bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Scheme Design and Pressure-Retaining Performance Analysis of Macrobiological Sampler in the Full-Ocean-Depth Operating Environment
Authors: Liu Guangping , Jin Yongping , Peng Youduo , Liu Deshun , Liu Liang
Published: October 2022

A new full-ocean-depth macroorganisms pressure-retaining sampler (FMPS) was designed to collect pressure-retaining macroorganisms samples from the abyssal seafloor. A mathematical model for pressure compensation in the FMPS recovery process was developed. The effects of FMPS structural parameters, pressure compensator structural parameters, and sampling environment on the pressure retention performance of FMPS were analyzed. Using the developed FMPS engineering prototype, FMPS internal pressure test, high-pressure chamber simulation sampling, and pressure-retaining test was carried out. The test results show that the key components of FMPS can carry 115 MPa pressure, FMPS can complete the sampling action in the high-pressure chamber of 115 MPa, the pressure is maintained at 105.5 MPa, and the pressure drop rate (ratio of pressure drop during FMPS recovery to sampling point pressure) is 9.13%; the experimental results are consistent with the theoretical calculation. The test verified the feasibility of FMPS design and the reliability of pressure retention, providing a theoretical basis and technical support for the design and manufacture of full-ocean-depth sampling devices.
Does Climate Change Constitute a Financial Risk to Foreign Direct Investment? An Empirical Analysis on 200 Countries from 1970 to 2020
Authors: Ait Soussane Jihad , Mansouri Dalal , Fakhouri Mohamed Yassine , Mansouri Zahra
Published: October 2022

In this paper, we study the role of climate change as a financial risk for foreign investors. Multinational enterprises seek to internationalize where financial risk is at the minimum level, including the climate change risk on profitability and productivity. Thereby, we conducted an empirical analysis of the effect of climate change on inward foreign direct investment (FDI) net inflows using data from 200 countries and times series from 1970 to 2020 and employing two categories of climate change indicators: Climatology and climate-related natural hazards. Using the estimation methods of fully modified ordinary least squares and robust weighted least squares, we concluded that the rise of climatology indicators (mean annual temperature and precipitations) negatively impacts inward FDI. Second, we conclude that most climate-related natural hazards (coastal/rural/urban floods, landslides, and cyclones) deter FDI while extreme heat and wildfires show no significant effect. In addition, the results show that the negative impact of climate change is more severe when the host economy depends on agricultural activities and there is no significant investment in research and development as compared with countries that depend on service and manufacturing activities and are more innovative and invest in technology infrastructure. Furthermore, we conclude that poorer host countries experience more severe effects of climate change on FDI than rich countries in terms of GDP per capita.

Significance Statement

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the effect of climate change on inflows of cross-border capital in 200 countries. In other words, we see if rising temperature and natural hazards related to climate change affect the decision of firms to invest in a given country. The results show that global warming and unstable meteorological indicators deter firms from investing abroad. Equally, natural hazards linked to climate change (coastal/rural/urban floods, landslides, and cyclones) constitute an investment risk. The finding suggests that the deterring effects of climate change are less severe when a given country depends less on agriculture and more on industrial sectors and when that country is more developed and technologically advanced.
Venous Hum as a Cause of Reversible Factitious Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Authors: Rothstein Jack , Hilger Peter A. , Boies Lawrence R.
Published: October 2022

Self-heard venous hums have been previously documented and recognized as one cause of audible pulsatile tinnitus. A patient presented with a right internal jugular venous hum causing audible tinnitus and a right sensorineural hearing loss, both of which resolved after high ligation of the right internal jugular vein. We speculate that the hearing loss measured initially was factitious and represented a masking effect due to the venous hum.
Activities of Antiplasmin and Antiplasminogen Activator in Serous Middle Ear Effusions
Authors: Hamaguchi Yukiyoshi , Sakakura Yasuo , Ohi Masuichi , Miyoshi Yasuro
Published: October 2022

Antiplasmin and antiplasminogen activator activities in serous middle ear effusion (MEE) collected from adult patients were measured to analyze the kinetics of antifibrinolytic activity of protease inhibitors. No trypsin, plasmin, and plasminogen activator (PA) activity could be detected in the pooled serous MEE by either the fibrin plate method or the fluorometric assay. Antiplasmin activity in serous MEE was lower than that in plasma. The MEE had no antiurokinase activity. These findings indicate that 1) serous MEE has residual antifibrinolytic activity which may be attributed to mainly antiplasmin activity of unsaturated plasmin inhibitors and not to anti-PA activity, and 2) that serous MEE contains no secretory urokinase inhibitors.
Nerve Fibers in the Fetal Organ of Corti
Authors: Hoshino Tomoyuki , Nakamura Kanae
Published: October 2022

