bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Doctor Recommendation Model Based on Ontology Characteristics and Disease Text Mining Perspective
Authors: Ju Chunhua , Zhang Shuangzhu
Published: August 2021

Background. Patients can access medical services such as disease diagnosis online, medical treatment guidance, and medication guidance that are provided by doctors from all over the country at home. Due to the complexity of scenarios applying medical services online and the necessity of professionalism of knowledge, the traditional recommendation methods in the medical field are confronting with problems such as low computational efficiency and poor effectiveness. At the same time, patients consulting online come from all sides, and most of them suffer from nonacute or malignant diseases, and hence, there may be offline medical treatment. Therefore, this paper proposes an online prediagnosis doctor recommendation model by integrating ontology characteristics and disease text. Particularly, this recommendation model takes full consideration of geographical location of patients. Objective. The recommendation model takes the real consultation data from online as the research object, fully testifying its effectiveness. Specifically, this model would make recommendation to patients on department and doctors based on patients’ information of symptoms, diagnosis, and geographical location, as well as doctor’s specialty and their department. Methods. Utilizing crawler technique, five hospital departments were selected from the online medical service platform. The names of the departments were in accordance with the standardized department names used in real hospitals (e.g., endocrinology, dermatology, gynemetrics, pediatrics, and neurology). As a result, a dataset consisting of 20000 consultation questions by patients was built. Through the application of Python and MySQL algorithms, replacing semantic dictionary retrieval or word frequency statistics, word vectors were utilized to measure similarity between patients’ prediagnosis and doctors’ specialty, forming a recommendation framework on medical departments or doctors based on the above‐obtained sentence similarity measurement and providing recommendation advices on intentional departments and doctors. Results. In the online medical field, compared with the traditional recommendation method, the model proposed in the paper is of higher recommendation accuracy and feasibility in terms of department and doctor recommendation effectiveness. Conclusions. The proposed online prediagnosis doctor recommendation model integrates ontology characteristics and disease text mining. The model gives a relatively more accurate recommendation advice based on ontology characteristics such as patients’ description texts and doctors’ specialties. Furthermore, the model also gives full consideration on patients’ location factors. As a result, the proposed online prediagnosis doctor recommendation model would improve patients’ online consultation experience and offline treatment convenience, enriching the value of online prediagnosis data.
A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study of the Performance of the Widal Test and the Typhidot Immunoassay for Typhoid Fever Diagnosis in the West Region of Cameroon
Authors: Ousenu Karimo , Ali Innocent Mbulli , Sama Leonard Fonkeng , Ndam Marcel Nsangou , Tchouangueu Thibau Florant , Tume Christopher Bonglavnyuy
Published: August 2021

Background. The diagnosis of typhoid fever based on the Widal slide agglutination test remains a major hurdle in developing countries due to varied perceptions of the value of the Widal test in determining clinical decision-making. We undertook a study to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the Widal test and the Typhidot immunoassay in patients suspected of having typhoid fever in the Menoua division, West Region of Cameroon. Methods. Blood and stool samples were collected from 558 consenting febrile patients on the basis of suspicion of typhoid fever. These patients attended three district health services of the Menoua division between April 2018 and September 2019. These patients had clinical symptoms suggestive of typhoid fever as determined by their consultant. Serum was used for the Widal slide agglutination test and for the Typhidot rapid immunoassay test based on manufacturer’s guidelines. A composite reference of fever plus positive coproculture for Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi was used as the reference. The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of the positive and negative tests were calculated as well as Cohen’s kappa for agreement between the two tests. Results. Of 558 patients, 12.90% tested positive for the reference method, 57.17% tested positive for the Widal slide agglutination test, while 15.59% were positive for Typhidot-IgM. The overall sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of the positive and negative tests were 80.56%, 94.03%, 66.6%, and 97.03% for Typhidot-IgM and 94.44%, 48.35%, 21.32%, and 98.33% for the Widal slide agglutination test, respectively. Cohen’s kappa estimates were 0.1660 (0.121–0.211) and 0.386 (0.312–0.460) for the Widal test and Typhidot immunoassay for 53.6% and 76.16% agreements of all observations, respectively. Conclusion. The Widal test was found to have a lower predictive value for the diagnosis of typhoid fever in our setting. However, the Typhidot test, although better, was not ideal. Diagnosis of typhoid fever should therefore rely on adequate clinical suspicion and a positive Typhidot test to improve the clinical management of typhoid fever in our setting.
Ground Stress Distribution and Dynamic Pressure Development of Shallow Buried Coal Seam Underlying Adjacent Room Gobs
Authors: Zhang Ming , Cao Chen , Huo Bingjie
Published: August 2021

