bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Combination of terminal sliding mode and finite-time state-dependent Riccati equation: Flapping-wing flying robot control
Authors: Nekoo Saeed Rafee , Acosta JoséÁngel , Ollero Anibal
Published: December 2022

A novel terminal sliding mode control is introduced to control a class of nonlinear uncertain systems in finite time. Having command on the definition of the final time as an input control parameter is the goal of this work. Terminal sliding mode control is naturally a finite-time controller though the time cannot be set as input, and the convergence time is not exactly known to the user before execution of the control loop. The sliding surface of the introduced controller is equipped with a finite-time gain that finishes the control task in the desired predefined time. The gain is found by partitioning the state-dependent differential Riccati equation gain, then arranging the sub-blocks in a symmetric positive-definite structure. The state-dependent differential Riccati equation is a nonlinear optimal controller with a final boundary condition that penalizes the states at the final time. This guides the states to the desired condition by imposing extra force on the input control law. Here the gain is removed from standard state-dependent differential Riccati equation control law (partitioned and made symmetric positive-definite) and inserted into the nonlinear sliding surface to present a novel finite-time terminal sliding mode control. The stability of the proposed terminal sliding mode control is guaranteed by the definition of the adaptive gain of terminal sliding mode control, which is limited by the Lyapunov stability condition. The proposed approach was validated and compared with state-dependent differential Riccati equation and conventional terminal sliding mode control as independent controllers, applied on a van der Pol oscillator. The capability of the proposed approach of controlling complex systems was checked by simulating a flapping-wing flying robot. The flapping-wing flying robot possesses a highly nonlinear model with uncertainty and disturbance caused by flapping. The flight assumptions also limit the input law significantly. The proposed terminal sliding mode control successfully controlled the illustrative example and flapping-wing flying robot model and has been compared with state-dependent differential Riccati equation and conventional terminal sliding mode control.
Overexpression of lncRNA A2M-AS1 inhibits cell growth and aggressiveness via regulating the miR-587/bone morphogenetic protein 3 axis in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Guo Hongfei , Li Tao , Peng Chunlei , Mao Qinghua , Shen Biao , Shi Minxin , Lu Haimin , Xiao Ting , Yang Aimin , Liu Yupeng
Published: December 2022

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a malignant tumor that occurs in the lungs. Numerous reports have substantiated the participation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the tumorigenesis of LUAD. Previously, lncRNA alpha-2-macroglobulin antisense RNA 1 (A2M-AS1) was confirmed to be an important regulator in the biological processes of LUAD and dysregulation of A2M-AS1 was associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression. However, the precise mechanism of A2M-AS1 in LUAD has not been elucidated. Therefore, our study was designed to investigate the detailed molecular mechanism of A2M-AS1 in LUAD. Herein, the expression of lncRNA A2M-AS1, microRNA (miRNA) miR-587, and bone morphogenetic protein 3 (BMP3) in LUAD cell lines and tissues were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blotting. The viability, proliferation, migration and invasion of LUAD cells were tested by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation and Transwell assays. In vivo tumor growth was investigated by xenograft animal experiment. Interactions among A2M-AS1, miR-587 and BMP3 were measured by RNA pulldown and luciferase reporter assays. In this study, A2M-AS1 was downregulated in LUAD tissues and cells and related to poor prognosis in LUAD patients. A2M-AS1 overexpression suppressed LUAD cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, A2M-AS1 directly bound with miR-587 to promote BMP3 expression in LUAD cells. Low expression of BMP3 was found in LUAD tissues and cells and was closely correlated with poor prognosis in LUAD patients. BMP3 deficiency reserved the inhibitory influence of A2M-AS1 overexpression on LUAD cell behaviors. Overall, A2M-AS1 inhibits cell growth and aggressiveness via regulating the miR-587/BMP3 axis in LUAD.
Pulmonary involvement: A potential independent factor for quality of life in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Osman Haidy M , Abdel-Nasser Ahmed M , Kasem Ahmed H , Elameen Nadia F , Omar Gihan M
Published: December 2022

Background

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multi-systemic autoimmune disease. SLE patients may experience a wide range of physical, psychological, and social perception of well-being influenced by the patient illness that are not always fully captured by descriptions of the disease’s physiological consequences alone. Nowadays, patients with SLE have a better survival than decades ago, nevertheless still experience a low health related quality of life (HRQoL). Assessing disease activity in SLE is crucial to the physician as it forms the basis for treatment decisions, moreover careful evaluation for respiratory involvement should be routinely considered. More chronic lung disease related to SLE can have a significant negative effect on patient well-being and physical performance status and are detrimental to quality of life.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate quality of life changes in SLE patients using Lupus QoL scale, assessing their correlation with different disease aspects particularly pulmonary manifestations and predictors for worse QoL.

