bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Central Retinal Vein Occlusion in a 46-Year-Old Man with COVID-19: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Miller Charles G. , Kim Benjamin J.
Published: July 2021

A 46-year-old man with a history of well-controlled hypertension presented with a central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in his right eye, which was complicated by cystoid macular edema. When the patient noted new visual symptoms, he was also experiencing muscle aches and easy fatiguability. A standard hypercoagulability panel failed to identify an etiology for his CRVO. However, the patient underwent COVID-19 antibody testing, which returned positive. The patient received a series of aflibercept injections for his macular edema, and his vision improved. Further study is warranted to determine if there is any association between mild infection with COVID-19 and the development of CRVO.
The Rise of the TROP2-Targeting Agents in NSCLC: New Options on the Horizon
Authors: Ahmed Yasar , Berenguer-Pina Jose Javier , Mahgoub Thamir
Published: July 2021

Background: Lung cancer is the most common thoracic malignancy, representing the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide with a 5-year survival rate of <10%. Summary: The emergence of targeted therapy and immunotherapy has changed the treatment paradigm of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, for those who are not eligible for such therapy or currently have no available standard treatment options, new precision treatment approaches are needed. Human trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is highly expressed on several epithelial tumours including NSCLC. TROP2 is recognized as a promising molecular target for therapeutic development in various types of TROP2-expressing malignancies. As a result, several TROP2-targeted therapeutics have recently been developed for clinical use, such as anti-TROP2 antibodies and TROP2-targeted antibody-drug conjugates. Key Message: This review explores the literature data on the role of TROP2 in cancer development and the potential use of emerging TROP2 antibody-drug conjugates in NSCLC treatment.
Elective Discontinuation of CDK4/6 Inhibitors in Patients with Metastatic Hormone Receptor-Positive, Her-2-Negative Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Single-Center Experience
Authors: Decker Thomas , Seifert Robert , Bichler Matthias , Birtel Andrea , Fischer Gerhard , Nonnenbroich Christoph , Dechow Tobias
Published: July 2021

Introduction: Cyclin-dependent 4/6 kinase (CDK4/6) inhibitors given with endocrine therapy until disease progression are standard of care in the treatment of women with advanced HR-positive Her-2-negative breast cancer. No data are available if therapy can be safely de-escalated to endocrine monotherapy in patients with long-lasting disease control. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis on the clinical course of 22 patients at our center who received CDK4/6 inhibitors with aromatase inhibitors or fulvestrant. All patients had at least stable disease for >6 months and made a joint decision with their provider to electively discontinue CDK4/6 inhibitors. Best objective response (BOR) at treatment discontinuation, progression-free survival, and re-treatment characteristics were recorded. Results: Of 138 patients who received CDK4/6 inhibitors as first- or second-line therapy at our center, 22 met the inclusion criteria. Median duration of CDK4/6 treatment was 18 months (range 6–45). BOR was complete response in 1, partial response in 8, and stable disease in 13 patients. After a median duration of endocrine monotherapy of 9.5 months (range 5–44 months), 6 of 22 patients had progressive disease (1 local relapse and 5 systemic progression). All patients with disease progression had at least stable disease to chemotherapy (N = 1) or re-treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors (N = 4). Conclusion: Elective discontinuation of CDK4/6 inhibitors is feasible in patients with long-lasting disease stabilization. This strategy should be evaluated in prospective trials.
Granting the future? The temporality of cash transfers in the South African Countryside
Authors: Dubbeld Bernard
Published: July 2021

In the past five years, anthropologists from the global South have come to consider public cash transfer programs as an alternative to both work-centered policies and national development projects. These studies suggest that grants today go beyond the domain of traditional social policies and government bureaucracy and point to a new future in view of the scarcity of work. This future has become even closer with the pandemic of COVID-19, and with governments, non-governmental entities and the political left reaffirming the importance of a basic universal income. Considering these discussions, my article focuses on an income transfer program in South Africa after the Apartheid period, placing an ethnographic account in relation to the design of a 'progressive' policy of social grants. I present a longer history of salaried work in relation to rural African households and show how the emancipatory promises of cash transfer projects were read as a risk to local traditions and morals. In addition to this reduction in political hopes invested in transfers, I examine the temporal aspect of cash transfers, as well as the possible futures they evoke.  By considering the futures that grants enable, I conclude by suggesting that it is premature to affirm that they have overcome wage work and its attendant sociality.
Ritual, emoções e engajamento militante: a produção em ato da mística na romaria dos mártires da floresta em Nova Ipixuna/PA
Authors: Rolemberg Igor
Published: July 2021