Four human fetal inner ears ranging from 22 to 25 weeks' gestation were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Dissection of the organ of Corti revealed nerve fibers at the bottom of Corti's tunnel and the first row of the external spiral bundles on the medial wall of Deiters' cells. The nerve fiber arrangement was more complicated compared to that of animals so far reported. Thin nerve fibers which ran irregularly and showed branching were found both in Corti's tunnel and in the external spiral bundle and at times were connected to the tunnel medial fibers. These thin fibers were estimated to be efferent in nature.
Cathepsin Activity in Cholesteatoma
Authors: Iwanaga Michitaka , Yamamoto Etsuo , Fukumoto Manabu
Published: October 2022

Collagenolytic cathepsin, presumed to play an important role in bone destruction of cholesteatoma, was investigated in cholesteatoma epithelium, subepithelial granulation tissue, skin from the bony external auditory meatus and, temporal bone. The enzyme extracted from tissues was proven to be lysosomal cathepsin B by SDS gel electrophoresis in the use of human type I and type III collagen. α-N-benzoyl-DL-arginine-2-naphthylamide HC1 (BANA) was supposed to be specific for cathepsin B, and so BANA-hydrolase activity was measured as collagen-degrading cathepsin. The results showed that tissues had cathepsin B with its optimal pH 6.0, and that cathepsin B activity revealed a significant increase in the subepithelial granulation tissue. A strong activity of acid phosphatase found in the subepithelial granulation tissue seems to reflect the existence of an active metabolism of substances in the granulation tissue. These findings suggest that collagen is resorbed in the subepithelial granulation tissue in the presence of cholesteatoma.
Neurohumoral Hypothesis of Motion-Induced Vomiting
Authors: Contrucci Robert B. , Wilpizeski Chester R.
Published: October 2022

The current status and implications of the neurohumoral hypothesis of motion-induced vomiting are reviewed. Data show that squirrel monkey subjects vomit only once if horizontal rotation is terminated immediately on the occurrence of the emetic response. Refractory periods for multiple vomiting episodes concurrent with continued rotation are sufficiently brief to suggest that the expected presence of the hypothetical neurochemical agent in the cerebrospinal fluid of the fourth ventricle should continue to evoke more than one vomiting response even after cessation of motion stimulation. In its present form, the hypothesis is conceptually vague and should be developed further to account for a mechanism by which the expected recurrent emesis is inhibited during the period when the alleged agent is a potentially effective stimulant.
Thyroid Carcinoma in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Segal Karl , Levy Rudi , Sidi Jack , Abraham Aristede
Published: October 2022

Carcinoma of the thyroid gland, although fairly common in young adults, is uncommon in the first two decades of life. Because therapy is controversial, it is important to study a relatively large group of patients treated in a single department. This report records the findings and responses to treatment in 40 cases of thyroid gland carcinoma in children and adolescents treated from 1953 to 1982.
Hearing Loss in Experimental Cytomegalovirus Infection of the Guinea Pig Inner Ear: Prevention by Systemic Immunity
Authors: Woolf Nigel K. , Harris Jeffrey P. , Butler David M. , Ryan Allen F. , Richman Douglas D.
Published: October 2022

Guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) has been used to establish a reproducible model of viral labyrinthitis and hearing loss. Cochlear function was assessed by electrophysiological recordings of cochlear microphonic (CM) and eighth nerve N1 compound action potential (AP) thresholds prior to and up to eight days following inoculation of the scala tympani. Inner ear inoculation of seronegative subjects with live GPCMV produced profound elevations in CM and AP thresholds: 70% of these subjects had their thresholds raised to the limits of the sound system throughout the tested frequency range of 0.10 to 32 kHz. Histopathologic effects associated with CM and AP threshold shifts were primarily limited to the perilabyrinthine compartment, and were greatest in the most basal cochlear turns. Systemic infection with GPCMV produced an immune response, but did not affect CM or AP thresholds. Subsequent inoculation of the inner ear of these seropositive animals with live GPCMV did not result in either CM or AP threshold shifts, or cochlear histopathology. Inoculations of inactivated virus into the inner ears of seronegative and seropositive animals produced only moderate CM and AP threshold effects. Primary GPCMV labyrinthitis thus results in significant cochlear dysfunction and histopathologic changes which are prevented by prior systemic infection with GPCMV.
Rigid Transbronchial Needle Aspiration Biopsy for Histological Specimens
Authors: Wang Ko-Pen , Fishman Elliot K. , Britt E. James , Siegelman Stanley S. , Haponik Edward F. , Erozan Yener S.
Published: October 2022

Transbronchial needle aspiration of cytopathological specimens has proven useful in the diagnosis and staging of bronchogenic carcinoma, but its value in conditions requiring histologic confirmation has been hampered by the small size of the sample provided. To expand the utility of this procedure, we designed a larger (18 gauge) needle with a beveled stylet with which tissue cores for histologic study can be obtained during rigid bronchoscopy, and we have evaluated the safety and efficacy of this technique. Diagnoses of five neoplastic and three granulomatous diseases were established in eight of the ten patients with this procedure, and there were no complications. These findings suggest that transbronchial needle aspiration biopsy is relatively safe and effective, further extending the bronchoscopic approach to selected patients with mediastinal disease.
Nerves and Neurotropic Carcinomas
Authors: Batsakis John G.
Published: October 2022

