bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dispersion and improvement of organoclays in nanocomposites based on poly(propylene oxide)
Authors: Mrah Lahouari , Meghabar Rachid
Published: July 2020

This work is mainly concentrated on the preparation and characterization of poly(propylene oxide) (PPO)/organic clay nanocomposites. The effects of the nature of organoclays and the method of preparation have been elucidated to evaluate their morphological, structural and thermal properties. These nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermal analysis (differential scanning calorimetry) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). This study involved the use of an Algerian clay called ‘maghnite’ which was modified by an incorporation method using different concentrations of the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Propylene oxide (PO) was polymerized in the presence of ethylene glycol and various proportions of organic clay ranging from 1%, 5% and 10% by weight. The structural study by XRD showed, at different loading rates of maghnite and PO in the preparation of PPO/maghnite nanocomposites, different morphologies: intercalated/exfoliated blend and intercalated/agglomerated. TGA showed that the intercalation of PPO at the montmorillonite (MMT)-CTA interface would be more advantageous since the required amount of 5% organic clay (by weight) ensures high thermal stability of the nanocomposites, and the glass transition temperature ( Tg) of PPO/MMT nanocomposites is higher than that of PPO since this increase is due to the introduction of clay into the matrix which makes the nanocomposite more rigid.
Back to the Roots: Applying the Concept of Individual Human Values to Understand Family Firm Behavior
Authors: Ruf Philipp Julian , Graffius Michael , Wolff Sven , Moog Petra , Felden Birgit
Published: July 2020

This study examines the influence of individual owner-manager values on the different dimensions of socioemotional wealth in family firms. We argue that values of owner-managers in family firms are one of the underlying motivators for socioemotional wealth behavior and used structural equation modeling to test the assumed connection. The results of our data set with 1,003 cases show, in accordance with Schwartz’s value dimensions, that social- and person-oriented values influence different dimensions of the FIBER scale. Our findings help understand the importance of individual values, advance socioemotional wealth research, and contribute to the understanding of family firm behavior.
Review on the effect of moisture and contamination on the interfacial properties of adhesive joints
Authors: Borges CSP , Marques EAS , Carbas RJC , Ueffing C , Weißgraeber P , Silva LFM da
Published: July 2020

Adhesives play an important role in many key industrial sectors, such as the automotive industry, enabling the construction of lightweight, multi-material structures, combining polymers, composites and metals. However, adhesives are usually polymeric materials, which can be affected by environmental and working conditions, such as moisture and contamination. Although moisture and contamination degrade the adhesive, the failure of a bonded joint is often ultimately interfacial. Therefore, a literature review on the influence of those factors on the interfacial properties of adhesive joints is performed to understand the phenomena that take part in the degradation on adhesive joints when subjected to humid and contaminated environments, which can oftentimes be the case in factory conditions, especially for parts from third-party suppliers. The mechanisms and effects of moisture aging and contamination are presented, as well as experimental testing methods and practical case studies. It is concluded that both moisture and other contaminants may lead to a reduction in joint strength and catastrophic adhesive failure. Moisture absorption can occur through the adhesive, but in an adhesive joint, it can additionally occur through the substrate, the interface between the adhesive and the substrate or in the cracks and pores of the adhesive. After water ingresses into the adhesive, it decreases its mechanical properties and plasticizes it. However, in an adhesive joint, the water diffusion occurs much faster than in bulk adhesive due to the complementary diffusion paths, which typically leads to adhesive failure at the adhesive/substrate interface. Additionally, in an adhesive joint, water may induce the hydrolysis of the substrates or have other chemical interactions with them. Contaminants can diffuse through the joint or remain at the adhesive/ substrate interface. When they diffuse through the joint, they have consequences similar to those of water sorption. However, when they remain at the interface, they can produce locally debonded areas, which may lead to joint failure.
Cooperative path-planning and tracking controller evaluation using vehicle models of varying complexities
Authors: Kanchwala Husain , Bezerra Viana Icaro , Aouf Nabil
Published: July 2020

This paper discusses cooperative path-planning and tracking controller for autonomous vehicles using a distributed model predictive control approach. Mixed-integer quadratic programming approach is used for optimal trajectory generation using a linear model predictive control for path-tracking. Cooperative behaviour is introduced by broadcasting the planned trajectories of two connected automated vehicles. The controller generates steering and torque inputs. The steering and drive motor actuator constraints are incorporated in the control law. Computational simulations are performed to evaluate the controller for vehicle models of varying complexities. A 12-degrees-of-freedom vehicle model is developed and is subsequently linearised to be used as the plant model for the linearised model predictive control-based tracking controller. The model behaviour is compared against the kinematic, bicycle and the sophisticated high-fidelity multi-body dynamics CarSim model of the vehicle. Vehicle trajectories used for tracking are longitudinal and lateral positions, velocities and yaw rate. A cooperative obstacle avoidance manoeuvre is performed at different speeds using a co-simulation between the controller model in Simulink and the high-fidelity vehicle model in CarSim. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Experimental and numerical investigations on the acoustic characteristics and unsteady behaviors of a centrifugal compressor for fuel cell vehicles
Authors: Chen Siyue , Zuo Shuguang , Wei Kaijun
Published: July 2020