Todos os anos, na região do sudeste do estado do Pará, atores engajados na mobilização social em torno da reforma agrária e da defesa da floresta participam de uma romaria em memória de duas lideranças assassinadas em um assentamento agroextrativista. Trata-se de um momento de produção intensa de emoções que compõem junto com outros elementos a mística, termo local que, em sua acepção ampla, significa a motivação de agir para o engajamento militante. Busco descrever os agenciamentos operados durante o ritual (dispositivo de sensibilização) que permitem a emergência e a circulação de emoções, tais como indignação, revolta, alegria, comunhão, esperança, e sua incidência para renovar o engajamento na comunidade instaurada pela mobilização. O material empírico advém de uma etnografia que realizo desde 2014 sobre o trabalho militante da Comissão Pastoral da Terra na região.
Pneumoconioses: estudo descritivo de aspectos epidemiológicos nas notificações registradas no Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN), no Estado de São Paulo, no período 2017-2019
Authors: Feijó Camila de Aquino , Martin Ana Cristina Antunes , Pustiglione Marcelo , Santos Simone Alves dos
Published: July 2021

Introdução: As pneumoconioses correspondem a um grupo de doenças causadas pela inalação e acúmulo de poeira nos pulmões relacionado ao ambiente de trabalho. No âmbito mundial, o número de casos desta patologia aumentou em 66,0% de 1990 a 2017. Objetivo: Descrever dados epidemiológicos notificados e relacionados ao acometimento dos trabalhadores por pneumoconioses, no período de 2017 a 2019, no estado de São Paulo. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo que aborda informações sociodemográficas e profissionais dos casos de pneumoconioses notificados no estado entre 2017 a 2019. Os dados foram coletados no Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação. Resultados: Houve 721 notificações de pneumoconiose, com uma média de 240 casos/ano. A doença foi mais frequente em homens de 50 a 64 anos. Quanto à situação no mercado de trabalho, 73,6% dos casos ocorreram em trabalhadores registrados. A ocupação mais frequente foi servente de obras; já o ramo de atividade econômica foi o de fabricação de artefatos de concreto, cimento, fibrocimento, gesso e estuque. Entre os agentes causadores, o asbesto predominou (77,3%), seguido da sílica e da poeira mista. A maioria dos tratamentos ocorreu em regime ambulatorial, mas foram os hospitais e Centros de Referência em Saúde do Trabalhador os maiores notificadores. Considerando os Grupos de Vigilância Epidemiológica de São Paulo, observou-se o predomínio de Santo André, região com 480 notificações no período estudado. Conclusão: São necessários esforços na conscientização da importância da notificação para a construção e implantação de linha de cuidado que contemple as peculiaridades desta grave doença ocupacional.
Anatomical Characteristics of the Left Atrium and Left Atrial Appendage in Relation to the Risk of Stroke in Patients With Versus Without Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Smit Jeff M. , Simon Judit , El Mahdiui Mohammed , Szaraz Lili , van Rosendael Philippe J. , Kolassváry Márton , Szilveszter Balint , Delgado Victoria , Merkely Béla , Maurovich-Horvat Pál , Bax Jeroen J.
Published: July 2021

Background:

The left atrial appendage (LAA) has been regarded as an important source of cardiac thrombus formation and appears important in the contribution to thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between LAA morphology and previous stroke or transient ischemic attack in 2 large and distinct patient cohorts with and without known AF.

Methods:

The study population consisted of patients with and without drug-refractory AF who underwent computed tomography before transcatheter AF ablation or clinically indicated for suspected coronary artery disease. The computed tomography data were used for volumetric assessment of the left atrium and LAA and to determine LAA morphology. The LAA was classified by 3 readers in consensus as chicken wing, swan, cauliflower, or windsock, based on predefined morphology classification criteria.

Results:

In total, 1813 patients (mean age 59±11 years, 42% female) who underwent computed tomography were included in this analysis (908 patients with AF and 905 patients without known AF). Swan LAA morphology was independently associated with prior stroke/transient ischemic attack in the overall study population (odds ratio, 3.40,
P
<0.001), and in patients with (odds ratio, 2.88,
P
=0.012) and without known AF (odds ratio, 3.96,
P
=0.011).

Conclusions:

Swan morphology of the LAA is independently associated with prior stroke or transient ischemic attack in patients with known AF, as well as in patients not previously diagnosed with AF.
Effects of Empagliflozin on Myocardial Flow Reserve in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The SIMPLE Trial
Authors: Jürgens Mikkel , Schou Morten , Hasbak Philip , Kjær Andreas , Wolsk Emil , Zerahn Bo , Wiberg Mikkel , Brandt‐Jacobsen Niels H. , Gæde Peter , Rossing Peter , Faber Jens , Inzucchi Silvio E. , Gustafsson Finn , Kistorp Caroline
Published: July 2021

Background

Sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors reduce hospitalizations for heart failure and cardiovascular death, although the underlying mechanisms have not been resolved. The SIMPLE trial (The Effects of Empagliflozin on Myocardial Flow Reserve in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus) investigated the effects of empagliflozin on myocardial flow reserve (MFR) reflecting microvascular perfusion, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at high cardiovascular disease risk.

