bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Personalized Digital-Heart Technology for Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation Targeting in Hearts With Infiltrating Adiposity
Authors: Sung Eric , Prakosa Adityo , Aronis Konstantinos N. , Zhou Shijie , Zimmerman Stefan L. , Tandri Harikrishna , Nazarian Saman , Berger Ronald D. , Chrispin Jonathan , Trayanova Natalia A.
Published: November 2020

Background:

Infiltrating adipose tissue (inFAT) is a newly recognized proarrhythmic substrate for postinfarct ventricular tachycardias (VT) identifiable on contrast-enhanced computed tomography. This study presents novel digital-heart technology that incorporates inFAT from contrast-enhanced computed tomography to noninvasively predict VT ablation targets and assesses the capability of the technology by comparing its predictions with VT ablation procedure data from patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Methods:

Digital-heart models reflecting patient-specific inFAT distributions were reconstructed from contrast-enhanced computed tomography. The digital-heart identification of fat-based ablation targeting (DIFAT) technology evaluated the rapid-pacing–induced VTs in each personalized inFAT-based substrate. DIFAT targets that render the inFAT substrate noninducible to VT, including VTs that arise postablation, were determined. DIFAT predictions were compared with corresponding clinical ablations to assess the capabilities of the technology.

Results:

DIFAT was developed and applied retrospectively to 29 ischemic cardiomyopathy patients with contrast-enhanced computed tomography. DIFAT ablation volumes were significantly less than the estimated clinical ablation volumes (1.87±0.35 versus 7.05±0.88 cm
3
,
P
<0.0005). DIFAT targets overlapped with clinical ablations in 79% of patients, mostly in the apex (72%) and inferior/inferolateral (74%). In 3 patients, DIFAT targets colocalized with redo ablations delivered years after the index procedure.

Conclusions:

DIFAT is a novel digital-heart technology for individualized VT ablation guidance designed to eliminate VT inducibility following initial ablation. DIFAT predictions colocalized well with clinical ablation locations but provided significantly smaller lesions. DIFAT also predicted VTs targeted in redo procedures years later. As DIFAT uses widely accessible computed tomography, its integration into clinical workflows may augment therapeutic precision and reduce redo procedures.
An Electronically Delivered Patient-Activation Tool for Intensification of Medications for Chronic Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction
Authors: Allen Larry A. , Venechuk Grace , McIlvennan Colleen K. , Page Robert L. , Knoepke Christopher E. , Helmkamp Laura J. , Khazanie Prateeti , Peterson Pamela N. , Pierce Kenneth , Harger Geoffrey , Thompson Jocelyn S. , Dow Tristan J. , Richards Lance , Huang Janice , Strader James R. , Trinkley Katy E. , Kao David P. , Magid David J. , Buttrick Peter M. , Matlock Daniel D.
Published: November 2020

Background:

Major gaps exist in the routine initiation and dose up-titration of guideline-directed medical therapies (GDMT) for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Without novel approaches to improve prescribing, the cumulative benefits of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction treatment will be largely unrealized. Direct-to-consumer marketing and shared decision making reflect a culture where patients are increasingly involved in treatment choices, creating opportunities for prescribing interventions that engage patients.

Methods:

The EPIC-HF (Electronically Delivered, Patient-Activation Tool for Intensification of Medications for Chronic Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction) trial randomized patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction from a diverse health system to usual care versus patient activation tools—a 3-minute video and 1-page checklist—delivered electronically 1 week before, 3 days before, and 24 hours before a cardiology clinic visit. The tools encouraged patients to work collaboratively with their clinicians to “make one positive change” in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction prescribing. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with GDMT medication initiations and dose intensifications from immediately preceding the cardiology clinic visit to 30 days after, compared with usual care during the same period.

Results:

EPIC-HF enrolled 306 patients, 290 of whom attended a clinic visit during the study period: 145 were sent the patient activation tools and 145 were controls. The median age of patients was 65 years; 29% were female, 11% were Black, 7% were Hispanic, and the median ejection fraction was 32%. Preclinic data revealed significant GDMT opportunities, with no patients on target doses of β-blocker, sacubitril/valsartan, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. From immediately preceding the cardiology clinic visit to 30 days after, 49.0% in the intervention and 29.7% in the control experienced an initiation or intensification of their GDMT (
P
=0.001). The majority of these changes were made at the clinician encounter itself and involved dose uptitrations. There were no deaths and no significant differences in hospitalization or emergency department visits at 30 days between groups.

Conclusions:

A patient activation tool delivered electronically before a cardiology clinic visit improved clinician intensification of GDMT.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT03334188.
Association of Body Mass Index and Age With Morbidity and Mortality in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19
Authors: Hendren Nicholas S. , de Lemos James A. , Ayers Colby , Das Sandeep R. , Rao Anjali , Carter Spencer , Rosenblatt Anna , Walchok Jason , Omar Wally , Khera Rohan , Hegde Anita A. , Drazner Mark H. , Neeland Ian J. , Grodin Justin L.
Published: November 2020

Background:

Obesity may contribute to adverse outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, studies of large, broadly generalizable patient populations are lacking, and the effect of body mass index (BMI) on COVID-19 outcomes— particularly in younger adults—remains uncertain.