Compared to other air compressors, high-speed centrifugal compressors are considered a more suitable choice for a mid-to-high-power fuel cell system due to its high-pressure ratio. As the centrifugal compressor is the most intensive noise source in the fuel cell vehicle, its acoustic characteristics become a major concern in the passenger comfort experience. Unlike the turbocharger compressor, the centrifugal compressor in a fuel cell vehicle tends to operate at near-surge conditions, which leads to flow instabilities and increases the noise level. In this paper, the acoustic characteristics of a centrifugal compressor for a fuel cell vehicle were measured on a compressor test rig covering the full range of the compressor map. The experimental results show that the lowest sound pressure level at the compressor inlet occurs in the design operating area, while the highest level occurs near the mild-surge line. Experimental work was complemented by numerical simulations. Time-averaged flow fields were compared between the near-choke and mild-surge conditions and the detached eddy simulations (DES) were performed at mild-surge conditions. Sparsity-promoting dynamic mode decomposition (SPDMD) was employed as a post-processing method to extract the flow structures associated with corresponding noise features. It was observed that the rotating stall of the impeller inducer is the main cause of the narrow-band whoosh noise near the mild-surge line. The location, number, and speed of the stall cells were identified by SPDMD in rotational and stationary frames.
Effect of flight/structural parameters and operating conditions on dynamic behavior of a squeeze-film damped rotor system during diving–climbing maneuver
Authors: Chen Xi , Gan Xiaohua , Ren Guangming
Published: July 2020

During aircraft maneuvering flights, engine's rotor-bearing systems are subjected to parametric excitations and additional inertial forces, which may cause severe vibration and abnormal operation. Based on Lagrange's principle combined with finite element modeling, the differential equations of motion for a squeeze film damped rotor-bearing system mounted on an aircraft in maneuvering flight are derived. Using Newmark–Hilber–Hughes–Taylor integration method, dynamic characteristics of the nonlinear rotor system under maneuvering flight are investigated. The factors are considered, involving mass unbalance, oil–film force, gravity, parametric excitations and additional inertial forces, and instantaneous static eccentricity of journal induced by maneuvering loads. The effects of forward velocity, radius of curvature, rotating speed, mass unbalance, oil–film clearance, and elastic support stiffness on transient responses of rotor system are discussed during diving–climbing maneuver.

The results indicate that when the aircraft performs a diving–climbing maneuver in the vertical plane, the journal deviates from the center of oil–film outer ring, and the excursion direction of whirl orbit is determined by centrifugal acceleration and additional gyroscopic moment. The journal whirls asynchronously around the instantaneous static eccentricity and its magnitude is related to the maneuvering loads and the supporting stiffness. Increasing forward velocity or decreasing pitching radius, the rotor vibration will enter earlier into or withdraw later from the relatively large eccentricity. Rotating near critical speeds or excessive mass unbalances should be prevented during maneuvering flights. For large maneuver, the oil–film radial clearance needs to be enlarged properly to avoid hard contact between journal and outer ring. In addition, the stiffness of elastic support needs to be appropriately determined for damping performance. Overall, it provides a flexible approach with good expandability to predict dynamic characteristics of on-board squeeze-film damped rotor system during maneuvering flights in the design process.
Discovering the signature of a lupus-related microRNA profile in the Gene Expression Omnibus repository
Authors: Omidi Forouzan , Hosseini Sayed Abdolhakim , Ahmadi Abbas , Hassanzadeh Kambiz , Rajaei Shima , Cesaire Henry Manuel , Hosseini Vahedeh
Published: July 2020

Lupus is one of the most prevalent systemic autoimmune diseases. It is a multifactorial disease in which genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors play significant roles. The pathogenesis of lupus is not yet well understood. However, deregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) – one of the post-transcriptional regulators of genes – can contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases. Over the last two decades, advances in the profiling of miRNA using microarray have received much attention, and it has been demonstrated that miRNAs play a regulatory role in the pathogenesis of lupus. Therefore, dysregulated miRNAs can be considered as promising diagnostic biomarkers for lupus. This article is an overview of lupus-related miRNA profiling studies and arrays in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The aims of our study were to widen current knowledge of known dysregulated miRNAs as potential biomarkers of SLE and to introduce a bioinformatics approach to using microarray data and finding novel miRNA and gene candidates for further study. We identified hsa-miR-4709-5p, hsa-miR-140, hsa-miR-145, hsa-miR-659, hsa-miR-134, hsa-miR-150, hsa-miR-584, hsa-miR-409 and hsa-miR-152 as potential biomarkers by integrated bioinformatics analysis.
Issues and solutions in biomarker evaluation when subclasses are involved under binary classification
Authors: Feng Yingdong , Tian Lili
Published: July 2020