The condition of the coal pillars remained in the room‐and‐pillar gobs is complicated. The stresses loaded on the pillar floor may be transmitted and overlapped. It changes the stress environment of the lower coal seam roof, leading abnormal periodic weighting. In the procedure of coal seam 3−1 mining in the Huoluowan Coal Mine, the ground stress is high while the working face passing through the room pillars of overlying coal seam 2−2, leading to hydraulic shield being broken. In this paper, theoretical analysis, numerical calculation, and similar material simulation were used to analyse the stress environment of lower seam and the effect of coal pillars remained in close‐distanced upper seam. The stress transfer model was established for the room pillars of coal seam 2−2, and the stress distribution of underlying strata was obtained based on theoretical analysis. The joint action of dynamic pressure of high stress‐coal pillar with movement of overlying rock strata in the working face 3−1 under the coal pillar was revealed. The results showed that the horizontal stress and vertical stress under the large coal pillar of the room gob in coal seam 2−2 were high, being from 9.7 to 15.3 MPa. The influencing depth of vertical stress ranged from 42 m to 58 m. The influencing depth of horizontal stress ranged from 10 to 23 m. The influencing range of the shear stress was from 25 to 50 m. When the working face 3−1 was mined below the coal pillar of 20 m or 50 m, abutment pressure was relatively high. The stress concentration coefficient reached 4.44–5.00. The dynamic pressure of the working face was induced by the stress overlying of the upper and lower coal seams, instability of the inverted trapezoid rock pillar above the coal pillar, and collapsing movement of the roof. The studying results were beneficial for guiding the safety mining of the coal seam 3−1 in the Huoluowan Coal Mine.
Proposing and Dynamical Analysis of a Hyperjerk Piecewise Linear Chaotic System with Offset Boostable Variable and Hidden Attractors
Authors: Vijayakumar M. D. , Jamal Sajjad Shaukat , Ali Ali Ahmed M. , Rajagopal Karthikeyan , Jafari Sajad , Hussain Iqtadar
Published: August 2021

Designing chaotic systems with different properties helps to increase our knowledge about real‐world chaotic systems. In this article, a piecewise linear (PWL) term is employed to modify a simple chaotic system and obtain a new chaotic model. The proposed model does not have any equilibrium for different values of the control parameters. Therefore, its attractor is hidden. It is shown that the PWL term causes an offset boostable variable. This feature provides more flexibility and controllability in the designed system. Numerical analyses show that periodic and chaotic attractors coexist in some fixed values of the parameters, indicating multistability. Also, the feasibility of the system is approved by designing field programmable gate arrays (FPGA).
Clinical Efficacy of Qili Qiangxin Capsule Combined with Western Medicine in the Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Xu Xiaoming , Yang Yang , Zhou Gendong , Du Zhengxuan , Zhang Xiaohong , Mao Wei , Cai Hongwen
Published: August 2021

Qili Qiangxin capsule (QQC) is a formulation of traditional Chinese medicine commonly used for the treatment of heart failure in China. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the clinical efficacy of QQC combined with western medicine in the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis abided by the PRISMA guidelines. Literature search was conducted in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chinese Scientific Journals Database, PubMed, and Web of Science from inception to August 2020. A total of 52 eligible studies were obtained, and 42 of these studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that, compared with western medicine alone, the combination of Qili Qingxin capsule and Western medicine treatment has better efficacy (metoprolol: RR: 1.24, 95%CI 1.14–1.34; carvedilol: RR: 1.24, 95%CI 1.14–1.34; trimetazidine: RR: 1.20, 95%CI: 1.12–1.27; sacubitril valsartan sodium: RR: 1.23, 95%CI: 1.11–1.36; sodium nitroprusside: RR: 1.33, 95%CI: 1.23–1.45; and bisoprolol: RR: 1.31, 95%CI: 1.15–1.49) and increased the level of LVEF, LVEDD, and 6MWT of patients with CHF and reduced the adverse effects and the level of HR, LVESD, BNP, and Hs-cTnT as well. However, there is high heterogeneity in the meta-analysis of LVEDV, BNP, NT-proBNP, Hs-cTnT, 6MWT, and adverse effects, and the methodological quality of the included studies was poor. Therefore, further studies with good methodological quality and large sample size are required to validate our findings. In our study, evidence suggests that Qili Qiangxin capsule combined with Western medicine may improve therapeutic effect and the quality of life of patients with CHF.
The Pediatric Precision Oncology INFORM Registry: Clinical Outcome and Benefit for Patients with Very High-Evidence Targets
Authors: van Tilburg Cornelis M. , Pfaff Elke , Pajtler Kristian W. , Langenberg Karin P.S. , Fiesel Petra , Jones Barbara C. , Balasubramanian Gnana Prakash , Stark Sebastian , Johann Pascal D. , Blattner-Johnson Mirjam , Schramm Kathrin , Dikow Nicola , Hirsch Steffen , Sutter Christian , Grund Kerstin , von Stackelberg Arend , Kulozik Andreas E. , Lissat Andrej , Borkhardt Arndt , Meisel Roland , Reinhardt Dirk , Klusmann Jan-Henning , Fleischhack Gudrun , Tippelt Stephan , von Schweinitz Dietrich , Schmid Irene , Kramm Christof M. , von Bueren André O. , Calaminus Gabriele , Vorwerk Peter , Graf Norbert , Westermann Frank , Fischer Matthias , Eggert Angelika , Burkhardt Birgit , Wößmann Wilhelm , Nathrath Michaela , Hecker-Nolting Stefanie , Frühwald Michael C. , Schneider Dominik T. , Brecht Ines B. , Ketteler Petra , Fulda Simone , Koscielniak Ewa , Meister Michael T. , Scheer Monika , Hettmer Simone , Schwab Matthias , Tremmel Roman , Øra Ingrid , Hutter Caroline , Gerber Nicolas U. , Lohi Olli , Kazanowska Bernarda , Kattamis Antonis , Filippidou Maria , Goemans Bianca , Zwaan C. Michel , Milde Till , Jäger Natalie , Wolf Stephan , Reuss David , Sahm Felix , von Deimling Andreas , Dirksen Uta , Freitag Angelika , Witt Ruth , Lichter Peter , Kopp-Schneider Annette , Jones David T.W. , Molenaar Jan J. , Capper David , Pfister Stefan M. , Witt Olaf
Published: August 2021