Methods:

We analyzed data from patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at 88 US hospitals enrolled in the American Heart Association’s COVID-19 Cardiovascular Disease Registry with data collection through July 22, 2020. BMI was stratified by World Health Organization obesity class, with normal weight prespecified as the reference group.

Results:

Obesity, and, in particular, class III obesity, was overrepresented in the registry in comparison with the US population, with the largest differences among adults ≤50 years. Among 7606 patients, in-hospital death or mechanical ventilation occurred in 2109 (27.7%), in-hospital death in 1302 (17.1%), and mechanical ventilation in 1602 (21.1%). After multivariable adjustment, classes I to III obesity were associated with higher risks of in-hospital death or mechanical ventilation (odds ratio, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.09–1.51], 1.57 [1.29–1.91], 1.80 [1.47–2.20], respectively), and class III obesity was associated with a higher risk of in-hospital death (hazard ratio, 1.26 [95% CI, 1.00–1.58]). Overweight and class I to III obese individuals were at higher risk for mechanical ventilation (odds ratio, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.09–1.51], 1.54 [1.29–1.84], 1.88 [1.52–2.32], and 2.08 [1.68–2.58], respectively). Significant BMI by age interactions were seen for all primary end points (
P
-interaction<0.05 for each), such that the association of BMI with death or mechanical ventilation was strongest in adults ≤50 years, intermediate in adults 51 to 70 years, and weakest in adults >70 years. Severe obesity (BMI ≥40 kg/m
2
) was associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death only in those ≤50 years (hazard ratio, 1.36 [1.01–1.84]). In adjusted analyses, higher BMI was associated with dialysis initiation and with venous thromboembolism but not with major adverse cardiac events.

Conclusions:

Obese patients are more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, and are at higher risk of in-hospital death or mechanical ventilation, in particular, if young (age ≤50 years). Obese patients are also at higher risk for venous thromboembolism and dialysis. These observations support clear public health messaging and rigorous adherence to COVID-19 prevention strategies in all obese individuals regardless of age.
Participatory Designs and Epistemic Authority in Knowledge Platforms for Sustainability
Authors: Esguerra Alejandro , van der Hel Sandra
Published: November 2020

Expert organizations increasingly adopt participatory strategies to strengthen their knowledge claims. We introduce the notion of knowledge platforms for sustainability to conceptualize expert organizations that not only rhetorically embrace but also actively attempt to institutionalize the norm of stakeholder participation in seeking authority in sustainability governance. In doing so, they encounter a tension between the ambition of stakeholder participation and conventional foundations of epistemic authority, such as scientific autonomy and consensus. Taking this tension as a starting point, we utilize a dynamic perspective on epistemic authority to investigate the contestations over institutional designs. We compare the institutionalization of participation in two knowledge platforms for sustainability—the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, and the research platform Future Earth: Research for Global Sustainability. Our comparison reveals that institutional designs for participation open up the process of knowledge creation and evaluation. Yet, in seeking epistemic authority, knowledge platforms also reinforce existing power structures by redrawing boundaries that protect scientific autonomy and privilege relationships with elite actors.
A Possible Lost Classic: The *She ming, or *Command to She
Authors: Shaughnessy Edward L.
Published: November 2020

Volume 8 of Qinghua daxue cang Zhanguo zhujian 清華大學藏戰國竹簡 con­tains a manuscript entitled by the editors *She ming 攝命 (*Command to She), which they argue is the original version of the ancient-script “Jiong ming” 囧命 (“Command to Jiong”) chapter of the Shangshu 尚書. I review the evidence for this and further provide a full translation of the text. I also consider possible implications of the *She ming for Western Zhou history, and how the text may have been transmitted from the time of its original composition, perhaps in the ninth century BCE, to the time that the Tsinghua manuscript was copied, probably in the fourth century BCE.
The Binding of Jephthah
Authors: Cole Casey S.
Published: November 2020

This article continues the author’s journey of forming an ‘orthopathic hermeneutic’ with special attention to Pentecostalism and the ‘Texts of Terror’. It examines the narrative of Jephthah, his daughter, and her sacrifice as found in Judges 11. Texts of Terror like Jephthah’s daughter’s story have been long neglected, rejected, or protected by ministers and theologians alike. With the work of Pentecostal scholars such as R. Moore, C. Johns, and C. Green in mind, Cole identifies that Judges 11 and similarly terrifying texts can be used today to make meaning in the Church. By examining our own desires for and in light of the text, the Spirit can make meaning for one’s own life by revealing the heart of the reader. In such, the orthopathic reader is called to conformity with the compassion of Christ.
Glory beyond the Camp
Authors: Redick Kip
Published: November 2020

