bruce W. , Dankwa-Mullan Irene
Published: April 2022

Equitable health benefit design is central to addressing the health inequities of individuals with commercial health insurance in the United States. To do so, employers and other plan sponsors must take action to identify and address unmet health and well-being priorities among racialized groups and low-income workers. These historically underrepresented subpopulations will also benefit from more equitable approaches to healthcare benefits design that recognize and meaningfully address access and affordability concerns. Targeted appropriately, these actions have the potential to foster greater employee engagement and productivity, leading to enhanced business performance.
Work Faster, Harder, Cheaper? Global, Local and Sectoral Co-Configurations of Job Insecurities Among Hong Kong Creative Workers
Authors: Tse Tommy
Published: April 2022

This research challenges the growing theoretical Global North–South divide and refines an ‘ex-centric’ theorisation of creative labour in the context of the increasingly monopolising but competitive capitalism in Asia. While it argues that job insecurity is not just a universal, objective condition, but varying, subjective experiences of anxiety and dissatisfaction for creative workers, we adopt a pluralist epistemological approach and identify the nuanced intersections among key global, local, and sectoral trends – increased use of digital technology, an Indigenous and outdated work ethic, and a devaluation of creativity both in industry and society – that co-configure Hong Kong creative workers’ divergent perceptions of and responses to job insecurities. Rather than merely focusing on job tenure insecurity and employment insecurity, we classify and highlight the conceptual distinctions among eight types of job insecurity for Hong Kong creative workers, some of which enable creative worker-actor’s response, resilience, and resistance to the exploitative creative labour process.
The Broken Promise of Human Capital Theory: Social Embeddedness, Graduate Entrepreneurs and Youth Employment in China
Authors: Kang Yuyang , Mok Ka Ho
Published: April 2022

Human capital theory has been one of the most influential theories in national policymaking since the 1980s. The major assertion is that individuals can attain better employment outcomes through investing in degrees and credentials. Following the economic reforms of the late 1970s, Chinese families have reverted to the tradition of investing in the education of their children, hoping that the human capital accumulated through higher education will translate into economic capital, enhancing their children’s upward social mobility. However, the rapid expansion of Chinese higher education since 1999 has caused an educational inflation, adversely affecting graduate employment. This article critically examines China’s response to global capitalism through bureaucratic adjustment of higher education expansion in managing the market transition and social reproduction of labour challenges within a relatively short historic period of ‘compressed development’. Without effective articulation between higher education expansion and the changing labour needs during the market transition, the rush to higher education expansion has created different forms of social and economic contradictions. More specifically, this article argues that social embeddedness including parental influence, institutional policies, and social capital are important factors to be considered in explaining the relationship between education and work in the Chinese context.
More than Drug Fever: Dexmedetomidine-Induced Hyperthermia in a Critically Ill Patient
Authors: Kressin Christian L. , Bensadoun Eric , James William , Lawless Blair , Kellum Brittany , Flannery Alexander H.
Published: April 2022

Dexmedetomidine is a selective alpha-2 adrenergic agonist utilized for sedation in critically ill patients. 1 We present the case of a morbidly obese critically ill patient who experienced profound hyperthermia, with a maximum temperature of 41.4°C, hours after starting a dexmedetomidine infusion that was otherwise not explained by her clinical diagnoses. The hyperthermia resolved hours following cessation of the infusion. Dexmedetomidine was assessed as probable in terms of causing this adverse effect. Dexmedetomidine may be associated not only with low-grade fever, but as demonstrated in our case, it may be associated with significant temperature elevations requiring cessation of therapy to restore normothermia.
Fault diagnosis of planetary gear backlash based on motor current and Fisher criterion optimized sparse autoencoder
Authors: Zhang Ziqin , Wu Xing , Liu Tao , Liu Xiaoqin
Published: April 2022

Planetary gear reducer is widely applied in various transmission equipment, and its performance highly affects the operation of a machine. The appearance of unreasonable backlash in planetary gear reducer may lead to undesirable vibration, which may accelerate the degradation of equipment and eventually cause premature failure. In traditional condition-based monitoring (CBM), sensors such as accelerometers have been utilized to detect the fault of planetary gear. However, the complexity and integration of planetary gear limit the installation and application of vibration sensors in practice. In this case, the current signal from motor, as a convenient real-time monitoring approach, is introduced into the CBM of the planetary gear. In this paper, a fault diagnosis method based on drive motor current signal analysis (MCSA) is presented to identify the backlash fault in a planetary gear reducer. In this method, frequency domain data of the original current signal is found and used to automatically extract fault features. A deep sparse autoencoder (DSAE) extracts the required features. In particular, the Fisher criterion is introduced to evaluate the sensitivity of these features. It then selects the most effective ones for improving diagnostic accuracy as well as diagnostic efficiency. Experimental test data shows that under different load conditions, this method outperforms other typical fault diagnosis methods and exhibits the best performance.
3D finite element modeling and multi-objective optimization for controlling the electrochemical discharge drilling parameters using the tool feed monitoring system
Authors: Rajput Viveksheel , Goud Mudimallana , Suri Narendra Mohan
Published: April 2022

Electrochemical discharge machining drilling (ECDD) is acknowledged as a hybrid machining process that employs the thermal erosion and etching action for drilling. Apart from experimental findings, very rare 3D simulation studies have been covered for analyzing the ECDD. In the present investigation, a 3D simulation of the ECDD process is performed to analyze the process based on the finite element method (FEM). The predicted results are found to be in consensus with the experimental results. An increment of 10.79 mg and 5.04 mg in MRR is noticed with the concentration level increase from 10 wt.% to 60 wt.% and voltage level increase from 35V to 55V. However, a maximum error of 12.68% is observed with the FEM method of prediction when compared to experimental results. The simulation study is followed by the multi-objective optimization (Taguchi’s L16) using grey relational analysis (GRA) for controlling the ECDD parameters. The simultaneous numerical and experimental assessment of the process with 3D Gaussian heat distribution using a novel tool feed monitoring system during soda-lime glass machining leads to the article’s novelty. A unique study on a number of tool contacts (NTC) with the work material is performed to minimize it to improve the geometrical characteristics. Material removal rate, overcut, number of tool contacts, and heat-affected zone are picked as response characteristics while tool feed rate, electrolyte concentration, applied voltage, and inter-electrode gap are selected as input variables. GRA optimized variables are obtained as 40V, 10 wt.%, 3 mm/min, and 35 mm with tool feed rate identified as the ascendant input variable having 35.46 percentage contribution.