Methods and Results

We randomized 90 patients to either empagliflozin 25 mg once daily or placebo for 13 weeks, as add‐on to standard therapy. The primary outcome was change in MFR at week 13, quantified by Rubidium‐82 positron emission tomography/computed tomography. The secondary key outcomes were changes in resting rate‐pressure product adjusted MFR, changes to myocardial flow during rest and stress, and reversible cardiac ischemia. Mean baseline MFR was 2.21 (95% CI, 2.08–2.35). There was no change from baseline in MFR at week 13 in either the empagliflozin: 0.01 (95% CI, −0.18 to 0.21) or placebo groups: 0.06 (95% CI, −0.15 to 0.27), with no treatment effect −0.05 (95% CI, −0.33 to 0.23). No effects on the secondary outcome parameters by Rubidium‐82 positron emission tomography/computed tomography was observed. Treatment with empagliflozin reduced hemoglobin A
1c
by 0.76% (95% CI, 1.0–0.5;
P
<0.001) and increased hematocrit by 1.69% (95% CI, 0.7–2.6;
P
<0.001).

Conclusions

Empagliflozin did not improve MFR among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and high cardiovascular disease risk. The present study does not support that short‐term improvement in MFR explains the reduction in cardiovascular events observed in the outcome trials.

Registration

URL:
https://clinicaltrialsregister.eu/
; Unique identifier: 2016‐003743‐10.
Few-Shot Learning in Spiking Neural Networks by Multi-Timescale Optimization
Authors: Jiang Runhao , Zhang Jie , Yan Rui , Tang Huajin
Published: July 2021

Learning new concepts rapidly from a few examples is an open issue in spike-based machine learning. This few-shot learning imposes substantial challenges to the current learning methodologies of spiking neuron networks (SNNs) due to the lack of task-related priori knowledge. The recent learning-to-learn (L2L) approach allows SNNs to acquire priori knowledge through example-level learning and task-level optimization. However, existing L2L-based frameworks do not target the neural dynamics (i.e., neuronal and synaptic parameter changes) on different timescales. This diversity of temporal dynamics is an important attribute in spike-based learning, which facilitates the networks to rapidly acquire knowledge from very few examples and gradually integrate this knowledge. In this work, we consider the neural dynamics on various timescales and provide a multi-timescale optimization (MTSO) framework for SNNs. This framework introduces an adaptive-gated LSTM to accommodate two different timescales of neural dynamics: short-term learning and long-term evolution. Short-term learning is a fast knowledge acquisition process achieved by a novel surrogate gradient online learning (SGOL) algorithm, where the LSTM guides gradient updating of SNN on a short timescale through an adaptive learning rate and weight decay gating. The long-term evolution aims to slowly integrate acquired knowledge and form a priori, which can be achieved by optimizing the LSTM guidance process to tune SNN parameters on a long timescale. Experimental results demonstrate that the collaborative optimization of multi-timescale neural dynamics can make SNNs achieve promising performance for the few-shot learning tasks.
Tracking Fast and Slow Changes in Synaptic Weights from Simultaneously Observed Pre- and Postsynaptic Spiking
Authors: Wei Ganchao , Stevenson Ian H.
Published: July 2021

Synapses change on multiple timescales, ranging from milliseconds to minutes, due to a combination of both short- and long-term plasticity. Here we develop an extension of the common generalized linear model to infer both short- and long-term changes in the coupling between a pre- and postsynaptic neuron based on observed spiking activity. We model short-term synaptic plasticity using additive effects that depend on the presynaptic spike timing, and we model long-term changes in both synaptic weight and baseline firing rate using point process adaptive smoothing. Using simulations, we first show that this model can accurately recover time-varying synaptic weights (1) for both depressing and facilitating synapses, (2) with a variety of long-term changes (including realistic changes, such as due to STDP), (3) with a range of pre and postsynaptic firing rates, and (4) for both excitatory and inhibitory synapses. We then apply our model to two experimentally recorded putative synaptic connections. We find that simultaneously tracking fast changes in synaptic weights, slow changes in synaptic weights, and unexplained variations in baseline firing is essential. Omitting any one of these factors can lead to spurious inferences for the others. Altogether, this model provides a flexible framework for tracking short- and long-term variation in spike transmission.
Verhinderte Liebende
Authors: Gunreben Marie
Published: July 2021

This article examines the reception of Heliodor’s Aethiopica in German novels around 1700. The ‘Heliodor model’ proves to be remarkably persistent, as the form’s specific affordances offer an attractive variety of possible uses. At the same time, writers stick to the legitimized form of the novel for reasons of genre politics. In analyzing Eberhard W. Happel’s Afrikanischer Tarnolast (1689) and August Bohse’s Letztes Liebes- und Heldengedichte (1706), the article shows how these exemplary novels transform the ‘Heliodor model’ in idiosyncratic ways, and argues that these transformations aim at exploring and expanding the potential of literary characters.
‘On a mission’: Christian Youth Workers in Australia in the 1960s–1970s
Authors: Fagg David
Published: July 2021

