bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Salvia fruticosa mill leaves: chemical assessment and antimicrobial activity of different extracts based on molecular docking study
Authors: Abdelshafeek Khaled A. , Rahmatall Abbas B. , Muftah Aisha H. , Amairia Chahra , Alderhami Suliman A. , Ibnsharrada Abdallah , Elhenawy Ahmed A.
Published: April 2024

The primary objective of this study is to identify and analyze the lipid and flavonoid components present in Salvia fruticosa Mill, as well as to assess its potential antibacterial activity. Introduction: Salvia fruticosa Mill (SF) is considered a significant medicinal
plant that is found all over the world. Method: The essential lipid contents (fatty acids and unsaponifiable matter), the volatile oil from leaves, and the antibacterial activity of various extracts were all evaluated. The lipid components were extracted with n-hexane then fractionated.
Four flavonoids, namely luteolin, cosmos, cynaroside, andorientin, were isolated from the alcoholic extract of the plant by chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. The extracts were tested for their antimicrobial activity against various microorganisms by measuring the inhibition zone diameter
using disc diffusion method. A molecular docking study was performed to assess the binding affinity of the flavonoids to the DNA gyrase enzyme, which is a crucial target for antibacterial drugs. Caryophyllene (18.70%), lab-13-ene,8,15-diol (15.93%), methyl linoleate (10.53%), and 1,8-cineole
(8.24%) are the most prevalent components in the volatile oil, according to the GC/MS analysis. The lipid components were fractionated into three groups: the unsaponifiable fraction, the fatty acid OMe (FAME), and the insoluble fraction of the acetone (fatty alcohols and hydrocarbons). The
obtained results show remarkable antifungal activity with chloroform extract against A. flavus and moderate activity against A. niger. Besides, the butanol and ethyl acetate extracts presented high activity against Sarcina sp. with inhibition zone of 22 mm. The microorganism
B. cerus was affected moderately by ethyl acetate and chloroform extracts with inhibition zone of 14 and 12 mm, respectively. The methanol extract was active against C. albicans only. The fatty acids fraction inhibited the growth of A. flavus with inhibition zones of 8,
10 and 14 mm for different concentrations, respectively. The Docking results revealed that all compounds exhibited a promising interaction into the DNA-gyrase, which agrees with an experimental data got from the antibacterial activity assay. These results were obtained first for this plant,
especially the results of molecular docking study in relation to antibacterial activity.
Number of Healthy Teeth Can Predict the Response of Rectal Cancer to Chemoradiotherapy: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Nakao Toshihiro , Shimada Mitsuo , Yoshikawa Kozo , Tokunaga Takuya , Nishi Masaaki , Kashihara Hideya , Takasu Chie , Wada Yuma , Yoshimoto Toshiaki
Published: April 2024

Background

It has been reported that the oral and gut microbiomes are associated with the prognosis in patients who undergo surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation for colorectal cancer. This study is the first to identify a correlation between the number of healthy teeth, which is an oral health indicator, and the efficacy of preoperative chemotherapy for rectal cancer.

Methods

This retrospective single-center study included 30 patients who underwent radical surgery after preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) between December 2013 and June 2021. The relationship between number of teeth before CRT and the efficacy of CRT, CRT-related adverse events, postoperative complications, and long-term postoperative outcomes was examined.

Results

The number of healthy teeth was significantly greater in patients with downstaging of their disease than in those without downstaging ( P = .027) and in patients with a complete response according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors than in those who did not have a complete response ( P = .014). Patients were divided into two groups according to whether they had ≥15 teeth or ≤14 teeth. There was no significant between-group difference in CRT-related adverse events. The incidence of all postoperative complications and grade II postoperative complications tended to be higher in patients with ≥15 teeth ( P = .071 and P = .092, respectively), as did the 5-year overall survival rate ( P = .083) and the 5-year disease-free rate ( P = .007).

Discussion

The number of healthy teeth predicted the response to preoperative CRT, postoperative complications, and the outcome of subsequent surgery in patients with rectal cancer.
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy vs Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography With Sphincterotomy in Elderly Patients With Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis
Authors: Stefanova Irena , Kyle Ewan , Wilson Iain , Tobbal Muhammad , Veeramootoo Darmarajah , De’Ath Henry D.
Published: April 2024

Background

Gallstone pancreatitis (GSP) is common in elderly patients and carries worse outcomes. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is recommended for prevention of recurrent GSP. In frail populations, an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with sphincterotomy (ERCP-s) is an alternative. Management guidelines of GSP in the elderly are lacking. This study aimed to investigate and compare management strategies for GSP in the elderly.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective comparison of outcome of patients aged ≥65 years with first presentation of GSP treated either with (1) LC only, (2) ERCP-s, (3) ERCP-S followed by LC, or (4) no intervention.

