bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lung Abscess with a Refractory Bronchopleural Fistula Saved from Potentially Fatal Sepsis by Omentoplasty and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
Authors: Takamatsu Jumpei , Kang Jinkoo , Fukuhara Aya , Yasue Yuichi , Kawata Sae
Published: October 2021

Controlling air leaks during thoracic drainage in patients with lung abscesses caused by bronchopleural fistulas is challenging. To reduce the occurrence of air leaks, positive pressure ventilation should be avoided whenever possible. A 69-year-old man presented with a 10-day history of gradually worsening chest pain. He had lost consciousness and was brought to the emergency room. His SpO2 was approximately 70%, and his systolic blood pressure was approximately 60 mmHg. Chest radiography and computed tomography revealed findings suggestive of a right pyothorax. Therefore, thoracic drainage was performed. However, the patient’s respiratory status did not improve, and his circulatory status could not be maintained. Therefore, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was introduced after the improvement in circulation by noradrenaline and fluid resuscitation, resulting in adequate oxygenation and ventilation without the use of high-pressure ventilator settings. Subsequently, omentoplasty for a refractory bronchopleural fistula was successfully performed, and the air leak was cured without recurrence of the lung abscess.
How Salesperson Improves Their Customer Stewardship Behavior in the Mobile Internet Era
Authors: Zhu Lidong , Ye Weiling , Zhang Hui
Published: October 2021

Nowadays, sales are facing with the growing number of work-life conflicts with the development of the mobile Internet. And, academics and enterprises turn to focus continuously on the issues that how can salesperson balance work-family conflict, achieving high sales performance and obtaining customer satisfaction and loyalty. From a new perspective of the management of salesperson on the front lines, this paper explored the formation of sales’ work-family balance on customer stewardship orientation and tested the intermediary role of personal life-work promotion and personal life-work conflict. The results of the stepwise regression analysis show that work-family balance (I) has the direct effect on the formation of the sales staff's customer housekeeping orientation, (II) promotes the positive promotion of customer stewardship by strengthening personal to work promotion, and (III) reduces the passive influence on personal life-work conflict on customer stewardship and promotes the formation of customer stewardship orientation by restraining personal life-work conflict. The above results complement the informal control system of sales force, reveal the formation mechanism of customer stewardship behavior, and provide practical suggestions for enterprises to reach long-term sales goals through the management of sales personnel.
Novel α-Mangostin Derivatives from Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) Peel Extract with Antioxidant and Anticancer Potential
Authors: Tran Vy Anh , Thi Vo Thu-Thao , Nguyen My-Nuong Thi , Duy Dat Nguyen , Doan Van-Dat , Nguyen Thanh-Quang , Vu Quang Hieu , Le Van Thuan , Tong Thanh Danh
Published: October 2021

The mangosteen peels contain biologically active compounds, with antioxidant and anticancer properties. Among these isolated phytochemicals, α-mangostin is one of the most powerful natural antioxidants and anticancer compounds. This study focused on synthesizing novel α-mangostin (α-MG) derivatives at positions of C-3 and C-6 from extracted α-MG of mangosteen peels and investigating antioxidant and anticancer activities. The structures of the synthesized compounds were determined by using MS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and HPLC. The analysis of the interaction between structure and bioactivity showed that phenol groups on C-3 and C-6 positions play a crucial role in antiproliferative activity to boost both anticancer efficacy and drug-like properties. The antioxidant activity of α-MG and its derivatives were investigated by the DPPH method. Among α-MG derivatives, 1-hydroxy-7-methoxy-2,8-bis(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl)-9-oxo-9H-xanthene-3,6-diyl bis(2-bromobenzoate) (compound 4) exhibited significant antioxidant property. The in vitro cytotoxicity against various cancer cell lines (HeLa, MCF-7, NCI–H460, and HepG2) was evaluated by the standard sulforhodamine B assay. The anticancer activities (HeLa, MCF-7, NCI–H460, and HepG2) of compound 4 are five to six times higher than those of α-MG and other derivatives. The acetylation at C-3 and C-6 of α-MG by halogen of benzoyl greatly improved cancer cell toxicity. Our results provide new opportunities for further explorations of α-MG derivatives for antioxidant property and promise as drugs in cancer therapy.
An Improved Group Signature Scheme with VLR over Lattices
Authors: Zhang Yanhua , Liu Ximeng , Hu Yupu , Jia Huiwen , Zhang Qikun
Published: October 2021

For group signatures (GS) supporting membership revocation, verifier-local revocation (VLR) mechanism is the most flexible choice. As a post-quantum secure cryptographic counterpart of classical schemes, the first dynamic GS-VLR scheme over lattices was put forward by Langlois et al. at PKC 2014; furthermore, a corrected version was shown at TCS 2018. However, both designs are within Bonsai trees and featuring bit-sizes of group public-key and member secret signing key proportional to

log
  
N

where N is the group size; therefore, both schemes are not suitable for a large group. In this paper, we provide an improved dynamic GS-VLR over lattices, which is efficient by eliminating a

