bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analyzing higher education performance by entropy - TOPSIS method: A case study in Viet Nam private universities
Authors: Wang Tien-Chin , Thu Nguyen Thuy T , Phan Binh N
Published: June 2022

The development in both quantity and quality of the system of private universities over the past time has created great opportunities for people to study and improve their qualifications and working skills. It is also challenging for educational managers to find the right university development strategy in today's competitive environment. Therefore, evaluating the effectiveness of using private universities resource to analyze training performance is considered one of the issues. In this study, the Entropy method is used to determine the weight of the criteria. Then the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used to determine the ranking order of the private universities. Next, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was applied to evaluate the correlation between rank-ordered variables over the 2 years of analysis selection. Finally, ANOVA was used to compare the criteria between groups of universities. The combination of methods contributes to creating an objective environment in assessing the performance of each university. Thereby, universities can see the important criteria to pay attention to, creating a premise for universities to establish strategies for development and competition. At the same time, educational leaders have the right perspective in choosing key universities to invest in finance and facilities.
Dallas Willard, Philosopher of Ministry, Teacher of Christlikeness
Authors: Robb Michael Stewart
Published: June 2022

In the profession of ministry what do we intend to do and how do we do it? Dallas Willard’s conviction was that the ministry’s aim is the transformation of persons. In the last 30 years of his life, Willard spent many hours in many settings and countries, teaching vocational ministers on the philosophy of ministry. In 1999’s The Divine Conspiracy, he famously advocated for the development of curricula of Christlikeness for Western churches which, presumably, were devoid of them. Without a clear understanding of Willard’s theology of God and the soul, his call to developing a curriculum of Christlikeness is apt to sound like crafting an experientialist discipleship program with a built-in multiplication scheme and a polished presentation. One of the realities that mitigates against such programs’ success, taught Willard, is the importance of the minister’s mind, heart, and body to the transformational process of others. Another is the incredible value of another person’s will within God’s eternal purposes. A third reality is the uncircumventable priority of the mind in human personality. Most importantly, a minister, according to Willard, must serve out of an abundance of grace, out of the availability of the kingdom of God to them and through them. Therefore, ministry’s aim of transformation requires the presence, above all, of teachers of Christlikeness, of the sort that Dallas Willard himself aimed to be.
Self-reported Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Custodial Grandmothers: Frequencies, Patterns, and Correlates
Authors: Smith Gregory Carl , Dolbin-MacNab Megan , Infurna Frank , Webster Britney , Musil Carol , Castro Saul , Crowley Daniel Max
Published: June 2022

Given the scarce past research on custodial grandparents’ early life circumstances, we investigated frequencies, patterns, and predictors of 14 adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) reported by 355 custodial grandmothers (CGMs). Predominant ACEs were bullying (54.6%), verbal abuse (51.5%), physical abuse (45.4%), and living with a substance abuser (41.1%). Only 11% of CGMs reported 0 ACEs, whereas 52.4% reported >4. Latent class analyses yielded three classes of ACE exposure: minimal (54.1%), physical/emotional abuse (25.9%), and complex (20.0%). Age was the only demographic factor related to ACE class, with the complex class being younger than the other two. MANCOVAs with age as a covariate revealed that different ACE profiles have unique impacts on CGMs’ physical and psychological well-being. We conclude that ACEs are highly prevalent among CGMs and a serious public health concern. Future research addressing ACEs among CGMs is critical in order to support these caregivers and promote resilience in custodial grandfamilies.
Secondary syphilis of the oropharynx and cervical lymph nodes: a case report
Authors: Han Albert Y , Wang Jennifer N , Yu Alice C , Shiba Travis L
Published: June 2022

Secondary syphilis rarely affects the head and neck including the oropharynx and cervical lymph nodes. These patients present with throat pain, cystic/necrotic lymphadenopathy, and mucosal swelling. Sometimes this constellation of symptoms can be mistaken for head and neck cancer. We report a case of an enlarging throat and painless cystic neck mass in a transgender woman in her forties who was initially suspected to have oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. A subsequent workup revealed the presence of spirochetes without cellular atypia consistent with secondary syphilis. We include the ultrasonography images as well as an endoscopic photograph of the oropharyngeal manifestation in this report.
Teacher Perceptions as an Entry Point for Talent Spotting and Development
Authors: Swanson Julie D. , Brock Laura , Van Sickle Meta , Gutshall C. Anne , Curby Timothy W.
Published: June 2022