Neurotropism by a carcinoma in the head and neck refers to invasion in, around, and through peripheral nerves. This invasion may be along planes of least resistance in the connective tissue coverings of the nerve or less frequently by endolymphatic spread. The only lymphatics associated with a nerve are those in the perineural covering and in the epineurium. Such malignant neurotropism is to be distinguished from benign epithelial inclusions simulating neural invasion.
Chronic Tubulointerstitial Nephritis and Peripheral Neuropathy Probably Due to Pantoprazole Mimicking Systemic Disease
Authors: Abdulla Mansoor C.
Published: October 2022

The coexistence of peripheral neuropathy and chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis in a patient can be secondary to various diseases including—connective tissue disorders, sarcoidosis, IgG4-related disease, heavy metal poisoning, plasma cell dyscrasias, and drugs. A 70-year old woman was admitted with fatigue for 4 months and numbness of both lower limbs for 6 months. She had antral gastritis and was on treatment with pantoprazole for 1 year. On evaluation, she had peripheral neuropathy and chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis which was suspected to be secondary to pantoprazole after ruling out other causes. We present a patient with multiple complications (peripheral neuropathy and chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis) likely associated with pantoprazole which was not reported in the literature previously to the best of our knowledge.
Effect of gender composition of committees
Authors: Berle Erika Christie , Kavajecz Kenneth , Onozaka Yuko
Published: October 2022

Does having more women on a committee matter? Interestingly, answers to this question are unknown, despite a significant push toward greater gender diversity on committees and boards. This article uncovers the mechanism of if and how committees’ gender diversity impacts its deliberations and decisions. We utilize a unique dataset that matches detailed meeting transcripts of the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) spanning over 30 years, with member characteristics and economy-wide conditions, allowing us to effectively compare committees with the same member resources and economy-wide conditions but different gender diversity. We find that deliberations are more thorough and engaged in more gender-balanced committees, wherein both men and women talk more about wider topics in depth. Unlike findings from other studies, women in the FOMC participate as active members, whereby they are more likely to voice formal disagreement and less likely to be dismissed by an interruption. Finally, we find that member resources and the economy-wide conditions explain the committee’s decision, where gender diversity exhibits no explanatory power by and in itself. With the high correlation between gender diversity and member resources, we demonstrate that gender composition affects committees via two channels; deliberation qualities and member resources.
Improvement in electrical characteristics by surface modification of multi-wall carbon nanotube based buckypaper for de-icing application
Authors: Zangrossi Francesco , Ghosh Barun , Xu Fang , Warrior Nick , Hou Xianghui
Published: October 2022

Icing hazards often cause severe mobility concerns, safety risks, and even accidents in modern industries. Various ice mitigation strategies have been employed. Electro-thermal heating approach is a popular measure for ice protection, in which heat is generated electrically by internal components and then transferred to the outer surface for anti-icing and de-icing operation. Given the increasing usage of composites in aircraft structures, self-heating fibre reinforced polymer composite has been studied as an ice protection solution for the new generation aircraft. The present work focuses on improving electrical characteristics of carbon nanotube (CNT) based buckypaper (via surface functionalization) and the heating performance with an ice-phobic resin. The results indicated that surface functionalization of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was effective in obtaining MWCNT buckypaper (CNP) with improved electrical conductivity. The de-icing test confirmed the electro-thermal heating performance of the CNP based composite in a climate chamber at −20°C. The utilisation of surface modified MWCNTs in self-heating composites could be a promising strategy for maintaining lightweight and efficiency for electro-thermal systems to mitigate icing hazards.
Romantic Unions and Mental Health: The Role of Relationship Churning
Authors: Halpern-Meekin Sarah , Turney Kristin
Published: October 2022

The stress process perspective suggests that romantic relationship transitions can be stressors that impair mental health. Research on romantic relationships and mental health has ignored one common stressor, on-again/off-again relationships, or churning. Using five waves of data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3,176), we examine associations between relationship churning and mothers’ mental health. We find that mothers experiencing relationship churning have worse mental health than mothers in stably together relationships, net of characteristics associated with selection into relationship instability; these associations persist over four years. Mothers experiencing relationship churning have similar mental health as their counterparts who experience union dissolution (with or without repartnering). Current relationship status and quality explain some of the differences between churning and stably together mothers. Findings emphasize attending to multiple types of family stressors—even stressors and instability in ongoing relationships—and the micro-level ecological factors that shape mental health.
Joseph Agassi’s Critical Historiography of Science
Authors: Gattei Stefano
Published: October 2022