O

log
  
N

factor for both sizes. To realize the goal, we adopt a more efficient and compact identity-encoding technique. At the heart of our new construction is a new Stern-type statistical zero-knowledge argument of knowledge protocol which may be of some independent cryptographic interest.
The Low Maternal Consumption of Homemade Fermented Foods in Pregnancy Is an Additional Risk Factor for Food Protein-Induced Allergic Proctocolitis: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Karatas Pelin , Uysal Pinar , Kahraman Berberoglu Bircan , Erge Duygu , Calisir Husniye
Published: October 2021

Introduction: Food protein-induced allergic proctocolitis (FPIAP) is the most common non-IgE-mediated food allergy and it varies between 4% and 8% in infants. The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential association between FPIAP in infants and maternal daily consumption of homemade fermented foods (FFs) during pregnancy. Methods: Two hundred and seven infants were included in this case-control study, 106 with physician-diagnosed FPIAP (FPIAP group) and 101 age- and gender-matched healthy infants (control group), together with their mothers. The frequency and diversity of the 8 most consumed homemade FFs in traditional Turkish cuisine and daily maternal consumption of these during pregnancy were evaluated retrospectively using a structured questionnaire. Results: Rates of vaginal delivery, maternal smoking during pregnancy, educational status, and monthly household income were higher in the FPIAP group than the control group (p = 0.046, p = 0.014, p < 0.001, and p = 0.009, respectively). The 3 most common daily-consumed FFs during pregnancy were, in order, yogurt, cheese, and tarhana. The diversity of daily-consumed FFs during pregnancy (p = 0.004) and the consumption of the 3 most common FFs (p = 0.011) were lower in the FPIAP group than in the control group. Maternal smoking during pregnancy (odds ratio [OR]: 2.97, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19–7.41, p = 0.019) and a higher maternal educational status (OR: 3.34, 95% CI: 1.63–6.84, p = 0.001) increased the risk of FPIAP at multivariate logistic regression, while the diversity of maternal FF consumption was protective against FPIAP (OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.58–0.96, p = 0.025). Conclusion: Daily maternal consumption of yogurt, cheese, and tarhana during pregnancy was less common in FPIAP. The diversity of traditional Turkish homemade FFs may reduce the risk of FPIAP, whereas maternal smoking and a higher maternal educational status were associated with an increased risk of FPIAP.
Pathological Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in a Patient with HER2-Positive Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Breast
Authors: Usui Yuki , Matsunuma Ryoichi , Yamaguchi Kei , Hayami Ryosuke , Muramatsu Aya , Suzuki Makoto , Tsuneizumi Michiko
Published: October 2021

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the breast is a rare malignancy that usually has a triple-negative phenotype and poor clinical outcomes. Because HER2-positive SCC of the breast is extremely rare, its clinicopathologic features are understudied, and the effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy including anti-HER2-targeted therapy on the tumor are unclear, although treatment resistance was described in some reports. In this study, we reported a case of HER2-positive SCC of the breast in which a pathological complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy was observed.
Genetic Obesity in Children: Overview of Possible Diagnoses with a Focus on SH2B1 Deletion
Authors: Giannopoulou Eleni Z. , Zorn Stefanie , Schirmer Melanie , Herrmann Gloria , Heger Sabine , Reinehr Thomas , Denzer Christian , Rabenstein Hannah , Hillmer Morten , Sowada Nadine , Siebert Reiner , von Schnurbein Julia , Wabitsch Martin
Published: October 2021

Introduction: Genetic obesity is rare and quite challenging for pediatricians in terms of early identification. Src-homology-2 (SH2) B adapter protein 1 (SH2B1) is an important component in the leptin-melanocortin pathway and is found to play an important role in leptin and insulin signaling and therefore in the pathogenesis of obesity and diabetes. Microdeletions in chromosome 16p11.2, encompassing the SH2B1 gene, are known to be associated with obesity, insulin resistance, hyperphagia, and developmental delay. The aim of our study is to report on a case series of young individuals with 16p11.2 microdeletions, including the SH2B1 gene, and provide detailed information on body mass index (BMI) development and obesity-associated comorbidities. In this way, we want to raise awareness of this syndromic form of obesity as a differential diagnosis of genetic obesity. Methods: We describe the phenotype of 7 children (3 male; age range: 2.8–18.0 years) with 16p11.2 microdeletions, encompassing the SH2B1 gene, and present their BMI trajectories from birth onward. Screening for obesity-associated comorbidities was performed at the time of genetic diagnosis. Results: All children presented with severe, early-onset obesity already at the age of 5 years combined with variable developmental delay. Five patients presented with elevated fasting insulin levels, 1 patient developed diabetes mellitus type 2, 4 patients had dyslipidemia, and 4 developed nonalcoholic fatty-liver disease. Discussion/Conclusion: Chromosomal microdeletions in 16p11.2, including the SH2B1 gene, in children are associated with severe, early-onset obesity and comorbidities associated with insulin resistance. Early genetic testing in suspicious patients and early screening for comorbidities are recommended.
Diuretic Changes, Health Care Resource Utilization, and Clinical Outcomes for Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: From the Change the Management of Patients With Heart Failure Registry
Authors: Khan Muhammad Shahzeb , Greene Stephen J. , Hellkamp Anne S. , DeVore Adam D. , Shen Xian , Albert Nancy M. , Patterson J. Herbert , Spertus John A. , Thomas Laine E. , Williams Fredonia B. , Hernandez Adrian F. , Fonarow Gregg C. , Butler Javed
Published: October 2021

