bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Echovis – A collection of human echolocation tests performed by blind and sighted individuals: A pilot study
Authors: Bujacz Michał , Królak Aleksandra , Górski Grzegorz , Matysik Krzysztof , Witek Piotr
Published: August 2022

The article presents research on the echolocation skills of blind and sighted individuals gathered for the purpose of development of an echolocation training app. The goal of the research was to determine the influence of the environment type, reverberation, clicking patterns, and the average differences between the two tested groups. Ten blind and 10 sighted subjects were tested in various echolocation tasks – stationary, moving, indoor and outdoor, using mechanical clickers, and artificially generated clicks. Ten blind children also took part in the static indoor tests. The tests were repeated using binaural recordings and spatially rendered virtual audio. The following parameters and dependencies between them were analyzed: correctness of the obstacle localization, certainty of answer, type of environment and clicker sound, and frequency and number of clicks. It was found that the number of clicks influenced the correctness and certainty of the answer in case of obstacle direction determination, but not the distance. Better results were obtained in outdoor environments and in an empty room, what implies that reverberation has a positive influence on echolocation. The expected success rates in tested echolocation tasks provided a comparison of the echolocation abilities of blind and sighted subjects and set a benchmark for future tests.
The Danger of Power and Men in Contemporary Society: An Evangelical Analysis of Sexual Exploitation in Genesis to Safeguard Christian Educational Ministry
Authors: Reinhardt Daniel E.
Published: August 2022

This article identifies a contemporary concern for Christian educational ministry—namely the potential danger of men in ministry leadership—through an examination of the sexual exploitation narratives in Genesis. This article makes the concern evident by examining the narratives with a hermeneutic constructed from an appropriation of feminist theology with a doctrinally confessional foundation. Applying the hermeneutic to the text reveals a foundational and timeless ethical principle in the inerrant text. The implications of the ethical principle underscore the need to implement safeguards for men in educational ministry leadership to mitigate the potential for abuse and sexual exploitation.
The role of grassroots community organizations in transforming healthcare systems to achieve health equity
Authors: Carter Angela J.
Published: August 2022

Two events converged in early 2020 to expose vast disparities and inequities that have been harming many racialized and marginalized people for decades and shake up healthcare systems around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic and the brutal killing by police of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, created a groundswell of emotions that erupted in protests and calls for social justice. Governments, corporations, and businesses made statements against racism, primarily anti-Black racism, instituted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies, and appointed DEI managers to show they were taking action to tackle racism and uphold social justice. However, grassroots community organizations had the most impact in mobilizing populations and effecting change to contain and reduce the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus, as well as challenging leaders to do more than just talk about dismantling systemic, structural, and institutional racism.
How employable do students perceive themselves to be in the future? Evidence from the Middle East
Authors: Kertechian Kevin Sevag , Ismail Hussein N , Karkoulian Silva
Published: August 2022

This paper aims to identify the determinants of perceived future employability among students. A total of 396 university students from a leading university in Lebanon answered a questionnaire about perceived future employability, career ambition, career distress, university commitment, satisfaction with life and self-esteem. In line with the study hypotheses, the authors first establish the psychometric properties of the perceived future employability scale (PFES) in Lebanon and demonstrate the importance of satisfaction with life amid career ambition, career distress, university commitment and self-esteem. The results indicate a good fit to the data for the newly validated future perceived employability scale; moreover, a full mediation effect for satisfaction with life is confirmed. In addition, career ambition, university commitment, satisfaction with life and self-esteem predicted students’ PFES. The paper offers insights for students and university counselors on how to better foster perceived employability, and thus the capacity to adequately envision one’s career.
Inclusion of IoT technology in additive manufacturing: Machine learning-based adaptive bead modeling and path planning for sustainable wire arc additive manufacturing and process optimization
Authors: Kunchala Bala Krishna Reddy , Gamini Suresh , Anilkumar T Ch
Published: August 2022

Industrial civilization transforms current cutting edge technologies and the evolution of Industry 5.0 is more aggressive with the use of IoT-enabled smart machines and robots in the manufacturing sector today. IoT technology deals with digital data as in additive manufacturing (AM). The potential and progressive aspects of AM embarks for functional part development instead of initial prototyping. AM is one of large-scale production with less buy-to-fly (BTF) ratio. In the present work, a novel framework has been proposed and utilized to attain adaptive bead modeling and an appropriate path plan for enhanced deposition and surface quality of weld beads. Further, the influence of input process parameters toward sustainable wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is also focused. Machine learning-based hybrid-TLBO (h-TLBO) and support vector machine (SVM) is deployed for the optimization process. With the aid of graph theory, weights are estimated for h-TLBO. The overall process parameters and entire data module is handled with IoT technology and can be accessed for processing. The simulated post-processing results are validated experimental test results and found to be in good concurrence.
Prediction of crater shape with different heat flux and parametric simulation in electro-chemical discharge machining
Authors: Diwakar Vikas , Dubey Avanish Kumar , Pratap Tej
Published: August 2022