In Towards an Historiography of Science (1963) and in other related works spanning over his entire career, Agassi presents his wide-ranging and original understanding of the history of science. It emerges from the criticism of two distinctive approaches, each informed by the uncritical acceptance, on the part of historians, of two philosophies of science: inductivism (scientific theories emerge from facts), and conventionalism (scientific theories are mathematical frameworks for classifying facts). Both produce unsatisfactory historical reconstructions, in which errors are either concealed or condemned. Popper’s philosophy, by contrast, allows for a picture in which science grows from the recognition and criticism of our best and wisest errors.
Disability Among Older Adults in South-Eastern Nigeria
Authors: Ani Judith I. , Isiugo-Abanihe Uche C.
Published: October 2022

Disability is a common reason for the loss of independence. There is a dearth of data on older adults with disability in south-eastern Nigeria. Using a multistage sampling technique and disability indexes, we assessed 816 persons aged 65 years and above living with a disability. While respondents’ experiences of abuse and property inheritance differ by gender, they have poor health status. Elevated risks of disability were associated with gender, increased age, education, smoking, alcohol use, and engagement in physical exercise. Findings suggest urgency in formulating and implementing ageing welfare policy in this African community undergoing demographic and social changes. While this is underway, we recommend a massive health promotion among older adults in this community. We also suggest the integration of courses on ageing in schools’ curriculum since ageing is a life course phenomenon. This in the long run would provide ageing-friendly education that averts old age's deleterious effects.
A Comparison Between Direct Telehealth and In-Person Methods of Teaching Expressive Labels to Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Knopp Kandice , Ferguson Julia L. , Piazza Jessica , Weiss Mary Jane , Lee Matthew , Cihon Joseph H. , Leaf Justin B.
Published: October 2022

Recent behavior analytic research has demonstrated that the provision of applied behavior analytic services via direct telehealth can be an effective teaching modality for some learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Historically, teaching procedures based on applied behavior analysis (ABA), including discrete trial teaching (DTT), have been provided and evaluated via in-person delivery. This study sought to compare the implementation of DTT via direct telehealth to DTT implemented in-person within and across participants. Specifically, this study evaluated the two delivery modalities in terms of skill acquisition, maintenance, efficiency, and learner responding during teaching sessions. Results of an adapted alternating treatments design nested into a multiple baseline design demonstrated that all three participants diagnosed with ASD met the mastery criteria for the expressive labels taught. Areas of future research, participant prerequisite skills, and clinical implications will be discussed in the context of these results.
Concealed Tracheal Angiosarcoma Beneath a Large Thyroid Mass—An Unexpected Cause of Intractable Hemoptysis
Authors: Li Baofei , Wang Haiyang , Jiang Zheng , Wang Rui , Yang Jie , Chen Fei
Published: October 2022

Angiosarcoma is a rare primary tracheal-bronchus origin tumor which was only reported in a few cases. The diagnosis and treatment for such a rare tumor has long been a challenge. In this case, a male hemoptysis patient who was initially misdiagnosed with thyroid carcinoma with tracheal invasion was finally diagnosed with tracheal angiosarcoma. A thick-walled cystic nodular mass was found preoperatively in the right thyroid lobe overlying the tracheal angiosarcoma, which contributed to our initial misdiagnosis. Flap bleeding and necrosis occured after the surgery and patient continued to cough blood even when we excised the whole flap, which suggested the intramural growth and local invasion of the angiosarcoma. This study also reviewed previous literactures on airway angiosarcoma and discussed the treatment strategy.
Exploring the Dynamics of Technological Decline through the History of a Soviet Computer “Ural” (1955-1990)
Authors: Koretsky Zahar , Zeiss Ragna , van Lente Harro
Published: October 2022

Literature on technological decline and related concepts is growing. We aim to advance theorizations of the dynamics of technological decline by mobilizing the concept of sociotechnical configuration and a metaphor of its “unraveling.” We take as a case study the declined Soviet computer series Ural. Ural was once among the top three most used computers in the former Soviet Union, but went into decline and got lost even before the dissolution of the country. We find that technological decline is not a trivial process, it is not guaranteed to be gradual but can feature sudden shifts. These shifts can be drops of production and loss of knowledge, as well as efforts to push back. Policy could make use of ongoing processes of decline and try to replicate the effect of the decline of Ural via cessation of access to materials and competences and delegitimation of the technology.
Ultrasound patterns of venous disease in patients with venous leg ulcers and morbid obesity
Authors: Moss Jana-Lee , Pugliese Matthew , Richards Toby
Published: October 2022

Background/Aims

Obesity affects over two-thirds of the Australian population and is associated with increased risk of venous leg ulceration (VLU). Management is challenging to both patients and staff. Surgical treatment of superficial venous incompetence in patients with VLU reduces ulcer healing time and recurrence, but this has not yet been investigated in patients with obesity. We aimed to determine in patients with VLU and morbid obesity if their ultrasound pattern of superficial venous incompetence was like those patients without morbid obesity.