INFORM is a prospective, multinational registry gathering clinical and molecular data of relapsed, progressive, or high-risk pediatric patients with cancer. This report describes long-term follow-up of 519 patients in whom molecular alterations were evaluated according to a predefined seven-scale target prioritization algorithm. Mean turnaround time from sample receipt to report was 25.4 days. The highest target priority level was observed in 42 patients (8.1%). Of these, 20 patients received matched targeted treatment with a median progression-free survival of 204 days [95% confidence interval (CI), 99–not applicable], compared with 117 days (95% CI, 106–143; P = 0.011) in all other patients. The respective molecular targets were shown to be predictive for matched treatment response and not prognostic surrogates for improved outcome. Hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes were identified in 7.5% of patients, half of which were newly identified through the study. Integrated molecular analyses resulted in a change or refinement of diagnoses in 8.2% of cases.

Significance:

The pediatric precision oncology INFORM registry prospectively tested a target prioritization algorithm in a real-world, multinational setting and identified subgroups of patients benefiting from matched targeted treatment with improved progression-free survival, refinement of diagnosis, and identification of hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes.

See related commentary by Eggermont et al., p. 2677 .

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 2659
Why does rapid contraction of the radius of maximum wind precede rapid intensification in tropical cyclones?
Authors: Li Yuanlong , Wang Yuqing , Lin Yanluan , Wang Xin
Published: August 2021

The radius of maximum wind (RMW) has been found to contract rapidly well preceding rapid intensification in tropical cyclones (TCs) in recent literature but the understanding of the involved dynamics is incomplete. In this study, this phenomenon is revisited based on ensemble axisymmetric numerical simulations. Consistent with previous studies, because the absolute angular momentum (AAM) is not conserved following the RMW, the phenomenon can not be understood based on the AAM-based dynamics. Both budgets of tangential wind and the rate of change in the RMW are shown to provide dynamical insights into the simulated relationship between the rapid intensification and rapid RMW contraction. During the rapid RMW contraction stage, due to the weak TC intensity and large RMW, the moderate negative radial gradient of radial vorticity flux and small curvature of the radial distribution of tangential wind near the RMW favor rapid RMW contraction but weak diabatic heating far inside the RMW leads to weak low-level inflow and small radial absolute vorticity flux near the RMW and thus a relatively small intensification rate. As RMW contraction continues and TC intensity increases, diabatic heating inside the RMW and radial inflow near the RMW increase, leading to a substantial increase in radial absolute vorticity flux near the RMW and thus the rapid TC intensification. However, the RMW contraction rate decreases rapidly due to the rapid increase in the curvature of the radial distribution of tangential wind near the RMW as the TC intensifies rapidly and RMW decreases.
Global Mesoscale Convective System Latent Heating Characteristics from GPM Retrievals and an MCS Tracking Dataset
Authors: Liu Nana , Leung L. Ruby , Feng Zhe
Published: August 2021

The distribution of latent heating released by mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) plays a crucial role in global energy and water cycles. To investigate the characteristics of MCS latent heating, five years (2014–19) of Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Ku-band Precipitation Radar observations and latent heating retrievals are combined with a newly developed global high-resolution (~10 km, hourly) MCS tracking dataset. The results suggest that midlatitude MCSs are shallower and have a lower maximum precipitation rate than tropical MCSs. However, MCSs occurring in the midlatitudes have larger precipitation areas and higher stratiform rain volume fraction, in agreement with previous studies. With substantial spatial and seasonal variability, MCS latent heating profiles are top-heavier in the middle and high latitudes than those in the tropics. Larger magnitudes of latent heating in the stratiform regions are found over the ocean than over land, which is the case for both the tropics and midlatitudes. The larger magnitude is related to a larger precipitating area/volume rather than a higher storm height or more intense convective core typically associated with land systems. A majority of midlatitude MCSs have a relatively high (>70%) stratiform fraction while this is not the case for tropical MCSs, suggesting that midlatitude MCSs tend to produce more stratiform rain while tropical MCSs are more convective. Importantly, the results of this study indicate that storm intensity, latent heating, and rainfall are different metrics of MCSs that can provide multiple constraints to inform development of convection parameterizations in global models.
Statistical Relationships between Two Types of Heavy Rainfall and Low-Level Jets in South China
Authors: Li Xiaoqing , Du Yu
Published: August 2021

