bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stepparent–Child Relationships and Child Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Jensen Todd M.
Published: June 2022

An inclusive conceptualization of “family” can enable family-serving systems and professionals to leverage high-quality family relationships, wherever they are found, to support the health and well-being of individuals. Stepfamilies are an especially common family form with distinct needs and experiences, and stepparent–child relationships can take on a variety of functions with implications for family stability and individual well-being. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize empirical associations between stepparent–child relationships and child outcomes. General findings from 56 studies highlighted significant associations between several dimensions of stepparent–child relationships and children’s psychological, behavioral, social, academic, and physical well-being. Meta-analytic findings from 68 effect-size estimates further substantiated significant and positive associations between stepparent–child relationship quality and child psychological well-being (mean r = .25) and academic well-being (mean r = .23), as well as significant and negative associations between stepparent–child relationship quality and child psychological problems (mean r = −.23) and behavioral problems (mean r = −.19).
Recovering single precision accuracy from Tensor Cores while surpassing the FP32 theoretical peak performance
Authors: Ootomo Hiroyuki , Yokota Rio
Published: June 2022

Tensor Core is a mixed-precision matrix–matrix multiplication unit on NVIDIA GPUs with a theoretical peak performance of more than 300 TFlop/s on Ampere architectures. Tensor Cores were developed in response to the high demand of dense matrix multiplication from machine learning. However, many applications in scientific computing such as preconditioners for iterative solvers and low-precision Fourier transforms can exploit these Tensor Cores. To compute a matrix multiplication on Tensor Cores, we need to convert input matrices to half-precision, which results in loss of accuracy. To avoid this, we can keep the mantissa loss in the conversion using additional half-precision variables and use them for correcting the accuracy of matrix–matrix multiplication. Even with this correction, the use of Tensor Cores yields higher throughput compared to FP32 SIMT Cores. Nevertheless, the correcting capability of this method alone is limited, and the resulting accuracy cannot match that of a matrix multiplication on FP32 SIMT Cores. We address this problem and develop a high accuracy, high performance, and low power consumption matrix–matrix multiplication implementation using Tensor Cores, which exactly matches the accuracy of FP32 SIMT Cores while achieving superior throughput. The implementation is based on NVIDIA’s CUTLASS. We found that the key to achieving this accuracy is how to deal with the rounding inside Tensor Cores and underflow probability during the correction computation. Our implementation achieves 51 TFlop/s for a limited exponent range using FP16 Tensor Cores and 33 TFlop/s for full exponent range of FP32 using TF32 Tensor Cores on NVIDIA A100 GPUs, which outperforms the theoretical FP32 SIMT Core peak performance of 19.5 TFlop/s.
Associations of Cannabis Use across Adolescence and Early Adulthood With Health and Psychosocial Adjustment in Early Adulthood and Midadulthood in Men
Authors: Capaldi Deborah M , Tiberio Stacey S , Kerr David CR , Owen Lee D
Published: June 2022

Background:

Associations between men’s prior cannabis use and their physical and psychosocial adjustment were examined using prospective data across adolescence (ages 13-20 years), early adulthood (ages 20-30 years), and midadulthood (ages 30-38 years). The theoretical framework was based in developmental-contextual and lifespan approaches.

Method:

Models were tested using men in the Oregon Youth Study who had been studied since ages 9 to 10 years and who, in childhood, lived in neighborhoods with higher than average rates of delinquency. Cannabis use in adolescence was used to predict early adult outcomes (and early adult use to midadult outcomes). In addition, a set of covariates was added to the models, including childhood risk factors assessed at age 9 years (ie, family socioeconomic status; externalizing behaviors; and if available, the childhood proxy for the outcome [eg, age 9 intelligence scale]) and alcohol use in adolescence (or early adulthood). physical health outcomes included accidental injuries, problems resulting from a prior injury, body mass index, self-report health, and also pain and cardiovascular risk (blood pressure and pulse rate) in midadulthood. Psychosocial outcomes included income, housing insecurity, intelligence, depressive symptoms, psychosis symptoms, hostility/aggression, social problems, and attention problems.