This article is a phenomenological exploration of the grounds for pilgrimage as it is prophetically performed by both Moses and Jesus. Looking closely at Moses’ encounter with God’s manifestation, as well as Jesus’ ascending of a mountain after being offered a crown by the crowds, the article explores the contrast of two kinds of power, one associated with the camp and one beyond the camp. The exploration continues into the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Christ’s followers in Jerusalem. These prophetic performances and events beyond the camp show pilgrimage to involve waiting, being measured, and both giving and receiving hospitality.
Calling But Not Foreclosing: reworking Our Approach to Faith Formation
Authors: Clements Chris D.
Published: November 2020

As churches continue to feel anxious about losing their young people, the impulse to find means to secure young people’s faith identities can arise. Such approaches, though well-intended, can inadvertently become exercises in identity foreclosure. Foreclosure subverts young people’s selfhood and can lead to faith and identity commitments that lack resilience. Using Søren Kierkegaard’s writings and the biblical book of Jonah, an approach to faith formation will be articulated that focuses on hearing God’s call. This approach avoids identity-foreclosing impulses by elevating the place of God’s calling in faith formation.
Hedysarum nallihanse (Fabaceae): A new species from Turkey

Authors: AYTAÇ ZEKİ , İĞCİ BAHAR KAPTANER , KÖRÜKLÜ TUĞRUL SELÇUK
Published: November 2020

Hedysarum nallihanse, a new species in the Hedysareae DC. (Fabaceae) tribe, was described and illustrated from Beypazarı-Nallıhan (Ankara Province) in Turkey. It belongs to the Obscura B. Fedtsch section. The characteristic structure has greenish stems, persisting corolla during fruiting time, mostly 2–3 unarmed, segments with short adpressed hairy fruit. The new species is closely related to H. vanense Hedge & Huber-Morath (1969:36) , but it is distinguished from it by a white corolla and the appearance of a purplish point at the tip and the larger stipule. Also, it is closely related to H. hedysaroides (L.) Schinz & Thellung (1913:70) since the standard is shorter than the keel and the fruit is without thorns. However, it is distinguished by its structure with a shorter stipule in this new species, the white color of the corolla, the segmented lomentum is 2–3 (not 3–5) and the leaflets 3–5 (–6) pairs (not 6–10 pairs). This new species is one of the two species in the genus that have a white corolla. Taxonomic descriptions, other morphological characters, phenology, and the IUCN category of the new species were presented. In addition, the geographical distribution of H. nallihanse, H. vanense and H. hedysaroides was mapped.
A Shallow-Water Model for Convective Self-Aggregation
Authors: Yang Da
Published: November 2020

Randomly distributed convective storms can self-aggregate in the absence of large-scale forcings. Here we present a 1D shallow-water model to study the convective self-aggregation. This model simulates the dynamics of the planetary boundary layer and represents convection as a triggered process. Once triggered, convection lasts for finite time and occupies finite length. We show that the model can successfully simulate self-aggregation, and that the results are robust to a wide range of parameter values. In the simulations, convection excites gravity waves. The gravity waves then form a standing wave pattern, separating the domain into convectively active and inactive regions. We analyze the available potential energy (APE) budget and show that convection generates APE, providing energy for self-aggregation. By performing dimensional analysis, we develop a scaling theory for the size of convective aggregation, which is set by the gravity wave speed, damping time scale, and number density of convective storms. This paper provides a simple modeling framework to further study convective self-aggregation.
Chronic subsyndromal depression and risk of dementia in older adults
Authors: Oh Dae Jong , Han Ji Won , Bae Jong Bin , Kim Tae Hui , Kwak Kyung Phil , Kim Bong Jo , Kim Shin Gyeom , Kim Jeong Lan , Moon Seok Woo , Park Joon Hyuk , Ryu Seung-Ho , Youn Jong Chul , Lee Dong Young , Lee Dong Woo , Lee Seok Bum , Lee Jung Jae , Jhoo Jin Hyeong , Kim Ki Woong
Published: November 2020

Objectives:

Subsyndromal depression is prevalent and associated with poor outcomes in late life, but its effect on the risk of dementia has barely been investigated. This study is aimed to investigate the effect of subsyndromal depression on dementia risk in cognitively normal older adults and patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Methods:

Data were collected from a nationwide, population-based, prospective cohort study on a randomly sampled Korean elderly population aged 60 years or older, which has been followed every 2 years. Using 6-year follow-up data of 4456 non-demented elderly, the authors examined the risk of dementia associated with late-onset subsyndromal depression using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. After standardized diagnostic interviews, subsyndromal depression and dementia were diagnosed by the operational diagnostic criteria and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition criteria, respectively.