Two types of heavy rainfall, namely warm-sector and frontal heavy rainfall, coexist in South China during the presummer rainy season and manifest as varying mechanisms and features. They both exhibit close relationships with two types of low-level jets (LLJs): the boundary layer jet (BLJ) and synoptic-system-related low-level jet (SLLJ), but in different ways. The motivation of the present study is to elucidate the statistical relations between the two types of heavy rainfall and LLJs over South China using TRMM rainfall data and ERA5 reanalysis. Generally, warm-sector heavy rainfall mainly occurs over coastal areas and during the early morning, which is primarily caused by the interaction between the nocturnal BLJ and land breeze. In contrast, frontal heavy rainfall is mostly concentrated in inland regions and modulated by distinct diurnal forcings at different locations. Statistical analysis indicates that 76% (62%) of the warm-sector (frontal) heavy rainfall events are associated with LLJs. In the presence of heavy rainfall, low-level winds are often strengthened over Beibu Gulf, northern South China Sea, and the south side of fronts, corresponding to two branches of southerly BLJs at ~950 hPa over the ocean and the southwesterly SLLJs at ~850–700 hPa on land, respectively. Furthermore, BLJs are shown to be linked to both types of heavy rainfall and with the most frequent occurrences of rainfall in their exit region, whereas SLLJs are more closely associated with frontal heavy rainfall. The left side (entrance) of the SLLJ axis is favorable for frontal (warm-sector) heavy rainfall production. The regional rainfall distributions are affected by the structures and locations of LLJs.
School Transit and Accessing Public School in Detroit
Authors: Pogodzinski Ben , Lenhoff Sarah Winchell , Cook Walter , Singer Jeremy
Published: August 2021

Students in the Detroit Public Community Schools District (DPSCD) have the highest rate of chronic absence (missing 10% or more of school days) among large districts in the United States. Additionally, students in DPSCD are among the poorest students in the country, often lacking access to reliable personal transportation or public transit to facilitate getting to school. Although DPSCD offers school-sponsored transit, only 30% of K-8 students were eligible for such transit in 2018 to 2019. Through the use of multilevel modeling, we sought to identify the association between eligibility for school-sponsored transit and attendance. Our findings indicated that there was a negative association of small magnitude between eligibility for school sponsored transit and school attendance. This counterintuitive finding may highlight the fact that transit eligibility is not sufficient to mediate the negative relationship between student poverty and attendance, and transit eligibility does not guarantee regular use of school-sponsored transit.
Post-traumatic growth mediates the relationship between valences of trauma centralisation and health-related quality of life
Authors: Onu Desmond Uchechukwu , Ugwu Lawrence Ejike , Onyedire Nneoma Gift , Ebele Nnadozie Evelyn , Nwufo Juliet Ifeoma
Published: August 2021

Emotions arising from health-related trauma can be complex (as positive and negative feelings are possible) and can influence the way patients perceive themselves and the world. Health outcomes can also be affected by the valence of emotions. We hypothesised that post-traumatic growth is the mediating link between the valences of event centrality and health-related quality of life among people living with HIV. Three hundred (male = 194 and female = 106; mean age = 35.30 years) people living with HIV in Nigeria completed measures of relevant variables. Mediation analysis was performed using path analysis and structural equation modelling. Results showed that post-traumatic growth mediated the association between positive event centrality and health-related quality of life in the physical health symptoms and treatment impact domains. Post-traumatic growth also mediated the association between negative event centrality and health-related quality of life in the physical health symptom and relationship domains. In light of these findings, it might be concluded that fostering post-traumatic growth among people living with HIV by clinicians could be helpful in enhancing the health-related quality of life of people living with HIV.
Exploring the optimal dose of low ionizing radiation to enhance immune function: a rabbit model
Authors: Zhang Yuhong , Ren Hongyan , Zheng Yifan , Yang Qiang , Li Miao , Gu Hongqian , Hao Liguo
Published: August 2021

Primary liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in China. Currently, immunotherapy for liver cancer is a research hotspot. Experimental studies and epidemiological investigations have confirmed the antineoplastic activity of low ionizing radiation. The aim of this study was to explore the optimal dose of low ionizing radiation to enhance immune function. Twenty-five New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into five groups (n = 5 each): experimental group 1 (25 mGy), experimental group 2 (50 mGy), experimental group 3 (75 mGy), experimental group 4 (100 mGy), and the control group (0 mGy). VX-2 tumor tissue was injected into rabbits using a high-frequency B-ultrasound probe (3.5 MHz). Rabbits were irradiated, and on day 4 after irradiation, blood was collected from each rabbit. Blood chemistry, interleukin (IL)-4, interferon (IFN)-γ, immunoglobulin (Ig)G, and IgM levels were assessed. On day 15 after irradiation, macrophage phagocytic function was assessed. The rabbits were sacrificed, and the spleen was removed and weighed to calculate its spleen index. Each parameter was highest in the experimental group 3 (75 mGy). Thus, we suspect the optimal low ionizing radiation dose to improve immune function may be 75 mGy.
Temporal variations in COVID-19: an epidemiological discussion with a practical application
Authors: Derakhshan Mahnaz , Ansarian Hamid Reza , Ghomshei Mory
Published: August 2021

Objective

We aimed to characterize the temporal variation in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and mortality as a possible tool to monitor and control the spread of this disease.