Results:

Whereas there was almost no prediction from prior cannabis use to the physical health outcomes, there were comprehensive associations of cannabis use from the prior developmental period and psychosocial outcomes in both early adulthood and midadulthood.

Conclusion:

Cannabis use in prior developmental periods was associated with a broad range of types of poor psychosocial adjustment in adulthood.
Assessing alignment between curriculum standards and teachers’ instructional practices in China’s school music education
Authors: Yang Yang
Published: June 2022

Alignment between curriculum standards and teachers’ classroom instructional practices is critical in assessing curriculum implementation effectiveness and students’ learning. Using a modified version of the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum (SEC) for music, this study explored the alignment between the enacted curriculum and the national curriculum standards in the Chinese school system. Curriculum standards and classroom instructional practices were represented using sets of two-dimensional matrices that comprised content themes and five learning domains: Cognitive, Affective, Psychomotor, Social, and Cultural (the CAPSCt model). The results showed an overall high level of alignment (0.81–0.90). It was also suggested that the degree of alignment gradually decreased from the low grade to high grade band. Individual variations were evident in both the learning content and learning objectives, in which more emphasis was put on cognitive, affective, and psychomotor development than on social and cultural aspects. Methodological challenges and implications of the CAPSCt model for assessing curriculum enactment are also discussed.
Sailing through the storm: Improvising paradox navigation during a pandemic
Authors: Lê Patrick , Pradies Camille
Published: June 2022

Despite rich depictions of paradox navigation strategies, and the recognition that they are fraught with uncertainty, research reveals relatively little about how leaders navigate paradoxical tensions when improvising in the face of highly unpredictable and quickly evolving events. We conducted a narrative study of how French President Macron navigated the tension between the paradoxical poles of “saving lives” and “preserving life as usual” during the pandemic. Our article surfaces three central elements that form a model of improvised paradox navigation in stormy conditions: turning points, fog of uncertainty, and chaotic learning. Our model contributes to paradox theorizing by shedding light on paradox navigation in highly turbulent environments and has implications for management learning and improvisation.
Questions about the will
Authors: Cabra Martina
Published: June 2022

In this paper, I propose to review Hannah Arendt, H. (1978). The life of the mind. A Harvest Book. Harcourt, Inc perspective on the will and explore her possible contributions for a psychological reflection on this notion. Although willing and other neighbouring concepts such as volition or motivation have occupied many philosophers and other thinkers throughout history (O'Connor, T., & Franklin, C. (2021). Free Will. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2021/entries/freewill/>), I focus here on Hanna Arendt’s book The life of mind (Arendt, H. (1978). The life of the mind. A Harvest Book. Harcourt, Inc), where she developed a perspective on willing that has been somewhat unexplored. In order to review her propositions and assess her contributions I proceed in three steps: Firstly, I follow Arendt’s argument and organise it along three questions she explicitly raises: (i) what is the relationship between time and the will? (ii) what affects – or passions – characterise willing?; and (iii) what are the products or results of willing? Secondly, I review psychological and psychoanalytical accounts of the will and I show that Arendt’s questions have been implicitly answered in the different perspectives reviewed. Explicitly, psychologists mainly defined the will in relation to products, such as action and consciousness of will, whilst psychoanalysts focused more explicitly on affects and temporality. Thus, thirdly, in reviewing these propositions, I try to show the value in making explicit three dimensions along which the will can be defined. In this way, from a psychological perspective, willing could be defined not only in relation to freedom, action and consciousness – as many have done – but also to time, affects and products, as Arendt proposed. This might provide a more comprehensive understanding leading us to develop tools for its study in empirical research.
Look at all those big knobs! Online audio technology discourse and sexy gear fetishes
Authors: Bates Eliot , Bennett Samantha
Published: June 2022