Results:

Subsyndromal depression tripled the risk of dementia in non-demented elderly individuals (hazard ratio = 3.02, 95% confidence interval = [1.56, 5.85], p < 0.001). In subgroup analyses, subsyndromal depression was associated with the risk of dementia in cognitively normal participants only (hazard ratio = 4.59, 95% confidence interval = [1.20, 17.54], p = 0.026); chronic/recurrent subsyndromal depression with increasing severity during the follow-up period was associated with the risk of dementia (hazard ratio = 15.34, 95% confidence interval = [4.19, 56.18], p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Late-onset subsyndromal depression is a potential predictor of incident dementia when it is chronic or recurrent with increasing severity in cognitively normal older adults.
The Effect of Gender on the Commercialisation of Goat Production in the Semi-arid Area of Msinga, South Africa
Authors: Tsvuura Susan , Mudhara Maxwell , Chimonyo Michael
Published: November 2020

Factors affecting households’ choices to participate in markets are often not disaggregated by gender, leading to policies that are insensitive to women’s needs. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, the study analysed challenges faced by male and female-headed households in goat commercialisation in the semi-arid Msinga area of South Africa. The main constraints were poor condition of goats and mortality, high illiteracy rates of women, shortage of transport to take goats to the market and limited access to information. The study recommends that women be provided with greater market access and information and for the government to avail more attractive investment opportunities to reduce the use of goats as a store of wealth.
Effects of Cognitive Over Postural Demands on Upright Standing Among Young Adults
Authors: Costa Kell Grandjean da , Hussey Erika K. , Fontes Eduardo Bodnariuc , Menta Alekya , Ramsay John W. , Hancock Clifford L. , Loverro Kari L. , Marfeo Elizabeth , Ward Nathan
Published: November 2020

A growing body of research has shown that static stance control (e.g., body sway) is influenced by cognitive demands (CD), an effect that may be related to competition for limited central resources. Measures of stance control have also been impacted by postural demands (PD) (e.g., stable vs. unstable stances). However, less is known of any possible interactions between PD and CD on static stance control in populations with intact balance control and ample cognitive resources, like young healthy adults. In this study, among the same participants, we factorially compared the impact of PD with and without CD on static stance control. Thirty-four healthy young adults wore inertial measurement units (IMU) while completing static stance tasks for 30 seconds in three different PD positions: feet apart, feet together, and tandem feet. After completing these tasks alone, participants performed these tasks with CD by concurrently completing verbal serial seven subtractions from a randomly selected three-digit number. For two dependent measures, path length and jerk, there were main effects of CD and PD but no interaction effect between these factors. For all other stance control parameters, there was only a PD main effect. Thus, adding a cognitive demand to postural demands, while standing upright, may have an independent impact on stance control, but CD does not seem to interact with PD. These results suggest that young healthy adults may be less sensitive to simple PD and CD due to their greater inherent balance control and available cognitive resources. Future work might explore more complex PD and CD combinations to determine the boundaries under which young adults’ resources are taxed.
Why Is Democracy So Hard? University of California, Berkeley Memorial Lecture for Erik Olin Wright, January 2020
Authors: Brown Wendy
Published: November 2020

This lecture reflects on the difficulties of democracy in Erik Olin Wright’s democratic socialist vision, one he elaborates in How to Be an Anti-capitalist in the 21st Century and Envisioning Real Utopias. It rejects the notion that radical democratic projects in cities, workplaces, and cooperatives can simply be scaled up for purposes of national or postnational political rule. It reflects on selected requirements of democracy apart from democratic governing institutions and practices: from democratic political culture, to education and accountability, to handling globalized powers and problems such as finance, capital, and the climate crisis. The lecture concludes ambivalently, suggesting that democracy may be both necessary and impossible in realizing a politically free, socially just, and ecologically sustainable future.
Nine Theses on Twenty-First-Century Socialism
Authors: Block Fred
Published: November 2020

This essay, written in memory of Erik Olin Wright (1947–2019), outlines nine characteristics of a future socialism. It elaborates socialism as a set of processes and institutional arrangements that would open the way to a society that is radically more democratic, more just, and more sustainable than the existing order.
Class, Gender, and Utopian Community: In Memory of Erik Olin Wright
Authors: Seidman Gay W.
Published: November 2020

This essay, written in memory of Erik Olin Wright (1947–2019), explores Wright’s shift from a decades-long effort to map class structures in industrial societies to a search for paths to a more egalitarian future, pointing to the key role of feminist theory in that shift.
Love and Marxism
Authors: Krippner Greta R.
Published: November 2020

Erik Olin Wright’s scholarship is often considered to be formed by two entirely disjoint projects represented by his early work on class analysis and his later writings on “real utopias.” This essay uses Michael Burawoy’s recent formulation of the “two Marxisms” thesis as a foil to argue for the continuities rather than discontinuities in the body of work produced by Wright. More particularly, the critical spirit of the real utopias project infused Wright’s work on class analysis from its inception. It is further argued that the limitations Wright encountered in realizing those critical aims directly seeded the search in his later work for institutional design principles and an explicit articulation of normative values that could undergird alternatives to capitalism.
Sources of Happiness: A Mixed Methods Phenomenological Study of Factors Affecting Residents’ Subjective Wellbeing in Shenzhen, China
Authors: Kerstetter Deborah , Shen Xiangyou , Yi Xiaoli , Pan Bing , Zhang Gaojun , Li Rui , Gao Jie , Li Guangming
Published: November 2020