Background:

Diuretics are a mainstay therapy for the symptomatic treatment of heart failure. However, in contemporary US outpatient practice, the degree to which diuretic dosing changes over time and the associations with clinical outcomes and health care resource utilization are unknown.

Methods:

Among 3426 US outpatients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in the Change the Management of Patients with Heart Failure registry with complete medication data and who were prescribed a loop diuretic, diuretic dose increase was defined as: (1) change to a total daily dose higher than their previous total daily dose, (2) addition of metolazone to the regimen, (3) change from furosemide to either bumetanide or torsemide, and the change persists for at least 7 days. Adjusted hazard ratios or rate ratios along with 95% CIs were reported for clinical outcomes among patients with an increase in oral diuretic dose versus no increase in diuretic dose.

Results:

Overall, 796 (23%) had a diuretic dose increase (18 episodes per 100 patient-years). The proportion of patients with dyspnea at rest (38% versus 26%), dyspnea at exertion (79% versus 67%), orthopnea (32% versus 21%), edema (60% versus 43%), and weight gain (40% versus 23%) were significantly (all
P
<0.001) higher in the diuretic increase group. Baseline angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker (hazard ratio, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.65–0.87]) use were associated with lower likelihood of diuretic increase over time. Patients with a diuretic dose increase had a significantly higher number of heart failure hospitalizations (rate ratio, 2.53 [95% CI, 2.10–3.05]), emergency department visits (rate ratio, 1.84 [95% CI, 1.56–2.17]), and home health visits (rate ratio, 1.88 [95% CI, 1.39–2.54]), but not all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.10 [95% CI, 0.89–1.36]). Similarly, greater furosemide dose equivalent increases were associated with greater resource utilization but not with mortality, compared with smaller increases.

Conclusions:

In this contemporary US registry, 1 in 4 patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction had outpatient escalation of diuretic therapy over longitudinal follow-up, and these patients were more likely to have sign/symptoms of congestion. Outpatient diuretic dose escalation of any magnitude was associated with heart failure hospitalizations and resource utilization, but not all-cause mortality.
Mechanical Properties of Eco-Friendly and Energy-Saving Mortar with Porous Feldspar
Authors: Kim Ji Sun , Kim Yongho , Lee Jong Young , Han Jung-Geun
Published: October 2021

ABSTRACTPorous feldspar is a silicate mineral that is made up of more than 80% of SiO2 and Al2O3 as components. It has a large specific surface area than sand. It has an excellent reactivity with cement as a pozzolanic component. A normal
mortar as a construction material is composed of 75% of sand and 25% of cement. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a cause of environmental pollution. It is often made when making cement contained in mortar. Therefore, it is necessary to study alternative materials that can reduce the amount
of cement used. This study was conducted using feldspar as a fine aggregate instead of sand. First, feldspar was standardized through physical testing. Compressive strength tests were then carried out to compare feldspar mortar and sand-based mortar. Hydration products of mortars were confirmed
using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Result of these tests revealed that when feldspar was used, the compressive strength tended to be high. In this study, Case 3 consisting of feldspar 80% and cement 20% with reduced use of cement was found to be the most suitable one. Secondly, to
confirm the appropriateness of using feldspar mortars as a floor material, thermal conductivity and thermal efficiency experiments were conducted using mortars with ingredients that differed from a normal mortar. Results of these experiments revealed that feldspar mortar was more effective
as an insulating material than a normal mortar because it had lower thermal conductivity and longer heat retention time than a normal mortar. Therefore, the use of feldspar mortar could have an energy reduction effect compared to a normal mortar as a flooring material in an ondol (under-heating)
type floor-heating system in Korea.
A Marriage of Convenience on the Rocks? Revisiting the Sino–Angolan Relationship
Authors: de Carvalho Paulo , Kopiński Dominik , Taylor Ian
Published: October 2021

China's relationship with Angola – which is both the region's top oil exporter to China and recipient of the highest amount of Chinese loans – represents a critical case when it comes to studying Sino–African relations. The Sino–Angolan relationship, forged for purely pragmatic reasons at an opportune moment of mutual need in the early 2000s, has been labelled a ‘marriage of convenience’. A variety of factors have, however, altered the environment in which China first made inroads into Angola; most notably a decline in oil prices, and the 2017 political transition. These have provided fresh impetus to the Angolan political economy and relations with China. Based on interviews we show that although oil remains a central ingredient, China's role has substantially evolved. The marriage of convenience is experiencing a period of rocky introspection, one in which the notion of China having sway in Angola can finally be laid to rest.
Effects of Tham Nasal Alkalinization on Airway Microbial Communities: A Pilot Study in Non-CF and CF Adults
Authors: Holliday Zachary M. , Launspach Janice L. , Durairaj Lakshmi , Singh Pradeep K. , Zabner Joseph , Stoltz David A.
Published: October 2021