Materials and methods

Total of 60 SLE patients, who fulfilled the 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) criteria, were enrolled in this study. Disease activity was measured by systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) and quality of life was assessed by Lupus QoL. Pulmonary evaluation included pulmonary function tests parameters (PFTs), mMRC dyspnea scale, HRCT score, and pulmonary damage index.

Results

Lupus QoL had a strong significant correlations with PFTs FEV1, FVC, and DLCO (r = 0.79, 0.78, 0.76, p < .001), respectively}, while Lupus QoL had strong negative correlations with both mMRC dyspnea scale and HRCT score (r = −0.96, −0.85, p < .001), respectively, and moderate negative correlation with neuropsychiatric lupus (NPSLE) (r = −0.61, p < .001). Weak negative correlations were found between Lupus QoL, photosensitivity, alopecia, Raynaud’s and renal affection (r = −0.29, −0.30, −0.30, 0.38, p = .03, .02, .02, .002), respectively. NPSLE and pulmonary involvement were the most consistent predictors of low HRQoL [contributing 36% and 18% of the variance of Lupus QoL], respectively.

Conclusion

Lupus QoL is negatively correlated with different SLE clinical parameters particularly pulmonary manifestations. Neuropsychiatric, pulmonary, renal affection, and SLEDAI are the best determinants for worse Lupus QoL.
‘My body is my piece of land’: Indebted deportation among undocumented migrant sex workers from Thailand and Nigeria in Europe
Authors: Plambech Sine
Published: December 2022

Set at the intersection of debt and deportability, this article analyses how undocumented migrant sex workers in Europe navigate deportability and its effects. While sex trafficking into the EU has received mounting attention as part of global migration dynamics, the role of debt in the lives of migrant women has been overlooked. The migrant women in this study arrive in Europe heavily indebted after traveling through the Sahara Desert and across the Mediterranean, or via migration facilitators in Southeast Asia, to find work in the European sex industry. Their deportation might therefore entail returning to their home countries still indebted. The article draws on long-term ethnographic fieldwork in the home areas of two of the largest groups of undocumented migrant sex workers in Europe –Thailand’s Isaan province and Benin City in Nigeria’s Edo State – where women’s migration has become a familiar social phenomenon. Moving away from either a criminalizing or a victimizing framework for understanding sex-work migration, I argue for the concept of ‘indentured sex-work migration’ as a meaningful corrective to the narrative on sex trafficking and that the situation of ‘indebted deportation’ need to be better understood within the study of contemporary border control and security.
Ethnic Differences in Social Support for Elderly Individuals in Rural Southern China: A Cross-sectional Survey
Authors: Liu Lu , Yang Yixing , Zhao Yuan , Zhang Tai
Published: December 2022

This study investigated ethnic differences in social support received by the rural elderly population and the effect of ethnic culture, socioeconomic status, and contextual variables on their social support. We determined social support received by 6451 elderly individuals from the rural Guangxi region. Children and spouses represented the most important sources of social support for this population. The Jing and Zhuang, and the Yao and Dong ethnic groups received the maximum and minimum support from the children, respectively. The overall mean social support score was 35.5, and the Jing had the highest and the Maonan had the lowest score. Amid the variation in social support received by different ethnic groups, contextual effects on social support received at the household level are more important than those at the village level among rural elderly individuals. Modern Chinese society should try to narrow the social gap.
Evaluation of consultation liaison psychiatry in Australian public hospitals (AU-CLS-1)
Authors: Flavel Mary-Jo , Holmes Alex , Ellen Steve , Khanna Rahul
Published: December 2022

Objective

This study aimed to determine whether consultation liaison psychiatric service (CLS) staffing within Australian public hospitals meet national and international minimum staffing standards.

Method

Semi structured interviews were conducted with CLS Directors across Australia from August to December 2021. Data were collected on demographics, staffing, funding, hospital size and admissions.

Results

The majority of services did not meet minimum standards for CLS staffing. Non-medical staff outnumbered medical staff with increasing rurality. Psych-oncology CLS had the greatest resources, skill mix and service breadth.