Methods

Consecutive patients attending the outpatient leg ulcer clinic from January to December 2019 were eligible for inclusion if they had an active or healed VLU. Age, gender, BMI, and ulcer sidedness were collected from the electronic medical record and assessed against findings of venous duplex ultrasound. Primary outcome was the proportion of patients with morbid obesity with superficial venous incompetence. Secondary outcomes included the proportion of patients with morbid obesity who were investigated with a duplex ultrasound, and any presence of deep venous incompetence.

Results

Of 231 patients that attended 156 were eligible for inclusion. 103 patients had full data and were used for the primary outcome analysis. There were 29 patients (28.2%) with morbid obesity. They were younger than those without morbid obesity (69.0 vs 73.0 years, p .026) with no difference in gender, active or healed ulcer classification (CEAP C5/6), or ulcer sidedness. We found no difference in the proportion of patients with morbid obesity with superficial venous incompetence on ultrasound (72.4% vs 79.7%, p.423). Patients with morbid obesity were equally as likely to undergo ultrasound investigation (73.2% vs 75.8%, p.748).

Conclusions

In patients with VLU there appeared no difference in the proportion of patients with morbid obesity with superficial venous incompetence. Directed studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of intervention in this patient population.
Restoring victims’ confidence: Victim-centred restorative practices
Authors: Wemmers Jo-Anne , Parent Isabelle , Lachance Quirion Marika
Published: October 2022

Victimization, and in particular sexual violence, undermines victims’ confidence and self-esteem. Victims often feel guilty and blame themselves for what happened. Fearing negative reactions, victims of sexual violence are often reluctant to report the crime to police. When victims do report to the police, the criminal justice process is often difficult and most sexual violence cases do not end in a conviction. Restorative practices (hereafter RP) have been presented both as a possible alternative and a complement to the criminal justice process, which could improve victims’ experiences. However, there is also considerable resistance to the use of RP in cases of gender-based violence. Using a victim-centred lens, in which it is seen as a reaction to victimization that aims to address the needs of the victim and allow them to advance in their healing process, we examine RP. Based on semi-structured interviews with 18 victims of sexual violence in Canada who participated in RP, we explore the healing potential for victims. We conclude that for victims of sexual violence, victim-centred RP should be viewed as a tool for victim support and not only as another tool in the criminal justice toolkit.
Analytical Frameworks and Outcome Measures in Economic Evaluations of Digital Health Interventions: A Methodological Systematic Review
Authors: Benedetto Valerio , Filipe Luís , Harris Catherine , Spencer Joseph , Hickson Carmel , Clegg Andrew
Published: October 2022

Background

Digital health interventions (DHIs) can improve the provision of health care services. To fully account for their effects in economic evaluations, traditional methods based on measuring health-related quality of life may not be appropriate, as nonhealth and process outcomes are likely to be relevant too.

Purpose

This systematic review identifies, assesses, and synthesizes the arguments on the analytical frameworks and outcome measures used in the economic evaluations of DHIs. The results informed recommendations for future economic evaluations.

Data Sources

We ran searches on multiple databases, complemented by gray literature and backward and forward citation searches.

Study Selection

We included records containing theoretical and empirical arguments associated with the use of analytical frameworks and outcome measures for economic evaluations of DHIs. Following title/abstract and full-text screening, our final analysis included 15 studies.

Data Extraction

The arguments we extracted related to analytical frameworks (14 studies), generic outcome measures (5 studies), techniques used to elicit utility values (3 studies), and disease-specific outcome measures and instruments to collect health states data (both from 2 studies).

Data Synthesis

Rather than assessing the quality of the studies, we critically assessed and synthesized the extracted arguments. Building on this synthesis, we developed a 3-stage set of recommendations in which we encourage the use of impact matrices and analyses of equity impacts to integrate traditional economic evaluation methods.

Limitations

Our review and recommendations explored but not fully covered other potentially important aspects of economic evaluations that were outside our scope.

Conclusions

This is the first systematic review that summarizes the arguments on how the effects of DHIs could be measured in economic evaluations. Our recommendations will help design future economic evaluations.

Highlights

Using traditional outcome measures based on health-related quality of life (such as the quality-adjusted life-year) may not be appropriate in economic evaluations of digital health interventions, which are likely to trigger nonhealth and process outcomes. This is the first systematic review to investigate how the effects of digital health interventions could be measured in economic evaluations. We extracted and synthesized different arguments from the literature, outlining advantages and disadvantages associated with different methods used to measure the effects of digital health interventions. We propose a methodological set of recommendations in which 1) we suggest that researchers consider the use of impact matrices and cost-consequence analysis, 2) we discuss the suitability of analytical frameworks and outcome measures available in economic evaluations, and 3) we highlight the need for analyses of equity impacts.
Soft tissue sarcoma: intravoxel incoherent motion and diffusion kurtosis imaging parameters correlate with the histological grade and Ki-67 expression
Authors: Li Xiangwen , Tao Juan , Zhu Yifeng , Yin Zhenzhen , Zhang Yu , Wang Shaowu
Published: October 2022

Background

Accurate prediction of the histological grade and Ki-67 expression of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) before surgery is essential for the subsequent diagnosis, treatment, and prognostic evaluation of patients.