Methods

We analyzed cyclicity and synchronicity in cases of COVID-19 infection and time series of deaths using Fourier transform, its inverse method, and statistical treatments. Epidemiological indices (e.g., case fatality rate) were used to quantify the observations in the time series. The possible causes of short-term variations are reviewed.

Results

We observed that were both short-term and long-term variations in the COVID-19 time series. The short cycles were 7 days and synchronized among all countries. This periodicity is believed to be caused by weekly cycles in community social factors, combined with diagnostic and reporting cycles. This could also be related to virus–host–community dynamics.

Conclusion

The observed synchronized weekly cycles could serve as herd defense by providing a form of social distancing in time. The effect of such temporal distancing could be enhanced if combined with spatial distancing. Integrated spatiotemporal distancing is therefore recommended to optimize infection control strategies, taking into account the quiescent and active intervals of COVID-19.
Unequal Reach: Cyclical and Amplifying Ties Among Agricultural and Oilfield Workers in Texas
Authors: Griesbach Kathleen
Published: August 2021

What kinds of ties do agricultural and oil and gas workers form in the field, and how do they use them later on? Why do they use them differently? Scholarship highlights how weak ties can link people to valuable information, while strong ties can be critical for day-to-day survival. Yet many mechanisms affect how workers form and use social networks over time and space. Drawing on 60 interviews and observations with agricultural and oilfield workers in Texas, I examine how both groups form strong ties of fictive kinship when living together in the field far from home—pooling resources, sharing reproductive labor, and using the discourse of family to describe these relationships. Then I examine how they use these ties very differently later in practice. Oilfield workers often use their fictive kin ties to move up and around the industry across space, time, and companies: amplifying ties. In contrast, agricultural workers renew the same strong ties for survival from season to season, maintaining cyclical ties. The comparison highlights how industry mobility ladders, tempos, and geographies affect how workers can use their networks in practice. While both agricultural and oilfield workers become fictive kin in situations of intense proximity, structural differences give their networks unequal reach.
Do Survivors Feel Protected by Family Violence Legislation? Reflections on the (ACT) from Those with Lived Experience
Authors: Easteal Patricia , Bartels Lorana , Dodd Shannon , White Jessica
Published: August 2021

Civil protection order legislation is the primary mechanism in each of Australia’s eight jurisdictions’ system-based response to domestic and family violence (DFV). There are many differences across the states’ and territories’ legislation, with each amended numerous times since their inception in the early 1980s. The latter is exemplified by the new Australian Capital Territory (ACT) legislative framework, the Family Violence Act 2016 (ACT) (the Act), which was introduced in 2017, following a number of high-profile intimate partner homicides. The aim of the Act was to better protect those who fear, experience or witness family violence (FV). This article reflects on whether that aim is being achieved, from the perspective of those with lived FV experience. We conducted in-depth interviews with eight people who identified as having lived experience (LE) with the Act. The open-ended questions were designed to elicit their observations, experiences, and suggestions concerning the black letter provisions and their implementation. The theme of safety emerged strongly as issues were revealed, including waiting for orders to be served, their duration, the exclusion of children, limits of the definition of FV, such as the omission of cultural and technology-facilitated abuse, as well as inadequate interagency cooperation and information sharing. Their reflections highlight that, while some improvements have indeed been made, there often remains a lack of protection for victims. Drawing on these experiences, we put forward recommendations for amendments to the current regime, which may further promote victim and community safety and reiterate the importance of listening to the voices of those at the coalface of experiencing FV.
Modeling of a dry low nitrogen oxides burner using a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulation
Authors: Sun Guodong , Duan Xuejing , Hao Bo , Davarpanah Afshin
Published: August 2021

Nitrogen oxides are considered as one of the greenhouse gases. Among the most significant emission sources for this gas is a natural gas-fired power plant. The United Nations General assembly suggested in 1988 that human activities can negatively impact weather patterns, and thus they should be controlled. This control policy can improve the efficiency of final consumers such as power plants, cars, or other energy-intensive industries. In this paper, the existing strategies and explicitly making the dry low nitrogen oxides burner reduce greenhouse gases in power plants are explored. The geometry of the burner has been produced in a three-dimensional form in GAMBIT software, and the results of the simulation have been expressed through FLUENT software. Contours of pressure, temperature, and velocity of the fluid in the furnace are also derived. It is concluded that the dry low nitrogen oxides burners plan has a better result compared with other strategies.
“I didn’t feel normal”: Young Canadian women’s experiences with polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: Samardzic Tanja , Soucie Kendall , Schramer Kristin , Katzman Rachel
Published: August 2021