In practice, it is common to evaluate biomarkers in binary classification settings (e.g. non-cancer vs. cancer) where one or both main classes involve multiple subclasses. For example, non-cancer class might consist of healthy subjects and benign cases, while cancer class might consist of subjects at early and late stages. The standard practice is pooling within each main class, i.e. all non-cancer subclasses are pooled together to create a control group, and all cancer subclasses are pooled together to create a case group. Based on the pooled data, the area under ROC curve ( AUC) and other characteristics are estimated under binary classification for the purpose of biomarker evaluation. Despite the popularity of this pooling strategy in practice, its validity and implication in biomarker evaluation have never been carefully inspected. This paper aims to demonstrate that pooling strategy can be seriously misleading in biomarker evaluation. Furthermore, we present a new diagnostic framework as well as new accuracy measures appropriate for biomaker evaluation under such settings. In the end, an ovarian cancer data set is analyzed.
Five challenges to humanity: Learning from pattern/repeat failures in past disasters?
Authors: Quinlan Michael
Published: July 2020

Human civilisation faces a series of existential threats from the combination of five global and human-engineered challenges, namely climate change, resource depletion, environmental degradation, overpopulation and rising social inequality. These challenges are arguably being manifested in both an increased likelihood and magnified impact of catastrophes like forest fires, prolonged droughts, pandemics and social dislocation/upheaval. This article argues that in understanding and addressing these challenges, important lessons can be drawn from what has repeatedly caused organisational failures. It applies the ‘Ten Pathways to Disaster’ model to a series of disasters/catastrophic events and then argues this model is salient to understanding inadequate responses to the five threats to civilisation. The article argues that because these challenges interact in mutually reinforcing ways, it is critical to address them simultaneously not in isolation.

JEL Codes: H12, I14, I31, J11, Q01
Comparison of 2 portable human glucometers for the measurement of blood glucose concentration in White New Zealand rabbits
Authors: Silva Kassy G. , Rotta Isabella , Costa Leandro B. , Sotomaior Cristina S.
Published: July 2020

We compared measurements of blood glucose concentrations in 30 healthy adult White New Zealand rabbits using 2 commercial portable glucometers (PGM1 and PGM2) and a laboratory chemical analyzer. Results were analyzed with Pearson correlation, Passing–Bablok regression analysis, Bland–Altman analysis, and a modified error grid. Measurements with PGM1 were significantly correlated ( r = 0.37) with those obtained from the laboratory reference method (RM); Bland–Altman and Passing–Bablok analyses indicated no significant systematic or proportional differences (mean difference of −0.26, 95% CI of mean difference of −0.54 to 0.01, and LOA of −1.70 to 1.17); and error grid resulted in 100% of measurements in zone A. No significant correlation ( r = −0.05) was detected between PGM2 and RM; Bland–Altman and Passing–Bablok analyses results indicated a mean difference of 2.14, 95% CI of mean difference of 1.67–2.60, and limit of agreement of −0.32 to 4.59, which overestimated blood glucose concentration, with 53% of glucose measurements in error grid zone A and 47% in zone B. PGM1 was considered accurate in normoglycemic rabbits, whereas the use of PGM2 could result in overestimations of glycemia.
“It Is Truly a Struggle to Survive”: The Hardships of Living on Low Wages
Authors: Wexler Sandra , Engel Rafael J. , Steiner Elizabeth , Petracchi Helen
Published: July 2020

Many low-wage workers struggle to make ends meet despite working full-time. Surveys find that they confront material, financial, and medical hardships. This article presents hospital workers’ descriptions of living on low wages, giving voice to their fears and challenges. These workers ( N = 156) testified to a city council-created Wage Review Committee, which posted the testimonies online. We qualitatively content-analyzed the testimonies to identify and describe their struggles. Hospital workers’ testimonies brought depth and new understanding to arguments for raising wages. Low-wage workers can be effective advocates for their own interests.
“Why Am I Not Taking Medications?” Barriers and Facilitators of Diabetes Medication Adherence Across Different Health Literacy Levels
Authors: Huang Yen-Ming , Pecanac Kristen E. , Shiyanbola Olayinka O.
Published: July 2020

Medication adherence is important for diabetes management. Better knowledge of how patient factors relate to medication adherence allows us to develop more tailored interventions. We explore patients’ perceptions of the barriers to and facilitators of medication adherence across different levels of health literacy. Semi-structured interviews with 23 participants with type 2 diabetes (T2D) were completed, and direct content analysis identified the facilitators of and the barriers to medication adherence through the lens of the Health Literacy Pathway model. Linking medication-taking to daily routine and focusing on the internal locus of control are imperative approaches to fostering self-efficacy of medication use. Understanding patients’ life experiences and clarifying medication misinformation help patients address their concerns with medications. Lowering the cost of medications and simplifying therapy regimens can alleviate participants’ perceived barriers to medication-taking. In this study, we explore medication adherence from the experience of people with T2D and can inform tailored interventions to improve medication adherence.
Primate tool use and the socio-ecology of thinging: how non-humans think through tools
Authors: Mosley Hannah
Published: July 2020