Results

216 patients were included. Median age was 76 years (interquartile range 70-83). Most (80%, n = 172) had mild pancreatitis, whilst 12% (n = 26) had severe disease. 24% (n = 55) were treated with ERCP-s; 40% (n = 87) underwent LC alone; 11% (n = 23) had ERCP-s followed by LC; and 25% (n = 55) received no intervention. Patients without intervention were older ( P < .001) and frailer ( P < .001). The LC-only group had lower post-procedure re-admission rates of 6% (n = 5) compared to 27% (n = 14) for ERCP-s, 33% (n = 7) for ERCP-S + LC, and 31% (n = 17) for the no intervention group ( P = .0001). Biliary cause mortality was highest in the no intervention group (n = 11, 20%).

Conclusion

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy represents the gold standard for elderly patients with GSP.
Association of Interhospital Transfer With Outcomes of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Contemporary Analysis
Authors: Balian Jeffrey , Mallick Saad , Le Nguyen , Porter Giselle , Vadlakonda Amulya , Ali Konmal , Kronen Elsa , Benharash Peyman
Published: April 2024

Background

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has emerged as a life-sustaining measure for individuals with end-stage cardiopulmonary derangements. An estimated one-third of patients must be transferred to a specialized center to receive this intervention. Therefore, the present study sought to characterize the impact of interhospital transfer (IHT) status on outcomes following ECMO.

Methods

The 2016-2020 National Inpatient Sample was queried to identify all adult (≥18 years) hospitalizations for ECMO. Patients were stratified based on transfer status from another acute care hospital. Multivariable regression models were developed to assess the association between transfer status and outcomes of interest. Patient and operative factors associated with IHT were identified using regression.

Results

Of an estimated 61,180 hospitalizations entailing ECMO, 21,410 (35.0%) were transfers. Annual transfer volume doubled over the study period, from 2915 to 5945 (nptrend < .001). The predicted morality risk of non-transfers decreased between 2016 and 2020 but remained similar in transferred patients. Following adjustment, transfer was associated with increased odds of in-hospital mortality, complications, duration of stay, and hospitalization costs. Patients experiencing transfer were less likely to be of black race and private insurance status.

Conclusion

Despite increasing transfer volume and utilization of ECMO, IHT was associated with significant mortality and hospital complication risks. Further work to reduce adverse outcomes, resource burden, and socioeconomic differences within IHT may improve accessibility to this life-saving modality.
Identifying Pregnant Patients With Suspected Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: McGing Maggie , Ashbrook Matthew , Cheng Vincent , Matsuo Koji , Schellenberg Morgan , Martin Matthew , Inaba Kenji , Matsushima Kazuhide
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the leading cause of death in pregnant women. Although it can be difficult to identify patients experiencing IPV, injuries to the head, neck, or face due to an assault are known to correlate with intentional injury. The objective of this study is to assess the contemporary burden of IPV in pregnancy and describe the patient characteristics.

Methods

The National Inpatient Sample was queried for all pregnant women between January 2016 and December 2019. Patients were divided into two groups: suspected IPV (SIPV) and no-SIPV groups. We defined SIPV as any pregnant patient with an identified head, neck, or face injuries categorized as intentional assault. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between SIPV and variables of interest.

Results

A total of 28,540 pregnant patients presented with traumatic injuries with 530 (.02%) identified as SIPV. Suspected IPV patients were younger (25 vs 27 years, P = .012), more likely to be of Black race (46% vs 28%, P = .002), more likely to be in the lowest income quartile (51% vs 38%, P = .031), less likely to have private insurance (12% vs 34%, P < .001), and have higher rates of substance use disorder (35% vs 18%, P < .001). Black race and history of substance use disorder were associated with increased odds of SIPV-related injuries (odds ratio [OR]: 2.01, interquartile range [IQR]: 1.27-3.16, P = .003 and OR: 2.30, IQR 1.54-3.43, P < .001, respectively).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that there are significant racial and socioeconomic disparities in potential risk for IPV during pregnancy.
Methods and reagent-lot comparisons by regression analysis: Sample size considerations
Authors: Sadler William A
Published: April 2024

Background

Parametric regression analysis is widely used in methods comparisons and more recently in checking the concordance of test results following receipt of new reagent lots. The greater frequency of reagent-lot evaluations increases pressure to detect bias with smallest possible sample sizes (i.e. smallest consumption of time and resources). This study revisits bias detection using the joint slope, intercept confidence region as an alternative to slope and intercept confidence intervals.

Methods

Four cases were considered representing constant errors, proportional errors (constant CV) and two more complicated error patterns typical of immunoassays. Maximum:minimum range ratios varied from 2:1 to 2000:1. After setting a maximum tolerable difference a series of slope, intercept combinations, each of which predicted the critical difference, were systematically evaluated in simulations which determined the minimum sample size required to detect the difference, firstly using slope, intercept confidence intervals and secondly using the joint slope, intercept confidence region.