The historical intertwining of youth work and Christianity is well-recognised, especially in the United Kingdom and in the early establishment of youth work in Australia. However, Australian youth work underwent significant changes from the 1960s to late 1970s. This article uses a representative case study approach to illuminate how Christian youth workers were active in this transitional time. It finds that Christian youth work efforts in this time (1) both entrenched youth ministry as a serious pursuit in Australia, and created space for Christian work in secular settings, thus (2) contributing to a divide between church-based youth ministry and secular youth work. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for contemporary youth ministry, and concludes by proposing areas for further research.
Stachys semsurensis (Lamiaceae), a new species from Adıyaman province (Turkey) belonging to section Infrarosularis
Authors: FIRAT MEHMET
Published: July 2021

A new species, Stachys semsurensis (sect. Infrarosularis), is described and illustrated from Adıyaman province, Turkey. From the morphological point of view, it appears to be similar to Stachys cataonica, but it differs in several morphological features including densely covered with short stalked to subsessile glandular hairs in flowering stems, verticillasters congested into ± globose head, calyx teeth lanceolate-subulate, corolla white, tube exserted and nutlets obovoid, greyish-brown, reticulate. A comprehensive description of the new species is provided, including detailed photographs, geographical distribution map, habitat structure and ecology, vernacular name and IUCN conservation status.
Chaetopsina aquatica sp. nov. (Hypocreales, Nectriaceae) from the River Nile, Egypt
Authors: BAKHIT MAHMOUD S. , ABDEL-AZIZ AHMED E.
Published: July 2021

A new species, Chaetopsina aquatica, collected from the River Nile, Sohag, Egypt, is described and illustrated. Phylogenetic analyses of the combined ITS and LSU rDNA placed the new species within Chaetopsina as a phylogenetically distinct species. Chaetopsina aquatica formed a basal clade to a node containing C. aurantisalinicola and C. penicillata. The new species is characterized by its longer conidia (20–35.2 × 5–8.5 μm on natural substrate, 27.5–41.5 × 5–7 μm in culture) than those reported in Chaetopsina species.
New findings of Neonothopanus (Marasmiaceae, Basidiomycota) from Ghana
Authors: HU JIA-JUN , LI YU , LI XIAO , FREDERICK SOSSAH LEO , ZHANG BO
Published: July 2021

Specimens of Neonothopanus were collected from Ghana and examined morphologically, and molecularly using the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) and nuclear large subunit ribosomal (nrLSU) regions. Three species were recognized viz., Neonothopanus cystidiosus, a new species, Neonothopanus cystidiosus, a new record for Ghana, and Neonothopanus hygrophanus, a species already known from Ghana. Neonothopanus cystidiosus is characterized by brown spots visible on the surface of pileus when mature and the presence of clavate to cylindrical pleurocystidia. Phylogenetic trees constructed using Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood analyses confirmed the results of the morphological study. Descriptions of all three species are presented with molecular work, along with a key to the known species of Neonothopanus. The addition of a new species provides a new perspective on the heterogeneity of Neonothopanus and contributes to increasing knowledge of the fungal diversity of Ghana.
Contribution to the taxonomy and distribution of Aciculidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda) in Albania and the surroundings
Authors: LIKA ROMILDA , DELI TAMÁS , PAPARISTO ANILA , ERŐSS ZOLTÁN P. , FEHÉR ZOLTÁN
Published: July 2021

Reviewing historical and recently collected material of family Aciculidae from Albania and the neighbouring region, we synonymized two species and one subspecies, namely Platyla corpulenta Subai, 2009 under Platyla procax Boeters, E. Gittenberger & Subai, 1989; Platyla ceraunorum A. Reischütz, N. Steiner-Reischütz & P. L. Reischütz, 2016 under Platyla similis (Reinhardt, 1880) and Renea kobelti albanica Boeters, E. Gittenberger & Subai, 1989 under Renea kobelti (A. J. Wagner,1910). Four aciculid species are first mentioned for Albania: Platyla similis and Platyla procax that replace their junior synonyms; and Platyla feheri Subai, 2009 and Platyla gracilis (Clessin, 1877) that are new to the country. Furthermore, new distribution data are provided for Platyla albanica Subai, 2012, Platyla banatica (Rossmässler, 1842), Platyla wilhelmi (A. J. Wagner, 1910) and Renea kobelti (A. J. Wagner, 1910).

In the light of new distribution data, their conservation statuses according to IUCN criteria are assessed at the national level and, when necessary, are re-assessed at global level.
A new species of Tinna (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) from Nigeria
Authors: FENT MERAL , DURSUN AHMET
Published: July 2021

Tinna schoenitzeri sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae: Leistarchini) is described from Nigeria. Digital macrophotographs and scanning electron micrographs of the new species are given.
Two Urgency Categories, Same Outcome: No Difference After “Therapeutic” vs. “Prophylactic” Fasciotomy
Authors: Moran Benjamin J. , Quintana Megan T. , Michael Scalea Thomas , DuBose Joseph , Feliciano David V.
Published: July 2021

Objectives

Fasciotomy to treat or prevent compartment syndromes in patients with truncal or peripheral arterial injuries is a valuable adjunct. The objective of this study was to document the current incidence, indications, and outcomes of below knee fasciotomy in patients with femoropopliteal arterial injuries.