Conclusion

Although CLS are heterogeneous, most services are inadequately resourced to provide baseline specialist mental health care in Australian hospitals. Establishing national minimum standards for CLS staffing will facilitate uniform service development and quality care provision.
Childhood Traumatic Experiences and Happiness of Nursing Students: A Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Söyünmez Selin , Seki Öz Hilal
Published: December 2022

The aim of this study was to examine the childhood trauma experiences and current happiness levels of nursing students. The quantitative part of the study was carried out with 349 student nurses and the qualitative part with 25 student nurses. An explanatory-sequential mixed methods design was used. Data were collected using Demographic Information Form, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, Oxford Happiness Questionnaire-Short Form and semi-structured Interview Form between November 2020 and September 2021. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics with the SAS 9.4 package program. Transcribed qualitative data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six stage thematic analysis approach, and this was performed with the MAXQDA 2020 package program. In the quantitative section, it was determined that as the participants’ childhood traumatic experiences increased, their happiness levels decreased. In the qualitative section six themes were formed (Childhood Trauma, Effects of Childhood Trauma, Coping with Childhood Trauma, Growing Up After Trauma, Perceptions of Future Parenting, Empowerment Through Nursing Education). It was determined that participants had various childhood traumatic experiences and mostly been exposed to emotional neglect. Some of the participants' childhood traumas continued to affect them in adulthood, and nursing education contributed to coping with trauma and raising awareness about it.
Growing Coronary Aneurysm Secondary to Coronary Fistula Despite Decreased Pulmonary Blood Flow/Systemic Blood Flow Ratio in a Child: A Case Report
Authors: Kusano Nobuyoshi , Marutani Satoshi , Ishimaru Kazuhiko , Sato Takao , Sugimoto Keisuke , Inamura Noboru
Published: December 2022

Coronary aneurysm secondary to coronary fistula is a rare condition, with no existing report on its pathological examination. We report the case of a patient diagnosed with a right coronary artery fistula with coronary aneurysm during the fetal period. During follow-up after delivery, the aneurysm became larger, even though the shunt size decreased. We were afraid the aneurysm would rupture and therefore, planned elective catheter embolization. At the age of 4 years, the patient underwent surgery, which involved closing the fistula and making the lumen of the aneurysm smaller. However, the surgery was not catheter embolization as planned because segment 3 branched off from the largest aneurysm where we planned to embolize. Pathologically, the structure of the coronary artery differed from that of a healthy one, with thickened intima and media, fewer scattered smooth muscle cells, widely distributed elastic fibers, and mucoid degeneration in the media. The structure of the coronary artery suggested that the vessel wall was weak and that the aneurysm would rupture if not treated. Postoperative coronary angiography showed that segment 2 was obstructed, while the collaterals from the left coronary artery perfused the area. We could have treated the fistula with a catheter as scheduled.
Law Enforcement-Based Outreach and Treatment Referral as a Response to Opioid Misuse: Assessing Reductions in Overdoses and Costs
Authors: Donnelly Ellen A. , O’Connell Daniel J. , Stenger Madeline , Arnold Jessica , Gavnik Adam
Published: December 2022

To reduce opioid-involved overdoses, law enforcement agencies have taken proactive steps to connect people to treatment and supportive services. This study evaluates the impact of a law enforcement-based outreach and treatment referral program known as Hero Help on the incidence and costs of overdoses occurring in the jurisdiction of Delaware’s New Castle County Division of Police (NCCPD). It first compares observed and predicted fatal and nonfatal overdoses between 2013 and 2021. A time series analysis shows an average decrease of 7.25 nonfatal and 1.85 fatal overdoses per month since the program’s two expansions of its civilian care team. It then adapts Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health care cost data to estimate the cost reductions of fewer overdoses. These metrics suggest Hero Help saved the community $21.5 million per month. Police departments can then reduce the incidence and economic burden of overdoses through outreach and referrals to treatment.
The imperative to develop health literacy: An ethical evaluation of HealthLit4Kids
Authors: Otten Claire Emma , Moltow David , Kemp Nenagh , Nash Rose Enid
Published: December 2022

An imperative exists to promote health literacy (HL) development in today’s young people. Included in curricula worldwide, health literacy has been recognised as a social determinant in its own right, which has the potential to redress inequity and positively impact health and educational outcomes. While it has been shown that schools provide an ideal setting to support HL development, available evidence suggests that health may be undertaught in primary schools, and further resources are required to support educators’ inclusion of HL in their lessons. The aims of this paper were to (1) highlight the ethical imperative to promote HL through schools and (2) provide an ethical evaluation of an existing HL intervention. Spike’s (2018) four principles for public health ethics were employed as a framework for evaluating a program’s ethical status and suitability in the school setting. In this paper, one program, HealthLit4Kids, is evaluated according to Spike’s framework, and shown to be an ethically acceptable approach to foster HL in young people. These results model how other HL programs may be evaluated and offer critical insights concerning how HL could be promoted in an ethically acceptable manner in the classroom.
Analyzing the motion of a forced oscillating system on the verge of resonance
Authors: Ghanem Sewalem , Amer Tarek S , Amer Wael S , Elnaggar Shimaa , Galal Abdallah A
Published: December 2022