Researchers investigated the impact of a professional learning intervention focused on teaching teachers to increase rigor, challenge, and engagement to reveal talent in low-income learners. The professional learning intervention’s goal, to improve teachers’ ability to recognize student ability and talent through use of proven high-level curricular and instructional strategies, focused teacher learning on culturally responsive teaching, fundamental principles of learning, and specific curriculum. Researchers hypothesized teacher perceptions of students’ abilities would shift from a deficit view to a strengths-based one. Results indicated that teacher beliefs were positively impacted after one year and that those impacts leveled off over time. Specifically, teachers’ perceptions of student potential and the importance of talent development improved. Engagement in professional learning predicted positive change in classroom support, organization, and instruction. Finally, the professional learning intervention positively impacted teacher efficacy related to engaging, instructing, and managing learners.
Socialist democracy: Rosa Luxemburg’s challenge to democratic theory
Authors: Muldoon James , Booth Dougie
Published: June 2022

Contemporary democratic theorists have tended to assume that democracy is compatible with and even requires a capitalist economic system. Rosa Luxemburg offers a democratic criticism of this view, arguing that the dominating effects of a capitalist economy undermine the ability of liberal democracy to actualise its ideals of freedom and equality. Drawing on Luxemburg’s writings, this article theorises a model of socialist democracy which combines support for public ownership and control of the means of production with a plural multi-party electoral system and a defence of civil liberties. It recovers Luxemburg’s conceptualisation of a socialist democracy as the extension of democratic principles to major social and economic institutions currently governed by nondemocratic authority structures. It defends this version of socialist democracy from the liberal objection that it violates citizens’ property rights and the Marxist objection that it retains the dominating structures of the state and a coercive legal system.
Shaping Attributions of Crisis Responsibility in the Case of an Accusation: The Role of Active and Passive Voice in Crisis Response Strategies
Authors: Fannes Gijs , Claeys An-Sofie
Published: June 2022

This study examines how both the content (i.e., denial vs. apology) and the verb voice (i.e., active voice vs. passive voice) of a crisis response affect the public's perception of crisis responsibility and, subsequently, the reputation of an organization accused of wrongdoing. The results of two experiments first show that an apology results in higher responsibility attributions than denial, which, in turn, adversely affects an organization's reputation. When we consider the verb voice of the message, a crisis response that is constructed in the passive voice reduces responsibility perceptions more than the active voice, leading to less reputational damage. An interaction effect shows, however, that this result only holds true for a passive denial strategy and not for apologies. As such, when an organization needs to deny an accusation, it seems wise to construct the message in the passive voice in order to strengthen the denial and effectively protect the organizational reputation.
“Not by Might, Nor by Power”: Spirit-filled Imaginary for Peace Building in Romania
Authors: Mocan Beneamin
Published: June 2022

Peace building in our societies should be central to Christian theology. In a postcommunist culture as is the case of Romania, part of the task of Christian theology is to construct the proper trajectories to peace building by looking back at the time when the Church was trapped in dictatorial clutches. Referring to the Pentecostal Church in Romania, we will see that the best way of bringing to light the possible contributions towards peace building is by making use of the category of “imaginary”. This category helps us both to uncover the decisive identity markers of a given spirituality and to find those much-needed contributions towards peace building.
How business intelligence capability impacts decision-making speed, comprehensiveness, and firm performance
Authors: Alzghoul Amro , Khaddam Amineh A. , Abousweilem Fayrouz , Irtaimeh Hani J. , Alshaar Qasem
Published: June 2022

Scholars and practitioners have trumpeted business intelligence (BI) capability as a game-changer due to its significant impact on firm performance. Despite these claims, the amplifying and underlying mechanisms governing the relationship between BI capability and organizational performance are still in their infancy. This research examines the nexus between BI capability, decision-making speed, comprehensiveness, and organizational performance. This study, drawing on knowledge-based theory, proposes a conceptual model to explain how BI capability influences organizational performance through decision-making speed and comprehensiveness and the moderating role of firm size. The proposed moderated-mediated model was tested using survey data from 236 respondents occupying leadership positions in various Jordanian industries. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to diagnose the proposed model. BI capability indirectly affects firm performance through decision-making speed and comprehensiveness. These mediating effects do not vary by company size. This paper contributed theoretically and practically to the BI framework considering decision-making, firm performance, and firm size. Implications for theory-building and practice are described.
Territorial stigmatisation beyond the city: Habitus, affordances and landscapes of industrial ruination
Authors: Hincks Stephen , Powell Ryan
Published: June 2022

Loїc Wacquant's concept of territorial stigmatisation has resonated widely across the social sciences and is increasingly called upon in analyses and critiques of contemporary modes of governing marginality. It forms a key part of his broader theorisation of the polarised city and urban scholars have responded to his call for comparative analyses of neoliberal state-crafting in applying it to other urban contexts. This paper focuses on non-urban deindustrialised and peripheral spaces in discussing the ways in which the shifting interdependencies, differing historical trajectories, geographies (including terrain), and social relations of such spaces mark them out as outliers within, but not necessarily incompatible with, Wacquant's schema. It focuses on the former coalfield communities of the Welsh Valleys in the UK as one such example of a peripheral, deindustrialised ‘area of relegation’ distinct from urban locales. We bring together a rich body of UK scholarship that articulates the coalfields as ‘laboratories of deindustrialisation’ with Wacquant's framework. In doing so, we offer a critique of Wacquant's integration of social, physical and symbolic space. We argue that terrain and landscape are weakly incorporated within Wacquant's theorising, and those influenced by his writings, and discuss the potential of the theory of affordances as a useful complement in more fully integrating physical space in accounts of territorial stigmatisation.
A Dynamic Aircraft Response Model for Determining Roughness Limits
Authors: Stache Jeremiah M.
Published: June 2022