Objectives:

In cystic fibrosis (CF), loss of CFTR-mediated bicarbonate secretion reduces the airway surface liquid (ASL) pH causing airway host defense defects. Aerosolized sodium bicarbonate can reverse these defects, but its effects are short-lived. Aerosolized tromethamine (THAM) also raises the ASL pH but its effects are much longer lasting. In this pilot study, we tested the hypothesis that nasally administered THAM would alter the nasal bacterial composition in adults with and without CF.

Methods:

Subjects (n = 32 total) received intranasally administered normal saline or THAM followed by a wash out period prior to receiving the other treatment. Nasal bacterial cultures were obtained prior to and after each treatment period.

Results:

At baseline, nasal swab bacterial counts were similar between non-CF and CF subjects, but CF subjects had reduced microbial diversity. Both nasal saline and THAM were well-tolerated. In non-CF subjects, nasal airway alkalinization decreased both the total bacterial density and the gram-positive bacterial species recovered. In both non-CF and CF subjects, THAM decreased the amount of Corynebacterium accolens detected, but increased the amount of Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum recovered on nasal swabs. A reduction in Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization was also found in subjects who grew C. pseudodiphtheriticum.

Conclusions:

This study shows that aerosolized THAM is safe and well-tolerated and that nasal airway alkalinization alters the composition of mucosal bacterial communities.

Clinical Trial Registration:

NCT00928135 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00928135 ).
Antitrust Anachronism: The Interracial Wealth Transfer in Collegiate Athletics Under the Consumer Welfare Standard
Authors: Tatos Ted , Singer Hal
Published: October 2021

Under an illusory nexus to education, intercollegiate athletics in the United States represents a multibillion-dollar enterprise that extracts economic rents from the majority Black athlete labor to the benefit of overwhelmingly White constituencies. Under the aegis of “amateurism,” member universities of the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) collude to fix maximum athlete compensation at cost-of-attendance and strip athletes of the economic rights over their own name, image, or likeness. While this anticompetitive restraint encumbers all athletes competing under the NCAA umbrella, it imposes a disparate impact on Black and other minority athletes who represent a majority of the labor in the largest revenue sports: football and basketball. Although White coaches are the most visible beneficiaries of this anticompetitive restraint, the scope of amateurism’s interracial distributional effects has largely remained uncovered. This article seeks to fill this gap in the literature. Leveraging data from multiple sources, including institutional financial reports and the NCAA Demographics Database from 2007–2020, this article quantifies the NCAA’s wealth transfer away from primarily Black athlete labor to institutions and overwhelmingly White constituencies. Under the NCAA’ restraint, we estimate that Black football and men’s and women’s basketball athletes at the Division I Power 5 Conference level have lost approximately $17 billion to $21 billion in compensation from 2005 to 2019 or roughly $1.2–$1.4 billion per year. The antitrust status quo’s failure to enjoin the NCAA’s collusive wage-fixing restraint, which causes such obvious antitrust injury and harm to athlete labor, underscores the fundamental shortcomings of using the consumer-welfare standard as the exclusive lodestar to investigate and enjoin anticompetitive conduct; it also exposes the divergence between “amateurism” as described in Board of Regents and the modern-day realities of college athletics.
Sexual Abuse, Antisocial Behaviour and Substance Use: Gender Differences in Young Community Adolescents
Authors: Bergen Helen A. , Martin Graham , Richardson Angela S. , Allison Stephen , Roeger Leigh
Published: October 2021

Objective

To investigate gender-specific relationships between self-reported sexual abuse, antisocial behaviour and substance use in a large community sample of adolescents.

Method

A cross-sectional study of students aged, on average, 13 (n = 2596), 14 (n = 2475) and 15 years (n = 2290), from 27 schools in South Australia with a questionnaire including sexual abuse, frequency and severity of substance use, depressive symptomatology (CES-D), family functioning (McMaster Family Assessment Device), and antisocial behaviour (an adapted 22-item Self-Report Delinquency Scale). Logistic regression analyses using HLM V5.05 with a population-average model were conducted.