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects 8 to 13% of reproductive-aged women, is a highly gendered disorder whose symptoms disrupt Western conceptions of femininity. This may be especially debilitating for young women, who are targeted by societal discourses governing how they “should” be. We interviewed 10 young Canadian women, aged 18 to 22, about how PCOS has influenced and/or conflated their conceptions of identity and (ab)normality within the current socio-cultural context. Using reflexive thematic analysis through a critical feminist lens, we present three themes: justifying abnormality, pathologizing the abnormal, and fear of failure in pregnancy. Young women described feeling “weird” and “not normal” as a result of their symptoms and expressed worries about their ability to adhere to gendered expectations. We argue that the blanketing of these desirable states as “normal” has pervasive implications for women’s lives and leaves them feeling defective and/or inadequate, which was further reinforced by implicit, gender-based power dynamics in medical institutions when women sought care. We suggest the need for engagement with discomfort and leveraging PCOS as a unique entryway into an analysis of intersectional issues to capture complexities in lived experience.
In search of sepoys: Indian soldiers and the Dutch East India Company in India and Sri Lanka, 1760–1795
Authors: Odegard Erik
Published: August 2021

Unlike the French and English India, the Dutch East India Company did not shift to recruiting predominantly Indian soldier personnel for service in India, sepoys, from the 1740s onwards. Although Dutch Company (VOC) remained much more reliant on European recruitment, it did in fact also recruit sepoys in India. These soldiers remain little noted in the sources and the historical record. This article will explain why the VOC did not follow the French and English lead. The VOC’s late acceptance of sepoys as full-time soldiers meant it could not effectively compete with either French or English companies in India.
Differences in Reading Motivation Between American and Japanese Students
Authors: Kambara Hitomi , Lin Yu-Cheng
Published: August 2021

This cross-cultural study investigated country and gender differences among American (U.S.A.) and Japanese students’ reading motivation. Fourth-grade students (94 from the United States and 102 from Japan) were administered a reading motivation questionnaire. Study results indicated American students had higher reading motivation than Japanese students on most dimensions, including Self-Efficacy, Challenges, Curiosity, Importance, Involvement, Recognition, Grades, Competition, and Social. We found that culture may impact students’ reading motivation and discuss how individualistic and collectivistic cultures influence students’ reading motivation. Contrasting with the existing research, this study did not show any significant gender differences in reading motivation across the two countries. The null effect of gender needs to be re-examined in future studies.
Treatment Outcomes of IL-17 Inhibitors in Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Systematic Review
Authors: Kashetsky Nadia , Mufti Asfandyar , Alabdulrazzaq Shaikhah , Lytvyn Yuliya , Sachdeva Muskaan , Rahat Abdullah , Yeung Jensen
Published: August 2021

The IL-17 pathway is a potential therapeutic target shown to be implicated in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), however, it remains unclear whether evidence from mechanistic studies may translate into clinical practice. This systematic review summarizes available treatment outcomes of IL-17 inhibitors in patients with HS. Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, and clinicaltrials.gov were comprehensively searched on February 26, 2021 to include 16 original studies representing 128 patients with HS (mean age: 36.5 years; age range: 21-47 years; male: 50.0%). Treatment outcomes were reported for the following biologics: secukinumab ( n = 105), brodalumab ( n = 22), and ixekizumab ( n = 1). Patients were classified as responders or non-responders according to achievement of a positive response/improvement based on criteria established for each included study. For secukinumab 57.1% ( n = 60/105) of patients were responders in a mean response period of 16.2 weeks and 42.9% ( n = 45/105) were non-responders; for brodalumab, 100.0% ( n = 22/22) of patients were responders within 4.4 weeks; and the one patient treated with ixekizumab was a responder within 10 weeks. In conclusion, IL-17 inhibitors may serve as an effective therapeutic target in approximately two-thirds of patients with HS and can be considered in those who are refractory to other treatment modalities. We also stress the importance of consistent outcome measures to enhance evidence synthesis, decrease reporting bias, provide potential for future meta-analysis, and ultimately improve clinical outcomes for patients with HS.
Feminist collective memory and nostalgia in gynaecological self-help in contemporary Europe
Authors: Quéré Lucile
Published: August 2021

Gynaecological self-help, a well-known and historical feminist practice from the Second Wave movements which aims at embodying a radical alternative to traditional reproductive politics, is resurging today in France, Switzerland and Belgium. Drawing on empirical observations and interviews, this article questions the links between feminist memory of self-help, the shaping of nostalgia and the production of a political feminist ‘we’. Born at the end of the 1960s in the United States, feminist self-help travelled internationally and was appropriated differently depending on national contexts. This ‘glorious’ history of self-help and, more importantly, its narrated memory, is central to contemporary European self-help activism, as observed in the three national contexts. Drawing on this insight, this article reveals the active memory-oriented emotional work of self-help activists. It examines the ways in which nostalgia for an imagined and lost past is actively and practically produced and encouraged in social movement practices, and highlights the specificity of the kind of collective feminist identity that it shapes and promotes in contemporary self-help politics.
Beyond the platform: Music streaming as a site of logistical and symbolic struggle
Authors: Jansson André
Published: August 2021