Despite a predominantly digital, 21st century music production landscape, analogue hardware professional audio technologies persist. In the discoursal throes of the leading online audio technology message forum Gearslutz, such technologies are routinely objectified, sexualized, fetishized and socialized into gear. Situated in a contemporary critical, interdisciplinary framework of fetish, masculinity and sexuality studies, this research interrogates how audio technologies manufactured and intended for music production contexts become sexy. Applying a mixed-mode methodology, including an intensive discourse, image and material-semiotic analysis of an ‘epic’ sexy gear thread, we collated extensive data about technological fetishization. Sexy gear discourse articulates themes of voyeurism, acquisition, control and animation – linking the fetish value of technological objects and their connoisseurship with the erotic potential of sexualized objects. Such discourses ultimately serve to maintain social order, and become sites for performing the maintenance work of hegemonic masculine formations. This research provides new insights into how hegemonic masculinities depend upon the organization of online and offline sociability around fetishized material objects. Furthermore, our findings align with those of current scholarship focused on representational politics of technoculture.
Numerical parametric study on the uniaxial and biaxial compressive behavior of H-shaped steel reinforced concrete composite beam-columns
Authors: Lai Bing-Lin , Tan Wei-Kai , Feng Qi-Tong , Venkateshwaran Akshay
Published: June 2022

As a follow-up work of previous experimental efforts, this paper aims to further explore the compressive behavior of Steel Reinforced Concrete (SRC) composite beam-columns with assistance of nonlinear Finite Element Analysis. The FE model was developed in ABAQUS software and it delivered desirable accuracy after calibrating against the dataset collected from published literatures. The validated FE model was then employed to evaluate the fundamental performance of SRC beam-columns under uniaxial eccentric compression and biaxial eccentric compression. On top of that, the fiber section analysis was adopted to build the three-dimensional axial force-bending moment (N-M) interaction diagrams, followed by a parametric study to investigate the effect of material grade, steel ratio, cross-section geometry, load eccentricity and load inclination on the load-carrying capacity of SRC beam-columns, and disclose the complex biaxial interaction mechanism that is not well-considered in current design codes. Based on the numerical data generated from parametric study, the Support Vector Machine method is utilized to intelligently estimate the biaxial moment contours under varying load levels, which exhibits improved accuracy and consistency than the code-specified method and conventional empirical formulae.
‘Something that’s very American’: The interactional role of Light-Head Relative Clauses
Authors: Beekhuizen Barend , Thompson Sandra A
Published: June 2022

In this paper, we examine a specific type of Relative Clause (RC). We look at the construction consisting of a ‘light noun’, that is, a noun with highly non-specific lexical content which does not do referential work, plus a relative clause. It has generally been assumed that the functional contribution of RCs is to narrow the set of referents of the head noun to only those for which the predicate of the RC holds true. However, the ‘Light Head RC construction’ (LHRC) has various interactional affordances that mostly revolve around characterizing referents with discourse-relevant properties rather than establishing reference. We argue that these various functions of LHRCs revolve around participants’ orientations to categoryhood. Data are in English and Dutch.
The quest for coherent climate governance and the importance of linking emissions trading schemes
Authors: Kelly Gerard
Published: June 2022

A diverse range of regulatory schemes in climate policy has produced a fragmented and crowded governance landscape. Devising pathways towards converging all of the different climate governance approaches would be a Herculean task, but it is argued here that this should not inhibit efforts to scale up regulatory initiatives in specific areas of climate governance. In this respect, it is argued that linking emissions trading schemes (ETSs) would significantly contribute to the development of creating more durable and connected climate governance arrangements. At present, the global expansion of ETSs raises risks of potential regulatory divergence, conflict, and the emergence of a disconnected patchwork of schemes. However, the expansion of trading schemes has also brought an increased interest in the feasibility of linkage between ETSs. This opinion argues that, in the absence of a comprehensive multilateral regime governing emissions trading, policymakers and scholars must instead refocus on the challenges of creating a coherent climate governance architecture from the bottom-up. It further suggests that the development and implementation of durable linkages between ETSs are critical building blocks in this quest.
Optimization of target thickness and investigation on the effect of heat treatment on the ballistic performance of aluminium alloy 7075 targets against hard steel core projectile
Authors: Praveen Rajendran , Koteswara Rao Sajja Rama , Kumar Saurabh Suresh , Suresh Kumar Sundaram
Published: June 2022