Results

At small to moderate range ratios, bias detection by joint confidence region required greatly reduced sample sizes to the extent that it should encourage reagent-lot evaluations or, alternatively, transform those already routinely performed into considerably less costly exercises.

Conclusions

While some software is available to calculate joint confidence regions in real-life analyses, shifting this testing method into the mainstream will require a greater number of software developers incorporating the necessary code into their regression programs. The computer program used to conduct this study is freely available and can be used to model any laboratory test.
Normative power at its unlikeliest: EU democratic norms and security service reform in Ukraine
Authors: Noutcheva Gergana , Zarembo Kateryna
Published: April 2024

This article traces the effects of European Union (EU) normative power on security sector reform in Ukraine. We argue that to get a better grasp of how normative power works in practice, we need to scrutinize more closely the domestic journey of EU norms. This local lens allows us to uncover the inherent contestation involved in the transnational travel of norms, emphasizing the importance of local agency and local conceptions of normativity. We reveal the internal struggle between liberal democratic norms and deeply ingrained attitudes, institutions and behaviours linked to the Soviet legacy. We show how EU democratic norms gradually empower domestic constituencies and overcome domestic structural resistance to change, leading to democratic advances in a sector least likely to reform.
“There Are Not Enough Lawyers, and There Are Not Enough Financial Resources”: Canadian and American Intimate Partner Violence Service Providers’ Perspectives for Better Supporting Immigrant Women Survivors
Authors: Slakoff Danielle C. , Aujla Wendy , Moton Lauren N. , Merken Stacie
Published: April 2024

Immigrant women are at a high risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) and experience many challenges to help-seeking. Currently, little is known about IPV service providers’ perspectives for better supporting immigrant women within their agencies. Drawing on an intersectional framework, constructivist grounded theory (CGT) with a modified written vignette technique was employed. Online surveys were used to gather service providers’ perspectives on the vignette, which described an immigrant woman experiencing IPV. Responses from over 50 IPV service providers in the U.S. and Canada indicated the need for enhanced training to aid immigrant survivors. Further, several respondents recommended changes to the immigration/legal systems, as well as more resources for community outreach and language, legal, and housing support.
Can Different Types of Acute Physical Exercise at Moderate Intensity Influence the Inhibitory Control and Craving Levels in Individuals with Substance Use Disorder?
Authors: Malagodi Bruno M. , Greguol Márcia , Tavares Vagner D. O. , Froldi Julia L. , Ferreira Sionaldo E. , Serassuelo Junior Helio
Published: April 2024

Substance use disorder (SUD) is recognized as a serious public health problem, leading to long-term neurological impairments that interfere with cognitive function. The purpose of this study was to verify the acute influence of two types of physical exercises on the inhibitory control (IC) and craving level in individuals with SUD. For this, 43 individuals underwent two physical exercise sessions (aerobic and functional) and a control session. Before and after each session, the individuals answered a questionnaire about their level of craving and inhibitory control was analyzed using the Go-NoGo protocol. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the effect of timing and session on the variables. Significant improvements were observed in the IC and in the craving level after both physical exercise sessions when compared to the control session. It was found that both sessions of moderate physical exercise can be beneficial alternatives for individuals undergoing treatment for SUD.
Multi-governance in higher education: The case of Chile 2018-2023
Authors: Alarcón Mario , Brunner José Joaquín
Published: April 2024

This article examines the different roles the State/government plays in coordinating the Chilean higher education system. It proposes a conceptual and analytical framework based on a multi-governance approach, which considers multi-level, multi-actor and multi-agenda dimensions. This framework is used to study the different roles played by the State in higher education governance in Chile, especially after the 2018 legislative reforms. The results show an increase in the State's influence on system coordination and that the State/government has strengthened its role as regulator, evaluator and funder of higher education. Similarly, from a multi-level dimension perspective, the results show that the governance of higher education in Chile is highly centralised. At the same time, despite centralising decision-making, the Chilean higher education system is seen as highly complex from a multistakeholder and multi-agency perspective. Lastly, we suggest using this conceptual approach to provide valuable insights for the study of the complexity of governance in higher education systems in other Latin American contexts.
What else will I do when I start school? Preschoolers’ wh-questions in dinnertime conversations and their language development
Authors: Yang Junyi , Lawrence Joshua F. , Grøver Vibeke
Published: April 2024

While it is established that parental wh-questions, as a high-quality language input, are associated with child language outcome, less is known about the role of children’s wh-questions in their language development. This study examines whether children’s wh-questions during a dinnertime conversation are associated with their receptive and expressive language skills. The sample consists of a unique group of bilingual children: 32 Chinese preschoolers (aged 3–5 years) in Norway. At the onset of the study, parents self-recorded a dinnertime conversation with the target child and other family members present. Over the following year, we assessed children’s receptive vocabulary, expressive vocabulary, and narrative skills in Chinese three times. Individual growth modeling revealed that concurrently, the density of children’s wh-questions was associated with children’s expressive vocabulary and narrative skills, but the association faded when controlling for family demographics. Significantly, even when accounting for all control variables, children’s wh-questions predicted their receptive vocabulary growth across one year. These findings underline children’s active role in shaping their language learning and development. This study also contributes to our understanding of bilingual children’s home language development. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Vitalist Marxism: Georges Canguilhem and the Resistance of Life
Authors: Prinz Benjamin , Schmidgen Henning
Published: April 2024