Prediction of crater shapes with high accuracy in electrochemical discharge machining plays a significant role in the formation of micro-array on non-conductive materials. In this work, a finite-element method-based thermal model is developed by applying three different heat fluxes such as Gaussian, Constant, and Parabolic to predict the crater shapes on the soda-lime glass substrate. The comparative study of crater shapes reveals that a hemispherical crater is formed with Gaussian and Parabolic heat flux, while the cylindrical crater is formed for Constant heat flux due to the differences in the nature of heat distribution within the glass substrate. Further, material removal rate (MRR) and heat-affected zone (HAZ) are also estimated for Gaussian heat flux as it gives the most suitable crater shape. Parametric simulation is done by considering the supply voltage as a variable parameter and finding that MRR is significantly higher at 60 V compared to 45 V, whereas the increase in HAZ is very small.
Implementation of a Dyad-Based Intervention to Improve Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among HIV-Positive People Who Inject Drugs in Kazakhstan: A Randomized Trial
Authors: Davis Alissa , Mergenova Gaukhar , Landers Sara E. , Sun Yihang , Rozental Elena , Gulyaev Valera , Gulyaev Pavel , Nurkatova Mira , Terlikbayeva Assel , Primbetova Sholpan , Altice Frederick L. , Remien Robert H.
Published: August 2022

Purpose: HIV-positive people who inject drugs (PWID) in Kazakhstan face many challenges to antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. Interventions that leverage social support from an intimate partner, family member, or friend may be effective in improving ART adherence among this population. The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation process of a dyad-based intervention among HIV-positive PWID and their treatment support partners. Method: Sixty-six HIV-positive PWID and 66 of their treatment support partners will be enrolled in this pilot randomized controlled trial in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and randomized as dyads to receive an adapted version of the SMART Couples intervention or standard of care. Results: Several implementation strategies were used to facilitate intervention delivery, including remote delivery, training of staff, supervision, technical assistance, quality assurance, and collection of assessments through diverse sources. Discussion: This trial responds to a need for dyad-based ART adherence interventions adapted specifically for HIV-positive PWID.
I Can’t Quit: Experiences of Black Women in STEM Professions
Authors: Sendze Margery S.
Published: August 2022

Using job embeddedness theory, this study investigated the off- and on-the-job forces experienced at the axis of race and gender that contribute to Black women staying in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions. Using purposive, snowball sampling, 13 Black women with STEM degrees and professional experience were selected for semi-structured interviews via Zoom. Tensions in navigating the race–gender intersection were evident in participants’ experiences and informed their perceptions of fit, links, and sacrifices. Moreover, welcoming environments, financial stability, the desire to serve communities as role models, and opportunities to innovate, learn, and grow contributed to participants’ embeddedness in STEM professions. Contrary to previous research, respondents demonstrated high agency and confidence. Organizations can enhance the retention of Black women by providing growth opportunities and welcoming spaces. Specifically, inclusive leadership is essential to retaining a diverse workforce and making the value of Black women visible to drive STEM innovation.
Profiles of Decent Work and Precarious Work: Exploring Macro-Level Predictors and Mental Health Outcomes
Authors: Blustein David L. , Allan Blake A. , Davila Alekzander , Smith Camille M. , Gordon Michael , Wu XiYue , Milo Lauren , Whitson Nathan
Published: August 2022

Using a person-centered approach, this study explored the interrelationship between decent work and precarious work via a latent profile analysis (LPA). This investigation sought to replicate the latent profiles from Blustein and colleagues (2020) and extend the results by examining the role of individual lifetime experiences of macro-level factors (economic constraints and marginalization) as predictors and selected mental health indices (depression and anxiety) as outcomes of profile membership. Using a sample of 422 working adults in the U.S., the findings of the LPA yielded four profiles (indecent-precarious, low healthcare-low rights, highly decent, and vulnerability dominant), replicating four out of the five of the profiles identified in Blustein et al. Informed by psychology of working theory (PWT) and precarity theory, we assessed a structural model of the aforementioned predictors and outcomes in relation to profile membership. Consistent with theoretical expectations, economic constraints and marginalization positively predicted profiles that reflected greater instability and precarity. In addition, the profiles that reflected greater instability and precarity predicted both depression and anxiety. Implications for theory, counseling practice, public policy, and new directions in research are presented.
Extended Family Caregivers for Persons Living With Dementia
Authors: Roberto Karen A. , Savla Jyoti
Published: August 2022