Methods

The PROspective Observational Vascular Injury Treatment registry of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma was utilized to identify patients undergoing two-incision four-compartment fasciotomy of the leg after repair of a femoropopliteal arterial injury. Outcomes after therapeutic versus prophylactic (surgeon label) fasciotomy were compared as was the technique of closure, that is, primary skin closure or application of a split-thickness skin graft (STSG).

Results

From 2013 to 2018, fasciotomy was performed in 158 patients overall, including 95.6% (151/158) at the initial operation. In the group of 139 patients who survived to discharge, fasciotomies were labeled as therapeutic in 58.3% (81/139) and prophylactic in 41.7% (58/139). There were no significant differences between the therapeutic and prophylactic groups in amputation rates (14.8% vs. 8.6%, P = .919). Primary skin closure was achieved at a median of 5.0 days vs. 11.0 days for STSG ( P = .001).

Conclusions

Over 55% of patients undergoing repair of an injury to a femoral or popliteal artery have a fasciotomy performed at the same operation. A “therapeutic” indication for fasciotomy continues to be more common than “prophylactic,” while outcomes are identical in both groups.
Strategic State Capacity: How States Counter Opposition to Climate Policy
Authors: Meckling Jonas , Nahm Jonas
Published: July 2021

When can states implement policies against the opposition from powerful interest groups? Research on state capacity has examined bureaucratic sources of capacity, leaving unexplained why countries with similar levels of bureaucratic capacity vary in goal attainment. We introduce the notion of strategic state capacity to explain this puzzle. It refers to the ability of the state to mobilize or demobilize interest groups in pursuit of policy goals. We identify four general types of strategies states use to counter opposition: recruiting allies, aligning interests, limiting access, and quieting interests. We examine these in cases on climate and clean energy policymaking in California, France, Germany, and the United States. Climate politics is an increasingly important field of distributive politics with powerful opposition from interest groups. The concept of strategic state capacity complements bureaucratic notions of capacity to show how the state actively organizes its relations with interest groups to advance policy goals.
Dynamic Communication Quantification Model for Measuring Information Management During Mass-Casualty Incident Simulations
Authors: Perry Omer , Jaffe Eli , Bitan Yuval
Published: July 2021

Objective

To develop a new model to quantify information management dynamically and to identify factors that lead to information gaps.

Background

Information management is a core task for emergency medical service (EMS) team leaders during the prehospital phase of a mass-casualty incident (MCI). Lessons learned from past MCIs indicate that poor information management can lead to increased mortality. Various instruments are used to evaluate information management during MCI training simulations, but the challenge of measuring and improving team leaders’ abilities to manage information remains.

Method

The Dynamic Communication Quantification (DCQ) model was developed based on the knowledge representation typology. Using multi point-of-view synchronized video, the model quantifies and visualizes information management. It was applied to six MCI simulations between 2014 and 2019, to identify factors that led to information gaps, and compared with other evaluation methods.

Results

Out of the three methods applied, only the DCQ model revealed two factors that led to information gaps: first, consolidation of numerous casualties from different areas, and second, tracking of casualty arrivals to the medical treatment area and departures from the MCI site.

Conclusion

The DCQ model allows information management to be objectively quantified. Thus, it reveals a new layer of knowledge, presenting information gaps during an MCI. Because the model is applicable to all MCI team leaders, it can make MCI simulations more effective.

Application

This DCQ model quantifies information management dynamically during MCI training simulations.
A modified version of MATLAB application window for predicting the weld bead profile and stress–strain plot of AA5052 CMT weldment using ER4043
Authors: Girinath B , Shanmugam N Siva
Published: July 2021

The present study deals with the extended version of our previous research work. In this article, for predicting the entire weld bead geometry and engineering stress–strain curve of the cold metal transfer (CMT) weldment, a MATLAB based application window (second version) is developed with certain modifications. In the first version, for predicting the entire weld bead geometry, apart from weld bead characteristics, x and y coordinates (24 from each) of the extracted points are considered. Finally, in the first version, 53 output values (five for weld bead characteristics and 48 for x and y coordinates) are predicted using both multiple regression analysis (MRA) and adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) technique to get an idea related to the complete weld bead geometry without performing the actual welding process. The obtained weld bead shapes using both the techniques are compared with the experimentally obtained bead shapes. Based on the results obtained from the first version and the knowledge acquired from literature, the complete shape of weld bead obtained using ANFIS is in good agreement with the experimentally obtained weld bead shape. This motivated us to adopt a hybrid technique known as ANFIS (combined artificial neural network and fuzzy features) alone in this paper for predicting the weld bead shape and engineering stress–strain curve of the welded joint. In the present study, an attempt is made to evaluate the accuracy of the prediction when the number of trials is reduced to half and increasing the number of data points from the macrograph to twice. Complete weld bead geometry and the engineering stress–strain curves were predicted against the input welding parameters (welding current and welding speed), fed by the user in the MATLAB application window. Finally, the entire weld bead geometries were predicted by both the first and the second version are compared and validated with the experimentally obtained weld bead shapes. The similar procedure was followed for predicting the engineering stress–strain curve to compare with experimental outcomes.
Duties to refugees, the reluctance of governments, and social science: a Christian perspective
Authors: Young Alistair
Published: July 2021