Following Hannah Arendt’s insights into the affinities between Marxism and the philosophy of life, this article reconstructs a theoretical position that we propose to call ‘vitalist Marxism’. This position conceives of life not only as an essential foundation of the production process, but also as a critical resource for resistance to the capitalist logic of exploitation. We highlight the role Georges Canguilhem (1904–95) played in developing this position, in particular by depicting tools and machines as ‘organs of life’. Drawing on Canguilhem’s early writings as well as unpublished manuscripts, we show that this ‘organological’ understanding of technology was rooted in the increasingly anti-fascist reception of Marx in France during the 1930s. Against the background of today’s protests against climate destruction, racism, and anti-feminist violence, all of which invoke the defense of basic living conditions, we argue that the critical position of vitalist Marxism acquires remarkable topicality.
Parenting a child with a disability: Fathers’ perceptions of the couple relationship
Authors: Zahl Erica , Dale Sigurd Skjeggestad , Fjermestad Krister Westlye , Vatne Torun Marie
Published: April 2024

Parents of children with a disability experience elevated levels of stress compared to parents of typically developing children, which represents a risk for their couple relationship. Research on families where a child has a disability is principally based on mothers. More knowledge is needed about the paternal perspective. We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven fathers (aged 36–54 years) of children with a disability (primary school age to early twenties). We analyzed the material using qualitative conventional content analysis, focusing on participants’ descriptions of couple relationships. We categorized the participants’ descriptions in two main categories: Couplehood and Co-parenting. Throughout the material, partners were described as romantic partners, co-parents, and collaborators. Participants described that couple communication and emotional expression within couples were affected by parenting a child with a disability. Moreover, participants described influence by cultural masculinity norms on their involvement as partners and parents, and on the dynamic within their couple relationships. An uneven division of labor was described. A practice implication is that communication and emotional expression styles within the parental couple should be a key focus when working with families of children with a disability. The findings also suggest more active involvement of fathers in children’s health care.
Improving the

D

etection,

A

ssessment,

M

anagement and

P

revention of

D

elirium in Hospices (the DAMPen-D study): Feasibility study of a flexible and scalable implementation strategy to deliver guideline-adherent delirium care
Authors: Jackson Gillian P , Jackson Catriona E , Boland Jason W , Featherstone Imogen , Huang Chao , Ogden Margaret , Sartain Kathryn , Siddiqi Najma , Twiddy Maureen , Pearson Mark , Johnson Miriam J
Published: April 2024

Background:

Delirium is a complex condition, stressful for all involved. Although highly prevalent in palliative care settings, it remains underdiagnosed and associated with poor outcomes. Guideline-adherent delirium care may improve its detection, assessment and management.

Aim:

To inform a future definitive study that tests whether an implementation strategy designed to improve guideline-adherent delirium care in palliative care settings improves patient outcomes (reduced proportion of in-patient days with delirium).

Design:

With Patient Involvement members, we conducted a feasibility study to assess the acceptability of and engagement with the implementation strategy by hospice staff (intervention), and whether clinical record data collection of process (e.g. guideline-adherent delirium care) and clinical outcomes (evidence of delirium using a validated chart-based instrument;) pre- and 12-weeks post-implementation of the intervention would be possible.

Setting/participants:

In-patient admissions in three English hospices.

Results:

Between June 2021 and December 2022, clinical record data were extracted from 300 consecutive admissions. Despite data collection during COVID-19, target clinical record data collection ( n = 300) was achieved. Approximately two-thirds of patients had a delirium episode during in-patient stay at both timepoints. A 6% absolute reduction in proportion of delirium days in those with a delirium episode was observed. Post-implementation improvements in guideline-adherent metrics include: clinical delirium diagnosis 15%–28%; delirium risk assessment 0%–16%; screening on admission 7%–35%.