Runway roughness poses significant risks to aircraft and aircraft personnel. Roughness irregularities can be found in both civilian and military airfields, from rutting to bomb-damaged repairs. Various methods exist for determining roughness criteria, such as discrete surface deviation evaluation and dynamic response models. Although validated dynamic response models such as TAXI-G were used extensively in the HAVE BOUNCE program from the 1970s up to the late 1990s, modern military aircraft have not undergone the same formal analysis. This paper presents the mathematical formulation and validation of the WESTAX dynamic response model. The computer program is capable of simulating the responses of different critical aircraft components while trafficking over idealized runway profiles. The validation results showed that the numerical model was capable of closely matching field data over single- and double bump events. The findings suggest that the WESTAX dynamic response model is a capable candidate for establishing aircraft roughness limits.
Investigation of Shifts in Time Use Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Multiple Discrete-Continuous Extreme Value Approach with Panel GPS Data
Authors: Winkler Caroline , Mondal Aupal , Mesaric Raphael , Asmussen Katherine , Bhat Chandra , Axhausen Kay W.
Published: June 2022

Typical patterns of time use and travel behavior have been transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The drastic change has been documented in several studies to date, especially in the realm of transport, which have asked respondents about how their behavior has changed compared with their prepandemic routines. This work complements those efforts, offering a valuable evaluation of the decision-making process behind choosing which activities to engage in and for how long. A mixed multiple discrete-continuous extreme value (MMDCEV) model was applied to panel GPS data collected between September 2019 and October 2020. The estimation results uncovered how different demographic and mobility tool ownership characteristics affected the choice of activities and their duration. Additional interaction effects of different time periods exogenously introduced into the model allowed for the assessment of the differential effects of these components. Our findings revealed that the choice to participate in out-of-home activities strongly differed with respect to prepandemic conditions. Not only were individuals choosing to spend more time at home during the pandemic, but when they did engage in out-of-home activities, it was also for a shorter duration. Notably, age, gender, education level, and income all affected the propensity to engage in out-of-home activities during the pandemic. These results and their implications for policy as we try to plan for the “new normal” daily life are discussed.
Evaluation of Procalcitonin's Utility to Predict Concomitant Bacterial Pneumonia in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Patel Nandini , Adams Christopher , Brunetti Luigi , Bargoud Christopher , Teichman Amanda L. , Choron Rachel L.
Published: June 2022

Background: Historically, procalcitonin(PCT) has been used as a predictor of bacterial infection and to guide antibiotic therapy in hospitalized patients. The purpose of this study was to determine PCT's diagnostic utility in predicting secondary bacterial pneumonia in critically ill patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in COVID-19 adults admitted to the ICU between March 2020, and March 2021. All included patients had a PCT level within 72 h of presentation and serum creatinine of <1.5mg/dL. A PCT threshold of 0.5ng/mL was used to compare patients with high( ≥ 0.5ng/mL) versus low(< 0.5ng/mL) PCT. Bacterial pneumonia was defined by positive respiratory culture. A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was utilized to evaluate PCT as a diagnostic test for bacterial pneumonia, with an area under the curve(AUC) threshold of 0.7 to signify an accurate diagnostic test. A multivariable model was constructed to identify variables associated with in-hospital mortality. Results: There were 165 patients included: 127 low PCT versus 38 high PCT. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics, vital signs, severity of disease, or outcomes among low versus high PCT groups (all p > 0.05). While there was no difference in bacterial pneumonia in low versus high groups (34(26.8%) versus 12(31.6%), p  = 0.562), more patients in the high PCT group had bacteremia (19(15%) versus 11(28.9%), p  = 0.050). Sensitivity was 26.1% and specificity was 78.2% for PCT to predict bacterial pneumonia coinfection in ICU patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. ROC yielded an AUC 0.54 ( p = 0.415). After adjusting for LDH>350U/L and creatinine in multivariable regression, PCT did not enhance performance of the regression model. Conclusions: PCT offers little to no predictive utility in diagnosing concomitant bacterial pneumonia in critically ill patients with COVID-19 nor in predicting increased severity of disease or worse outcomes including mortality.
Intensivist -Driven Ventilator Management Shortens Duration of Mechanical Ventilation in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Patients
Authors: Dollin Yonatan , Elliott Brian , Markert Ronald , Morman Angela , Koroscil Matthew
Published: June 2022

Background

Prolonged mechanical ventilation in post Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG) is associated with deleterious effects including, increased ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), infectious complications, and mortality. Standardized ventilator weaning protocols and the utilization of critical care physicians in post CABG patient care vary substantially among institutions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if intensivist consultation in conjunction with a multidisciplinary, standardized ventilator weaning protocol improves outcomes in CABG patients.