In this paper, a nonlinear vibrating dynamical system of two degrees-of-freedom is examined. By virtue of the generalized coordinates, the controlling system of motion is constructed using Lagrange’s equations. Among other perturbation approaches, the technique of multiple scales (TMS) is utilized to get the required solutions analytically of this system till the third approximation. These solutions allow us to discuss the system’s behavior and realize both the solvability requirements and the modulation equations in the context of the system’s resonance scenarios. The resonance curves and solution diagrams are drawn to demonstrate the influence of the various parameters of the behavior of the considered system. The stability and instability of the gained possible fixed points are examined. The used method is considered traditional, but it is applied to a certain specified model. Therefore, the obtained outcomes are considered novel. The importance of this work is represented in its various applications in practical life, such as the motion of railway vehicles, for transporting goods in ports, and for facilitating the movement of passengers’ baggage at airports.
Future citizens between interest and ability: A systematic literature review of the naturalization and crimmigration scholarship
Authors: Bliersbach Hannah
Published: December 2022

The determinants of whether or not an immigrant seeks to become a citizen are still largely invisible to scholars; as are the decisions made during the naturalization process by street-level bureaucrats. Research on the acquisition of citizenship has incorporated a number of determinants of naturalization outcomes over the past decades, but lacks the contextualization of immigration law in its relation to criminal law. This systematic literature review of the 140 most-cited papers across the naturalization and crimmigration literatures seeks to construct a theoretical bridge between the disciplines in an effort to illuminate the blind spots challenging naturalization scholarship. I argue that the inclusion of crimmigration as a factor impacting naturalization is essential for scholarship in order to accurately use citizenship policies as an indicator of a state’s overall approach to immigration - particularly regarding residence requirements. The conceptual utilization of crimmigration in the context of citizenship acquisition offers new insights into the underexplored relationship between citizenship policy and the individual migrant, potentially uncovering some of the factors hindering immigrants’ ability to seek formal membership. Evidence within recent crimmigration scholarship points towards the role played by racialization within the functioning of a crimmigration system. This paper reviews the prominent streams of both strands of literature first utilizing a bibliometric analysis of the respective citation networks and second, diving into the substantial developments and parallels in naturalization and crimmigration research.
Students’ experiences of internationalised MSc programmes in Denmark
Authors: Eiras Paola RS
Published: December 2022

It is often assumed that the simple presence of international students and ubiquitous use of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) are the main agents of internationalisation of higher education (HE), whereby English equals international education and inbound student mobility equals increased internationalisation. While there are perceived benefits of these two instruments at the institutional and national levels, students’ experiences of internationalisation in a Danish context are under-explored. Using a digital ethnographic enquiry, empirical evidence draws on 126 hours of observation of online teaching and 38 semi-structured interviews with domestic and international students of MSc programmes in Denmark. This article contends that the meaning of internationalisation and self-perceived gains are experienced differently between Danish and international students. The disconnect between discourses and actual experiences of internationalisation reported in this paper highlights the need for further student-centred research to inform institutional policies and practices, challenging long-held views of what ‘international’ means. Internationalisation practices that foster international spaces in which diverse groups of students can engage in meaningful interactions require those working in HE to realign institutional activities with humanistic values for the common good.
Leading schools during the COVID-19 school closures in Estonia and Finland
Authors: Ahtiainen Raisa , Eisenschmidt Eve , Heikonen Lauri , Meristo Merilyn
Published: December 2022

We examined practices and experiences of leadership during the COVID-19 school closures in 2020 by analyzing Estonian ( N = 219) and Finnish ( N = 775) school leaders’ responses to open-ended questions in an electronic survey. In the analysis we used five categories drawn from the data: Making decisions, Re-organizing schoolwork, Communication, Giving support, and Self. The findings show leaders stressing especially the themes of within school communication and giving support both at emotional-level and in the use of technology in teaching. The findings signal a leadership approach composed of care and empathy. Moreover, within the category Self, the leader’s ability to lead themselves and manage stress were extensively brought out. We provide four messages reflecting leadership during times of both turbulence and tranquility. For example, a leader’s knowledge about pedagogy prepares the ground for meaningful reorganization of teaching and learning. Also, attention should be paid to locally established structures for collaboration across schools as they support leaders’ work.
Reaction Media: Archeology of an Intermedium
Authors: Bliss Lauren , Nansen Bjørn
Published: December 2022

This paper unearths the archeology of reaction media across cinema, television and the Internet. We show how reaction content exists in high and low modes, tracing their reoccurrence and remediation from art-house and horror in cinema, to television soap opera, to animated GIFS, and YouTube compilations. Because reactions can be readily repackaged and resourced, we argue that they are a form of inter-media; operating in-between media text and media reception; in-between narrative and sensation; in-between authenticity and performativity; and in-between entertainment and resource. Reaction media are a form of sensory media with material properties. The textual and aesthetic richness of reaction content informs their persistent function, allowing for generative repurposing by internet users as a form of cultural expression and also operating as a rich resource of content able to be repackaged by professional content creators for producing economic value.
Search Engines and Free Speech: A Historical Analysis of Editorial Analogies and the Position of Media Companies and Users in US Free Speech Discourse
Authors: Petersen Jennifer
Published: December 2022