While ecological psychology and embodied approaches to cognition have gained traction within the literature on non-human primate tool use, a fear of making assumptions on behalf of animal minds means that their application has been conservative, often retaining the methodological individualism of the cognitivist approach. As a result, primate models for technical and cognitive evolution, rooted in the teleological functionalism of the Neo-Darwinist approach, reduce tool use to the unit of the individual, conflating technology with technique and physical cognition with problem-solving computations of energetic efficiency. This article attempts, through the application of material engagement theory, to explore non-human primate technology as a non-individualistic phenomenon in which technique is co-constructed through the ontogenetic development of skill within a dynamic system of structured action affordances and material interactions which constitute an emergent, species-specific mode of technical cognition.
Conjunctival Stromal Tumor: Report of 2 New Cases and Review of the Literature
Authors: Lam Jonathan , Ang Andrea , Vermeulen Tersia , Ardakani Nima Mesbah
Published: July 2020

Conjunctival stromal tumor (COST) is an emerging entity with only a limited number of cases reported in the literature. In this report, we describe 2 additional cases, review the accumulative clinical and histopathological features and expand on the immunophenotypic property of this entity. COST appears to have a sporadic presentation, affecting both sexes and patients of variable ethnicity and age group and predominantly occurring on the bulbar conjunctiva as a slow-growing asymptomatic or slightly tender mass-like lesion. Histopathologically, COST is characterized by singly dispersed spindle to round cells, often with some degree of degenerative nuclear atypia, within a myxomatous to collagenous stroma. Lesional cells are characteristically positive for CD34 and vimentin, negative for S100, SOX10 and STAT6 and show a normal pattern of staining with RB1 by immunohistochemistry. The reported cases to date have shown an indolent biological behavior, reliably treated by a complete surgical excision.
What Is the Storage Effect, Why Should It Occur in Cancers, and How Can It Inform Cancer Therapy?
Authors: Miller Anna K. , Brown Joel S. , Basanta David , Huntly Nancy
Published: July 2020

Intratumor heterogeneity is a feature of cancer that is associated with progression, treatment resistance, and recurrence. However, the mechanisms that allow diverse cancer cell lineages to coexist remain poorly understood. The storage effect is a coexistence mechanism that has been proposed to explain the diversity of a variety of ecological communities, including coral reef fish, plankton, and desert annual plants. Three ingredients are required for there to be a storage effect: (1) temporal variability in the environment, (2) buffered population growth, and (3) species-specific environmental responses. In this article, we argue that these conditions are observed in cancers and that it is likely that the storage effect contributes to intratumor diversity. Data that show the temporal variation within the tumor microenvironment are needed to quantify how cancer cells respond to fluctuations in the tumor microenvironment and what impact this has on interactions among cancer cell types. The presence of a storage effect within a patient’s tumors could have a substantial impact on how we understand and treat cancer.
Characteristics of Acute Pulmonary Embolism in Patients With COVID-19 Associated Pneumonia From the City of Wuhan
Authors: Chen Jianpu , Wang Xiang , Zhang Shutong , Lin Bin , Wu Xiaoqing , Wang Yanfang , Wang Xiaoqi , Yang Ming , Sun Jianqing , Xie Yuanliang
Published: July 2020

The aim of this study was to describe clinical, imaging, and laboratory features of acute pulmonary embolism (APE) in patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia. Patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia who underwent a computed tomography pulmonary artery (CTPA) scan for suspected APE were retrospectively studied. Laboratory data and CTPA images were collected. Imaging characteristics were analyzed descriptively. Laboratory data were analyzed and compared between patients with and without APE. A series of 25 COVID-19 patients who underwent CTPA between January 2020 and February 2020 were enrolled. The median D-dimer level founded in these 25 patients was 6.06 μg/mL (interquartile range [IQR] 1.90-14.31 μg/mL). Ten (40%) patients with APE had a significantly higher level of D-dimer (median, 11.07 μg/mL; IQR, 7.12-21.66 vs median, 2.44 μg/mL; IQR, 1.68-8.34, respectively, P = .003), compared with the 15 (60%) patients without APE. No significant differences in other laboratory data were found between patients with and without APE. Among the 10 patients with APE, 6 (60%) had a bilateral pulmonary embolism, while 4 had a unilateral embolism. The thrombus-prone sites were the right lower lobe (70%), the left upper lobe (60%), both upper lobe (40%) and the right middle lobe (20%). The thrombus was partially or completely absorbed after anticoagulant therapy in 3 patients who underwent a follow-up CTPA. Patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia have a risk of developing APE during the disease. When the D-dimer level abnormally increases in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, CTPA should be performed to detect and assess the severity of APE.
Time-varying pilot factor–iterative learning control algorithm with control parameter learning ability
Authors: Huang Jing , Zheng Huayi , Li Hong , Li Guoxiu , Qiu Cheng
Published: July 2020