Purpose

To evaluate intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) in predicting the histological grade and Ki-67 expression of STS.

Material and Methods

A total of 40 patients underwent 3-T MRI, including conventional sequences; IVIM and DKI parameters were obtained. All patients were divided into a low-grade (grade 1 and grade 2) group and a high-grade (grade 3) group through pathological analysis. Ki-67 expression of each lesion was calculated. Chi-square test, independent sample t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, Pearson, Spearman, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were performed.

Results

There were 17 patients in the low-grade group and 23 in the high-grade group. Ki-67 expression was in the range of 10%–80%. D value was inversely correlated with Ki-67 expression. MK value showed a moderate positive correlation with Ki-67 expression. Regarding histological grading, only the peritumoral enhancement was statistically different between low- and high-grade STS on conventional MRI ( P=0.024). The high-grade group had significantly higher MK value and lower D and MD value than the low-grade group. MK value showed the best diagnostic performance. The combination of MK and MD yielded the highest specificity (88.24%), and the combination of D, MK, and MD yielded the best area under the curve value (0.841) and sensitivity (95.65%).

Conclusion

IVIM and DKI parameters were correlated with Ki-67 expression and could help differentiate between low- and high-grade STS.
Predictors of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) strains in patients with COVID-19 in the ICU ward: a retrospective case–control study
Authors: Vlad Nicoleta-Dorina , Cernat Roxana Carmen , Carp Sorina , Mitan Romelia , Dumitru Andrei , Nemet Codruța , Voidăzan Septimiu , Rugină Sorin , Dumitru Irina-Magdalena
Published: October 2022

Objective

To identify carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19) and to determine whether they had different risk factors for the acquisition of CRE than patients without COVID-19.

Methods

This retrospective single-centre, case–control study enrolled patients with and without COVID-19. The demographic, clinical, infection, colonization and mortality data were compared between the two groups.

Results

A total of 38 patients with COVID-19 and 26 patients without COVID-19 were enrolled. The majority of isolates detected in COVID-19 patients were Klebsiella spp. Leukopenia at admission (odds ratio [OR] 4.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.37, 16.10), invasive mechanical ventilation (OR 5.74; 95% CI 1.07, 30.63), carbapenem treatment (OR 5.09; 95% CI 1.21, 21.27) and corticosteroid treatment (OR 7.06; 95% CI 1.53, 32.39) were independent risk factors for CRE acquisition in COVID-19 patients. Intensive care unit (ICU) mortality was significantly higher in COVID-19 patients compared with patients without COVID-19 (OR 20.62; 95% CI 5.50, 77.23). Length of ICU stay increased the risk of death in patients with COVID-19 (subdistribution hazard ratio 3.81; 95% CI 1.33, 10.92).

Conclusion

CRE strains were more common in patients with COVID-19 and they had different risks for CRE compared with patients without COVID-19.
Understanding Sexual Assault Survivors’ Perspectives on Archiving Qualitative Data: Implications for Feminist Approaches to Open Science
Authors: Campbell Rebecca , Goodman-Williams Rachael , Javorka McKenzie , Engleton Jasmine , Gregory Katie
Published: October 2022

The open science movement has framed data sharing as necessary and achievable best practices for high-quality science. Feminist psychologists have complicated that narrative by questioning the purpose of data sharing across different paradigms, methodologies, and research populations. In these debates, the academic community has centered the needs and voices of researchers, and participants’ perspectives are largely missing from this literature. In this study, we sought to understand how research participants feel about sharing qualitative data on a sensitive subject—sexual victimization. As part of a participatory action research project, we conducted qualitative interviews with sexual assault survivors about their post-assault help-seeking experiences. The federal funding agency that supported this project requires researchers to archive de-identified data in a national data repository (the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data [NACJD]). All participants consented to archiving data, and the vast majority expressed positive views about data sharing because they wanted to help other survivors. Participants emphasized that our participatory action research approach and our stated goal of helping survivors were important considerations in their decisions regarding data sharing. Researchers should obtain informed consent from their participants for data sharing/archiving, and discuss their dissemination plans during the informed consent process.
Terror in Przedbórz: The Night of 26 May 1945
Authors: Tokarska-Bakir Joanna
Published: October 2022

This article reconstructs the events leading up to the killing, on the night of 26 May and early morning of 27 May 1945, of Jewish survivors who returned to their home town of Przedbórz near Radomsko after they had survived the Holocaust. This careful examination rests on both oral witness accounts and written sources, including interrogations and trial records, deposited at the Institute of National Remembrance, Poland. It examines one of the earliest anti-Jewish attacks in Poland after World War II and the events that followed to propose a new interpretation of postwar anti-Jewish violence. In doing so, this article sheds new light on how collective violence affects communal belonging, directly after the events and decades later.
Being “Local” in Eastern Slovakia: Belonging in a Multiethnic Periphery
Authors: Kubátová Hana , Vrzgulová Monika
Published: October 2022