Despite changes in the structure of contemporary families, little is known about extended family members—siblings, grandchildren, nieces/nephews, stepkin—who are primary caregivers for a relative living with dementia. Information about these caregivers is needed to help ensure their needs are understood by providers in health care and social service settings. The focus of this research was on the care situations of extended family caregivers and the impact of caregiving on their health and well-being. In Study 1, data from the National Study of Caregiving were used to describe the experiences of 107 extended family caregivers. In Study 2, case study techniques elicited additional information about the experiences of 10 extended family caregivers. Collectively, these caregivers provide care with little or no formal support and occasional help from a small informal network. Caregiving affected their physical and emotional health, depending on the strength of the relationship between the caregiver and the person living with dementia and the type of care provided. Findings contribute new knowledge about extended family caregivers and highlight the important role extended family dementia caregivers play and the challenges they face.
Mortality in COVID-19 patients after proximal femur fracture surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Freitas Tânia , Ibrahim Abdulrazak , Lourenço António , Chen-Xu José
Published: August 2022

Background:

COVID-19 infection first emerged in December 2019 in China and has since rapidly spread to become a worldwide pandemic. Orthopaedic surgery suffered a significant decline in the volume of surgical cases, while the orthopaedic trauma services maintained or increased the activity. Emergency operations for proximal femur fractures (PFF) in the elderly population assumed levels comparable to before the pandemic, with the 1-year mortality rate ranging from 14% to 36%.

Aims:

To determine whether patients with PFF affected by COVID-19 have a higher risk of postoperative mortality through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods:

PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and BMC were searched from January 2020 to January 2021 to identify original studies reporting the mortality in COVID-19 patients after PFF surgery. Study and participants’ characteristics, mortality rate and odds ratio (OR) were extracted. Risk of bias assessment was carried, and visual inspection of the funnel plot was used to assess publication bias. A random-effects model for meta-analysis was adopted.

Results:

Among 656 articles that came from the search query and hand-search, 10 articles were eligible after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Overall, the sum of the study participants was 1882, with 351 COVID-19 positive patients (18.7%) and a total number of 117 deaths, with an overall mortality rate of 33.3%. The mortality rate of COVID-19 positive patients varied from 14.8% to 60% and was higher than of those without COVID-19, with OR ranging from 2.424 to 72.00. The inverse variance method showed an OR = 3.652. All studies showed a statistically significant p-value.

Conclusions:

The postoperative mortality in hip fracture patients with concomitant COVID-19 was 3.65 times higher than the mortality in non-COVID patients. The currently available literature demonstrates that COVID-19 infection represents a substantial risk factor for postoperative mortality in the already susceptible hip fracture population.
Protection of the innervation of the tensor fasciae latae in hip direct anterior and anterolateral approaches: a cadaver study
Authors: Korkmaz Ali Can , Gungor Yigit , Tuncay İbrahim , Bozkurt Murat , Acar Halil İbrahim
Published: August 2022

Purpose:

This study aims to reveal the exact course of the superior gluteal nerve (SGN) branch innervating the tensor fascia lata (TFL) and show how it can be protected in the direct anterior approach (DAA) and anterolateral approach (ALA).

Methods:

The anterolateral regions of 22 thighs from formalin-fixed cadavers were dissected. 3 anatomical points were determined. Point A, B, C indicates where the SGN enters the gluteus minimus (GMin) fibres, the SGN leaves the gluteal muscles, the SGN enters the TFL, respectively. Measurements were made on 3 separate lines.

Results:

On the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) and the head of the fibula line (Line 1), the horizontal–vertical distances from point B and C to the ASIS were 7.99 ± 3.65 mm–40.40 ± 11.50 mm and 11.74 ± 6.61 mm–70.35 ± 14.11 mm respectively. The horizontal-vertical distances from point A, B, C to the greater trochanter (GT) were 32.41 ± 9.97 mm–55.28 ± 12.25 mm; 67.70 ± 8.54 mm–17.76 ± 13.57 mm; 63.92 ± 9.96 mm–13.00 ± 7.92 mm on the GT and the head of the fibula line (Line 2), respectively. The horizontal-vertical distances from point A, B, C to the GT were 24.58 ± 9.83 mm–42.54 ± 12.86 mm; 9.45 ± 7.92 mm–36.25 ± 9.06 mm; 26.18 ± 11.12 mm–64.05 ± 11.67 mm on the ASIS and the GT line (Line 3).

Conclusions:

In the DAA, the increased risk of damaging the branch of the SGN that innervates the TFL must be kept in mind. The protection of this branch can be ensured with easy and applicable rules.
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on hemodialysis access thrombosis
Authors: Cho Min S , Javed Zain , Patel Ravi , Karim Muhammad S , Chan Micah R , Astor Brad C , Gardezi Ali I
Published: August 2022

Background:

Delay in care of suspected stenosis or thrombosis can increase the chance of losing a functioning hemodialysis access. Access to care and resources were restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic. To evaluate the impact of the pandemic on arteriovenous fistula (AVF) and arteriovenous graft (AVG) procedures we have assessed the number and success of thrombectomies done before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

We examined all AVF and AVG angiograms with and without interventions, including thrombectomies, performed at a single center during April 2017–March 2021 (pre-COVID-19 era) and April 2020–March 2021 (COVID-19 era).