Conclusions:

Collection of data on delirium outcomes and guideline-adherence from clinical records is feasible. The signal of patient benefit supports formal evaluation in a large-scale study.
Multimotion visual odometry
Authors: Judd Kevin M. , Gammell Jonathan D.
Published: April 2024

Visual motion estimation is a well-studied challenge in autonomous navigation. Recent work has focused on addressing multimotion estimation in highly dynamic environments. These environments not only comprise multiple, complex motions but also tend to exhibit significant occlusion. Estimating third-party motions simultaneously with the sensor egomotion is difficult because an object’s observed motion consists of both its true motion and the sensor motion. Most previous works in multimotion estimation simplify this problem by relying on appearance-based object detection or application-specific motion constraints. These approaches are effective in specific applications and environments but do not generalize well to the full multimotion estimation problem (MEP). This paper presents Multimotion Visual Odometry (MVO), a multimotion estimation pipeline that estimates the full SE(3) trajectory of every motion in the scene, including the sensor egomotion, without relying on appearance-based information. MVO extends the traditional visual odometry (VO) pipeline with multimotion segmentation and tracking techniques. It uses physically founded motion priors to extrapolate motions through temporary occlusions and identify the reappearance of motions through motion closure. Evaluations on real-world data from the Oxford Multimotion Dataset (OMD) and the KITTI Vision Benchmark Suite demonstrate that MVO achieves good estimation accuracy compared to similar approaches and is applicable to a variety of multimotion estimation challenges.
Inmates’ Adaptation to Prison: Investigating the Mediating Role of Resilience in the Relationship between Religiosity and Prison Adjustment
Authors: Okwuosa Lawrence Nwachukwu , Onu Desmond Uchechukwu , Onyedibe Maria-Chidi Christiana
Published: April 2024

Incarceration is one of the most stressful life experiences with negative impacts on the health and wellbeing of the prisoners. Sufficient studies exist on the association between religiosity and adjustment to prison (ATP) but no studies have investigated the mediating variables explaining this link. This study examined the mediating role of resilience on the relationship between religiosity and ATP. Participants 513 inmates (males = 410, females = 103; mean age = 30.86, SD = 7.71 years) drawn from Enugu and Nsukka custodial centres in the South East Nigeria. They responded to Prison Adjustment Questionnaire, Religious Orientation Test and Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale in addition to supplying other relevant information. Hayes PROCESS macro for SPSS which uses a regression-based, path-analytical framework, was used in the data analysis. The results showed a significant indirect effect of resilience on the association between religiosity and ATP (β = .45, p < .001, 95% CI [0.27, 0.62]). This result revealed that resilience mediated the relationship between religiosity and ATP, indicating that individuals who are religious may possess higher resilience, leading to improved ATP. In conclusion, the study recommends incorporating comprehensive mental health services with a focus on resilience-building strategies in prison policies. Encouraging detainees’ religious beliefs and activities is suggested, along with promoting psychological therapies to enhance resilience and improve adjustment to prison life.
Remaking the socio-spatial fix: Actors, time and crisis in two iron ore towns
Authors: Barratt Tom , Sandström Johan , Ellem Bradon
Published: April 2024

The ‘spatial fix’ has been central to economic geography for nearly 50 years, examining capitalist development through both stability and change. Harvey’s original conceptions of the fix prioritised capital’s capacity to fix space to accumulate and forestall crisis. We continue this by considering the ‘ socio-spatial fix’, allowing closer investigation of who makes the landscapes of capitalism, and how actor choices and actor inter- and intra-relationships forestall crises of accumulation. We show how crisis, time and actors are central to making and re-making socio-spatial fixes and in turn to understanding both the socio-spatial dialectic and the spatial fix. Empirically, we compare two remote but globally networked mining towns, Kiruna, Sweden and Newman, Australia. Mining towns are rewarding case-studies because capital’s relative immobility and the dominance of a single industry make strikingly clear how both production and social reproduction are remade. We enrich general theorisations in three ways, by explaining: first, how crisis-threatening events require renegotiation of socio-spatial arrangements; second, how time and timing are critical in remaking fixes; third, how actor agency and heterogeneity are central because the actors who make fixes change over time and are in complex relationships with each other.
Effectiveness of Data Imbalance Treatment in Weather-Related Crash Severity Analysis
Authors: Ogungbire Abimbola , Pulugurtha Srinivas S.
Published: April 2024

Accurate predictive modeling is often hindered by the prevalent issue of class imbalance within weather-related crash datasets. To address this critical challenge, this study introduces a novel and tailored synthetic data generation technique aimed at effectively handling nominal predictors specific to weather-related crash cases in North Carolina. Data treatment techniques such as the synthetic minority over-sampling technique-nominal (SMOTE-N) and adaptive synthetic-nominal (ADASYN-N) were investigated in this study. A comprehensive comparison of these data treatment techniques is conducted using two prominent machine learning models: the bagging algorithm (random forest [RF]) and the boosting algorithm (extreme gradient boosting [XGBoost]). The findings indicate that the effectiveness of data treatment varies with the severity level and the algorithm used. The ADASYN-N technique was observed to be highly effective for severe and moderate injury crash prediction using both the RF and XGBoost models, while the control dataset and SMOTE-N demonstrated notable performance in property damage only crash prediction using both the RF and XGBoost models. The findings from evaluating the performance of these models with data treatment methods serve as a benchmark for practitioners in selecting appropriate synthetic sample generation techniques, consequently facilitating the development of more accurate crash severity prediction models and contributing to enhanced traffic safety strategies.
Study on the preparation of an epoxy-based electromagnetic wave-absorbing adhesive film and its hygrothermal aging
Authors: Ding Kaifei , Li Wei , Wang Yuxuan , Yang Yuxuan , Zhu Mingwei , Zhang Lu , Li Hongmei , Lu Shaowei
Published: April 2024