Focusing on coexistence in towns and villages of the former Šariš Zemplín County during World War II, our article exposes the shifting meanings assigned to belonging in what was a multiethnic borderland region and an economic periphery. Informed by works on community construction and meaning, we understand “locals” as being formed by diverse and at times conflicting social experiences that are nevertheless rooted in the same physical environment. We draw on late witness testimonies by Jewish survivors and Gentile neighbors to investigate the roles of public and private spaces in how a sense of community was revoked. Since the redrawing of boundaries was made into a public concern in the 1930s, the redefining of “locals” along ethnoreligious lines had a deep situational dimension, with local norms and experiences shaping the ousting of the Jews from what was historically a shared space. We conclude by discussing the theoretical and methodological implications of our research for writing integrated histories of the Holocaust, mindful of relationships between people, objects, but also places.
Being Polish, Jewish, and Tarnovian: Youth and Polyvalent Senses of Belonging during the Second Polish Republic
Authors: Wierzcholska Agnieszka
Published: October 2022

“This was my rudest awakening that I was Jewish. I was not Polish, I was horrified!” Cesia Honig, from Tarnów, perceived herself as a Polish patriot until 1938, when she was insulted for being a Jew by Gentiles, who claimed to be the only so-called real Polish patriots. In the late 1930s, a polyvalent sense of belonging was no longer acceptable in Poland’s public sphere, although urban spaces during the Second Polish Republic had been multiethnic realms of interaction. Excluded from the Polish nation by local compatriots, Cesia painfully experienced being turned into the Other in a community to which she thought she belonged. This article explores interethnic relations in the local community of Tarnów, a western Galician town, during the interwar period. It leans on late witness testimonies, which are read against contemporary sources. The article dwells into dense contact zones between Jews and non-Jews in the urban space. Special attention is paid to the role of schools. As this paper shows, social class also played a salient role in shaping narratives of belonging.
A Tribute to the Contributions of Dr. Steven P. Wallace to Aging Research
Authors: Guerrero Lourdes R. , Torres Jacqueline
Published: October 2022

The articles published in this special issue of the Journal of Aging and Health are written by students, mentees, colleagues, and friends of Steven P. Wallace, PhD. They exemplify the broad and wide reach he had in the aging field, and his deep interest in the economic, health, and overall well-being of diverse older adults. All the articles touch upon key aspects of older adulthood that Dr. Wallace was a champion of: social determinants of health, immigrant health, and health equity.
Analysis of the effects of lubricating oil viscosity and engine speed on piston-cylinder liner frictions in a single cylinder HCCI engine by GT-SUITE program
Authors: Kunt M. Akif , Calam Alper , Gunes Haluk
Published: October 2022

Engines with homogenous charge compression ignition (HCCI) are the low-temperature combustion models in which automatic oxidation reactions occur with the effect of in-cylinder pressure and heat at the end of preparation of homogenous air-fuel mixture and compression stroke within the cylinder by means of port injection or early direct injection. In-cylinder gas temperatures of such engines during the cycle are lower than conventional internal combustion engines. Therefore, they cause zero NOx and soot emissions. Moreover, the occurrence of combustion in very small crankshaft angles results in a decrease in heat losses observed in cylinder walls and an increase in thermal efficiency. Reducing mechanical friction is highly significant for increasing the effective productivity of HCCI engines. In internal combustion engines, 10% of total energy obtained from the fuel is spent on the heat emerging due to mechanical frictions. 20% of mechanical friction results from the friction occurring between piston ring and liners. In this article, frictional characteristics of compression ring (TOP) and piston skirt area have been examined for two different engine speeds and lubricants, by using technical properties of single-cylinder HCCI engine and in-cylinder pressure and temperature data obtained under full load by means of GT-SUITE software. As the increase in pressure, occurring inside the cylinder at the end of the exhaust stroke and at the beginning of intake stroke, increases ring pressure load in HCCI engines, higher level of piston ring frictions has been observed when compared to internal combustion engines with the same technical properties. Piston ring contact pressure force is a more effective parameter in terms of piston frictions, when compared to hydrodynamic pressure force. The use of lubricants with higher viscosity (SAE 10W-40) has enabled the piston to move more laterally. According to the analysis results, a maximum piston speed of 3.92 m/s for 800 rpm engine speed and 7.85 m/s for 1600 rpm engine speed has been obtained. Maximum friction power losses have been found as 63.84 W at 800 rpm engine speed and 85.91 W at 1600 rpm engine speed. Oil film thickness has obtained in the middle of the piston stroke in the intake, compression, power and exhaust strokes, respectively, 1.809, 1.674, 1.547 and 1.792 µm at 800 rpm engine speed and 1.101, 1.018, 0.932 and 1.119 µm at 1600 rpm engine speed.
Adaptive coupled attitude-servo control for moving mass flight vehicles with high-mass-ratio
Authors: Liu Zhitao , Li Jianqing , Zhou Huan , Gao Changsheng , Jing Wuxing
Published: October 2022