Optimization of target thickness and influence of heat treatment condition on the high velocity impact response of aluminium alloy 7075 targets have been determined. Both experimental and numerical studies were conducted using a 7.62 mm hard steel core projectile. The numerical simulation used a 7.62 mm Ogival nose shaped projectile with a target thickness ranging from 20 to 26 mm. High velocity impact experiments on T651 and solution treated targets, with rolled plate thicknesses ranging from 21 to 25 mm were carried out to validate the numerical findings. The microhardness of the targets was measured using Vicker's microhardness tester and fractographs were examined using a scanning electron microscope. The projectile penetrated regions were analyzed using light microscopy. A good correlation between the numerical and experimental ballistic behaviour of aluminium alloy 7075 targets was observed and an optimum target thickness of 21 and 24 mm was observed for the T651 and solution treated targets to prevent the projectile's penetration. It was also noted that, after the projectile's impact, solution treated targets had higher microhardness compared to T651 condition targets. This is due to higher work hardening of solution treated targets near the penetration channel. Even though T651 targets have a lower depth of penetration compared to solution treated targets, ‘splintering’ failure of the T651 targets is observed. In contrast, ‘petalling’ and ‘plugging’ kinds of failures were noticed on the solution treated targets. Thus, solution treatment of ballistic targets may enhance the ballistic limit of armoured vehicles.
Agents of meta: Institutional actors in the journalism space and the innovation of local news
Authors: Lowrey Wilson , Deavours Danielle , Singleton William
Published: June 2022

This study sheds light on the increasingly important roles that meta-level organizations, a type of institutional actor, play in the processes of local journalism innovation. Examples of meta-level organizations in journalism include journalism professional associations, training and research centers, nonprofits, and trade publications. Definitionally, metalevel organizations embrace the functions of coordination, regulation, agenda-setting, information diffusion, and the boundary negotiation of an institutionalized space. This qualitative study uses in-depth interviews to explore the roles of meta-level organizations in relation to the troubles of local journalism, how these roles are enacted at professional association conferences, and how they are conceptualized by journalists and representatives of meta-level organizations. We found evidence of three traditional roles of meta-level organizations – information, interaction, existential roles – across different types of meta-level organizations. Respondents tended to view these roles through a lens of resource scarcity. We also found evidence of the role of self-maintenance—i.e., meta-level organizations have their own institutional spaces and an interest in self-preservation—as well as the role of conceptualization or theorization, of innovations, and an emergent role of translation. Translation involves adaptation of abstract ideas to local-level sites, as well as communication of results from local-level experimentation back to the field level, an increasingly important role in a resource-poor local journalism space that is inundated with a flood of new field-level initiatives.
Keeping track: An intra-UK comparison of orthodontic commissioning and treatment outcome assessments
Authors: Flavell Thomas , Maguire William , Griffiths Andrew , McGrady Joe , Donnell Christopher
Published: June 2022

Introduction:

Across the United Kingdom (UK), National Health Service (NHS) orthodontic treatment is commissioned differently across the devolved nations. There is a relative paucity in the literature describing the way in which the orthodontic services in each country are commissioned and treatment outcomes measured.

Objective:

To highlight the differences in the following: commissioning of primary care orthodontic services across the UK; assessment of treatment outcomes; and the potential impacts these differences have on contractors, performers and patient care.

Materials and methods:

Data were collected using an online mixed-methods approach. Systematic content analysis was used to extract the required information from the websites and guidance documents of orthodontic service providers, which was then catalogued and verified electronically by senior dental advisors in the four devolved UK nations.

Results:

The Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) is a mandatory needs assessment tool used across all four nations, with an agreed minimum threshold of a dental health component (DHC) score of 3 and an aesthetic component (AC) score of 6 for NHS treatment. While the peer assessment rating (PAR) is the most utilised method of assessing post-treatment outcomes, it is applied differently by each country.