Results

In the model considered, reported sexual abuse is significantly independently associated with antisocial behaviour, controlling for confounding factors of depressive symptomatology and family dysfunction, with increased risks of three- to eightfold for sexually abused boys, and two- to threefold for sexually abused girls, compared to nonabused. Increased risks of extreme substance use in sexually abused girls (age 13) and boys (ages 13–15) are more than fourfold, compared to nonabused. Age differences were not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Childhood sexual abuse is a risk factor for the development of antisocial behaviour and substance use in young adolescents. Clinicians should be aware of gender differences.
Temporality and contextualisation in Peace and Conflict Studies: The forgotten value of war memoirs and personal diaries
Authors: Mac Ginty Roger
Published: October 2021

This article contributes to debates on appropriate levels of analysis, temporality, and the utility of fieldwork in relation to Peace and Conflict Studies (PCS), and International Relations more generally. It observes a recentism or privileging of the recent past in our studies and a consequent overlooking of the longer term. As a corrective, the article investigates the extent to which wartime memoirs and personal diaries (specifically from World War I and World War II) can help inform the study of contemporary peace and conflict. In essence, the article is a reflection on the epistemologies and methodologies employed by PCS and an investigation of the need for greater contextualisation.
Kohelet – Hebrew or Hellenist? A Survey of the Debate
Authors: Kimche J. J.
Published: October 2021

This essay provides a comprehensive survey of two centuries of scholarly debate regarding the extent to which Kohelet, the author of the book of Ecclesiastes, was influenced by currents of Greek philosophy and literature. This essay first considers Kohelet’s possible Hebraic, Babylonian, and Egyptian sources of influence, before moving on to address its main topic. It surveys the broad spectrum of scholarly debate on this issue, and explores the strength and plausibility of each position on this spectrum. Finally, it concludes that while no certain conclusions can be reached, the evidence seems to reject the more extreme ends of this spectrum of opinion, while at the same time underscoring the uniqueness and irreducability of Kohelet’s worldview.
Genome engineering in rodents – status quo and perspectives
Authors: Kühn Ralf
Published: October 2021

The introduction of the CRISPR-Cas9 system in 2013 has revolutionized experimental genetics in mice and rats. This commentary gives an overview on the use of CRISPR either for gene editing in the germline or for editing and beyond editing in somatic cells. Future perspectives are opened by emerging CRISPR technologies that could enable genome engineering at larger scale.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Fibrinogen, Fibrinogen Degradation Products, and Lymphocyte/Monocyte Ratio in Patients With Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Han Yanxun , Ren Zhiyao , Liu Yuchen , Liu Yehai
Published: October 2021

Objectives

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a common squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck with no reliable diagnostic biomarkers. However, recent studies have shown that inflammation plays an essential role in tumor development, and several inflammation-based biomarkers have been shown to have prognostic value. This study aimed to investigate the auxiliary value of fibrinogen (FIB), fibrinogen degradation products (FDP), and lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR) in LSCC diagnosis and prognosis.

Methods

Clinical data from 218 patients recently diagnosed with LSCC and 207 diagnosed with benign laryngeal lesions (BLLs) were retrospectively reviewed. Potential diagnostic biomarkers were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses; receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to identify cut-off values and diagnostic efficiency. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Logistic regression analysis was used to screen for independent risk factors to construct a diagnostic nomogram. The chi-squared test and Kaplan–Meier method were performed to investigate the correlation of clinicopathological characteristics and 3-year overall survival (OS) with FIB, FDP, and LMR in patients with LSCC.

Results

FIB, FDP, and LMR levels were significantly different between the LSCC and BLL groups ( P < .001), and all were independent risk factors for LSCC. The area under the ROC curve of the diagnostic nomogram was .894. Additionally, FIB, FDP, and LMR were correlated with some invasive clinicopathological features, and LMR ≥4.29 was associated with reduced OS ( P = .038).

Conclusion

FIB, FDP, and LMR demonstrated potential as biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of LSCC; however, further studies are needed to confirm their efficacy.
Tweeting ourselves to death: the cultural logic of digital capitalism
Authors: Törnberg Petter , Uitermark Justus
Published: October 2021

Media scholarship has long argued that public discourse is a function of the architecture of the media by which it is carried. Media architecture is, as political economists have argued, in turn shaped by the capitalist regime of accumulation within which the media operate. This paper draws together these two strands of literature to ask: as the accumulation of data is coming to define contemporary capitalism, what cultural logic does this produce? The paper argues that, as media are shaped around the extracting user data, they become organized around personhood and the extension of commodification deeper into our sense of self. The lifestyle fragmentation and segmentation engendered by new media technologies carry over into public discourse, shaping a public, and political life defined by identity and difference. If, as Neil Postman suggested, a society’s way of knowing reflects its media technology, the emerging epistemology of the social media society is truth as identity, as our very ways of knowing are reduced to expressions of who we are.
Antecedents and outcomes of ICTs adoption by mompreneurs: Empirical evidence from Brazil
Authors: de Oliveira Malaquias Fernanda Francielle , Jacobi Lisemaura Aparecida dos Santos , Lopes José Eduardo Ferreira
Published: October 2021