Materials and Methods

We performed a single-center, retrospective, before-after cohort analysis at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, OH, a 970-bed community hospital. Patients were divided into two arms: the before cohort or delayed-consult group (critical care consult after six hours on ventilator) and after cohort or immediate-consult group (immediate critical care consult). All patients were weaned from ventilator using a standardized weaning protocol.

Results

A total of 764 patients were enrolled, 411 in the delayed-consult group and 353 in the immediate-consult group. The immediate-consult group had less time on initial mechanical ventilation than the delayed-consult group (5.86 ± 4.75 h vs. 6.00 ± 6.64 h, P = 0.038). The small advantages to immediate critical care consultation for higher percent of early extubations, fewer re-intubations, shorter ICU LOS, and lower rate of ICU readmission were not statistically significant. The two groups had similar ventilator free days, prolonged mechanical ventilation, hospital LOS, and in-hospital mortality.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that intensivist-driven ventilator management in conjunction with a multidisciplinary standardized weaning protocol shortens duration of mechanical ventilation in coronary artery bypass graft surgery patients.
The Need for a Diagnostic Instrument to Assess Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in People with Dementia: Findings from a Delphi Study
Authors: Havermans Demi C.D. , van Alphen Sebastiaan P.J. , Olff Miranda , Van der Velden-Daamen Mariëlle , Verhey Frans , Rutten Bart P.F. , Stuijts Peggy , Cook Joan M , Sobczak Sjacko
Published: June 2022

Cognitive and behavioral aspects may mask posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people with dementia. PTSD severely lowers quality of life in people with dementia. Proper recognition of PTSD is essential to ensure adequate treatment. However, a valid diagnostic tool for PTSD in dementia is lacking. A Delphi study was conducted among 20 Dutch and 6 international experts in the field of PTSD and dementia care or research. The aim was to reach consensus in 3 rounds on the added value, form, content, and application for developing such an instrument. The first round confirmed the need for a new diagnostic tool for research and clinical practice. Consensus was reached on 23 statements regarding the support base and 19 related to content of the instrument. In the third round, opinions on several conceptual problems were gathered. Based on the experts' opinions, a draft version of an instrument, the TRAuma and DEmentia-interview (TRADE-interview), was developed. Clinical and research implications of this new measure are discussed.
Recycling of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic and thermoset composites: A review
Authors: Stieven Montagna Larissa , Ferreira de Melo Morgado Guilherme , Lemes Ana Paula , Roberto Passador Fabio , Cerqueira Rezende Mirabel
Published: June 2022

Carbon fiber (CF) reinforced thermoplastic and thermoset composites are on the rise for research and new technologies, consequently, the use by many industries for applications in diverse areas. The principal methodologies and technologies for reusing and recycling these composites and possible applications are reviewed based on available in the information in the existing scientific literature. This review aims to present the possibilities of recycling, reuse and application of these composites reinforced with CF. The composites show a high added value due to the cost of the raw material and the technology involved in its development, which deserves attention for its possible recycling, and thus, and closed-loop economy. Given the current concern for the environment, the future disposal of waste based on CF reinforced thermoplastic and thermoset composites deposited in sanitary landfills and incinerated are unlikely to continue. It is expected that with the new carbon-fiber reinforced-polymer (CFRP) waste management guidelines, most industries, and scientific research will develop viable and profitable methodologies for the reuse and recycling of this waste and that can be inserted into the economy for the manufacture of new components for the most diverse sectors automotive industry.
Recurrent macrophage activation syndrome as the initial manifestation of paediatric systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Dey Sonali , Roongta Rashmi , Mondal Sumantro , Haldar Subhankar , Sircar Geetabali , Ghosh Biswadip , Ghosh Alakendu
Published: June 2022

Introduction: Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS) is a rare but potentially fatal complication in rheumatic diseases. Here, we report the case of a 14-year-old girl with MAS as the primary manifestation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). She had three episodes of MAS during the course of her treatment. This case is unique as recurrent MAS in pediatric SLE is rare.

Methods: Demographic, clinical, laboratory features and outcomes of our patient was noted. We also reviewed the two reported cases of recurrent MAS in pediatric SLE. Literature review was performed on PubMed search forum. Search items included Macrophage activation syndrome, pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus, recurrent MAS.