This article analyzes current debates over search engine regulation and free speech. In these debates, Google and other companies have relied on the “editorial analogy”: that search results are equivalent to editorial decisions, and thus cannot be regulated without violating freedom of speech. These debates largely focus on analogies to earlier media or the nature of algorithmic judgment. The paper argues that this framing misses key issues relevant to how we think about search engines (and algorithmic decisions in general) and freedom of speech. The paper examines the free speech debates that surrounded media in the 1930s and 1940s in order to: (1) clarify the stakes and politics of the editorial analogy being used today; (2) offer an alternate framing of the debate, that highlights conflicts of expressive interest and asks what it means to participate in the public sphere under conditions of rapid technological and political economic transition.
Screening for Physical Activity Levels in Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Surgery: An Observational Study
Authors: Magno Stefano , Rossi Maria Maddalena , Filippone Alessio , Rossi Cristina , Guarino Donatella , Maggiore Claudia , Di Micco Annalisa , Dilucca Maddalena , Masetti Riccardo
Published: December 2022

Background:

Physical activity (PA) can play a role in lowering the risk of breast cancer (BC), but also in reducing perioperative complications and treatments related side effects, improving the quality of life and decreasing mortality in BC survivors. PA and nutritional screening are not offered to patients after cancer diagnosis as standard of care, even in high quality breast units.

Methods:

From February 2019 to March 2020, we performed a preoperative physical and nutritional screening in 504 consecutive BC patients waiting for surgery. The screening included an IPAQ questionnaire to evaluate the level of physical activity; nutritional screening with measurement of anthropometric parameters (weight, height, waist and hips circumference, BMI, and waist hip ratio) and evaluation of body composition using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA).

Results:

The majority of patients in our series resulted physically inactive: clustering the IPAQ scores, 47% of patients proved to be physically inactive (MET score <700), 34% moderately active (MET score 700-2520), and only 19% physically active (MET score > 2520). In addition, approximately half of the patients (49.01%) resulted overweight or obese, and more than half (55.2%) had a percentage of fatty tissue over the recommended cut off for adult women.

Conclusions:

Our data confirm that assessment of PA levels should become part of the standard preoperative evaluation of BC patients and behavioral interventions should be offered to them, in order to pre-habilitate for surgery and improve outcomes. IPAQ Questionnaire and body composition analysis could be quick and easy screening tools in order to identify which patients may need more support in being active during and after anticancer treatments.
Anti-inflammatory effects of 9-cis-retinoic acid on β-amyloid treated human microglial cells
Authors: Sanjay  , Kim Jae Young
Published: December 2022

Objective: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that abolishes cognitive and analytical abilities to perform basic day-to-day tasks. Microglia are involved in AD-associated neuroinflammation in response to amyloid β‐peptide (Aβ). This study focused on observing the immunomodulatory effects of 9-cis-retinoic acid (9-Cis-RA) the active metabolite of vitamin A, on Aβ-treated human microglial HMO6 cells.

Methods: HMO6 cells were treated with Aβ42 in the absence or presence of 9-cis-RA, and the expression of M1-and M2-associated molecules, Toll like receptors (TLRs), and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) were examined.

Results: The levels of M1-markers [cluster of differentiation (CD86) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)] and -cytokines [tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β], inflammatory receptors (TLR2 and TLR4), and reactive oxygen species increased significantly in Aβ-treated HMO6 cells. In contrast, the levels of M2-markers (CD206 and arginase-1) and -cytokines (IL-10, IL-4, and C-C motif chemokine ligand 17) the anti-inflammatory receptor TLR10 was significantly suppressed. However, 9-cis-RA treatment reversed the Aβ-induced upregulation of expression of M1-associated molecules and upregulated the expression of M2-associated molecules. Moreover, 9-cis-RA treatment augmented Aβ uptake by HMO6 cells, possibly by increasing the cell surface protein levels of TREM2, which is a receptor of Aβ that promotes Aβ phagocytosis by microglia.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that 9-cis-RA is a potential therapeutic agent for AD.
Risk factors related to early neurological deterioration in lacunar stroke and its influence on functional outcome
Authors: Tan Changhong , Zhao Lili , Dai Chengcheng , Liang Yi , Liu Hang , Zhong Yuke , Liu Guohui , Mo Lijuan , Den Fen , Liu Xi , Chen Lifen
Published: December 2022

Objective:

To identify risk factors for early neurological deterioration (END) in acute lacunar stroke patients and its influence on functional outcome.