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been an ally of women wishing to engage in entrepreneurial activity, especially of the mompreneurs. Within this context, this study aims to investigate the antecedents and outcomes of the use of ICTs by mompreneurs. The data were collected in Brazil through an online questionnaire and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that perceived usefulness, social influence, and trust are antecedent factors of the use of ICTs by these women. Moreover, the use of ICTs has a positive impact on the perception of mompreneurs regarding the financial performance of their ventures in relation to competitors. The results also show that more than 97% of the mompreneurs use smartphones and WhatsApp to manage their business, suggesting that social media and mobile devices have assumed a predominant role in female ventures, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, period in which the data were collected.
Factors influencing integrated information management: Spatial data infrastructure in Pakistan
Authors: Ali Asmat , Imran Muhammad , Jabeen Munazza , Ali Zahir , Mahmood Syed Amer
Published: October 2021

Spatial data is one of the core components in all information retrieval processes for decision-making. Spatial data acquisition consumes enormous monetary resources and time. The Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF) provides a basis and guide for developing, integrating, strengthening, and maximizing geospatial information management and related resources in all countries. To this, governments all over the world are establishing national spatial data infrastructures (SDIs). However, such initiatives face a considerable amount of resistance as organizations often do not want to share their data assets. The present study investigates these barriers in the establishment of national SDI in Pakistan. The constraints studied through the IGIF pathways and past studies were adapted via a pilot study and conceptualized in a hypothesized model. We collected primary data via the administration of 520 questionnaire surveys to 280 public and private organizations. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to statistically confirm the conceptual model of the barriers to disseminating spatial data. The results indicate institutional barriers from the absence of national data policy, lack of specified roles of stakeholders, poor inter-organizational coordination, missing data-sharing policy, and weak organizational partnerships, with coefficients 0.26, 1.555, 1.305, 8.288, and 0.136, respectively, at the p < 0.001 significance level. The PLS-SEM R2 0.65 indicates a good explanatory power of the model. The methodology developed in the present study will allow devising more sustainable policies for spatial data management and dissemination in Pakistan and beyond.
Reactive navigation in partially familiar planar environments using semantic perceptual feedback
Authors: Vasilopoulos Vasileios , Pavlakos Georgios , Schmeckpeper Karl , Daniilidis Kostas , Koditschek Daniel E.
Published: October 2021

This article solves the planar navigation problem by recourse to an online reactive scheme that exploits recent advances in simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) and visual object recognition to recast prior geometric knowledge in terms of an offline catalog of familiar objects. The resulting vector field planner guarantees convergence to an arbitrarily specified goal, avoiding collisions along the way with fixed but arbitrarily placed instances from the catalog as well as completely unknown fixed obstacles so long as they are strongly convex and well separated. We illustrate the generic robustness properties of such deterministic reactive planners as well as the relatively modest computational cost of this algorithm by supplementing an extensive numerical study with physical implementation on both a wheeled and legged platform in different settings.
Axially torsional Meckel's diverticulum accompanied by small bowel volvulus: a case report
Authors: Chen Yang , Liu Yongzhi , Jiang Lihui , Jiang Feng , Zhu Tieming
Published: October 2021

Small bowel volvulus secondary to Meckel’s diverticulum is rare, and a delayed diagnosis results in disastrous outcomes. Computed tomography is conducive to early differential diagnosis. In particular, a blind-ending pouch structure on CT always indicates Meckel’s diverticulum. Diverticulectomy with or without adjacent partial small intestinal resection is the standard treatment for symptomatic Meckel’s diverticulum. However, the therapy for asymptomatic Meckel’s diverticulum is controversial. Here, we report the case of a 20-year-old man who suffered intestinal obstruction secondary to small bowel volvulus caused by an axially torsional, gangrenous, and giant Meckel’s diverticulum. Diverticulectomy with partial intestinal resection was performed.
Detecting and Rectifying Vehicle Malicious Misbehavior for Intersection Movement Assist: A Sensor-Based Misbehavior Detection Study
Authors: Ong Boon Teck , Kolleda Joshua , Mousa Saleh , Andrews Scott , Fleming Dennis , Marousek James , Ettefagh Mahsa , Sturgeon Purser , Lodato Diego , Goldsmith James
Published: October 2021

Recent developments in wireless communication technologies have led to the evolution of connectivity between vehicles. Maintaining connectivity between vehicles increases a vehicle’s awareness of other nearby vehicles, which can be used in safety applications. Identification of malicious misbehaving vehicles plays an important role in road safety. This research establishes the minimum detectable error (MDE) boundary for relative position between the observer and status vehicles (SV) using vehicle sensor and GPS error profile from field tests and established minimum standards. The results demonstrated that the MDE increases in the lateral direction (side-to-side) with the increase in relative distance between the observer and status vehicles (OV and SV) while remaining the same in the longitudinal direction (front-to-back). This research effort explores the use of Sensor-Based Misbehavior Detection (SBMD) with current specifications and the defined MDE boundary for implementation in the Intersection Movement Assist (IMA) safety application to rectify false positive and false negative hazard messages propagated by a malicious misbehaving vehicle. The simulation approach used in this research quantifies the total number of false positive/negative hazard detections received by a third-party vehicle (TPV) using the IMA safety application and assesses the capability of the OV equipped with SBMD to rectify the false positive/negative hazard detection. In cases where there was no hazard, SBMD produced an 83% to 90% improvement in the reduction of false positive hazard detections. In the cases with hazard scenario, where the SV is in the not-safe-to-cross zone, SBMD produced an 80% to 99% improvement in application performance.
Impact of Truck Parking Facilities on Commercial and Industrial Land Values: A Spatial Hedonic Model
Authors: Mahmud Sharif , Hernandez Sarah , Mitra Suman
Published: October 2021