Recent theological discussion of immigration issues, while acknowledging the scriptural mandate of hospitality to migrants, also recognizes that host governments have a duty to protect their borders against those who might cause harm to their citizens. Looking in particular at the special case of refugees, I argue that government policy in many rich European countries, including the UK, falls well short of the hospitality requirement while greatly exaggerating the possibility of harm. I suggest that social science findings on the impact of immigration on host communities provide helpful background for politically engaged Christians who seek to call their governments to account.
Health System Governance for the Integration of Mental Health Services into Primary Health Care in the Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia Region: A Systematic Review
Authors: Abd Rahim Arifah , Abdul Manaf Rosliza , Juni Muhammad Hanafiah , Ibrahim Normala
Published: July 2021

Governance has been highlighted as an important building block underpinning the process of mental health integration into primary healthcare. This qualitative systematic review aims to identify the governance issues faced by countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia Region in the implementation of integrated primary mental healthcare. PRISMA guideline was used to conduct a systematic search of relevant studies from 4 online databases that were filtered according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) Qualitative Checklist, a quality appraisal of the selected articles was performed. By drawing upon institutional theory, data was extracted based on a pre-constructed matrix. The CERQual approach synthesized evidence and rank confidence level as low, moderate or high for 5 key findings. From 567 references identified, a total of 8 studies were included. Respondents were policymakers or implementers involved in integrated primary mental healthcare from the national, state, and district level. Overall, the main governance issues identified were a lack of leadership and mental health prioritization; inadequate financing and human resource capacity; and negative mental health perceptions/attitudes. The implication of the findings is that such issues must be addressed for long-term health system performance. This can also improve policymaking for better integration of primary mental health services into the health systems of countries in the Sub-Saharan and South Asia region.
Designing a Pragmatic Intervention to Help Improve the Bladder Cancer Patient Experience
Authors: Bessa Agustina , Bosco Cecilia , Cahill Fidelma , Russell Beth , Fox Louis , Moss Charlotte , Wylie Harriet , Haire Anna , Green Saran , Enting Deborah , Khan Shamim , Nair Rajesh , Thurairaja Ramesh , Chatterton Kathryn , Amery Suzanne , Peat Nicola , Smith Sue , Spear Stuart , Bryan Richard T , Frodsham Leila , Burke Danny , Rigby Jeannie , Makaroff Lydia , Kelly Phil , Costin Melanie , Häggström Christel , Van Hemelrijck Mieke
Published: July 2021

Bladder cancer (BC) is the 10th most common malignancy worldwide and the patient experience is found to be worse than that for patients diagnosed with other cancer types. We aimed to develop a wellbeing intervention to help improve the bladder cancer patient experience by ameliorating their health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL). We followed the 3 phases of the modified Medical Research Council (MRC) Framework for development of complex interventions. Following a systematic review of the literature on mental, sexual, and physical wellbeing, we conducted discussion groups with patients and healthcare professionals on these 3 themes. A consultation phase was then conducted with all relevant stakeholders to co-design a wellbeing intervention as part of a feasibility study. A pragmatic wellbeing feasibility trial was designed based on the hypothesis that a wellbeing program will increase patient awareness and attendance to services available to them and will better support their needs to improve HRQoL. The primary feasibility endpoints are patient attendance to the services offered and changes in HRQoL. The principle of patient centered care has strengthened the commitment to provide a holistic approach to support BC patients. In this study, we developed a wellbeing intervention in collaboration with patients and healthcare professionals to meet an unmet need in terms of the BC patient experience.
Expanding the Task-Dominant Value Cocreation Narrative: The Role of Consumer Expertise and Social and Mental Processes
Authors: Eletxigerra Ainhize , Barrutia Jose M. , Echebarria Carmen
Published: July 2021

This research proposes an integral model of cocreation processes before, during, and after a trip affecting customer value and anteceded by tourist expertise. Beyond prevailing task-related (coproduction) processes and the more recently contemplated social processes, we consider mental cocreation using the concept of mental time travel (forward and backward). Findings from 428 tourist responses reveal the great potential of these novel cocreation forms, showing that imagining a forthcoming trip and remembering the travel afterwards are important affective value drivers, as is interacting with locals and employees. Overall, these play a more prominent role than task-related processes. Likewise, we found that tourist expertise is a major antecedent of cocreation and precursor of value. Managers could encourage tourist cocreation by applying customer education strategies, stimulating activities with high community contact, and using virtual tools to intensify thoughts and memories of past and future travel experiences. Technology may be key in achieving this.
Possessing Drugs, Possessing Rights: Harm Reduction and Drug Policy Reform in Argentina
Authors: Harris Shana
Published: July 2021