Conclusion:

While NHS orthodontic services across the UK share mutual elements of service delivery, there are significant differences in the prior approval process and assessment of treatment outcomes. More research is required to assess the economic feasibility of orthodontic treatment from the associated treatment outcomes.
Seeming incomparability and rational choice
Authors: Yan Leo
Published: June 2022

We sometimes have to choose between options that are seemingly incomparable insofar as they seem to be neither better than, worse than, nor equal to each other. This often happens when the available options are quite different from one another. For instance, consider a choice between prioritizing either criminal justice reform or healthcare reform as a public policy goal. Even after the relevant details of the goals and possible reforms are filled in, it is plausible that neither goal is better than, worse than, nor equal to the other. Such seemingly incomparable options present a problem for rational choice since it is unclear how an agent might rationally choose between them. What we need are some principles to help govern rational choice when faced with seemingly incomparable options. I here present three such principles. While each principle is individually compelling, I show that they are jointly incompatible. I then argue that the correct response to this inconsistent triad is to reject the principle that rationally censures performing a sequence of choices one knows will result in a suboptimal outcome. The upshot is that when seeming incomparability is involved, an agent can money pump themselves without being less rational for it.
Perspectives on early sex assignment and communication with parents in children with disorders of sexual development
Authors: Sadri Husrav , Abootty Sheza , D'Cunha Aureen , Rai Sandeep , Shenoy Rathika Damodara
Published: June 2022

Disorders of sexual development are a heterogeneous group of disorders in which chromosomal, gonadal or anatomical sex development is atypical. The majority of these children are recognized at birth by ambiguous genitalia. Legal and societal pressures require the physician and parents to assign sex rapidly. Though sex assignment is undebated in several disorders of sexual development, many others need an individualized approach to gender-related concerns. Gender dysphoria is prevalent in disorders of sexual development, and early gender-defining surgeries have potentially lifelong consequences.

We use two cases, one of partial androgen insensitivity and another of simple virilizing congenital adrenal hyperplasia to illustrate that in disorders of sexual development, the ethical management principles remain the same at their core despite the vast differences in phenotypes. Sex assignment should maximize functional, psychological and sexual needs. Sex assigned should coincide with gender identity. We propose that we manage such children with the mutual participation of the physician, parents and the child. Though the parents and the physician have the child's best interests when making a decision, the child's developing autonomy should be protected. The communication of the health provider to the parent must be honest if early sex assignment is difficult.
A Theoretically Derived Approach to Impact: Implementing Policy Influence Strategies
Authors: De Raeve Paul , Bolzonella Francesco , Davidson Patricia M.
Published: June 2022

Advocacy is an intentional act of influencing government and an important precondition for successful policy change in society. Drawing from an existing framework on policy influence, we propose an approach to quantifying the impact of policy influence efforts, specifically within the context of European Public Health (EPH) advocacy. The analysis hinges on the article “Moving from tokenism” which provides a starting point to conceptualize strategies to quantify impact. An exploratory case study approach allowed to integrate literature on advocacy evaluation in parallel with the internal documentation of a EPH advocacy organization We provide recommendations to advocacy organizations that aim to create an infrastructure towards quantifying the impact of their efforts. The framework is mostly tailored to the needs of EPH advocacy, but it can also have resonance beyond the scope of a specific sector.
The Limits of Issue Ownership in a Polarized Era
Authors: Wright Jamie M. , Clifford Scott , Simas Elizabeth N.
Published: June 2022

The Democratic and Republican parties have longstanding reputations for their abilities to competently handle particular issues. These reputations help to simplify voter decision-making. Voters need only to determine which issues are most important in an election, then support the party with the strongest reputation for handling those issues. As elite polarization has grown in recent decades, the parties’ reputations should be even clearer, facilitating their use in vote choice. However, the corresponding partisan polarization in the electorate should limit the breadth of issue ownership beliefs, as well as the impact of these beliefs on vote choice. In this manuscript, we use a novel survey experiment to prime the parties’ owned issues. Our results show that the prime causes a shift in intended vote choice among pure independents, but not among partisans. These findings suggest that polarization has not erased issue ownership, but that partisanship has narrowed its potential impact.
A Functional Assessment Tool to Distinguish Controls From Alzheimer’s Disease in Lima, Peru
Authors: Custodio Nilton , Montesinos Rosa , Chambergo-Michilot Diego , Herrera-Perez Eder , Pintado-Caipa Maritza , Seminario G Wendy , Cuenca José , Mesía Laura , Failoc-Rojas Virgilio E , Diaz Monica M
Published: June 2022

Background

The Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL) scale is a versatile functional assessment tool for patients with Alzheimer’s disease (ad). We evaluated its performance in controls, Peruvians with MCI or AD.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of older adults attending a neurology institute in Lima (Peru) with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), ad or cognitively healthy. Test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC; internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha) and validity were assessed.