Strategic locations for truck parking capacity expansion should be selected to maximize benefits to drivers and industry while minimizing negative externalities to communities. To select strategic locations, local governments, developers, state transportation agencies, and private truck stop operators need to understand how parking facilities affect local economies. Although sufficient parking capacity allows drivers to adhere to federally mandated rest requirements, demand for safe parking is outpacing supply. Truck parking demand is likely to grow as freight tonnage is estimated to increase 1.2% per year between 2018 and 2045 and mandates for electronic logging devices go into effect. However, truck parking facilities can be viewed by local communities and real-estate developers as producing pollution, noise, and congestion. Yet, they may also represent economic opportunities for tax revenues for the local economy and agglomeration benefits for surrounding trucking-related industries. To address these concerns, a systematic, data-driven review of the economic impacts of truck parking facilities is critical. This paper applied a spatial-autoregressive model with autoregressive disturbances to estimate the impact on commercial and industrial land values attributed to proximity to truck parking facilities. Significant benefits to local land values were found: every 1% increase in distance from a parking facility was associated with a 0.284% decrease in land values, which corresponds to a $2,465/acre reduction in value for an average parcel. The findings of the study could help transportation agencies and truck stop operators strategically locate truck parking facilities to harness the economic benefits to local communities.
Review of Reduced Salt, Snow, and Ice Management Practices for Commercial Businesses
Authors: Sparacino Holden , Stepenuck Kristine F. , Gould Rachelle K. , Hurley Stephanie E.
Published: October 2021

Chlorides (frequently sodium chloride) are used to improve safety and access to roads and other surfaces in winter. However, chlorides also pose risks to aquatic life and raises human health concerns as they move to surface waterbodies and infiltrate groundwater. In response, many government bodies have adopted winter maintenance best management practices (BMPs) that reduce the amount of chlorides used while providing service and safety. Commercial businesses maintaining parking lots, driveways, and other surfaces have been shown to contribute as much as 50% of the chloride loads to local waterbodies in some areas, but less is known about the potential benefits of private contractors to implement similar BMPs. In addition, many existing resources on the topic are designed for municipal audiences, creating a knowledge gap about the feasibility of private companies to adopt these practices. The authors identified 14 BMPs common to municipal plans with the potential to be adopted by private contractors through a literature review. These practices aim to increase the efficiency of salt applications, and/or decrease environmental impacts while delivering a similar level of service and cost over time. The authors considered potential barriers and benefits to private contractors adopting and using these BMPs. Benefits included reduced liability (e.g., risk of lawsuits), costs, environmental impacts, and improved service. Barriers included additional staff time and training, increased materials, equipment, and maintenance costs. Additional research is needed to ground-truth these predicted motivations and barriers; a greater understanding of private contractor behaviors can enhance educational efforts that promote reduced salt practices.
Patriarchy and Virginity Myth in the Mahābhārata
Authors: Khangai Ravi
Published: October 2021

Scriptures are often used to make patriarchal control sacrosanct over women’s bodies. A stereotypical monogamous woman is generally idealised by patriarchy; Polyandrous Draupadī in the Mahābhārata, however, stands sharply in contrast and the epic struggles to legitimise it by different myths to soothe the moral discomfort. Principal women characters of the epic like Draupadī, Kuntī and Satyavatī having more than one man in their life suggest that during the early stages of development of the epic, the values that governed man–women relations were not as rigid as they became later. During the growth of the epic, the lives of these women characters were transformed according to patriarchal perception, which expects that a woman should be a virgin when a man marries her. As a way out, the epic repeatedly restores the virginity of these women characters. As men are considered as owners/protectors of womens’ bodies/sexuality, the restoration seems to have restored the sense of honour and also redeemed the transgressions of men who ‘soiled’ them. Obsession with virginity also indicates the attitude of the commodification of the woman’s body. These women characters are portrayed as passive, whose lives and bodies are manipulated according to men’s perception.
Neuropalliative Care for Neonates
Authors: Rent Sharla , Bidegain Margarita , Bost Margaret H. , Hornik Chi , Lemmon Monica E.
Published: October 2021

Many childhood neurologic conditions are first diagnosed in the perinatal period and shorten or seriously alter the lives of affected infants. Neonatal neuropalliative care incorporates core practices and teachings of both neurology and palliative care and is directed toward patients and families affected by serious neurologic conditions in the antenatal and immediate newborn period. This review outlines key considerations for neurologists hoping to provide a neuropalliative care approach antenatally, in the neonatal intensive care unit, and around hospital discharge. We explore 4 core domains of neuropalliative care: (1) family-centered communication, (2) prognostication, (3) decision making, and (4) pain and symptom management. We address special considerations in care at the end of life and in varied cultural and practice contexts.
Rape Myth Acceptance Buffers the Association Between Sexual Assault and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among College Students
Authors: Valdespino-Hayden Zerbrina , Walsh Kate , Lowe Sarah R.
Published: October 2021