Based on the repeatability and nonlinearity of the actual system, the time-varying pilot factor–iterative learning control algorithm is proposed previously. To make this algorithm more intelligent and get a better control effect, an improved control algorithm is proposed. The improved control method mainly addresses the error divergence problem of the system under the influence of the phase delay. The convergence of the system under the control of this new control algorithm has been mathematically proved by using the repeatability and periodicity of the system, and the sufficient condition is given. The improved control algorithm converges even if the initial state of each iteration of the system is inconsistent. In the last section of this article, the improved algorithm is experimentally verified in an actual hydraulic servo system. The experimentally verified data shows that this new improved algorithm with control parameter learning has a faster convergence rate and better control effect than the previous time-varying pilot factor–iterative learning control algorithm.
Patient Sharing and Health Care Utilization Among Young Adults With Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Hardy Rose Y. , Keller David , Gurvitz Michelle , McManus Beth , Varda Danielle , Lindrooth Richard C.
Published: July 2020

Transitions from pediatric to adult care by young adults with chronic conditions are fraught with challenges. Poor transitions lead to discontinuities of care that are avoidable with better communication between providers. We tested whether exposure to providers with sustained patient-sharing relationships resulted in fewer emergent admissions of young adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). Care transitions are particularly important for young adults with CHD. Though it is not possible to avoid planned admissions for scheduled procedures, emergency admissions are avoidable with proper care. We tested whether several different patient-sharing relationship measures influenced emergent admissions and found that compared with less severe CHD patients, those with severe CHD experienced a 4 to 10 percentage point decline in emergent admissions given a 5 percentage point increase in practice-level patient-sharing relationships. These results are consistent with our hypothesis that patient sharing improves communication and continuity of care across providers, especially for severe CHD patients.
New onset diabetes with ketoacidosis following nivolumab immunotherapy: A case report and review of literature
Authors: Delasos Lukas , Bazewicz Christopher , Sliwinska Aleksandra , Lia Nerea Lopetegui , Vredenburgh James
Published: July 2020

Introduction

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors have become an increasingly popular form of systemic therapy for cancer treatment. Their use has proven to be so effective that certain regimens have gained approval as first-line therapy for various solid tumor types. The most common and well-studied forms of immunotherapy include agents that target cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4, programmed death-1, and programmed death ligand-1. These therapies act by blocking signaling between immune cells and cancer cells which subsequently augment T cell-mediated destruction of tumor cells.

Case report

Here, we report a case of a 77-year-old black male with no history of or risk factors for diabetes mellitus who presented with acute onset of diabetic ketoacidosis after beginning immunotherapy with nivolumab for metastatic high-grade neuroendocrine tumor of the lung. He was admitted and treated for diabetic ketoacidosis but required prolonged use of an insulin infusion with frequent need of intravenous dextrose due to labile blood sugars. The patient was eventually discharged and discontinued further immunotherapy with nivolumab.

Discussion

Due to the unique mechanisms by which immune-checkpoint inhibitors cause immune-mediated destruction of tumor cells, clinicians may be challenged with their associated autoimmune complications referred to as immune-related adverse events. In particular, the incidence of endocrine dysfunction following immune-checkpoint inhibitor therapy is approximately 12%, with the development of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus being a rare complication. Increasing awareness of immune-related adverse events is essential for the early recognition and effective management of patients who present with life-threatening complications related to immune-checkpoint inhibitor therapy.
Basal Insulin Dose Titration for Glycemic Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Thailand: Results of the REWARDS Real-World Study
Authors: Deerochanawong Chaicharn , Leelawattana Rattana , Kosachunhanun Natapong , Tantiwong Puntip
Published: July 2020

This multicenter, longitudinal, descriptive, observational study of T2DM adults in Thailand aimed to assess real-world outcomes of basal insulin (BI) dose titration on glycemic control. Three-hundred and twenty-four patients were recruited and followed up over 24 weeks. Basal insulin titration was physician-driven in 58.2% of patients and patient-driven in the rest. During the 24-week study period, the total daily BI dose moved from 20.9 to 25.6 in the physician-driven group, while in the patient-driven group, it increased from 25.3 to 29.7. Thirty-five patients (11.2%) achieved their individualized HbA1c targets, with 18 patients (5.8%) achieving HbA1c ⩽ 7% without documented hypoglycemia. In summary, this study highlights that BI titration is suboptimal in the real world, and patients are unable to achieve their glycemic targets.
Motivation-based segmentation of Chinese senior travelers: The role of preferences, sociodemographic, and travel-related features
Authors: Otoo Felix Elvis , Kim Seongseop (Sam) , Park Jinah
Published: July 2020