Moving mass flight vehicles (MMFVs) with high-mass-ratio suffer from a more severe nonlinear attitude-servo coupling than the traditional configurations that are under particle moving mass hypothesis. Therefore, the coupled attitude-servo control problem is investigated in this paper, and an adaptive backstepping sliding mode controller with extended state observers and neural-networks (ABSMC-ENN) is proposed. Based on the formulated control model with strict-feedback form, a sliding mode control law (SMC) with exponential reaching rate and a nonsingular terminal sliding mode control law (NTSMC) are combined to perform the fast and robust tracking of the command angle-of-attack. Considering the disturbances and uncertainties existing in the coupled dynamics, two nonlinear extended state observers (ESOs) are utilized to estimate the total disturbances online for compensation. To further enhance the adaptiveness and dynamic response performances of the controller in various flight conditions, two radial basis function neural networks (RBFNNs) are exploited to optimize the switching gains of the controller in real-time with performance indexes being the functions of tracking errors. Closed-loop stability of the whole system is proved via Lyapunov methodology. Comparison simulation studies considering multiple disturbances, various flight conditions, and different controllers successfully demonstrate the superiority of the ABSMC-ENN in robustness and adaptiveness.
Moral distress to moral success: Strategies to decrease moral distress
Authors: Semler Lindsay R.
Published: October 2022

Background:

Moral distress, which is especially high in critical care nurses, has significant negative implications for nurses, patients, organizations, and healthcare as a whole.

Aim:

A moral distress workshop and follow-up activities were implemented in an intensive care unit in order to decrease levels of moral distress and increase nurses’ perceived comfort and confidence in ethical decision-making.

Design:

A quality improvement (QI) initiative was conducted using a pre- and post-intervention design. The program consisted of a four-hour interactive workshop, followed by two individual self-reflection activities at 2–3 weeks and 5–6 weeks after the workshop.

Participants:

Critical care nurses working in a heart and vascular intensive care unit at a large academic medical center.

Ethical Considerations:

This study was deemed to be a QI project by the institution’s Institutional Review Board. Participation was voluntary.

Findings:

Nurses experienced a significant decrease in moral distress. The participants’ average ethical confidence increased in four areas (ability to identify the conflicting values at stake, knowing role expectations, feeling prepared to resolved ethical conflict, and being able to do the right thing), with knowledge of role expectations and feeling prepared to resolve ethical conflict yielding statistically significant increases. Qualitative findings resulted in consistent themes related to causes of moral distress and ways nurses approached addressing moral distress.

Discussion:

This study reinforces previous evidence on moral distress and its causes in critical care nurses, and provides a mechanism for improving moral distress and ethical confidence.

Conclusions:

This QI study demonstrates the effectiveness of an evidence-based program for decreasing critical care nurses’ moral distress and increasing their ethical confidence. The strategies described in this paper can replicated by nursing leaders who wish to effect change at their local level, or adapted and expanded to other professions and clinical care units.
Double distress: women healthcare providers and moral distress during COVID-19
Authors: Smith Julia , Korzuchowski Alexander , Memmott Christina , Oveisi Niki , Tan Heang-Lee , Morgan Rosemary
Published: October 2022

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has led to heightened moral distress among healthcare providers. Despite evidence of gendered differences in experiences, there is limited feminist analysis of moral distress.

Objectives: To identify types of moral distress among women healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; to explore how feminist political economy might be integrated into the study of moral distress.

Research Design: This research draws on interviews and focus groups, the transcripts of which were analyzed using framework analysis.

Research Participants and Context: 88 healthcare providers, based in British Columbia Canada, participated virtually.

Ethical Considerations: The study received ethical approval from Simon Fraser University.

Findings: Healthcare providers experienced moral dilemmas related to ability to provide quality and compassionate care while maintaining COVID-19 protocols. Moral constraints were exacerbated by staffing shortages and lack of access to PPE. Moral conflicts emerged when women tried to engage decision-makers to improve care, and moral uncertainty resulted from lack of clear and consistent information. At home, women experienced moral constraints related to inability to support children’s education and wellbeing. Moral conflicts related to lack of flexible work environments and moral dilemmas developed between unpaid care responsibilities and COVID-19 risks. Women healthcare providers resisted moral residue and structural constraints by organizing for better working conditions, childcare, and access to PPE, engaging mental health support and drawing on professional pride.

Discussion: COVID-19 has led to new and heightened experiences of moral distress among HCP in response to both paid and unpaid care work. While many of the experiences of moral distress at work were not explicitly gendered, implicit gender norms structured moral events. Women HCP had to take it upon themselves to organize, seek out resources, and resist moral residue.

Conclusion: A feminist political economy lens illuminates how women healthcare providers faced and resisted a double layering of moral distress during the pandemic.