Conclusion: The diagnosis and management of MAS are challenging as it can simulate an infectious complication or can be the exacerbation of the underlying disease. Early detection and prompt treatment can reduce morbidity in these patients.
The analysis of COVID-19 in-hospital mortality: A competing risk approach or a cure model?
Authors: Xue Xiaonan , Saeed Omar , Castagna Francesco , Jorde Ulrich P , Agalliu Ilir
Published: June 2022

Competing risk analyses have been widely used for the analysis of in-hospital mortality in which hospital discharge is considered as a competing event. The competing risk model assumes that more than one cause of failure is possible, but there is only one outcome of interest and all others serve as competing events. However, hospital discharge and in-hospital death are two outcomes resulting from the same disease process and patients whose disease conditions were stabilized so that inpatient care was no longer needed were discharged. We therefore propose to use cure models, in which hospital discharge is treated as an observed “cure” of the disease. We consider both the mixture cure model and the promotion time cure model and extend the models to allow cure status to be known for those who were discharged from the hospital. An EM algorithm is developed for the mixture cure model. We also show that the competing risk model, which treats hospital discharge as a competing event, is equivalent to a promotion time cure model. Both cure models were examined in simulation studies and were applied to a recent cohort of COVID-19 in-hospital patients with diabetes. The promotion time model shows that statin use improved the overall survival; the mixture cure model shows that while statin use reduced the in-hospital mortality rate among the susceptible, it improved the cure probability only for older but not younger patients. Both cure models show that treatment was more beneficial among older patients.
Preparation and characterization of electrospun nanofiber membrane from polyvinyl alcohol loaded with Glycyrrhiza glabra extract
Authors: Shahid Md Abdus , Khan Md Shablu
Published: June 2022

This study was designed to form an electrospun nanofiber membrane generated from different ratio of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) extract. The electrospinning process was used to fabricate the nanofiber membrane using maximum amount of licorice extract solution. 90% licorice extract solution was successfully electrospun to fabricate nano membrane with 10% PVA solution. Antibacterial, cytotoxicity, scanning electron microscope (SEM) test were performed on resulted sample. The outstanding performance against Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus) by forming inhibition zone of 15 mm was observed. On the vero cell line, cell cytotoxicity was found, with only a few numbers of cells (less than 5%) surviving after exposure to the material. SEM investigation reveals fiber production with a diameter of (245.54 ± 55.19) nm on average. Moreover, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and moisture management test were performed. FT-IR spectra analysis confirmed the presence of licorice components in the membrane. Moisture analysis proved it as a better absorbing material. Since the fabricated membrane were proven to have bacteriostatic activity, it can be employed as wound healing.
Book review: Praveen Jha, Avinash Kumar and Yamini Mishra (Eds.), Labouring Women: Issues and Challenges in Contemporary India
Authors: Swaminathan Padmini
Published: June 2022

Praveen Jha, Avinash Kumar and Yamini Mishra (Eds.), Labouring Women: Issues and Challenges in Contemporary India (Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan, 2020), 328 pp. ₹775 (Paperback), ISBN 9789390122073.
Exploring the Truth of Michael Yudin’s Claim: The More Time Students With Disabilities Spend in General Classrooms, the Better They Do Academically
Authors: Fuchs Douglas , Mirowitz Hilary C. , Gilbert Jennifer K.
Published: June 2022

Many K–Grade 12 students with disabilities (SWDs) in the United States spend a large portion of their school day in general classrooms because of a prevailing view that they are more appropriately challenging and beneficial than other educational placements. We questioned this belief by exploring a “dosage” hypothesis: The more time SWD are in general classrooms the better they do academically. We assembled a database spanning 1998 to 2015, inclusive. For 9 of these years, we found both Office of Special Education Program’s placement data and National Center for Education Statistics’ reading data. We ran multilevel growth models to describe trends across time for the placement and reading data. Findings indicated a steadily increasing trend for general class placement and a positive but decelerating trend for reading performance, which together produced a widening placement–performance gap after 2007. Among 10 states/jurisdictions with the strongest positive trends for general class placement, there was no uniform pattern of reading performance across years. In short, we found little corroboration of a dosage hypothesis.
Therapy for feline secondary hypertriglyceridemia with fenofibrate
Authors: Miceli Diego D , Guevara Juan M , Ferraris Sergio , Pignataro Omar P , Gallelli María F
Published: June 2022

Objectives

The aim of this study was to assess the short-term safety and efficacy of fenofibrate in controlling secondary hypertriglyceridemia in cats.

Methods

This was a prospective cohort study. Seventeen adult cats with hypertriglyceridemia (serum triglycerides [TG] >160 mg/dl) were enrolled. Cats received a median dose of 5 mg/kg (range 3.2–6) fenofibrate (q24h PO) for 1 month. Serum TG, total cholesterol (TC), creatine kinase and liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase) were evaluated before (t0) and after 1 month (t1) of fenofibrate treatment.