This study was designed to investigate factors associated with Mainland China’s senior overseas travel motivations and the role in explaining preferences, sociodemographic and travel features. The study was conducted with 496 seniors. The statistical analyses included factor analysis, cluster analysis, one-way analysis of variance, and chi-square test. Result showed that eight domains defined the overseas travel motivations of Mainland Chinese seniors. Cluster analysis produced a five-cluster solution based on motivations. The cluster with lowest motivations were older, primary school graduates with lowest income and generally low set of preferences. Ultimately, understanding motivation can effectively promote travel among the aging population.
Coloniality of corporate social responsibility
Authors: Poesche Jurgen
Published: July 2020

The objective of this article is to make the case horizontally that the intertwined legal compliance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) abet enduring coloniality in settler colonial states. The focus is on Indigenous nations and settler colonial states in the Americas. There are three key contributions. First, the jurisprudential, managerial, philosophical and political foundations of CSR are of Occidental extraction therefore making CSR susceptible to being a tool of coloniality directed against Indigenous nations. Second, CSR is constrained by compliance with Occidental jurisprudence. Third, firms’ compliance with Indigenous nations’ cosmovisions can be best safeguarded by legal pluralism-based compliance as this entails court-imposed coercive enforcement. CSR is not part of the solution; CSR is part of the problem.
Resilience of sub-Saharan children and adolescents: A scoping review
Authors: Theron Linda
Published: July 2020

The population of sub-Saharan children and adolescents is substantial and growing. Even though most of this population is vulnerable, there is no comprehensive understanding of the social-ecological factors that could be leveraged by mental health practitioners to support their resilience. The present study undertakes a narrative scoping review of empirical research (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed) on the resilience of children and adolescents living in sub-Saharan Africa to determine what enables their resilience and what may be distinctive about African pathways of child and adolescent resilience. Online databases were used to identify full-text, peer-reviewed papers published 2000–2018, from which we selected 59 publications detailing the resilience of children and/or adolescents living in 18 sub-Saharan countries. Studies show that the resilience of sub-Saharan children and adolescents is a complex, social-ecological process supported by relational, personal, structural, cultural, and/or spiritual resilience-enablers, as well as disregard for values or practices that could constrain resilience. The results support two insights that have implications for how mental health practitioners facilitate the resilience of sub-Saharan children and adolescents: (i) relational and personal supports matter more-or-less equally; and (ii) the capacity for positive adjustment is complexly interwoven with African ways-of-being and -doing.
The emotional trade-off between meaningful and precarious work in new economies
Authors: Patulny Roger , Mills Kathy A , Olson Rebecca E , Bellocchi Alberto , McKenzie Jordan
Published: July 2020

The contradictory work environments of new economies in late modernity are associated with a range of emotional experiences, requiring diverse emotion management strategies. Late modernity offers the capacity to pursue happy, safe, rewarding, and meaningful work for the privileged few; a potential trade-off between stressful meaningful and boring precarious work for a greater number; and the prospect of non-meaningful, precarious work for many in the new economy characterised by short-term contracts, gig work, precarity, and anxiety. This study draws on data from the 2015–16 Australian Social Attitudes Survey to examine workers’ emotions in various combinations of meaningful and precarious employment, and the degree to which these emotions are managed. It finds that it is best to have secure meaningful work, worst to have highly precarious work, and slightly better to have safe but alienating than risky meaningful work, in terms of avoiding often hidden negative emotions.
Putting the “Me” in endorsement: Understanding and conceptualizing dimensions of self-endorsement using intelligent personal assistants
Authors: Hamilton Kristy A , Lee Seo Yoon , Chung Un Chae , Liu Weizi , Duff Brittany RL
Published: July 2020

Self-endorsement—depicting the “self” as an endorser of a brand—represents a potentially powerful advertising strategy made possible by new media. This experiment tests the hypothesis that receiving brand recommendations from an intelligent personal assistant believed to be tailored to one’s own characteristics and consumer interests yields higher brand attitude and purchase intention toward the (self-endorsed) brand than receiving brand recommendations from a typical, but not self-tailored, intelligent personal assistant. Because endorsement is a well-known and highly effective advertising strategy, this is a high bar. We present evidence for self-referencing as an underlying mechanism, and perceived interactivity and identification as boundary conditions of self-endorsing. Consumers may show skepticism toward advertising but may not know how to be skeptical of themselves. As consumers outsource their tasks and decisions to new artificial intelligence (AI)-driven devices, they will need to be attentive to new media biases that threaten productive use of these devices.
Effects of fiber length on the performance of piassava-reinforced epoxy composites
Authors: Castro RG , Amorim FC , Reis JML
Published: July 2020

Investigation of lignocellulosic fibers in polymeric composites is important for development of green technologies, to reduce the weight and cost of materials and reduce pollutant emissions. In this work, the influence of piassava fiber length was evaluated to verify the mechanical response when incorporated in fiber-reinforced epoxy composites containing 20% piassava. Raw fibers were cut manually to lengths of 10, 20, and 30 mm. Tensile and flexural properties of the fiber-reinforced composites were compared. An increase in the fiber length was associated with higher tensile and flexural moduli and strength of piassava–epoxy composites, leading to stiffer and lesser ductile material.
In the shadow of sociology: Bateson through the lens of Durkheim
Authors: Bjerre Jørn
Published: July 2020