Argentina’s national drug law, Law 23.737, has been in effect since 1989. Based on prohibitionist drug policy, this law was intended to severely punish drug traffickers and protect the public from drug use-related health concerns. However, it has failed to achieve these goals, and instead targets people who use drugs (PWUD) and brands them “criminals.” In response, the Argentine government announced its intent to reform Law 23.737 in 2008, sparking widespread debate among health, legal, and social service professionals. This article discusses this debate from the perspective of harm reductionists, those who work to reduce the negative effects of drug use rather than eliminate drug use or ensure abstinence. Drawing on archival research and 16 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Argentina, this article examines the positionality of harm reductionists in this drug policy reform, particularly the controversial proposal to decriminalize drug possession for personal use. Demonstrating their contention that Argentina’s legal apparatus is a major contributor to PWUD’s discrimination, stigmatization, and isolation from health and social services, I argue that challenging these problems through policy engagement allows Argentine harm reductionists to draw attention to the broader question of PWUD’s rights and to ultimately recast PWUD as rights-bearing citizens.
Complicating Entanglements: Societal Factors Intruding in the Ghana Armed Forces’ Civil–Military Relations
Authors: Agyekum Humphrey A.
Published: July 2021

Scholarly debates on civil–military relations often focus on how the military impacts society. Adding to the vast literature of civil–military relations, this article examines how socio-cultural practices and societal developments in the host society affect the military. Based on long-term ethnographic engagement with the Ghana Armed Forces, the piece presents empirical observations of how culturally informed practices, such as begging via proxies ( djuan toa), infiltrate the Ghanaian military barracks and affect the institutions’ functioning. The article illustrates how two additional elements, skewed recruitment practices and the politicisation of the rank and file, are used as tools by political factions, such as Ghana’s two most prominent parties (the New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress), seeking to gain control over the Ghanaian military. The article analyses how these approaches contribute to undermining the armed forces’ discipline and military professionalism and consequently affect the military institution as a whole.
Vibration control of network-based offshore structures subject to earthquakes
Authors: Feng Hua-Nv , Zhang Bao-Lin , Zhao Yan-Dong , Ma Hui , Su Hao , Li Juan
Published: July 2021

Marine structures are inevitably influenced by parametric perturbations as well as multiple external loadings. Among these loadings, earthquake is generally more destructive and unpredictable than others. It is significant to develop effective active control schemes to guarantee the safety, stability, and integrity of marine structures subject to earthquakes and parametric perturbations. In this paper, the problem of networked [Formula: see text] robust damping control is addressed to stabilize a marine structure subject to earthquakes. First, in consideration of perturbations of the structure parameters, an uncertain model of the networked marine structure under earthquakes is presented. Second, a robust networked [Formula: see text] control scheme is presented to suppress seismic responses of the structure. By using stability theory of time-delay systems, several sufficient conditions on robust stability of the networked marine structure system are obtained, and the linear matrix inequality methods are utilized to solve the gain matrix of the controller. Finally, simulation indicates that compared with the traditional robust [Formula: see text] control and the proposed networked [Formula: see text] control, the seismic responses amplitudes of the marine structure under the two controllers are almost the same, while the latter is more economic than the former.
The INfoMATAS project: Methods for assessing cerebral autoregulation in stroke
Authors: Simpson David M , Payne Stephen J , Panerai Ronney B
Published: July 2021

Cerebral autoregulation refers to the physiological mechanism that aims to maintain blood flow to the brain approximately constant when blood pressure changes. Impairment of this protective mechanism has been linked to a number of serious clinical conditions, including carotid stenosis, head trauma, subarachnoid haemorrhage and stroke. While the concept and experimental evidence is well established, methods for the assessment of autoregulation in individual patients remains an open challenge, with no gold-standard having emerged. In the current review paper, we will outline some of the basic concepts of autoregulation, as a foundation for experimental protocols and signal analysis methods used to extract indexes of cerebral autoregulation. Measurement methods for blood flow and pressure are discussed, followed by an outline of signal pre-processing steps. An outline of the data analysis methods is then provided, linking the different approaches through their underlying principles and rationale. The methods cover correlation based approaches (e.g. Mx) through Transfer Function Analysis to non-linear, multivariate and time-variant approaches. Challenges in choosing which method may be ‘best’ and some directions for ongoing and future research conclude this work.
Do quality of life, anxiety, depression and acceptance improve after interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation? A multicentre matched control study of acceptance and commitment therapy-based versus cognitive–behavioural therapy-based programmes
Authors: Rivano Fischer Marcelo , Schult Marie-Louise , Löfgren Monika , Stålnacke Britt-Marie
Published: July 2021

Objective

Interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation (IPR) usually employs a cognitive–behavioural therapeutic (CBT) approach. However, there is growing support for chronic pain treatments based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Most studies of ACT and CBT for chronic pain have evaluated their effects after psychological interventions, not after IPR. We compared the results of an ACT-based IPR programme with two CBT-based IPR programmes.