Maintaining cultural sensitivity has been a challenge in subjective wellbeing (SWB) research involving nonwestern populations, which continues to primarily use a quantitative approach and Westernoriginating measurements. Accounting for culturally specific characteristics of the study area and sample, we employed a concurrent mixed-methods phenomenological approach to uncover factors contributing to urban Chinese residents’ SWB in the context of their daily lives. Data from 65 semi-structured interviews in Shenzhen, China revealed five meta-themes, including harmony in interpersonal relationships, financial wellbeing and homeownership, health, physical and social environment, and intentional activities and mentality. Residents’ background contextual information was cross-referenced with the meta-themes to enrich data interpretation, unveiling the profound imprint of age and life stages, the broad-scale structural inequities associated with China’s household registration system, and the firm grip of traditional family core values and folk wisdom in the form of a transcendental mindset of inner peace and dignity. The results provide a contextualized understanding of the primary sources of SWB relevant to today’s urban Chinese residents, and offer valuable insight about the social-cultural complexities involved in “ordinary” Chinese residents’ pursuit of happiness that is co-shaped by individual effort, deep-rooted traditional values, and consequential social infrastructure and policies amidst the country’s deepening, transformative urbanization. Keywords: China, Cultural Sensitivity, Happiness, Mixed Methods, Phenomenological Approach, Socio-Cultural Context, Sources of Happiness, Subjective Wellbeing, Urban Resident
The Two-Dimensional Model of Behavioral Systems and the “Problematic” Activation Style
Authors: Salzano Sara , Conson Massimiliano
Published: November 2020

We describe a two-dimensional model of activation of the behavioural systems according to which four prototypical activation styles can be identified within a system by positioning an individual on two main dimensions. A functional style, characterized by primary strategies of activation, a hyperactivated style, by hyperactivation strategies, an inhibited style, by deactivating strategies, and a fourth style, the problematic style, characterized by coexistence of hyperactivating and deactivating strategies. Here, we focus on the problematic style representing a dysfunctional expression of the behavioral systems leading to chaotic and unpredictable behaviors, and also relating to higher rates of psychopathology and reduced ability to participate to therapy. The present model could help the clinician to identify problematic behavioural activations undermining the therapeutic process.
Exploring Resident–Tourist Interaction and its Impact on Tourists’ Destination Image
Authors: Stylidis Dimitrios
Published: November 2020

Although previous research has widely acknowledged the critical role residents play in tourism, limited evidence exists on the impact their interactions with tourists have on tourists’ own image formulation and intention to return/recommend the destination to others. Grounded in the mere exposure and contact theories, this research offers insights into tourists’ destination image formation in light of their interactions with local residents and tourism employees at a destination. Two independent studies were conducted in 2019 to establish the soundness of the model; a preliminary one in the city of Kavala (n = 353) and a follow-up study on the island of Thasos (n = 397), both located in Greece. Findings suggest that interaction between the two parties positively affect cognitive, affective, and conative image, predicting 64% (study 1) and 54% (study 2) of the latter’s variance. Implications to theory and practice along with recommendations for future research are provided.
One-stage surgery for type A aortic dissection and iliac artery aneurysm rupture
Authors: Yamashita Eijiro , Watanabe Taiji , Shuntoh Keisuk , Okawa Kazunari , Takahashi Akiyuki
Published: November 2020

We present a patient with Stanford type A aortic dissection with malperfusion of the left kidney and lower extremity, and rupture of a common iliac artery aneurysm. After establishing lower extremity reperfusion using a percutaneous femorofemoral shunt in the emergency room, simultaneous open aortic arch repair and open abdominal aorta repair were performed. Our approach allowed concomitant repair of proximal dissection, limb ischemia, and iliac artery aneurysm rupture, all of which are critical predictors of mortality.
Climbing to freedom on an impossible staircase: Exploring the emancipatory potential of becoming an entrepreneur-employer
Authors: Williams Helen C , Pritchard Katrina , Miller Maggie C , Reed Cara
Published: November 2020

This article contributes to critical discussions questioning the emancipatory potential of entrepreneurship by examining the experiences of men and women entrepreneurs who have recently become employers in South Wales, the United Kingdom. Our research uses a co-creative visual method based in interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore transitions from entrepreneur to entrepreneur-employer in everyday contexts. Findings demonstrate how initial emancipatory experiences become increasingly bounded when becoming an entrepreneur-employer. This exposes a Catch-22 of entrepreneuring-as-emancipation as a symptom of neoliberal entrepreneurial discourses that constrain what entrepreneurs are encouraged to do: grow. We find a plurality of particular emancipations, but conclude that within a developed context entrepreneurship, and more specifically, becoming an entrepreneur-employer is a relational step through which perceived constraints become more readily experienced and emancipation never fully realised.
One-year outcomes of radiofrequency ablation of incompetent perforator veins using the radiofrequency stylet device: Cohort study from East Asia
Authors: Wang Chang-Ming , Zhao Shi-Lu , Feng Qi-Chen , Gai Shuo , Li Xuan
Published: November 2020

Objectives

The present study was designed to assess outcomes of patients undergone radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for their incompetent perforator veins (IPVs) with ClosureFast stylets.