Gregory Bateson developed his transdisciplinary thinking in the shadow of sociology, but his ideas are not generally viewed as part of the field of classical sociology. This article will explain this exclusion by arguing that Bateson’s way of theorising – while attempting to make progress in the understanding of reality – returns to ideas that were already rejected within the field in which he first worked. Furthermore, as a reading of Bateson through the lens of Durkheim will show, Bateson’s theories fail to provide a better understanding of social reality than those of his predecessors. This type of critical analysis demonstrates the weakness of some of Bateson’s central claims and contributes to a more in-depth understanding and reassessment of his ideas from a sociological perspective. Pointing out that Bateson’s critique of the modern worldview is based on a pre-critical and pre-modern philosophy of wholeness is not to invalidate Bateson’s foundational intuition that our current mode of thinking challenges our chances of surviving as a species. However, in order to make a theoretically convincing argument concerning how our thinking challenges our survival, a more critical understanding of the relation between mind and society than the one Bateson offers is required.
The adapted CoRE-Values framework: A decision-making tool for new clinical ethics advisory groups
Authors: Manson Helen , Fistein Elizabeth , Heathcote James , Whiteside Anne , Wilkes Laura , Dodman Kevin , Schofield Marcia
Published: July 2020

A new Clinical Ethics Advisory Group (CEAG) was created to contribute to NHS Trust policies and guidelines in response to ethical issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. An ethical analysis framework used in medical education, the CoRE-Values Compass and Grid, was adapted to form a step-wise ‘ABC’ decision-making process. CEAG members found the framework simple to understand and use and the model facilitated time-efficient decisions that were explicitly justifiable on moral, ethical, professional and legal grounds. The adapted CoRE-Values framework might help facilitate decision-making processes for similar new clinical ethics advisory or support committees.
EP4 signalling is essential for controlling islet inflammation by causing a shift in macrophage polarization in obesity/type 2 diabetes
Authors: Yasui-Kato Mika , Patlada Suthomwong , Yokode Masayuki , Kamei Kaeko , Minami Manabu
Published: July 2020

Activation of the prostaglandin E2 receptor EP4 alters polarization of adipose tissue macrophages towards the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype to suppress chronic inflammation. However, the role of EP4 signalling in pancreatic macrophages that affect insulin secretion is unclear. We examined the role of EP4 signalling in islet inflammation in vitro and in vivo. Obese diabetic db/db mice were treated with an EP4-selective agonist or vehicle for 4 weeks. Islet morphology did not significantly differ and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was increased, whereas the pancreatic M1/M2 ratio was decreased in the EP4 agonist-treated group compared to the vehicle group. Because EP4 activation in MIN6 cells did not affect insulin secretion, we used a MIN6/macrophage co-culture system to evaluate the role of EP4 signalling in islet inflammation and subsequent inhibition of insulin release. Co-culture with M1-polarized macrophages markedly suppressed insulin expression in MIN6 cells; however, modulation of M1 polarization by the EP4 agonist significantly reversed the negative impact of co-cultivation on insulin production. The enhanced expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in co-cultured MIN6 cells were markedly inhibited by EP4 agonist treatment of M1 macrophages. Thus, EP4 activation may suppress islet inflammation and protect β-cell function by altering inflammatory macrophages in the diabetic pancreas.
Mathematical Background as a Success Factor in Economics and Business Degrees
Authors: Asian Chaves Rosario , Buitrago Esquinas Eva Maria , Masero Inmaculada , Yñiguez Ovando Rocío
Published: July 2020

Pre-university policy can determine the success (or failure) of university studies. Using different econometric techniques, this work carries out an exploratory study to assess the relationship between the mathematics skills developed at upper secondary school and performance and retention in university studies in the Economic-Business area. Our findings point out the recommended secondary education track to access the Economics, Business and Marketing Degrees is not the most suitable to achieve success in these studies. A set of specific proposals of Educational Policy is shown.
Development of a Surgical Sponge Counting System Using Radiographic Images
Authors: Kusuda Kaori , Yamashita Kazuhiko , Tanaka Shinichi , Tanaka Kiyohito , Ohta Yuji
Published: July 2020

Background. Retention of surgical sponges in patients is a relatively frequent medical malpractice. To prevent it, the surgical sites are scanned using X-ray. However, using radiography in the operation room induces X-ray exposure for both patients and staff. To prevent such issues, a novel sponge counting system was developed. Each surgical sponge used in common hospitals is composed of single radiopaque fibers. Methods. The proposed system scans surgical sponges to estimate their fiber length (EFL) and returns the number of it. In this study, an optimal image acquisition protocol was determined that allows an accurate count of sponges. X-ray doses and multi-angle image procedures were tested. Results. Measurement trials were performed and compared for both dry and blood-soaked sponges. As a result, the X-ray dose of 50 kV and 600 μA and the acquisition of 180 images per sample yielded an accurate EFL. The 180-image protocol achieved good performance in this study and allowed counting of one package of 10 sponges in 226 seconds. For these settings, a significant correlation was found between the actual number of sponges and the estimated fiber lengths. Additionally, the performance of the system was similar for either dry or blood-soaked items. Conclusion. The proposed system could accurately count surgical sponges and is a promising option in preventing the accidental retention of surgical sponges.
Implementation of micropolar fluids model and hydrodynamic behavior analysis using user-defined function in FLUENT
Authors: Wang Lian , Chu Xihua , Wan Ji , Xiu Chenxi
Published: July 2020