Methods

We used a retrospective multicentre pretest–posttest design with matched patient groups at three centres. Data were collected from the Swedish Quality Registry for Pain Rehabilitation before and after IPR participation. Participants completed the EQ-5D health-related quality of life questionnaire, the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire, (CPAQ) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Analyses were performed to compare the effects of the different interventions.

Results

Neither EQ-5D nor HADS depression scores were affected by the psychological approach used. The score changes on both CPAQ subscales (activity engagement and pain willingness) indicated significant improvements between admission and discharge at all centres.

Conclusions

These findings indicate the effectiveness of using psychological approaches to manage chronic pain. Both CBT and ACT had a beneficial effect on most of the assessed health-related parameters.
Assessment of Operational Effectiveness of SynchroGreen Adaptive Signal Control System in South Carolina
Authors: Jin Weimin , Salek M Sabbir , Chowdhury Mashrur , Torkjazi Mohammad , Huynh Nathan , Gerard Patrick
Published: July 2021

An adaptive signal control system (ASCS) can adjust signal timings in real time based on traffic demands. The operational benefits of ASCS vary depending on the type of ASCS, corridor characteristics, and geographical area. This paper evaluates the operational performance of 11 ASCS corridors located throughout South Carolina. These corridors are operated using SynchroGreen, one of several types of ASCS, developed by TrafficWare. Based on the operational analysis, it is found that when SynchroGreen is operational, it reduces the travel time on the corridor by an average of 6.4% and improves travel time reliability by an average of 31.4% compared with when the conventional traffic signal control system (e.g., pre-timed and actuated signal control) is operational. SynchroGreen reduces travel time on a corridor on average 61% of the time during a day and on average 77% of the time during peak periods. Additionally, SynchroGreen improves travel time reliability on average 53% of the time during a day and on average 52% of the time during peak periods. The operational effectiveness of SynchroGreen in reducing travel time and improving travel time reliability is consistent in both directions on an hourly basis for eight corridors and five corridors, respectively. Lastly, SynchroGreen is found to produce greater operational benefits by reducing travel time if the average speed of a corridor is lower than or equal to 35 mph and the number of signals on a corridor is more than 10.
Optimizing Budget Allocation for Incentive-Based Active Travel Demand Management Solutions
Authors: Xiao Lin , Wu Jiyan , Tian Ye , Sun Jian , Lei Chen , Fang Yiduo
Published: July 2021

Incentive-based travel demand management (IBTDM) strategies utilize rewards to redistribute travel demand across space and time. Such congestion-alleviation solutions are usually managed by small private companies with constraint budgets. Aside from spending money on incentives, running promotional campaigns to achieve the gains in market share is essential for maintaining the financial health of IBTDM programs. Therefore, the budget allocation between the two counterparts—incentive and marketing expenditure—needs to be wisely determined. Based on the bottleneck model, this paper proposes an optimal budget allocation scheme considering the impact of a budget constraint and market penetration. It was found that the constraint budget should be prioritized to attract those with lower marketing costs in general. In situations with an insufficient budget and when marketing costs were lower for attracting lower-income individuals, IBTDM decision-makers should focus on those lower-income individuals at first. This mitigates inequity issues to some extent. Therefore, policy makers or planners should pay more attention to marketing cost when developing a marketing plan and try to reduce marketing cost to make full use of incentive budget.
Hans Blumenberg on the rigorism of truth and the strangeness of the past
Authors: Kent James
Published: July 2021

In this paper I discuss Hans Blumenberg’s The Rigorism of Truth, a short polemic that criticizes Freud and Hannah Arendt for placing (what he considers) a misplaced faith in the liberatory potential of rational truth in moments of historical disaster. The secondary literature suggests that this piece exhibits either all the signs of a late, Romantic capitulation to the ‘need’ for myth, or Blumenberg’s failure to recognize his own faith and debts to the ‘mythology’ of reason’s emancipatory hopes. My argument hinges on the claim that these readings put undue emphasis on the philosophical anthropology component of Blumenberg’s work. Instead, I offer a new reading of the essay, in keeping with an alternative reading of his theory of myth. The essay transforms, then, from a polemic regarding the need for myth, into a nuanced description of the ways in which we can overestimate our capacity to overcome it.
Whistleblowing as a Career Crisis: Recovering from Retaliatory Job Loss through a Process of Bifurcation
Authors: Hennequin Emilie
Published: July 2021

Although whistleblowing is presented as an ethical action, the fate of the employee who has blown the whistle is often marked by reprisals, such as job loss. The literature has so far shown little interest in the whistleblower’s subsequent career. This article investigates how retaliatory job loss impacts his or her career path and the process for re-integrating into the labour market. Based on 11 career narratives focused on the professional experience of French whistleblowers, this article shows that they faced a bifurcation that can be schematized in six stages (event, moratorium, reassessment, job search, insertion, stabilization) as their emotions and actions change over time. As with any job loss, individuals face psychological difficulties associated with the grievance, but this article also highlights specificities, particularly in terms of isolation, reputation and trust in the business world. Their presence threatening the dominant norms, whistleblowers face contradictions and need the support of the social and institutional environment for their professional reintegration.