Rape myths are cultural beliefs that invalidate, blame, and stigmatize rape survivors, thereby perpetuating sexual violence. Few studies have explored associations between rape myth acceptance (RMA) and mental health outcomes, but evidence suggests that RMA can buffer the mental health impact of some forms of sexual assault. The current study examined the buffering effect of RMA on depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms using self-report data from an online survey of 500 female college students. Findings provided support for the buffering effect of RMA on the association between any sexual assault and PTSD symptoms. Experiencing any sexual assault was significantly associated with greater PTSD symptoms among participants with low RMA, whereas this association was only marginally significant among those with high RMA. Findings demonstrate that there are some contexts in which high RMA might lessen the mental health impact of sexual assault. Thus, it is possible that as progress is made to dismantle rape myths in society, mental health symptoms amongst some survivors may exacerbate, thereby increasing the demand for mental health services.
Evaluation of intraperitoneal vancomycin in peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis
Authors: Chang Wui Ming , Cheng Elaine , Shalansky Karen , Singh Suneet R
Published: October 2021

Background:

Intraperitoneal (IP) vancomycin is recommended as one of the treatment options for gram-positive coverage in the management of peritoneal dialysis (PD)-associated peritonitis. There is a lack of literature supporting the optimal dose and approach to vancomycin therapeutic drug-level monitoring.

Methods:

A retrospective chart review was conducted using the BC Renal Agency PROMIS Database and our hospital records from 1 June 2011 to 1 July 2019. Adult patients with PD-associated peritonitis who received IP vancomycin and had at least one serum vancomycin level drawn were included. All patients received a loading dose of 30 mg/kg, which was repeated every 3–5 days depending on PD modality. Serum vancomycin levels were drawn prior to the second vancomycin dose, then at the discretion of the prescriber. The primary end point was the rate of therapeutic serum vancomycin levels ≥15 mg/L.

Results:

Twenty-three episodes of PD-associated peritonitis in 20 patients met the eligibility criteria. Only 15/23 serum vancomycin levels were drawn appropriately after the first dose. Sixty per cent of these levels were subtherapeutic at <15 mg/L. All subsequent serum vancomycin levels were above the therapeutic target. Most peritonitis episodes (78%) achieved resolution of infection. Residual kidney function was not significantly correlated with serum vancomycin levels ( p = 0.19).

Conclusions:

An IP vancomycin regimen of 30 mg/kg every 3–5 days resulted in subtherapeutic serum vancomycin levels in most patients following the loading dose but therapeutic levels thereafter. A large percentage of vancomycin levels were drawn inappropriately due to misalignment of outpatient follow-up visits and timing of blood work.
Multi-label learning using label-specific features for simultaneous fault diagnosis of aircraft engine
Authors: Li Bing , Zhao Yong-Ping
Published: October 2021

Lacking of the management of simultaneous fault is one of the limitations of condition monitoring for a gas turbine, which is critical for the safety and decision-making of aircraft operation. To this end, this paper employed a multi-label (ML) learning strategy to address the simultaneous fault issues. Moreover, a feature selection algorithm is proposed, which is based on the viewpoint that different class labels might be distinguished by certain specific characteristics of their own. The proposed algorithm achieves the goal of label-specific feature selection by iteratively optimizing the weight reconstruction matrix, and the learned label-specific features for the corresponding label can be used for multi-label classification. As thus, sensor data for different components of aircraft engines can be determined by the proposed algorithm to deal with the simultaneous fault diagnosis. Finally, comprehensive experiments on the benchmark data sets of multi-label learning validate the advantages and feasibility of the presented approaches, and the effectiveness of their application to simultaneous fault diagnosis of aircraft engines is also proved by extensive experiments.
Seek and Ye Shall Be Fine: Attitudes Toward Political-Perspective Seekers
Authors: Heltzel Gordon , Laurin Kristin
Published: October 2021

Six preregistered studies ( N = 2,421) examined how people respond to copartisan political-perspective seekers: political allies who attempt to hear from shared opponents and better understand their views. We found that North American adults and students generally like copartisan seekers (meta-analytic Cohen’s d = 0.83 across 4,231 participants, representing all available data points). People like copartisan perspective seekers because they seem tolerant, cooperative, and rational, but this liking is diminished because seekers seem to validate—and may even adopt—opponents’ illegitimate views. Participants liked copartisan seekers across a range of different motivations guiding these seekers’ actions but, consistent with our theorizing, their liking decreased (though rarely disappeared entirely) when seekers lacked partisan commitments or when they sought especially illegitimate beliefs. Despite evidence of rising political intolerance in recent decades, these findings suggest that people nonetheless celebrate political allies who tolerate and seriously consider their opponents’ views.