Methods

Data of 165 IPVs in 138 limbs of 117 consecutive patients between July 2017 to Nov. 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Primary endpoints (technical success rate, complications) and secondary endpoints (VCSS) were analyzed.

Results

The immediate technical success rate was 100%. There were no major complications. The rate of ecchymosis and induration was 5.8%. 129/165 IPVs in 79.5% (93/117) patients had achieved sonographic evaluation at 1 year followed-up, in which 3 perforators were recanalized. VCSS scores at pre-operation and 1-year follow-up were 5.77 ± 1.88 and 2.70 ± 1.39, respectively ( t= 29.644, P= .000).

Conclusions

In conclusion, RFA is safe and effective for the treatment of IPVs. At the 1-year follow-up, the RFA of IPVs showed a low recanalization rate and had a satisfactory improvement on VCSS.
International organizations establishing their scientific authority: Periodizing the legitimation of policy advice by the OECD
Authors: Rautalin Marjaana , Syväterä Jukka , Vento Eetu
Published: November 2020

This article contributes to the periodization of ‘scientization’ by scrutinizing how international organizations (IOs) have evolved into such scientific authorities as many of them are today. The authors examine the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and its Economic Surveys during the period 1965–2015. The study sheds light on how scientific authority manifests in IOs’ reporting and policy recommendations directed at national governments. First, the analysis scrutinizes how science figures rhetorically in reports. Secondly, it focuses on policy recommendations and their connection to the scientific content of these reports. The results show that although the reports were portrayed as ‘scientific’ already in the 1960s, in the 2000s the reporting clearly shifted from the language of economics towards more popularized consulting language. The authors argue that these changes are due to the OECD’s reactions to transformations in the wider institutional environment and occasioned by its endeavours to appear as a significant actor in knowledge-based policymaking.
Variety of groups and protests in repressive contexts: The 2011 Egyptian uprisings and their aftermath
Authors: Acconcia Giuseppe , Pilati Katia
Published: November 2020

This article examines the role of various social groups in shaping protests in repressive contexts. The empirical study focuses on the Egyptian uprisings that started in January 2011. The authors use data collected through semi-structured interviews undertaken between 2011 and 2015 with 58 individuals who had all participated in such protests and who were members of various types of organizations. The results show that, in contrast to the arguments highlighting the spontaneous, internet-based nature of the protests that occurred in 2011 in the MENA region, individuals’ membership in organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood, and in more informal groups such as Popular Committees or independent trade unions have been crucial for their engagement in protests. The findings also highlight the flexible and dynamic form of organizations active in repressive contexts, which are capable of reacting and adapting easily to a changing context.
Factors Associated With Condom Use Among High School Students of Natitingou Agricultural Technical School, Benin, in 2017
Authors: Houéto David S. , N’Koué N’Da Eloi B. , Sambiéni Emmanuel N.
Published: November 2020

Introduction

HIV/AIDS is one of the most dreaded diseases of this century. Condom use is probably the most effective way to combat the disease. Objective: To study the factors associated with condom use among high school students in Natitingou in 2017.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional analytical study involving 202 individuals, based on non-random sampling technique with exhaustive choice. Collected data were processed and analyzed with Epi-Data 3.1 and Epi-Info 7.

Results

128 male and 74 female students were included in the study. Mean age was 19.51 years. Prevalence of condom use was 40.63%. Factors associated with condom use were: level of education, injecting drug use, knowing one’s HIV status, ease access to condom, friends' point of view on voluntary testing.

Conclusions

There is still room for improving the prevalence of condom use among high school students, and this suggests the social gradient perspective that other more in-depth studies will be able to specify.
Locating Gramsci in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh: Perspectives on the iconic women’s protest in India
Authors: Roy Suddhabrata Deb
Published: November 2020

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, in India was widely contested by both political parties and various civil society formations. Shaheen Bagh, a sit-in protest demonstration which continued for over a hundred days in the nation’s capital from mid-December 2019 to late March 2020, occupied the central position within the corpus of these protest demonstrations. The protests at Shaheen Bagh were led by poor, Muslim working-class women, who had come out on the streets protesting and asserting their rights amidst the dominant ruling-class communal politics. The Shaheen Bagh protests were a potent force of the working-class and oppressed minorities of the country. The paper brings in Marxist and Gramscian perspectives to explain how Shaheen Bagh has contributed to Indian left-wing politics. The paper argues that the women in Shaheen Bagh have been successful in bridging the gap between the civil society and political society in the country and has to an extent, altered the very nature of Indian politics. Moreover, the assertive nature of the Muslim women regarding their religion and the support which they garnered from the Indian left, widely accused by many of being Islamophobic in nature, has wide repercussions as far as political and social alliances between the left and Muslim politics in India is concerned. The present paper locates the protest within the notion of subaltern unity and tries to analyse the possible impacts of the support for the protests, within and beyond the anti-CAA protest movement, from the Indian left.
Teaching and Gaining a Voice: A Rhetorical Intersectionality Approach to Pedagogy of Feminist Organizational Communication
Authors: Walker Tahirah J. , Muñoz Rojas Lizette A.
Published: November 2020