Methods:

Consecutive acute lacunar stroke patients defined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between January 2018 and June 2020 were included in the study. END was defined as any persisting increase in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of ⩾ 2 points post admission, and favorable outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 0–2 at discharge. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were performed to identify risk factors related to END, as well as the influence of END on functional outcome.

Results:

Among a total of 638 lacunar stroke patients (420 males (65.8%), median age 66 years (interquartile range (IQR): 56–74)), 108 (16.9%) developed END, and 94.4% (102/108) of the END occurred within 72 h post admission. Admission NIHSS score (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.132, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.046–1.225, p = 0.002), female (aOR 2.752, 95% CI 1.277–5.933, p = 0.010), admission systolic blood pressure (SBP) (160–179 mm Hg) (aOR 9.395, 95% CI 4.310–20.479, p < 0.001) and admission SBP (⩾180 mm Hg) (aOR 16.030, 95% CI 5.991–42.891, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with END. Delay time from onset to admission (aOR 0.995, 95% CI 0.990–1.000, p = 0.031), SBP dropping (⩾20 mm Hg) within 3 days or when END occurred (aOR 0.037, 95% CI 0.016–0.086, p < 0.001) and thalamic lacunar infarction (aOR 0.098, 95% CI 0.012–0.827, p = 0.033) were inversely associated with END. END (aOR 12.374, 95% CI 6.881–22.254, p < 0.001) and higher admission NIHSS score (aOR 1.488, 95% CI 1.359–1.629, p < 0.001) predicted unfavorable outcome at discharge.

Conclusion:

END in lacunar stroke patients is common and is associated with unfavorable outcome. Admission high SBP is a potentially modifiable risk factor for prevention of END, but this needs further investigation.
Encountering the Civil Sphere Through Cinema: The Cinematic Gap as a Pathway to Civil Evaluation and Repair
Authors: Dong Jessie
Published: December 2022

Despite being one of the most influential forms of media, cinema has yet to be theorized as a communicative institution of the civil sphere. Contrary to commonsense understandings of cinema as a medium for purifying representations of civil sphere ideals, this paper proposes a theoretical framework that opens up the black box of cinematic performance and theorizes processes of civil interpretation and evaluation: the cinematic gap. The cinematic gap describes an experiential space afforded by the medium’s fictional nature. Because cinema is ‘just fiction’, viewers are distanced from the ‘real civil sphere’ and permitted a space for thoughtful rumination on a cinematic performance’s presentation of civil sphere matters that is less reductive, more thoughtful, and more empathetic. As viewers can then apply these insights on the real civil sphere, the cinematic gap provides a space for thoughtful civil engagement and pathways to civil repair. This paper also identifies components of the cinematic gap which determine its ‘size’ – i.e., degree of distancing from the real civil sphere – as genre treatment and grounding in social reality. This theory is generated from responses to the 2019 Korean film Parasite, a highly successful black comedy-thriller that deploys and subverts commentary on class inequality.
Beginning at the Beginning: Towards a Trans-actional Music Sociology
Authors: Rimmer Mark
Published: December 2022

Music sociology has proven a fertile arena for the study and theorization of object–subject interaction, with the work of scholars such as Tia DeNora and Antoine Hennion marking its key contribution to the ‘new sociology of art’. Recent years have, however, witnessed no little debate amongst music sociologists about the broader purchase and value of such scholarship, especially considering its apparent challenge to Bourdieu’s critical cultural sociology. This article seeks to contribute to debates in this area by advocating a novel approach to questions about music’s relation to the social, one that seeks less to map the social distribution of taste profiles or explore how listeners make use of music’s affordances than understand the variable ways in which music emerges as something to be attended to (or not) in the first place. Drawing on recent work in relational sociology, the mature philosophy of pragmatist John Dewey as well as new materialist thought, this article explores the potential of a trans-actional prospectus for music sociology. This is an approach that advocates a ‘flat’ social ontology in order to focus on questions about the constitution and configuration of musical events. In so doing, the article argues that if we are to gain a better understanding of music’s varied relation to the social, it is necessary to transcend the residual substantialism implicit in ‘new sociology’ and mediation-focused accounts and adopt an approach capable of integrating concerns of object-ness, emergence and attention with questions of power and inequality.
Collaboration to Meet the Need for Sports Physicals in Diverse, Low-Income Children in a Rural Community
Authors: Burton Mat , Betts Kelly , Aguirre Trina
Published: December 2022