Results

We enrolled 276 individuals (ad: 113, MCI: 68, controls: 95) with no age, sex, educational level, and depressive symptom differences. Reliability was ideal (ICC: .996), and Cronbach’s alpha was adequate (.937). The ADCS-ADL could not differentiate MCI from controls but did differentiate ad severity. The ADCS-ADL correlated highly with nearly all tools.

Conclusions

The ADCS-ADL scale is reliable in a population with ad in Lima, Peru. Future work may validate a tool for Peruvians with lower educational levels.
Novel Positioning Feedback System as a Guidance in Bone Tumor Resection
Authors: Mustahsan Vamiq M , He Guangyu , Helguero Carlos G. , Blum Christopher L. , Komatsu David E , Pentyala Srinivas , Kao Imin , Khan Fazel
Published: June 2022

Need: Bone resection using customized 3D-printed guides can improve accuracy, but the technique is still associated with clinically significant errors.

Technical solution: We developed an inexpensive optical feedback system (OFS) that compares intraoperative 2D camera images to the pre-operative plan, and accurately depicts the surgeon’s guide placement prior to cutting, reducing the errors in resection.

Proof of concept: We simulated wide resections of a bone sarcoma on 24 cadaver femurs using 3 cutting guide types. Guide placement was measured using the OFS and compared to CT-scans showing the actual guide position. We carried out a second, controlled study on 20 sawbones, comparing the accuracy of the final bone cuts with and without the surgeon actively using the OFS to adjust the guide position before cutting.

Results: For cadavers, in 2 of 3 planes, the position of the jig recorded by the OFS closely matched its actual position, with an accuracy of .87° ± .65°(r = .94) and 1.2° ± 1.3°(r = .81) in the transverse and sagittal planes, respectively. In the second study, OFS increased accuracy of the final cut about the transverse and sagittal planes, respectively by 53.1% (P = .011)/54.7% (P = .04) and 33% (P = .051)/38% (P = .042) in terms of rotation and translation.

Next steps: Developing the OFS as a mobile application to reduce the processing time and improve accessibility in the operating room.

Conclusion: The OFS could accurately depict the guide placement on the bone and significantly improve the surgical accuracy of 3D printed jigs.
Forearm Lipoma Causing PIN Compression: Literature Review and Meta-Analysis of Predictors for Motor Recovery
Authors: Cheng Christopher , Punjabi Ayesha , Gunther Sven , Chepla Kyle
Published: June 2022

Background:

Lipomas are a rare cause of posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) compression. A systematic review of predictors for motor recovery has not been performed. This study sought to evaluate whether patient or lipoma characteristics are associated with motor recovery and could be used to determine when immediate tendon transfers at the time of excision should be performed.

Methods:

Articles describing patients with forearm lipomas resulting in PIN compression with motor weakness were included. Patient age, gender, symptom duration, laterality and largest dimension of lipoma, surgical intervention, and motor recovery were identified. Article quality was assessed via the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies criteria.

Results:

Thirty articles reporting on 34 patients were identified. Average age was 58.2 years. Average largest lipoma dimension was 5.7 cm. All patients underwent lipoma removal, and 2 had concomitant tendon transfers. In all, 73.5% of patients had complete motor recovery at an average of 9.7 months. Patient age and largest dimension of lipoma, and duration of symptoms were not significant predictors of motor recovery. Symptom duration was a significant predictor of motor recovery in binary regression, particularly if < 18 months.