Research on music streaming has so far tended to normalize a view of streaming as an individual activity solely oriented towards the platform. However, as streaming media have become integral to everyday life and a key metaphor for digital society, we should pay attention to how streaming activities are embedded into social power relations. Furthermore, due to the complexity of streaming infrastructures, we should consider the social implications of ordinary expertise pertaining to the handling of digital streams. To this end, this article advances a theoretical view of music streaming as a form of logistical labour and a part of dwelling. Based on a focus-group study on music streaming, the analysis moves beyond the platform to explore social dominance in a cultural landscape where logistical expertise is increasingly important. The analysis shows how the handling of everyday infrastructures underpins complicit forms of logistical dominance and translates into symbolic violence.
Eleven Namibian rains: A phenomenological analysis of experience in time
Authors: Schnegg Michael
Published: August 2021

The Damara pastoralists ( ǂnūkhoen) in Namibia distinguish a diverse range of rains. Some rains kill livestock, others care for insects and still others wash away the footprints of the deceased, allowing the person to exist in the spirit realm. While anthropologists have documented cultural classifications like the Namibian rains for decades, we still lack a convincing theory to explain how they come to exist. To address this, I develop a phenomenological perspective and theorise how experience contributes to what rain becomes. I argue with Husserl that the present in which we experience the rain is not a discrete moment, but a unity across a succession of ‘nows’. In the process, perceptions, images, memories and expectations about past and future events blend. In other words, a web of meaningful relationships connects the rain we experience ‘now’ with multiple past and future entities, including people, plants, spirits and animals. I refer to this as network formation. Combining the analyses of the people's pastoral being-in-the-world and their historical–political context, including post-colonialism, allows an explanation as to why some of those combinations are singled out and become distinct ontological entities. I refer to this as node selection. Combining the two processes – network formation and node selection – allows for an explanation as to why precipitation becomes discernible and meaningful as eleven different Namibian rains.
Performance of ammonia fuel in a spark assisted compression Ignition engine
Authors: Mounaïm-Rousselle Christine , Mercier Adrien , Brequigny Pierre , Dumand Clément , Bouriot Jean , Houillé Sébastien
Published: August 2021

Recent studies concluded that the use of ammonia in SI engines is possible thanks to an ignition booster or promoter. In this paper, the improvement of premixed ammonia/air combustion for internal combustion engines is studied as a function of performance and exhaust pollutants in a Spark-Assisted Compression Ignition single-cylinder engine, which supports a higher compression ratio (CR). For the first time, pure NH3 combustion was performed over a large range of engine operating conditions. The study concludes that neat ammonia can be used over a large operating range, here driven by the intake pressure, using a classical ignition device with a CR of 14–17 at 1000 rpm. The comparison with previous data obtained in a current single-cylinder SI engine clearly shows the potential of this engine mode, even for very low loads and various engine speeds (650, 1000, 2000 rpm), in spite of an initial aerodynamic that is not optimized to enhance flame-turbulence interaction. Kinetic simulations provide some explanations about exhaust emission behaviour, especially unburnt NH3, H2, NOx and N2O.
On Expanding the Definition and Use of Procedural Fidelity
Authors: Strain Phil , Fox Lise , Barton Erin E.
Published: August 2021

Although our field has made significant progress in the measurement of procedural fidelity in research studies, we argue for a more nuanced and expansive perspective on procedural fidelity. Specifically, we review the status quo of procedural fidelity measurement in intervention research along with specific suggestions for increasing both precision and focused research on the levels of procedural fidelity that are needed to maximize outcomes for individual participants. Second, we offer an expanded example of procedural fidelity by examining the data on the influence of typical peers, particularly on how the data influence a broad range of skills for individuals with severe disabilities. Finally, we examine the need for multiple layers of procedural fidelity assessment if we are to fully understand the vast array of contextual variables that can influence both procedural fidelity and child outcomes, particularly in a progression of research from initial efficacy assessment through scale-up and replication. We utilize the program-wide implementation of the Pyramid Model for illustrative purposes.
Rational thinking style, rejection of coronavirus (COVID-19) conspiracy theories/theorists, and compliance with mandated requirements
Authors: Swami Viren , Barron David
Published: August 2021

Faced with the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, many nations have mandated sets of requirements, such as social-distancing measures. However, compliance with such measures is likely to be shaped by a range of factors. Here, we proposed and tested a mediation model in which rejection of COVID-19 conspiracy theories and/or theorists mediates the relationship between rational thinking style and compliance with mandated requirements. An online, nationally representative sample of the adult population in the United Kingdom ( N = 520) completed a previously validated measure of rational thinking style, as well as novel measures of rejection of COVID-19 conspiracy theories/theorists and compliance with mandated requirements. Intercorrelations between scores on all three measures were significant and positive. Mediation analysis indicated that rational thinking style and rejection of COVID-19 conspiracy theories/theorists, respectively, were directly associated with compliance, and that the mediated association was also significant. These results may have implications for practical policy aimed at promoting greater compliance with mandated requirements, including social distancing.
Pharmacology Update: Emergency and Controller Medications for Treatment of Asthma
Authors: Nanda Anil , Russell Anne F. , Bingemann Theresa A.
Published: August 2021