Rural and minority populations often experience disparities in health care, which can include access to timely and affordable school sports physicals. To address this challenge and encourage an active lifestyle, faculty at a rural campus of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing collaborated with local school nurses to initiate an innovative free sports/school physicals program. During the first 3 years of the program, 186 mostly middle and high school students received free physicals. Physicals included a medical history; assessment of students’ vision, height, weight, body composition, blood pressure, and glucose level; a physical exam; and referral for follow-up care when appropriate. This article shares results of the program including the concerning findings of the percentage of participating students with overweight/obesity and hypertension. Overall, families have expressed appreciation for the program. Holding the event after school and into the evening enables families with working parents to participate, and providing services without cost relieves the financial burden for those with lower incomes. This collaborative, free sports physicals program demonstrates one approach to improve health care access and equity that can be expanded to other communities.
Safety, adherence and efficacy of PCSK9 inhibitors: a retrospective real-world study
Authors: Chng Bee Ling Kelly , Heng Wei Min Paul , Soon Yu Ming , Hon Jin Shing , Lau Yee How , Tan Ru San , Tan Jack Wei Chieh
Published: December 2022

Introduction

PCSK9 inhibitors demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and cardiovascular events in landmark trials. It remains unclear whether the results can be translated to Asian populations. This study was designed to assess the real-world safety, adherence and efficacy of PCSK9 inhibitors.

Methods

A retrospective review for patients newly initiated on PCSK9 inhibitors between 1st June 2017 and 31st July 2021 was conducted in a tertiary cardiology centre. Patients aged ≥ 21 years with a minimum one-month follow-up were included. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs), drug discontinuation, adherence patterns and efficacy between evolocumab and alirocumab groups were compared. Multivariable and propensity score adjusted Cox regression analyses were applied to analyse the outcomes.

Results

Of 87 patients screened, 80 (51 evolocumab; 29 alirocumab) were included. There were no significant differences between evolocumab and alirocumab groups in ADRs (11.8% vs 3.4%, adjusted HR, 2.97; 95% CI, 0.34 – 25.89 in multivariable analysis; adjusted HR, 3.24; 95% CI, 0.38–27.69 after propensity score adjustment) and discontinuation rates (27.5% vs 34.5%, adjusted HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.40–2.02 in multivariable analysis; adjusted HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.39–1.99 after propensity score adjustment). High medication cost was the main reason for discontinuation. One-third of patients had inadequate adherence to PCSK9 inhibitors. Both groups showed significant reductions of LDL-C compared to baseline.

Conclusions

PCSK9 inhibitors are efficacious, safe and well tolerated. Further studies are warranted to examine the cost-effectiveness of PCSK9 inhibitors to rationalise their sustainable use for cardiovascular prevention.
New Models for Collaborative Consumption: The Role of Consumer Attitudes Among Millennials
Authors: García-Rodríguez Francisco J. , Gutiérrez-Taño Desiderio , Ruiz-Rosa Inés , Baute-Díaz Nisamar
Published: December 2022

In recent years, the phenomenon of the sharing economy has emerged strongly as a system of exchange and consumption of goods and services among individuals, mainly through digital platforms. The development of information and communication technologies and the need for a new consumption and ownership culture have been the driving forces behind this economy. However, there has been little research into people’s motivations to participate in collaborative consumption, especially among young people, who are most likely to use such a consumption model. Therefore, this paper develops an explanatory model, based on self-determination theory, to understand the motivations to participate in the sharing economy of young people, who make up the millennial generation. The model was tested using a sample of 272 people in this population segment, who expressed an interest in this type of consumption. The results confirm that participation in collaborative consumption is motivated by factors such as sustainability, enjoyment of the activity, and economic benefits.
‘Since Having a Child, I Finally Feel Like an Adult’: Exploring Intersections of Contemporary Transitions-To-Motherhood and Transitions-To-Adulthood
Authors: Pustulka Paula
Published: December 2022

The paper investigates intersections between two biographical processes, namely the transitions-to-motherhood and transitions-to-adulthood. Considering the research focused on transitions in the modern world, the paper looks at how transitions-to-motherhood are narrated in relation to both the general life situation and ‘objective’ adulthood markers, and the subjective understandings of whether one feels ‘like an adult’. Drawing on a qualitative longitudinal study (QLS) of becoming a mother in contemporary Poland, the paper explores three types of transitional sequences. The typology includes scheduled, detoured and accidental transitions-to-motherhood, conceptualized through the lens of broader chronologies of reaching adulthood. By leveraging a temporal lens enabled by QLS, the paper offers a new perspective on the marker of parenthood as the feature of contemporary transitions-to-adulthood.
Anticipating Transitions in Mental Health in At-Risk Youths: A 6-Month Daily Diary Study Into Early-Warning Signals
Authors: Schreuder Marieke J. , Hartman Catharina A. , Groen Robin N. , Smit Arnout C. , Wichers Marieke , Wigman Johanna T. W.
Published: December 2022