Results

The causes of secondary hypertriglyceridemia were diabetes mellitus (DM; 29.4%), obesity (29.4%), hyperadrenocorticism (HAC) and DM (11.7%), HAC without DM (5.9%), hypersomatotropism (HST) and DM (5.9%), hypothyroidism (5.9%), long-term treatment with glucocorticoids (5.9%) and chylothorax (5.9%). Serum TG (t0 median 920 mg/dl [range 237–1780]; t1 median 51 mg/dl [range 21–1001]; P = 0.0002) and TC (t0 median 278 mg/dl [range 103–502]; t1 median 156 mg/dl [range 66–244]; P = 0.0001) concentrations showed a significant decrease after 1 month of fenofibrate treatment. Fifteen cats normalized their TG concentration at t1 (88.2%). Of the eight cats that were hypercholesterolemic at t0, six (75%) normalized their TC concentrations at t1. One of 17 cats (5.9 %) presented with diarrhea; the remaining 16 did not show any adverse effects.

Conclusions and relevance

DM and obesity are the most common endocrine causes of secondary hyperlipidemia, although it can also be found in cats with HAC, HST or hypothyroidism. This study suggests that fenofibrate treatment was associated with reduction and normalization of TG and TC concentrations in cats with moderate and severe hypertriglyceridemia, regardless of the cause of secondary hypertriglyceridemia. Further work should focus on controlled studies with a greater number of cases.
Anemia and Associated Factors Among Lactating Women in Sierra Leone: An Analysis of the Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey 2019
Authors: Arinda Ivan Kato , Sserwanja Quraish , Kamara Kassim , Mukunya David , Agnes Napyo , Edirisa Juniour Nsubuga , Christinah Nuwahereza , Kagali Anitah , Lee Seungwon
Published: June 2022

Background:

Anemia is a condition in which hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and/or red blood cell (RBC) numbers are lower than normal and insufficient to meet an individual’s physiological needs. The prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age is high in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including Sierra Leone. However, data on anemia among lactating women in Sierra Leone are scarce. Therefore, this study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of anemia and determine its associated factors among lactating women in Sierra Leone.

Methods:

The 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (SLDH) data were used of which 1543 lactating women aged 15 to 49 years old had hemoglobin measurements. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select study participants and data were collected using validated questionnaires. Multivariate binary logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with anemia among lactating women in Sierra Leone.

Results:

The general prevalence of anemia among lactating women in Sierra Leone was 52.9% (95% CI = 50.9-55.8). Almost a quarter, 23.8% (95% CI = 22.1-26.3) of the lactating women had mild anemia, 27.4% (95% CI = 25.3-29.7) had moderate anemia and 1.7% (95% CI = 1.1-2.5) had severe anemia. The use of modern contraceptives (aOR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.09-2.47), not being visited by a field worker in the past year (aOR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.12-2.03) and being Muslim (aOR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.11-1.91), were associated with higher odds of being anemic. Being given and having bought iron supplements during pregnancy (aOR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.25-0.87) was associated with less odds of being anemic.

Conclusion:

More than half of the lactating mothers in our study were anemic. The risk factors for anemia in our study included: use of modern contraceptives, not being visited by a field worker in the past year and being Muslim. Receiving iron supplements during pregnancy was protective against anemia. According to the results from this study, the recommendation for lactating women was to maintain routine interface with the healthcare system which includes being visited by a field worker who should prescribe and issue iron supplements to them. Lactating women especially Muslims should receive routine nutrition education by the health workers at the health facilities during antenatal care visits or postnatal care in regard to anemia and means of prevention and treatment. Community stakeholders should also work in collaboration to establish scalable methods to correctly identify pregnant women with risk factors, inform them about anemia with caution, and apply appropriate measures as trained or instructed
The Interaction Between Dietary Total Antioxidant Capacity and MC4R Gene and HOMA-IR in Metabolically Healthy and Unhealthy Overweight and Obese Women
Authors: ElhamKia Maryam , Setayesh Leila , Yarizadeh Habib , Pooyan Sara , Veisy Zahra , Aghamohammadi Vajihe , Casazza Krista , Mirzaei Khadijeh
Published: June 2022

Introduction:

The current prevalence of the metabolically healthy obesity is about 3%. Genetic and nutrition are influencers of such phenotypes. The main goal of this study was to assess the interaction between Dietary Total Antioxidant Capacity (DTAC) and the genotypes of MC4R and Insulin resistance in metabolically healthy/unhealthy overweight and obese women in Iran.

Material And Methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 237 overweight-obese women with a mean age of 36. The value of Dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) was calculated using the following indices: Total reactive antioxidant potential (TRAP), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP). The Metabolic health status was evaluated using the Karelis criteria. Melanocortin 4 receptor single nucleotide polymorphisms were determined by the restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Also, insulin resistance was evaluated through homeostasis model assessment (HOMA).