Results:

The proportion of procedures that were thrombectomies was higher during the COVID-19 era compared to the pre-COVID-19 era (13.3% vs 8.7%, p = 0.009). The proportion of thrombectomy procedures was higher during COVID-19 for AVF (8.2% vs 3.0%, p < 0.001) but there was no difference for AVG (26.5% vs 27%, p = 0.99). There was a trend toward a higher likelihood of unsuccessful thrombectomy during COVID-19 (33.3% vs 20.4%, p = 0.08).

Conclusions:

More dialysis access thromboses and unsuccessful thrombectomies were noted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This difference could be due to a delay in patients getting procedures to maintain their dialysis accesses.
Evaluation and prediction of frictional behavior of AA 2024 based hybrid composites using ANN model
Authors: Jammoria Nitish Singh , Ul Haq Mir Irfan , Raina Ankush
Published: August 2022

The paper investigates the frictional behavior of AA 2024 hybrid aluminum matrix composites reinforced with Zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) and Graphite (Gr). The hybrid composite is fabricated by stir casting technique by using fixed 6 wt. % of ZrO2 and varying 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 wt. % of Gr reinforcement. The test specimens were fabricated in the form of pins to carryout frictional testing by using Pin-on-disc tribometer under dry and lubricated conditions. Tests were conducted at 15 N load corresponding to 2000 m sliding distance and varying sliding speed of 1 m/s, 2 m/s, 3 m/s and 4 m/s. Coefficient of Friction (COF) increased with the increase in sliding speed for both dry and lubricated conditions but hybrid composite with 3.0 and 4.5 wt. % showed a decrease in COF at 4 m/s sliding speed under lubricated conditions. At higher sliding speed, greater amount of frictional heat is developed which leads to the softening of Gr particles and a solid lubricant layer of Gr along with Polyalphaolefin(PAO) oil reduces the metal-to-metal contact and thus reduces the COF. Maximum COF was observed for 1.5 wt. % Gr reinforcement under dry condition whereas under lubricated conditions pure AA 2024 resulted in maximum COF. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) technique was used for predicting the friction behavior and the confirmatory tests were also performed corresponding to sliding speed of 5 m/s. From the investigations it was revealed that the error in predicted and experimental results is in the acceptable range.
‘Exploring strategies of semiotic mediation – Making sense of COVID-19’
Authors: Gamsakhurdia Vladimer Lado
Published: August 2022

Human meaning-making becomes particularly dramatic at times of social or biological calamities. COVID-19 appeared in the winter of 2020 and had an immense catalytic influence on peoples' lives worldwide. New coronavirus was a new object for many people and they needed the challenge to make sense of it. The meaning of new coronavirus influenceed an individual’s self-positioning in relation to the new threat in the context of related developments. This manuscript reveals the diversity in mediating new coronavirus among discussants representing the same ethnocultural community. Taking the perspective of cultural psychology of semiotic dynamics, we assume that people would make sense of the new coronavirus sourcing semiotic resources from the socio-cultural context; however, simultaneously it is argued that there are no hegemonic ways of reacting to COVID-19. Individuals are considered not passive recipients of external guidance but rather proactive agents whose interpretants serve as regulators of internal and hetero dialogues. Through our exploration, we identified the variety of semiotic techniques which are used by individuals whilst making sense of new signs and developments through various ways of their schematisation and pleromatization. The online-ethnographic research approach was taken to explore various forms of COVID-19 mediation.
Autistics working in academia: What are the barriers and facilitators?
Authors: Jones Sandra C
Published: August 2022

Autistic people are under-represented in university student populations, but their numbers are growing, and the barriers to their inclusion are being recognised. Outside of the student body, autistic people in academia are often overlooked, although this is starting to change with the growth in inclusive autism research. However, they remain absent from the academic literature, despite the evident synergies between autistic strengths and academic careers. This study explored the perceptions of 37 autistic academics from various disciplines: what are the positives of working in academia for autistic people, and what are the negatives? Participants reported many positive aspects of an academic career, including the fit with the strengths, characteristics and motivations of autistic people. However, they also noted barriers and challenges – social, environmental and structural – many of which could be addressed by greater awareness and acceptance of autism. Given the considerable benefits that autistic teachers and researchers bring to higher education, there is a clear need for universities and colleges to implement changes to the physical and social environment to make academia more inclusive.