We propose a rhetorical intersectionality pedagogy to teach Buzzanell’s (1994) “Gaining a Voice.” Specifically, we advance Buzzanell’s vision by presenting a way to teach this article in an intersectional manner and open the dialogue to a wider range of students. This approach encompasses four needs: (a) unhiding the curriculum and the underlying structure of our academic settings, (b) asking learners and instructors to heed silence and silence breaking, (c) encouraging learners and instructors to embrace rhetorical listening, and (d) setting aside canon and convention to make way for parrhesia within our communication programs. Our contribution foregrounds pedagogy as a vital aspect of higher education’s impact on contemporary and future feminist organizational communication issues.
Effects of cutter path orientations on milling force, temperature, and surface integrity when ball end milling of TC17 alloy
Authors: Shen Xuehong , Zhang Dinghua , Tan Liang
Published: November 2020

To explore the effects of cutter path orientations on milling force, temperature, and surface integrity, end ball milling experiments of TC17 titanium alloy were accomplished derived from different cutter path orientations. The experiment results of milling force and temperature were obtained. Combining with the thermo-mechanical coupling, this paper analyzes the impact of the cutter path orientations on the surface roughness, surface topography, in-depth residual stress, microhardness distributions, and microstructure. The results indicate that the maximum milling force is 224.24 N and the temperature is 672°C under vertical downward milling path, while horizontal downward orientation provides the lowest cutting force of 81.12 N and temperature of 493°C. The surface topography of the four cutter path orientations is basin-like shape, and the minimum surface roughness of 1.128 µm is achieved under vertical upward mode. Moreover, the maximum compressive residual stress of −491.8 MPa and the maximum residual stress layer depth of 45 µm are acquired under vertical downward milling. The maximum microhardness can arrive at 390 HV0.025 under the vertical path. Additionally, the transformation of the material microstructure remains elongated, bent, and fractured. The maximum plastic deformation layer depth is 44 µm under vertical downward milling path.
A subjective-objective evaluation method of hole surface quality in drilling CFRP-Ti stacks
Authors: Liu Shunuan , Wang Ning , Zhang Kaifu , Luo Bin
Published: November 2020

Hole surface quality in drilling carbon fiber-reinforced plastics and titanium alloy (CFRP-Ti) stacks is a key factor affecting high-quality assembly and reliable usage of the structure so it need be reasonably evaluated. However, there is no standardized evaluation system of hole surface quality in drilling CFRP-Ti stacks. The existing evaluation indexes cannot meet the evaluation requirements on the surface quality of the hole. This paper proposes a subjective-objective evaluation method to evaluate the surface quality of the hole in drilling CFRP-Ti stacks. Firstly, the evaluation factors are determined by experiments, including CFRP delamination, CFRP hole entrance tears, surface roughness of CFRP and Ti, and the evaluation system is established according to defect characteristics and industry standards. Secondly, the subjective evaluation model is established based on the improved analytic hierarchy process, the objective evaluation model is established based on the entropy weight method and the subjective and objective combination weight calculation method is obtained based on the principle of minimum discriminant information. Finally, the surface quality of the hole is evaluated by subjective, objective, subjective-objective evaluation methods respectively. The result shows that subjective-objective evaluation method is more reasonable and effective.
New methodology for product development process using structured tools
Authors: Relvas Carlos , Ramos António
Published: November 2020

The product development is a multidisciplinary process but also involves different areas of knowledge ranging from creativity in concept generation to refinement of design and finally the validation of the product. There are different approaches that attempt to define the best product development process, and thereby establishes a reliable method for efficiently transforming ideas into products. The use of a method that systematically establishes a work process seems to be highly advantageous, not only because it defines a critical and guiding path of work, organizing the tasks and their results, but also facilitates the communication of the development team. The methodology can provide records and other graphic documents that allow the development team to access these for future developments. The work presented here is the development of a systematic method supported by the use of structured tools to support the decisions, data processing and transposition of the same to the project in the approach to the new Product Development process. This research methodology was introduced and already implemented in projects at Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro. The work developed on it, both at the level of the students’ project and in the work of Development cooperation with companies presented good results. This method result in a structured way to transforming ideas into products.
Fast engine noise sources separation based on short-time segmentation method
Authors: Zhu Yawei , Lu Chihua , Liu Zhien , Zhang Zhiming , Fan Shigong
Published: November 2020