Result:

Our data noted that 72.96% of participants presented Unhealthy Metabolically and 26.94% Healthy Metabolically including 33.5% of the total had T/T genotype, 23.8% had the C/T genotype, and 42.5% had the C/C genotype ( P = .05). A linear regression model test showed that the probability of metabolically healthy obesity was significantly higher in patients with the T/C genotype. The test value was statistically significant (95% CI: 0.000-0.001; P = .056, β = 0). No statistically significant relation was observed between study parameters and DTAC values. HOMA-Index was higher in all unhealthy subjects significantly.

Conclusions:

The findings indicated that there are significant associations between genotypes of rs1333048 SNP and DTAC. The C/C genotype subjects with higher DTAC had a better lipid profile and were metabolically healthier.
Measures of Restraint: The Remaking of Carceral Space in the Postwar United States
Authors: Niedbala Steven
Published: June 2022

This article describes how architects working for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons developed a universal technical vocabulary for prison construction in the years following the end of the Second World War. Employing the neutral, streamlined aesthetic and advanced techniques of contemporary architecture, the new style negated the traditional formal distinction between the prison and extra-institutional space. Penal reformers celebrated the new institutions as signifying a shift away from the brutal, dreary institutions of the last century toward a more humane, efficient system of penal treatment. The neutralization of the prison, however, belied the subsumption of carceral violence into the form of the institution itself. The technical decomposition of the human form in contemporary design practice refigured punishment as a series of gradually intensifying strictures.
Dynamic frictional contact mechanics between a functionally graded orthotropic medium and a moving flat punch
Authors: Balci Mehmet N. , Arslan Onur
Published: June 2022

The present study establishes a general theory for dynamic frictional contact mechanics between an orthotropic graded half-plane and a moving rigid punch of a flat profile. The rigid punch moves over the orthotropic graded half-plane at a constant subsonic speed. Analytical method is developed for the contact mechanics problem based on two-dimensional elastodynamics. Stresses in the orthotropic graded medium are determined considering plane elasticity. Governing partial differential equations are solved analytically by the use of Galilean and Fourier transformations. The unknown functions appearing in the displacement components are determined considering the surface boundary conditions. The mixed boundary value problem is then reduced to a singular integral equation of the second kind which is solved numerically using an appropriate expansion-collocation technique. The contact stress results of the present analytical study are compared to those generated through a finite element analysis regarding the elastostatic case. Moreover, the contact stress results obtained in the elastodynamic case are also verified using some analytical results available in the literature. Successful agreement is attained in all the comparative analyses. Normal contact stress, lateral contact stress and punch stress intensity factors are calculated for various values of punch speed, coefficient of friction, in-homogeneity constant and orthotropic elastic constants. Results of the present study clearly indicates that the utilization of elastodynamic theory is crucial to get more realizable and accurate estimations of contact stresses especially in high speed sliding conditions.
Maternal autonomy and childhood undernutrition: Analysis of 2018 Nigeria demographic and health survey
Authors: Ariyo Tolulope , Jiang Quanbao
Published: June 2022

Existing knowledge of how maternal autonomy relates to child undernutrition in Nigeria is few and limited to children under 24 months old. Nothing is known about how it affects older children. Therefore, this study investigated whether mothers’ household autonomy affects children 24–59 months, as do children under 24 months old. We used data from 2018 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey, which is a nationally representative survey. Samples include 3502 and 5463 children under 24 months and between 24 and 59 months old, respectively. Three anthropometry indexes were used to determine child undernutrition: weight-for-height, height-for-age, and weight-for-age, which indicate wasting, stunting, and underweight, respectively. Three domains of maternal autonomy: decision-making, financial-control, and mobility, were operationalized using responses from mothers. Results from logistic regression analysis show that in unadjusted models, maternal decision-making autonomy and mobility were associated with undernutrition in both samples. After adding covariates, only associations between maternal decision-making autonomy and underweight in children 24–59 months old retained statistical significance. Findings show that gendered social inequalities are linked to differences in child nutritional outcomes. Future studies could investigate how feeding practices mediate associations between maternal autonomy and childhood undernutrition.
From the aspirational to the tangible: Mapping key performance indicators in Australian policing
Authors: Hine Kelly A , Davenport-Klunder Katelyn
Published: June 2022

Police performance is particularly difficult to measure. Most police agencies tend to rely on traditional metrics of effectiveness (such as crime statistics and public surveys) which are recognised as being problematic by researchers and policing authorities. Policing too has shifted in recent times with a move away from reactive policing approaches towards more desirable proactive and community-orientated styles of policing. Subsequently, there is a growing body of research which proposes new and alternative methods of measuring police performance that addresses some of the problematic validity and reliability issues of the traditional metrics and incorporates these new policing styles. This study maps the key performance indicators reported by Australian policing agencies. It aims to identify what is being measured and how it is being measured. To do this, Australian policing agency annual reports were analysed both quantitatively with descriptive analysis and qualitatively using thematic analysis. Overall, the study found that although there are some attempts at incorporating new alternative metrics, policing agencies in Australia mostly rely on traditional metrics for reporting effectiveness. These findings are discussed in terms of opportunities to enhance or expand current reporting practices.
Sacrifice and violence in the marketplace
Authors: Carrington Michal J
Published: June 2022