Lay Abstract

Academia appears to provide an ideal career option for autistic people: the opportunity to lock ourselves away in an ivory tower and utilise our extensive knowledge of a very specific topic. We know autistic people are underrepresented in postsecondary education, and there is a growing body of research on how to make universities more inclusive. What is missing from the literature is the voices of autistic people who have survived the university experience and gone on to become university teachers and researchers. Increasing the visibility of autistics in academia, and exploring the barriers and facilitators they experience in an academic career, is important to raise the aspirations of future university students and graduates. This study included 37 autistic academics from various disciplines and countries, exploring their perceptions of the positive and negative aspects of being an autistic in academia.
Lessons from Castoriadis: Downsizing critical theory and defusing the concept of society
Authors: Arnason Johann P.
Published: August 2022

This article discusses successive positions of the Frankfurt School, contrasts them to the unfolding ideas of Castoriadis and argues for a critical theory centred on a concept of autonomy, but aware of the obstacles and complications inherent in social–historical reality and its modern configuration. To clarify this perspective, we need a concept of society that distances itself from the Parsonian paradigm, more so than recent theorists of the Frankfurt School have done. The critique of over-integrated images of society, developed by various sociologists in the 1970s and 1980s but not properly assimilated by the mainstream of the discipline and never taken on board by Frankfurt theorists, is an important source of reference, and it can be taken further in the light of Castoriadis’s reflections on the social–historical. The result is a definition of autonomy as a capacity of explicit and unlimited interrogation, confronted with its own hubristic temptations in the context of a multidimensional social world.
Problematising use conformity in spatial regulation: Religious diversity and mosques out of place in Northeast Italy
Authors: Morpurgo Daniela
Published: August 2022

This paper returns to a classic of planning and questions the inhibiting role that an approach to spatial regulation based on the requirement of use conformance has on the unfolding of (religious) diversity. The urgency to readdress the topic is due to the lack – among literature concerned with the urban effects of migration – of contributes questioning both the legitimacy of the categories used to order space and the very same process of ordering space through categories of uses. To fill this gap, the paper draws from critical legal geography and critical secular scholarships and, examining paradigmatic cases of “mosques out of place” in Veneto (in northeast Italy), shows that discourses over use conformity in spatial regulation need to be drastically re-examined. They, in fact, contribute to normalise sociocultural expectations about religion and space, resulting intrinsically discriminatory.
Meanings of parenting and dis/ability for mothers and fathers with intellectual disabilities in the context of social work in Austria: Potentials of deconstruction for shifts in meaning
Authors: More Rahel
Published: August 2022

This study critically explores the meanings of parenting and dis/ability for mothers and fathers with intellectual disabilities in the context of social work in Austria. The aim was to gain insights into what it means to be a mother/father with intellectual disability in Austria by analyzing how parenting with intellectual disabilities is publicly discussed, how social work professionals perceive supporting parents with intellectual disabilities and how mothers and fathers with intellectual disabilities experience parenthood. The findings reveal that negative understandings of disability collide with notions of responsible parenting. Mothers and fathers with intellectual disabilities were subject to child welfare interventions, experienced discreditation and were perceived as deviant from normal families. Social work professionals aimed to support parents with intellectual disabilities and, at the same time, to normalize them by pursuing their independence from services. The findings also point to systemic challenges for social work, including time and financial constraints and difficulties in cross-service cooperation, due to the division into child welfare and disability services. Conceptualized as a figure that represents de/constructions of parenting and dis/ability on three levels, the study findings reveal opportunities for social work with mothers and fathers with intellectual disabilities to deconstruct long-term support needs as antithesis to hegemonic ideals. In this sense, deconstruction in the context of social work offers potentials for shifts in meaning.
Enhanced hierarchical symbolic sample entropy: Efficient tool for fault diagnosis of rotating machinery
Authors: Wang Shun , Li Yongbo , Si Shubin , Noman Khandaker
Published: August 2022

Intelligent fault diagnosis of rotating machinery is a key topic for industrial equipment maintenance and fault prevention. In this study, an intelligent diagnosis approach of rotating machinery via enhanced hierarchical symbolic sample entropy (EHSSE) is proposed. Firstly, a novel indicator termed symbolic sample entropy (SSE) is proposed for complexity measure and representation of fault information. By using symbolic dynamic filtering, the raw continuous time-series will be discretized into symbolic data, and analysis of symbolic data is less sensitive to measurement noise, resulting in superior robustness. Secondly, SSE is combined with enhanced hierarchical analysis to further extract fault characteristics hidden in both low- and high-frequency components. To study the performance of SSE and EHSSE, multiple simulated signals and experimental studies are constructed and three widely used entropy methods are employed to present a comprehensive comparison. The comparison results show that EHSSE performs best in diagnosing various faults of planetary gearbox and rotor system with highest identification accuracy compared with other entropy-based approaches.
Normalized Theta but Increased Gamma Activity after Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor Treatment in Alzheimer’s Disease: Preliminary qEEG Study
Authors: Fide Ezgi , Yerlikaya Deniz , Öz Didem , Öztura İbrahim , Yener Görsev
Published: August 2022