Micropolar fluids commonly represent the complex fluids with microstructure, for example, animal blood and liquid crystals. To understand the behavior of micropolar fluids and the role of micropolar parameters, different micropolar fluids models were implemented by user-defined function in the FLUENT software. The correctness of user-defined function programs was verified comparing to the analytical solution in the Poiseuille flow. Then, the hydrodynamic behavior was analyzed in the Poiseuille flow with a moving particle, slider bearing, and dam break. Numerical results show that microrotation viscosity weakens translational velocity while enhances the pressure of micropolar fluids, in addition, microrotation velocity decreases with the increase in angular viscosity.
Talking with the right-wing: Pernicious polarization in Brazil and the philosophy of Paulo Freire
Authors: Vrydagh Fanny , Jiménez-Martínez César
Published: July 2020

The last decade has witnessed the development of pernicious polarization in Brazil, partly due to the emergence of right-wing organizations promoting a conservative, populist-nationalist and neoliberal agenda. Despite the attention that this process has received, the viewpoints of individuals who identify themselves as part of the right-wing have been overlooked. This article aims to address this gap, drawing on twenty-one semi-structured interviews with members of right-wing organization Movimento Brasil Livre. By analyzing the interviews through the philosophy of Paulo Freire, we show how these individuals propose a narrative of oppression that echoes in form but not substance Freire’s ideas of conscientization and liberation. We also suggest that a Freirean approach opens new ways to discuss and potentially unlock pernicious polarization, incorporating a significant distinction between sectarians and radicals, with the former unreceptive to criticism and discussion, and the latter defending their positions but open to dialogue and listening.
Faecal microbiota transplantation in Clostridioides difficile infection: real-life experience from an academic Italian hospital
Authors: Barberio Brigida , Facchin Sonia , Mele Edoardo , D’Incà Renata , Sturniolo Giacomo Carlo , Farinati Fabio , Zingone Fabiana , Quagliariello Andrea , Ghisa Matteo , Massimi Davide , Casadei Cesare , Savarino Edoardo Vincenzo
Published: July 2020

Background:

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a reasonable therapeutic option for the treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) recurrent and refractory (RCDI) to therapy, but little evidence on the long-term impact of this therapy is currently available in the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of FMT in recurrent and refractory CDI and the modifications of the recipient’s gut microbiota in the medium–long term.

Methods:

This prospective study collects the clinical and laboratory data of RCDI patients treated with FMT by colonoscopy from February 2016 to October 2019. Stool samples for metagenomic analysis were collected pre-FMT at 1 week and at 6 and 12–24 months post-FMT.

Results:

In the study period, 20 FMT procedures were performed on 19 patients. Overall, FMT was effective in 85% of treated patients. No serious adverse event was recorded. In the medium- to long-term follow up, a newly diagnosed case of collagenous colitis was observed. Post-FMT, significant changes in microbiota were observed, characterised by the transition from a low- to a greater-diversity profile. Therefore, FMT restores eubiosis and maintains it over time.

Conclusion:

FMT is a safe and effective treatment option in RCDI patients. This procedure induces profound microbiota changes that explain its high clinical efficacy.
3D scanning as a powerful tool for the analysis of bird nests
Authors: Simonov Sergey , Matantseva Maria
Published: July 2020

The analysis of bird nest parameters is often constrained by the traditional linear measurements. The shape of every nest is unique, and conventional measurements cannot describe all spatial characteristic of these three-dimensional structures. In this study, we used 3D scanning to obtain three-dimensional images of nests and estimate their parameters and compared the results with the values obtained by the linear measurement-based approach. The 3D scanning-based method involves minimal nest deformation, ensures determination of its volume and shape with higher precision than traditional measurements and, finally, can be applied to different types of nests, including asymmetrical ones.
Purity, Nationalism, and Whiteness
Authors: Herrmann Andrew F.
Published: July 2020

Fundamentalist evangelicalism is an intricate grand narrative based upon the interrelated concepts of end times’ eschatology and purity. These two concepts created the conditions by which white evangelicals abandoned their traditional moral rhetoric and overwhelmingly helped elect Donald Trump. However, the eschatological and purity concepts have also created the conditions by which evangelicalism is fracturing along racial and gender lines. This article, written by a former evangelical fundamentalist, looks at the grand narrative and the ruptures occurring within the culture, including the #ChurchToo movement and the rise of the #Exvangelicals.