With the wide application of structural adhesives in the aerospace field, the structural adhesive films with only bonding property have not met the current needs. The structural-functional integrated adhesive films have become the current study hotspot. In this paper, an epoxy-based electromagnetic wave-absorbing adhesive film was prepared by adding the magnetite/SWCNTs as the absorbing agent to the epoxy adhesive. And then, it was subjected to hygrothermal aging for 1500h at 70°C and 90% RH. The results show that the absorbing filler was uniformly dispersed in the epoxy resin matrix. The reflection loss (RL) peak of the magnetite/SWCNTs/epoxy adhesive film reached −27.5 dB at the frequency of 8.75 GHz when the absorbing agent content was 20 wt%. The effective bandwidth was 3 GHz with 25 wt% absorbent content. Moreover, after 1000h of hygrothermal aging, the lap shear strength of the magnetite/SWCNTs/epoxy adhesive film decreased by 19.6%, indicating that it can perform excellent service under hygrothermal conditions.
Tradwives: Right-Wing Social Media Influencers
Authors: Sykes Sophia , Hopner Veronica
Published: April 2024

Globalizing anti-globalism and modernizing the anti-modern, Tradwives are communities of right-wing women who commercialize social media to commodify traditional heteronormative renditions of femininity that are equal parts ideology and aesthetic. As social media influencers, Tradwives grow social networks and expand audiences by monetizing right-wing ideologies and curating particular versions of wife and mother. A netnographic analysis designed to understand online cultures and communications was used to observe thirty-six Tradwife social media profiles over a 10-month period in 2022. Employing Koestler’s Theory of Holarchies, four key findings or “holons” comprised a holography or representation of Tradwife culture captured at a certain point in time. The Tradwife Landscape explored these women across a right-wing landscape, Cross-platform Influencers, outlined Tradwives operating across a variety of social media platforms; Feminine not Feminist, discussed Tradwives’ (anti)feminist standpoints; and The Tradwife Side-Hustle, examined the monetization of Tradwife culture. As an alive and growing ecosystem, Tradwife subculture offers supportive and empowered spaces for women wishing to take up roles as archetypal wives and mothers within highly conservative lifestyles. As agents of Tradwife subculture and wider right-wing communities, Tradwives raise important questions about gender and gendered relationships, sexuality, legal practices, public policy, and political systems. Above all else, Tradwives offer comments on the autonomy and agency women have in their everyday lives.
Is social deprivation associated with the peritoneal dialysis outcomes? A cohort study with REIN registry data
Authors: Tobada Steve Biko , Chatelet Valérie , Bechade Clemence , Lanot Antoine , Boyer Annabel , Couchoud Cécile , Toure Fatouma , Boime Sabrina , Lobbedez Thierry , Beaumier Mathilde
Published: April 2024

Background:

Social deprivation is associated with lower peritoneal dialysis (PD) uptake. This study was carried out to evaluate the role of social deprivation on the outcome of PD.

Methods:

This was a retrospective study of data extracted from the Renal Epidemiology and Information Network registry for patients older than 18 years who started PD in metropolitan France between 1 January 2017 and 30 June 2018. The end of the observation period was 31 December 2020. The exposure was the European Deprivation Index calculated using the patient’s address. The events of interest were death, transfer to haemodialysis (HD), transplantation and the composite event of death or transfer to HD. A Cox model and Fine and Gray model were used for the analysis.

Results:

A total of 1581 patients were included, of whom 418 (26.5%) belonged to Quintile 5 of the European Deprivation Index (the most deprived patients). In the Cox model, the most deprived subjects did not have a greater risk of death (cause-specific hazard ratio (cs-HR): 0.76 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.53–1.10], transfer to HD (cs-HR 1.37 [95% CI: 0.95–1.98]) or the composite event of death or transfer to HD (cs-HR: 1.08 [95% CI: 0.84–1.38]) or a lower risk of kidney transplantation (cs-HR: 0.73 [95% CI: 0.48–1.10]). In the competing risk analysis, the most deprived subjects had a higher risk of transfer to HD (subdistribution hazard ratio (sd-HR): 1.54 [95% CI: 1.08–2.19]) and lower access to kidney transplantation (sd-HR: 0.68 [0.46–0.99]).