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChE-I) are the core treatment of mild to severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the efficacy of AChE-I treatment on electroencephalography (EEG) and cognition remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the EEG power and coherence changes, in addition to neuropsychological performance, following a one-year treatment. Nine de-novo AD patients and demographically-matched healthy controls (HC) were included. After baseline assessments, all AD participants started cholinergic therapy. We found that baseline and follow-up gamma power analyzes were similar between groups. Yet, within the AD group after AChE-I intake, individuals with AD displayed higher gamma power compared to their baselines ( P < .039). Also, baseline gamma coherence analysis showed lower values in the AD than in HC ( P < .048), while these differences disappeared with increased gamma values of AD patients at the follow-up. Within the AD group after AChE-I intake, individuals with AD displayed higher theta and alpha coherence compared to their baselines (all, P < .039). These increased results within the AD group may result from a subclinical epileptiform activity. Even though AChE-I is associated with lower mortality, our results showed a significant effect on EEG power yet can increase the subclinical epileptiform activity. It is essential to be conscious of the seizure risk that treatment may cause.
Minimally Invasive Surgical Treatment of Hepatic Hydrothorax Complicated by Empyema: A Case Report
Authors: Jung Yochun , Song Sang Yun , Yun Ju Sik , Na Kook Joo
Published: August 2022

Hepatic hydrothorax complicated by empyema is difficult to manage. A 53-year-old man with liver cirrhosis was admitted for refractory right pleural effusion. He had a pleural catheter inserted 2 months prior. Pleural fluid appeared as exudate, and bacteria were identified in the pleural fluid culture. After confirming full ipsilateral lung expansion, minimally invasive surgery was performed. A diaphragmatic defect found by creating a pneumoperitoneum was closed, followed by talc pleurodesis. Postoperatively, overnight positive-pressure ventilation and 5-day peritoneal drainage were performed; chest tube drainage dramatically reduced over this time. At the 10-month follow-up, no recurrence of pleural effusion or signs of infection were observed.
Snare, stent retriever, and aspiration for a prematurely detached coil during treatment of a reruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm
Authors: Cappuzzo Justin M , Waqas Muhammad , Housley Steven B , Monteiro Andre , Siddiqui Adnan H , Levy Elad I
Published: August 2022

Advanced salvage techniques are an essential tool in the armamentarium of any experienced endovascular surgeon. In this video, we show a patient presenting with rerupture of an anterior communicating artery (ACoA) aneurysm that had been treated with balloon-assisted coiling several months earlier in a ruptured setting. Premature coil detachment occurred during an attempt to coil a new bleb that the aneurysm had developed, and a sequence of salvage maneuvers was performed. An initial attempt to implant that coil failed, and retrieval with a snare unfortunately caused coil fragmentation and occlusion of the anterior cerebral artery (ACA). Further salvage maneuvers required inducing flow-arrest with a balloon-guide catheter, use of a stent-retriever to recanalize the ACA A2 segment, and aspiration to capture a small fragment of coil that was seen at the tip of the balloon guide catheter.
Participating in Research: Experiences of People Presenting to the Emergency Department With Self-Harm or Suicidality
Authors: Xanthopoulou Penny , Ryan Mary , McCabe Rose
Published: August 2022

Research on sensitive topics with vulnerable populations is challenging in terms of ensuring safety and obtaining ethical approval. We explored the experiences of people with self-harm/suicidality who had taken part in research that included being video-recorded. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews took place within 2 weeks of attending the Emergency Department and were thematically analysed. Participating in research when in distress and in a challenging environment was found to be overwhelmingly positive. Participants valued contributing their time and insight, particularly when research was conducted in a skilled and kind manner. They identified personal (e.g., talking as part of the healing process) and wider benefits (e.g., helping to improve services) of participation, which for most, negated the difficulty of discussing highly sensitive topics when in crisis. Despite the potential ‘intrusiveness’ of video-recording, it was found to be acceptable by those who participated in the follow up interviews, a better method for learning and capturing interactions than e.g., questionnaires, and did not impede communication and the disclosure of distress.
Migrating Methods in a Pandemic: Virtual Participatory Video with Migrants in Hong Kong
Authors: Ham Julie , Lin Vivian W , Sunuwar Merina
Published: August 2022

Can methods travel the way migrants do? We reflect on this question through the development of what we call ‘virtual participatory video’ or the delivery of participatory video methods for migrant domestic workers and asylum-seekers in Hong Kong – transnationally, online and over Zoom during the pandemic in 2020. The pandemic realities that we grappled with as migration studies scholars and participatory video practitioners reflect realities that working-class and precarious migrants were routinely required to navigate long before the pandemic (e.g., family separation, restriction of personal mobility, maintaining connection through technology). Therefore, we paid particular attention to the challenges and opportunities posed by virtual participatory video, particularly on resultant changes to attention, creativity, and relationality (core tenets of face-to-face participatory video) when time and space are, by necessity, fragmented. The fragmentation of time and space in virtual participatory video entailed a greater presence of migrant realities and demands into the method itself, perhaps most notably a tangible sense of competing demands that participants were expected to negotiate at any particular moment. Attentiveness to competing demands can be particularly valuable when working with members of communities that may experience varying forms of scarcity in relation to time or space, such as migrant domestic workers or asylum-seekers. Re-thinking fragmentation as part of the texture of virtual participatory video illustrated the durability of creativity when day-to-day realities are permitted to intrude on learning over Zoom.
Risk of Bias in Cluster Randomised Controlled Trials of Individual-Level Interventions: Protocol for a Semi-Structured Interview Study
Authors: Easter Christina , Kristunas Caroline , Hemming Karla , Greenfield Sheila
Published: August 2022