If psychopathology behaves like a complex dynamic system, sudden onset or worsening of symptoms may be preceded by early-warning signals (EWSs). EWSs could thus reflect personalized warning signals for impending psychopathology. We empirically investigated this hypothesis in at-risk youths ( N = 122, mean age = 23.6 ± 0.7 years, 57% males) from the clinical cohort of Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS-CC), who provided daily emotion assessments for 6 months. We analyzed whether EWSs (rising autocorrelations and standard deviations in emotions) preceded transitions toward psychopathology. Across indicators and a range of analytical options, EWSs had low sensitivity ( M = 26%, SD = 11%) and moderate specificity ( M = 75%, SD = 14%). Thus, in the present sample, the proposed generic nature and clinical utility of EWSs could not be substantiated. Given this finding, we call for a more nuanced view on the application of complex-dynamic-systems principles to psychopathology and lay out key questions to be addressed in the future.
Examining Blunted Initial Response to Reward and Recent Suicidal Ideation in Children and Adolescents Using Event-Related Potentials: Failure to Conceptually Replicate Across Two Independent Samples
Authors: Gallyer Austin J. , Burani Kreshnik , Mulligan Elizabeth M. , Santopetro Nicholas , Dougherty Sean P. , Jeon Min Eun , Nelson Brady D. , Joiner Thomas E. , Hajcak Greg
Published: December 2022

A previous study found that children with recent suicidal ideation had blunted neural reward processing (as measured by the reward positivity), compared with matched controls, and that this difference was driven by reduced neural responses to monetary loss rather than to reward. Here, we aimed to conceptually replicate and extend these findings in two samples ( n = 264, 27 with suicidal ideation; n = 314, 49 with suicidal ideation at baseline) of children and adolescents (11–15 years old and 8–15 years old, respectively). Results from both samples showed no evidence that children and adolescents with suicidal ideation have abnormal reward or loss processing nor that reward processing predicts suicidal ideation 2 years later. The results highlight the need for greater statistical power as well as continued research examining the neural underpinnings of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Modeling the Impact of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions on COVID-19 Transmission in K-12 Schools
Authors: Zhang Yiwei , Mayorga Maria E , Ivy Julie , Hassmiller Lich Kristen , Swann Julie L.
Published: December 2022

Background. The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 spread across the world causing many waves of COVID-19. Children were at high risk of being exposed to the disease because they were not eligible for vaccination during the first 20 mo of the pandemic in the United States. While children 5 y and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, vaccination rates remain low despite most schools returning to in-person instruction. Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) are important for controlling the spread of COVID-19 in K-12 schools. US school districts used varied and layered mitigation strategies during the pandemic. The goal of this article is to analyze the impact of different NPIs on COVID-19 transmission within K-12 schools. Methods. We developed a deterministic stratified SEIR model that captures the role of social contacts between cohorts in disease transmission to estimate COVID-19 incidence under different NPIs including masks, random screening, contact reduction, school closures, and test-to-stay. We designed contact matrices to simulate the contact patterns between students and teachers within schools. We estimated the proportion of susceptible infected associated with each intervention over 1 semester under the Omicron variant. Results. We find that masks and reducing contacts can greatly reduce new infections among students. Weekly screening tests also have a positive impact on disease mitigation. While self-quarantining symptomatic infections and school closures are effective measures for decreasing semester-end infections, they increase absenteeism. Conclusion. The model provides a useful tool for evaluating the impact of a variety of NPIs on disease transmission in K-12 schools. While the model is tested under Omicron variant parameters in US K-12 schools, it can be adapted to study other populations under different disease settings.

Highlights

A stratified SEIR model was developed that captures the role of social contacts in K-12 schools to estimate COVID-19 transmission under different nonpharmaceutical interventions. While masks, random screening, contact reduction, school closures, and test-to-stay are all beneficial interventions, masks and contact reduction resulted in the greatest reduction in new infections among students from the tested scenarios. Layered interventions provide more benefits than implementing interventions independently.
Retinal Vasculopathy With Cerebral Leukoencephalopathy and Systemic Manifestations: Critical Role of Retina Specialists
Authors: Houghton Odette M. , Carter Jonathan , Dhamija Radhika
Published: December 2022

Purpose:

To describe a case of retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy and systemic manifestations (RVCL-S) to enhance early recognition of this often-missed diagnosis.

Methods:

A case report is presented.

Results:

A 50-year-old woman with a history of Raynaud phenomenon, memory difficulties, and a family history of strokes was referred for evaluation of a bilateral, small-vessel, occlusive disease refractory to immunosuppressive therapy. An extensive workup for treatable causes was unrevealing. Fifteen months after presentation, brain imaging showed white-matter lesions and dystrophic calcification, which led to the discovery of a pathogenic variant in TREX1 and the diagnosis of RVCL-S.

Conclusions:

Retina specialists play a critical role in the timely diagnosis of RVCL-S. Although the findings in this condition can mimic those in other common retinal vascular disorders, there are key characteristics that increase the suspicion for RVCL-S. Early recognition might decrease unnecessary therapies and procedures.