Cyclic Wiener filtering method (CWFM) has been widely used in engine noise sources separation but it is extremely time-consuming. In order to improve the efficiency, this paper proposes a fast separation method of engine noise sources based on the short-time segmentation method. In this method, signals from the acceleration condition are discretized into a large number of short-time signal segments to replace the steady-state conditions to separate engine noise sources at all speeds. The prerequisites for the short-time stationary assumption of the signal under acceleration condition are studied through experiments. The cylinder pressure-dependent noise (CPDN) separated by the fast separation method has been proven to have high precision through an experiment of accelerated condition under a load near zero. This method is used for noise sources separation of a diesel engine. It only needs to repeat the uniform acceleration several times for each load and the engine noise in all operating conditions can be separated into CPDN, load-dependent noise (LDN) and mechanical noise (MN). The result initially indicates the optimization direction of the engine noise. In addition, CWFM can be used to further separate the combustion noise in the operating conditions where the CPDN is prominent. The engine noise sources can be separated efficiently and accurately by maximizing the advantages of these two methods.
Demographic and behavioural factors associated with antimicrobial susceptibility to azithromycin and ceftriaxone in Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Authors: Forster Rose F , Smith Marian , Cooper Gavin , Brokenshire Mike , Roberts Sally A , McAuliffe Gary N
Published: November 2020

Antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) is of global public health concern. The aim of this study was to explore demographic and behavioural factors associated with antimicrobial susceptibility of NG to ceftriaxone and azithromycin. Gonococcal isolates (n = 391) from clients attending the Auckland Sexual Health Service, New Zealand, from July 2014 – June 2015 (n = 206), and July 2017 – June 2018 (n = 185), were tested for susceptibility to ceftriaxone and azithromycin. Laboratory data were linked with behavioural and demographic data. Geometric mean azithromycin MICs increased across the two time periods (0.239 mg/L in 2014/15 to 0.347 mg/L in 2017/18, p < 0.001), and ceftriaxone MICs decreased (0.007 mg/L in 2014/15 to 0.005 mg/L in 2017/18, p < 0.001). Demographic and behavioural factors were not associated with differences in ceftriaxone MICs; however azithromycin MICs were higher in men who have sex with men (0.356 mg/L) compared with the heterosexual study population (0.192 mg/L, p < 0.001) and were lower in Pacific peoples (0.201 mg/L, p < 0.001) and Māori (0.244 mg/L, p = 0.05) compared with those of European ethnicity (0.321 mg/L). Our findings show that azithromycin MICs increased in our region between 2014 and 2018; associations were seen with sexual orientation and ethnicity.
The ‘linguistic ceasefire’: Negotiating in an age of proscription
Authors: Haspeslagh Sophie
Published: November 2020

Villains need to be de-villainized for talking to begin; this is a cornerstone of negotiation literature. But what happens when villains are proscribed, or listed as terrorists? While an emerging body of work has started to explore the effects of proscription by emphasizing aspects of demonization and banishment, it has not so far explored how banishment ends. This article offers a theoretical and empirical contribution to this discussion by exploring the effects of proscription on the dynamic interaction between conflict parties and how negotiations still do take place with armed groups listed as terrorists. To do this it maps representations made by the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia through a qualitative discourse analysis of 335 statements triangulated with 50 personal interviews. The article argues that proscription makes the initiation of negotiations impossible because it leads to a form of extreme vilification. This is especially true for the government, unable to switch directly to de-vilifying its proscribed enemy. First it has to normalize its vilification – a concept I describe here as a ‘linguistic ceasefire’. This helps explain how banishment can end and peace negotiations can be initiated in an age of proscription.
In-vitro spectrometric analysis of hyperlactatemia and lactic acidosis in buffer relating to sepsis
Authors: Baishya Nystha , Mamouei Mohammad , Budidha Karthik , Qassem Meha , Vadgama Pankaj , Kyriacou Panicos
Published: November 2020

The normal range for pH in the human body is 7.35-7.45. When pH falls below 7.3, it is considered as severe acidemia. Acidemia, together with increased blood lactate concentrations (hyperlactatemia) constitute a severe threat to life, which is often referred to as lactic acidosis. The feasibility of near infrared transmission/reflectance spectroscopy as a tool to determine lactate concentration levels and pH, independently, has been well established. However, the effects on spectral features arising from simultaneous variations in pH and lactate are not fully understood. Hence, this paper reports on a spectroscopic study of 37 different lactate concentrations that were prepared at three different pH levels (7.4, 7.0 and 6.5). Near infrared spectra were acquired in the range 800-2500 nm, and were later divided into four spectral ranges. Further investigations were carried out on various wavelengths within each spectral range and sample set. Furthermore, partial least squares regression with cross-validation was performed on all data sets. The results showed a clear interdependence and overlapping spectral behavior between blood lactate concentrations and pH. The findings from this study suggest that for an accurate estimation of blood lactate using this technique, the pH of the sample must be previously known.