Background

Many cluster randomised trials of individual-level interventions are at risk of bias, mostly due to identification and recruitment biases, which would not feature under individual randomisation. This bias arises when participants are recruited into the trial with knowledge of the treatment arm they’ve been allocated to. These trials are also at risk of other biases including lack of clear documentation of primary outcome and apparent unconcealed randomisation. Many of these other risks are easily surmountable, and might reflect poor reporting rather than poor practice, or signal lack of knowledge.

Objectives

To determine whether investigators are aware of the common sources of risks of bias in cluster trials, and methods to mitigate these risks. We will explore why these biases occur in light of what is known about preventing them and what enables these risks to be mitigated. We will also explore the reasons for adopting cluster randomisation.

Setting

Principal investigators, statisticians and trialists with experience in conducting cluster randomised trials identified via an existing sampling frame of 104 contemporary cluster trials of individual-level interventions.

Methods

A realist approach will be used to underpin this study. We will conduct semi-structured interviews over Zoom to identify the rationale behind using a cluster trial when the intervention is at the level of the individual, and knowledge of the importance of blinding for those identifying and recruiting participants. Data collected from the interviews will be analysed using thematic analysis. Themes within the data will be mainly captured with the research question in mind but will remain flexible.

Anticipated results

We aim to understand the reasons why cluster trials are being conducted when they are at risk of bias. It is hoped that understanding these reasons will provide useful information so future cluster trialists are aware of these risks, and provided with practical solutions.
Using Body-Map Storytelling for Accessing Insights in an Educational Intervention for Food Consciousness
Authors: Leghi Barbara Esteves , Palazzo Carina Carlucci , Magalhães Lilian , Diez-Garcia Rosa Wanda
Published: August 2022

Body-map storytelling (BMST) is a qualitative visual research methodology and has been used to access embodied subjective experiences in different areas of knowledge, with few studies in the field of nutrition. The consciousness of body experiences can decrease vulnerability to environmental stimuli for food consumption, which can be advantageous in contemporary changes with a significant appeal to food overconsumption. This study aimed to present the application of the BMST as an integral part of the Food and Nutrition Education Program with Sensory and Cognitive Exercises (PESC), an intervention designed to promote consciousness of eating experiences, highlighting its potential as a tool for the expression and assessment of perceptions triggered by the intervention. To this end, a theoretical framework, the Triple-Aspect Monism theory of consciousness, and a methodological framework, the manual for the use of BMST in health research, were considered. The adapted BMST application protocol was designed so that BMST could promote the synthesis of intervention activities and their integration with previous eating experiences and fit the intervention structure. 19 adult Brazilian women created individual BMSTs in collaboration with us and recorded narratives. These were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s Reflexive Thematic Analysis, considering messages generated at the end of BMST production. The findings present an overarching theme: Insights about embodied eating experiences and four thematic categories related to eating experiences: Holistic approach, learning, self-evaluation, and applied eating experiences. The application of BMST has been demonstrated as a visual and qualitative research methodology with promising relevance in nutrition studies. This methodology acted as a catalyst for the embodied expression of women’s consciousness of eating experiences related to contemporary food consumption appeals.
A damage-based method to predict crack initiation lifetime of high-strength steel under proportional bending-torsional loadings
Authors: Gao Ganggang , Liu Jianhui , Lu Xuebin , Zhang Rong
Published: August 2022

The fatigue life of specimen consists of crack initiation and crack propagation life. As the fracture toughness of high strength steel is low, the specimen will fail soon once crack appears. Therefore, the crack initiation life of high strength steel is considered to be its whole life. Based on the evolution of material fatigue damage and the critical plane method commonly used in multiaxial fatigue strength theory, a crack initiation life prediction method for multiaxial specimens is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a uniaxial nonlinear fatigue damage evolution equation is proposed based on the principles of thermodynamics and continuous damage mechanics. Then, a theoretical calculation method for determining the critical plane under multiaxial load is proposed, and the specific calculation process is given. After the critical plane is determined, the multiaxial fatigue damage parameter is constructed from the normal strain amplitude and shear strain amplitude on the critical plane, and a multiaxial nonlinear fatigue damage evolution equation is proposed by replacing the uniaxial damage parameter using the multiaxial damage parameter. Finally, the crack initiation life of fatigue specimens is predicted by using the proposed multiaxial nonlinear fatigue damage evolution equation, and the multiaxial fatigue tests of Q690D steel under different bending-torsion ratios and different amplitudes are validated. The comparison results show that the prediction error of the proposed method is within the two-fold dispersion band and better than that of Manson-Coffin method.
Effectiveness of chronic disease self-management education (CDSME) programs to reduce loneliness
Authors: Smith Matthew Lee , Chen Eunice , Lau Christy Ann , Davis Dianne , Simmons June W. , Merianos Ashley L.
Published: August 2022