Asthma is the most common noncommunicable chronic childhood disease, affecting more than 5 million children in the United States. Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism. Treatments for asthma are divided into fast-acting medications that are used to relieve symptoms and slower acting (controller) medications that prevent symptoms. Albuterol is the most common fast acting medication for asthma, and it exists in multiple forms, including metered-dose inhaler and nebulized therapy. The use of spacers and holding chambers can further improve medication deposition in the airway. The cornerstone controller therapy for asthma is inhaled corticosteroid. Other medications for asthma include long-acting beta agonists, long-acting antimuscarinics, and antileukotrienes. The newest agents for controller asthma therapies are biologics.
Marx and Me
Authors: Glynn Sarah
Published: August 2021

This is the story of how I encountered Marxism and how I have used it to make sense of the world, and hence to inform my political activism. I describe how humanist materialism has helped me interrogate social structures so as to discover underlying interacting forces and the role played by human praxis and understandings. On the way, I examine debates about the researcher as outsider; criticisms of political multiculturalism; difficulties of being a Marxist after the cultural turn when many academics will no longer even engage with Marxist arguments; problems in writing about and working with Islamists; struggles to excavate housing studies from being buried in policy detail; uncomfortable truths about immigration and the reserve army of labour; and warnings from the failure of revolutionary stages theory. I end with lessons from the Kurdish freedom movement on human relationships and bottom-up democracy, and with its inspirational example of a society attempting to live as if in the early days of a better world.
Osteogenesis and degradation behavior of magnesium alloy plate in vivo
Authors: Wang Yongping , Liang Wenqiang , Liu Xiaorong , Li Qiangqiang , Xie Yadong , Jiang Yao
Published: August 2021

Introduction: The magnesium alloy was fabricated into orthopedic plates, and used to repair tibial fractures of New Zealand white rabbits. The osteogenesis and degradation behavior of magnesium alloy plates were investigated in vivo. Methods: 38 rabbits were randomly divided into an experimental group using the magnesium alloy plate and control group using a titanium alloy plate. Tibial fractures in the experimental group and control group were fixed with magnesium alloy plates and titanium alloy plates, respectively. An X-ray of the fracture site was taken at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks after surgery. The formation of callus and expression of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2) in each group were examined at 4, 8, and 16 weeks postoperatively. The degradation behavior of the magnesium alloy plate was observed using a scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive spectroscopy system. Results: The results of X-ray showed that the fracture healed gradually and there was significant callus around the plate in the magnesium alloy plate group than that in the titanium alloy plate groups. The formation of callus and the expression of BMP-2 in the magnesium alloy plate group were more significant than that in the titanium plate group. The degradation behavior of the magnesium alloy plates deepened in vivo with the implantation time. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that the magnesium alloy plate implanted into the rabbit tibia could promote the formation of callus and result in osteogenesis in vivo. Meanwhile, the magnesium alloy plate was absorbed gradually in vivo.
Leonurine negatively modulates T cells activity by suppressing recombination activation gene protein 2 in pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Zhu Yongping , Lin Bixia , Ding Fadian , Ma Fenfen , Zhou Xiaohui , Zong Haiyang , Feng Gao , Chen Qingquan , Chen Gongping , Lv Xiaoting
Published: August 2021

Introduction

The key transformed T cell transcription factor recombination activation gene protein 2 (RAG2) is regulated during inflammation to allow for the acquisition of effector T cells functions. The present study was designed to investigate whether stress signals elicited by leonurine (LEO) could lead to the degradation of RAG2 through v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (AKT) signaling in lung fibrosis.

Methods

A total of 120 female mice were randomly divided into five groups (Group I–V): Normal group, bleomycin (BLM), BLM+LEO 50 mg/kg/d, BLM+LEO 100 mg/kg/d, and BLM+LEO 50 mg/kg/d+LY294002. Hematoxylin-eosin, Masson’s, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling staining were performed to observe the pathomorphological changes. The expression of CD3+, TGF-β, RAG2, and Bcl proteins was examined by immunodetection, while that of E-cadherin (ECAD), AKT, TGF-β1, alpha-actin-2, Bax, and RAG2 was detected by Western blot analysis.

Results

The level of T lymphocytes was reduced sharply in LEO-treated mice as compared to the other groups. The AKT signal was greatly inhibited in the BLM group and activated with LEO treatment on day 14. In addition, RAG2 was attenuated by LEO on day 14 and day 28. LY294002 could reverse the expression of AKT and RAG2 on day 28. Remarkably, the low dose of LEO has a greater protective efficacy as compared to the high-dose LEO group in terms of pulmonary fibrosis, T cell inactivation, and apoptosis in alveolar cells.

Conclusion

The results of the present study suggested that LEO has a protective effect on lung fibrosis with possible mechanisms of attenuating apoptosis and inflammation via the upregulation of the AKT signal in transformed T cells by suppressing the expression and activity of RAG2.