Sacrifice is central to the flourishing of human culture and is integral to everyday life through practices of gifting, abstinence, donation and substitution. Consumer studies have predominantly taken a theological view of consumption-based sacrifice as medium of self-transformation, purification and transcendence to the realms of the sacred. Yet, there is a darker side to marketplace sacrifice. An alternative reading of sacrifice acknowledges the violence that is also often present in sacrifice – a violence that is directed and ritualised through the sacrifice of the scapegoat. Violent sacrifice can unite and reconcile conflicting individuals into a cohesive community, the taking of a life – at least symbolically – to restore social order and the status quo. This violent turn is missing from accounts of sacrifice and sacrificial gift giving in marketing and consumer studies that do not account for the deep, visceral, human desire for violent sacrifice – in both non-blood and bloodletting forms. To address this gap, I first introduce René Girard’s perspectives on violence, sacrifice and scapegoating to conceive an ideology of violent sacrifice in markets and consumption. I then re-examine extant market and consumer studies that investigate acts of sacrifice to reveal dimensions of violence and expand conceptions of sacrifice as being both light and dark. Thus, acknowledging the dual nature of sacrifice: purifying sacrifice to transform through abstinence and giving; and, violent sacrifice through mechanisms of scapegoating. Understanding these two faces of sacrifice has significant implication for marketing scholarship and marketing practice.
What does it mean to ‘start where the person is at’?: Reflections on personhood in social work
Authors: Morley Louise , Crawford Frances
Published: June 2022

Summary: The quality of the helping relationship is experienced when theories and principles are enacted in practice. Here, the people social workers seek to serve are able to decide whether the practice they experience is useful. One way that social workers can enhance the quality of the relationships they develop is to ‘start where the person is at’. In order to explore what this phrase means in and for effective social work practice, this paper revisits Martin Buber’s articulation of the I/thou relationship seeking to shed light on the notion of personhood in this value-based profession. Two participants, within a larger research project exploring the experiences of social workers in the Australian child welfare field, independently used the language of personhood to refer to the way they conceptualised the process of engaging with people. Both were referring to enacting the transcendent value of each person in terms of a practice philosophy. These personal narratives inspired the authors to move away from the usual professional discourse about the skills involved in relationship building and instead reflect on their own practice in order to capture something philosophical about caring relational processes. Revisiting humanistic conceptualisations of the helping relationship such as the I/thou has the potential to discourage practitioners from seeing relationships as transactional. This has particular significance in practice contexts characterised as risk-averse, austere or involuntary, and/or where people may be feeling anxious, stressed and/or simply unheard. Contemporary implications for social work practice are discussed.
Nintedanib vs pirfenidone in the management of COVID-19 lung fibrosis: A single-centre study
Authors: Singh Pratima , Behera Debasis , Gupta Saurabh , Deep Akash , Priyadarshini Subhadra , Padhan Prasanta
Published: June 2022

Background:

COVID-19 pneumonia is complicated with residual lung fibrosis, as evidenced by imaging and postmortem pathological findings. In addition to steroids, we compared the efficacy of nintedanib and pirfenidone in the management of COVID-19 lung fibrosis measured by CT severity score (CTSS).

Methods:

All cases of COVID-19 pneumonia diagnosed as COVID-19 positive by RT-PCR having SpO2 ⩽ 96% and CTSS ⩾ 10 even after 15 days were included in the study. The patients were divided into three groups. All three groups received steroids at a dose of 1 mg/kg body weight of prednisolone or equivalent. The first group received steroids alone, the second group received pirfenidone with steroids and the third group received nintedanib with steroids. All patients were followed up at 6 and 12 weeks. The primary endpoint of our study was to find out any improvement in CTSS.

Results:

Out of 90 patients, 56 patients completed the study. Among three groups, 19 (33.9%) patients received steroids (control) only, 16 (28.6%) patients received steroids with pirfenidone and 21 (37.5%) patients received steroids with nintedanib. The study population had a mean (±SD) age of 52.5 ± 10.1 years, mean (±SD) C-reactive protein of 97.1 ± 102.2 mg/L (normal <6 mg/L), mean (±SD) serum ferritin 459.4 ± 305.5 ng/mL (normal <250 ng/mL), mean (±SD) serum d-dimer level 2.1 ± 2.6 μg/mL (normal <0.5 μg/mL) and mean (±SD) CTSS of 16.9 ± 4.3. There was significant improvement in CTSS in group receiving nintedanib compared to pirfenidone at 12 weeks (3.67 ± 1.21 vs 9.07 ± 1.12) with a p-value <0.01.

Conclusion:

Along with steroids in the treatment of COVID-19 lung fibrosis, there was a significant improvement in lung CTSS with nintedanib compared to pirfenidone.