Objectives

With about half of older adults reporting feelings of loneliness, interventions are needed to improve connectedness among our aging population. The health benefits of Chronic Disease Self-Management Education (CDSME) programs are well documented, but workshops’ ability to reduce loneliness remains unknown.

Methods

Using the Campaign to End Loneliness Measurement Tool, we examined 295 CDSME participants’ loneliness changes before and after the 6-week face-to-face workshops. Statistical analyzes used generalized estimating equations (GEE).

Results

On average, participants were age 74.3(±8.9) years and self-reported 3.3(±2.2) chronic conditions. The majority of participants were female (83%) and attended workshops in English (77%). Significant reductions in loneliness scores were observed from baseline to post-workshop ( p < 0.001).

Discussion

Findings expand our understanding about the benefits of small-group CDSME workshops to reduce loneliness among participants. CDSME workshops may reduce loneliness because of their highly interactive and process-driven format and ability to create bonds between participants with chronic conditions and shared experiences.
Prevalence and determinants of home delivery in urban and rural Philippines: Evidence from the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey
Authors: Amit Arianna Maever L. , Pepito Veincent Christian F. , De los Reyes Sarah J. , Tang Clinton S. , Aliazas Neil Andrew Kiamco , Sumpaico-Tanchanco Lourdes
Published: August 2022

Background:

Women’s choice of place of delivery has implications on maternal and child mortality. This study aims to provide an updated and detailed comparison of prevalence and determinants of home delivery in the Philippines, and in urban and rural communities.

Methods:

Based on data from the 2017 Philippine National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), we estimated the prevalence of home delivery and determined factors influencing women’s decision to deliver at home. Analyses were restricted to data from 7229 women who were cohabiting or married, and their last-born child using logistic regression methods for survey data.

Results:

There remain a considerable proportion of women aged 15–49 years old who delivered at home (17.92% (95% confidence interval (CI): 15.77, 20.30)). More women in rural areas delivered at home (23.53% (95% CI: 20.38, 26.99)) than their counterparts in urban areas (10.72% (95% CI: 8.23, 13.85)), reflecting a significant difference in the home delivery prevalence of women relative to their place of residence. Our regression analyses showed that there is a relatively greater effect observed for the rural population in most of the proximal factors considered including birth order, women’s decision-making power, and emergency preparedness during pregnancy. Wealth index has the most pronounced effect with a significant increase in odds of home delivery among urban and rural women of the lowest wealth categories.

Conclusion:

The use of institutional childbirth services remains suboptimal in the Philippines with significant disparities between urban and rural communities. Current strategies therefore need to adopt a multi-sectoral approach to address the complex factors influencing women’s decision on place of delivery. Targeted efforts specific to population groups should also be made to contextualize and co-create health care services and solutions that will motivate them to deliver in health facilities.
Influence of scaling on match play characteristics in youth tennis: A systematic review
Authors: Chapelle Laurent , Tassignon Bruno , Aerenhouts Dirk , Zinzen Evert
Published: August 2022

Scaled tennis is the downsized version of adult tennis and aims to allow youth players to play a type of tennis that resembles adult tennis. However, since the different scaling conditions (red, orange, lime and green tennis court) were chosen pragmatically it is unclear whether the match play characteristics of scaled tennis resemble those of adult tennis. It is also unclear whether the match play characteristics are comparable between the different scaling conditions (allowing a smooth transition through the scaled courts). Therefore, this systematic review aims to compare match play characteristics in scaled tennis to adult tennis, and to compare match play characteristics across the different scaling conditions. The PubMed, Web of Science and SPORTDiscus (EBSCO) databases were searched until November 2021. The match play characteristics included first serve percentage, percentage of first serve points won, percentage of second serve points won, percentage of total serve points won, number of aces, number of double faults, winners’ percentage, unforced errors percentage, percentage of break points won, rally duration and inter contact time. The systematic search identified 887 records and six studies were included. All included match play characteristics, apart from the percentage of second serve points won and a number of double faults, showed significant differences between scaled tennis and adult tennis. Similarly, all included match play characteristics, except for a number of double faults, showed significant differences between the different scaling conditions. Based on these results, future research is needed to optimise the different scaling conditions in terms of match play characteristics.