Conclusion:

In PD patients, social deprivation was not associated with death or the composite event of death or transfer to HD. Socially deprived individuals had a greater risk of transfer to HD and lower access to kidney transplantation in the competing risk analysis.
Cooperative truck platooning trial on Canadian public highway under commercial operation in winter driving conditions
Authors: Jiang Luo , Kheyrollahi Javad , Koch Charles Robert , Shahbakhti Mahdi
Published: April 2024

Cooperative truck platooning, a convoy of trucks driving together while communicating and coordinating with each other, represents a technology-driven approach to improve energy conversion efficiency, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance road safety. Despite numerous studies have explored these potentials, there is a scarcity of empirical investigations into on-road cooperative truck platooning during commercial operations, particularly in winter driving conditions. This paper presents the findings of an experimental study on the first commercially focused truck platooning implementation on a Canadian public highway in the winter season, using two SAE level 2 class 8 trucks. The on-road trials took place on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, between Calgary and Edmonton, with ambient temperatures ranging from −27°C to 12°C, and truck weights spanning 16–39 tons. Nine well-trained and experienced drivers conducted 41 incident-free (platooning and baseline) test trips, covering a distance of 22,855 km. The experimental results confirmed the feasibility of operating commercial truck platooning with 3–5 s time gaps on public roads during the Canadian winter season including various road surface conditions. The results also show that the platooning engagement ratio reached up to 88.9%, with an average of 61.6% across 25 platooning trips. Furthermore, the follower truck achieved a 1.6% fuel savings on flat road sections during platooning, but its freight transportation specific fuel consumption was higher than that of the lead truck on hilly terrain. Test results indicate the lighter truck exhibited higher specific nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions. Moreover, the frequent engagement and disengagement of the cooperative truck platooning system had adverse effects on the powertrain system of the truck, leading to increased fuel consumption and engine-out NOx emissions. This study provides real-world data to identify limitations and needed areas for improvement in adapting cooperative truck platooning technology to commercial operations on public roads.
Event-triggered H∞ control for uncertain discrete-time singular systems via sliding mode approach
Authors: Su Ying , Yang Dongmei , Ren Junchao
Published: April 2024

This article analyzes the event-triggered (ET) scheme for uncertain discrete-time singular systems via [Formula: see text] sliding mode control (SMC). The issue of network delay is taken into account, and a Bernoulli stochastic variable is used to explain its distribution feature. A sliding mode surface (SMS) function is built by using ET scheme, and the corresponding sliding mode dynamics (SMD) is combined. Then, based on Lyapunov-Kravoskii functional (LKF) stability theory and linear matrix inequality (LMI) technology, [Formula: see text]-admissibility criterion for closed-loop SMD is deduced. Additionally, an improved SMC rule based on ET strategy is created so that the system trajectories can be driven onto the prescribed SMS in finite time. Finally, the effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated by three simulated examples.
Theology, Gender, and Me: Insider Auto-Ethnographic Research Method and Its Impact in Trans-Related Theological Research
Authors: Claire-Young Alex
Published: April 2024

This article considers the paradigms and methods of autoethnographic and interview-based insider research with trans and non-binary Christians. I argue that these methods have enabled proclamation, attention, dialogue, justice and revelation. This is intended as a companion to my 2014 monograph ‘transformations’.
The Pursuit of Deviant Happiness and Queer Spiritual Well-being Among Malaysian Gay Men: A Theological Proposal
Authors: Goh Joseph N.
Published: April 2024

Although their intimate lives are often adversely affected by homonegative laws and conservative religio-cultural attitudes, many Malaysian gay men formulate affirming materialist-discursive strategies to pursue personal happiness. Some Christian gay men, for instance, challenge conservative ecclesiastical notions of same-sex attraction as iniquitous and generate life-giving spiritualities for themselves that contribute to a sense of inner joy and equanimity. In this article, aided primarily by Sara Ahmed’s provocative ideas on happiness, I analyse the lived experiences of a Malaysian Christian gay man, and theorise the notion of deviant happiness, which I suggest is a pathway to queer spiritual well-being. Then, drawing on the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s exposition of the beatitudes, I theologically propose that his active pursuit of happiness and well-being as a gay man participates in God’s own beatitude.
Queer (Non-) Method and Eschatological Imagination: An Experiment
Authors: MacDougall Scott
Published: April 2024

Scholars and theologians have often noted the futural and even outright eschatological perspective of significant strands of queer theory and queer theology. In their book After Method, theologian Hanna Reichel also notes this resonance. They do so in the course of analyzing what they take to be a methodological impasse that has stymied theology in several ways and in making a queer theological intervention as an attempt to address it. What they do not do, however, is apply what they call their resulting “method after method,” with its future-oriented outlook, directly to eschatological theology itself. That is what I attempt to do here: to think with Reichel’s suggestive provocations in order to explore the affordances of eschatological imagination in the terms Reichel proposes and to suggest the transformative, real-world epistemic and material difference that a queerly conceived eschatological imagination might make for those who espouse it.
“I Can’t Believe We’re Still Protesting This!”: How the Lesbian-Feminist Embodies Our Way Forward
Authors: Eckeberger Laulie
Published: April 2024

The paradoxical person of the Lesbian-Feminist exists as an intersectional being, living both within the world of the feminist movement and within the queer movement. The feminist movement seeks to deconstruct patriarchy and harmful gender binaries that have perpetually disenfranchised women. When studying queer theory, it becomes clear that the main goal of the queer movement is to deconstruct binaries and gender roles in their totality. This project is unique as it attempts to identify the Lesbian-Feminist as the space in which both of these movements coexist.

The Lesbian-Feminist is concerned with both bringing about the full equality of women and working for the full inclusion of LGBTQ people in politics, society, and the church. This research will be situated within the context of theological discourse as we think of the revolution in relation to the person and work of Jesus. Jesus dismantled unjust systems and harmful hierarchal power dynamics and, in doing so, showed us how to truly be the kin-dom of God on earth. Jesus exemplified justice, love, and radical equality, attributes that Christians do not always exemplify as they tend to perpetuate the dominant social structure with its leader, the white, heterosexual, Christian male. The work of the liberation theologian, specifically that of the queer or the feminist theologian, carries on the work of Jesus by continuing to dismantle and disrupt these dominant power structures and social constructions that exclude and deny the full humanity of anyone who is in the margins. Just as Jesus held full equality in divinity and humanity, the Lesbian-Feminist incarnates God’s presence in the world in both her queerness and her womanhood. It seems clear from the recent surge in misogynistic, crassly anti-woman rhetoric and behavior in our culture that there remains a significant amount of work to be done and that we do not live in a post-sexist society. The reaction and resurgence that was the 2017 Women’s March brings to light and rebels against all that seeks to keep us divided along lines of gender, race, and socio-economics. The March, as a gathering of the margins, was a chorus of voices making clear that we will not allow sexism, racism, homophobia, and xenophobia to turn this country backward. Therein lies the importance of the Lesbian-Feminist, that as an intersectional force bringing together two movements, she also brings together the entire revolution.
Actor, Partner and (Dis)Similarity Effects of Vocational Interests on Work-Family Interface
Authors: Banov Katarina , Krapic Nada , Kardum Igor
Published: April 2024

The study explored the predictive role of vocational interests in work-family conflict and work-family enrichment in 271 employed heterosexual couples. We administered questionnaires measuring vocational interests, time-based and strain-based work-family conflicts and work-family enrichment. Going beyond prior studies, we (a) utilized a dyadic paradigm to examine actor and partner effects of interest types, (b) considered two characteristics of the interest profile - differentiation and elevation, and (c) simultaneously tested (dis)similarity effects. Actor-partner interdependence modelling and dyadic response surface analysis were employed. The results revealed modest negative actor effects of Investigative, Social, and Enterprising interests on various types of work-family conflict, along with positive actor effects of Social, Enterprising and Conventional interests, profile elevation and differentiation on work-family enrichment. Partner effects supported the interpersonal relevance of people-oriented interest types. The effects obtained were similar for women and men, and evidence generally spoke against the (dis)similarity effects of interests on work-family conflict or enrichment. A higher educational level in women was associated with increased work-family enrichment but also family-work conflict. This study highlights the interdependence of vocational interests in romantic dyads and their contribution to work-family dynamics.
Epidemiology and Severity of Medical Events for Mountain Bikers and Hikers Transported by Ambulance in Western Australia, 2015 to 2020
Authors: Braybrook Paul J. , Tohira Hideo , Brink Deon , Finn Judith , Buzzacott Peter L.
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Outdoor activities offer physical and mental health benefits. However, incidents can occur requiring ambulance transport to hospital. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and severity of traumatic and medical incidents for mountain bikers and hikers transported by ambulance within Western Australia.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of ambulance-transported mountain bikers and hikers within Western Australia from 2015 to 2020. Data were extracted from ambulance electronic patient care records. Multivariable analyses were undertaken to identify variables associated with higher patient severity based on the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2).

Results

A total of 610 patients required ambulance transport to hospital while mountain biking (n=329; 54%) or hiking (n = 281; 46%). Median age of mountain bikers and hikers was 38 (24–48) y and 49 (32–63) y, respectively. Paramedics reported a fracture in 92 (28%) mountain bikers and 78 (28%) hikers. The predominant injury locations for mountain bikers were upper limbs and for hikers, lower limbs. Cases were trauma related in 92% of mountain bikers and 55% of hikers. A significant association ( P<0.001) between the etiology of the ambulance callout and patient severity was found. In trauma etiology cases, the frequency of medium-risk+ NEWS2 severity was 21.4%. In medical cases, the frequency of medium-risk+ severity was 40.8%.

Conclusion

Both mountain bikers and hikers experienced incidents requiring ambulance transport to hospital. Incidents of a medical etiology had a higher clinical risk, as determined by the NEWS2 scores, regardless of activity being undertaken.