Conclusions:

The majority of patients with PIN weakness secondary to lipoma are likely to have complete motor recovery after excision alone. Concomitant tendon transfers should be considered for patients symptomatic for greater than 18 months. Further, adequately powered, studies are required to stratify risk factors and evaluate other modalities to identify the minority of patients who would benefit from immediate tendon transfer.
Tortuosity of middle cerebral artery M1 segment and outcomes after mechanical thrombectomy
Authors: Hoshino Takao , Sato Shinsuke , Kushi Kazuki , Tanaka Yukiko , Mochizuki Tatsuki , Ishikawa Tomomi , Shima Shogo , Ryu Bikei , Inoue Tatsuya , Okada Yoshikazu , Niimi Yasunari
Published: June 2022

Background

We aimed to quantify the tortuosity of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and assess its effects on radiological and clinical outcomes in patients with acute MCA occlusions who received mechanical thrombectomy (MT).

Methods

This retrospective study enrolled 53 patients with acute ischemic stroke due to MCA M1 or M2 segment occlusion who underwent MT using stent retrievers (SRs). Tortuosity index (TI) was defined to quantify the tortuosity of the MCA M1 segment using the following formula: (actual distance / straight distance) × 100. For each patient, four TIs were measured in the anteroposterior and caudal views for both ipsilateral and contralateral sides to the occluded site (TI-APi, TI-APc, TI-CAUi, and TI-CAUc, respectively) using magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or computed tomography angiography (CTA). We defined the first-pass effect (FPE) as first-pass mTICI classification ≥2b reperfusion.

Results

Patients who did not achieve FPE had significantly higher TI-APi (112 vs. 106; P = 0.004), TI-APc (111 vs. 105; P = 0.005), TI-CAUi (110 vs. 105; P = 0.002), and TI-CAUc (110 vs. 105; P = 0.001) than those who achieved FPE. In multivariable analysis, higher TI-APi, TI-CAUi, and TI-APc were independently associated with an increased rate of unsuccessful FPE (odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 1.25 [1.02–1.61], 1.21 [1.01–1.45], and 1.27 [1.03–1.73], respectively). TI-CAUi, TI-APc, and TI-CAUc were also independent predictors of the occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage after MT (OR [95% CI]: 1.15 [1.01–1.38], 1.14 [1.01–1.38], 1.25 [1.02–1.52], respectively).

Conclusions

The TIs of the MCA M1 segment on both ipsilateral and contralateral sides were associated with unfavourable outcomes after MT.
Doing Democratic Theory Democratically
Authors: Asenbaum Hans
Published: June 2022

Over centuries, democratic theory has developed emancipatory ideals of inclusion, agency and transparency. These ideals, however, have scarcely been applied to the process of theorizing itself. Democratic theory is a product of the academic ivory tower. This article sets out to confront this problem and formulates democratic theorizing as an alternative to established approaches to theorizing democracy. It does so by conceptualizing democratic theory production as a democratic innovation. Democratic theorizing needs to include affected people, empower those on the margins and facilitate transparency. The proposed approach attempts to realize these ideals by bringing together three methodological traditions: grounded theory (in its critical indigenous version), participatory research and assemblage theory. The resulting approach of democratic theorizing draws on an ongoing engagement with the Black Lives Matter movement. The article discusses nine guiding principles of democratic theorizing and presents concrete building blocks to shape a democratic theorizing project.
Association of fine particulate matter to allergic rhinitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Jia Xiaofei , Shen Zhengzheng , Liu Rongrong , Han Yue , Yang Yanzhong , Chen Qi , Duan Naichao
Published: June 2022

Objective:

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has become a major concern for global environmental health, as it can lead to inflammatory diseases, such as allergic rhinitis (AR) and cause a high burden of disease. The aim of this study is to carry out a systematic review and meta-analysis based on available research to present the link between ambient PM2.5 and the risk of AR in global populations. Methods: We systematically searched six databases from their inception to 30 November 2020. An expanded literature search was carried out using the references of the included studies. Data extraction was performed using Excel 2016 software, and meta-analysis and heterogeneity analysis were performed using Review Manager 5.3 software. Results: A total of 14 out of 1361 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The quality assessment showed these studies to be of high quality. Seven out of 14 studies reported a relationship between ambient PM2.5 and AR through Odds ratios (OR, ORoverall = 1.14, 95% CI [1.00, 1.29]), but with a non-significant statistical overall test result (the test result for overall effect was Z = 1.98, p =.05). For subgroups by ages and regions, ORChildren = 1.08 (95% CI [1.04, 1.13]), and OROther ages = 1.50 (95% CI [1.24, 1.81]. The differences between age-related subgroups were significant (p <.01). Meanwhile, the relationship between PM2.5 and the risk of AR in Asia was significant (ORAsia = 1.20, 95% CI [1.01, 1.44], p =.001); whereas the association studies from outside of Asia have reported the relationship as non-significant (OROut-Asia = 1.04, 95% CI [0.82, 1.31], p =.76). Conclusion: There are reports that recognize that the exposure to PM2.5 may contribute to the development of AR. An international framework with a whole-of-society approach, including air quality control efforts and well-being health promotion among AR patients and at-risk populations, should be implemented.
‘You are just dealing with machines’: Negotiating the spread of digital media from a small Japanese town
Authors: Darling-Wolf Fabienne
Published: June 2022

This project ethnographically explores how individuals in a small Japanese town negotiate the changes brought about by the increased omnipresence of digital technologies in their everyday lives. It delves into the affective dimensions of individuals’ imagination of a global digital order, of the impact of digital media on social organization, and of their own sense of place in a globalized world. It demonstrates that while digital media’s connective affordances help reduce the sense of isolation stemming from the community’s geographic position, conflicting feelings of disconnection, alienation and loss simultaneously arise in its members’ broader relationship to the digital world.
Liberalism and Rights of Nature: A Comparative Legal and Historical Perspective
Authors: Epstein Seth , Dahlén Marianne , Enkvist Victoria , Boyer Elin
Published: June 2022

A growing number of jurisdictions have recently granted rights to nature. This article places the potential disruptions generated by this legal development in historical, comparative perspective. The questions that scholars are asking about rights of nature (RoN) are similar to many of those asked by historians and legal scholars about human rightsholders. These questions arise from some of the tensions within liberalism. Placing these tensions in comparative context offers a framework with which to interpret RoN developments. Doing so demonstrates, first, the capacity of the existing liberal order to incorporate challenges into already functioning structures and, second, that such efforts to manage the claims of new subjects of rights nonetheless can transform relations. In our conclusion, we argue that a comparative perspective may allay the tendency to exoticise rights of nature by examining the extent to which their development in sometime contentious and sometimes complementary relationship with democratic institutions is reflected in historical efforts to define and make meaningful the rights of human rightsholders.
Longitudinal analysis of the 800-m performances of the world's best female long-distance pool swimmer: A case study using critical speed and D′
Authors: Barroso Renato , do Carmo Everton Crivoi , Foster Carl , Skiba Philip , Barbosa Augusto Carvalho
Published: June 2022

The purposes of this study were to ascertain how physiological adaptations, as reflected by critical speed and distance above critical speed ( D′), impact the competitive performance of a world-class female long-distance swimmer; and to determine whether a model including the expenditure and recovery of D′ could be used to understand pacing in swimming. From August 2011 to August 2021, we retrieved 800-m performance and splits data from races in which she improved her time, and also the 400-m and 200-m freestyle performances from the same competitions. Performances from the 200, 400, and 800 m were used to estimate critical speed and D′. The 800-m splits were used to calculate the usage of D′ during the race and to investigate pacing. The differential W′ balance model ( W′BAL) was used to calculate its analogous in swimming, the D′BAL. Critical speed increased from 1.516 to 1.616 ms−1 while D′ fluctuated ∼15 m from 2011 to 2016. D′BAL approached 0 m at the end of the races and may be useful to understand pacing. Critical speed and 800-m speed presented a nearly perfect correlation (0.99, p < 0.001) suggesting that critical speed is of paramount importance for long-distance swimming performance. While critical speed is clearly important, D′ did not directly correlate with 800-m performance. This result suggests that the work capacity above critical speed is not a primary determinant of 800-m swimming performance. However, we cannot say it is unimportant, as minor improvements represent an opportunity to set world records. Outstanding long-distance performance seems to depend more on aerobic fitness than on the capacity to work above critical speed.
A comparative analysis of the U.S. and China’s mainstream news media framing of coping strategies and emotions in the reporting of COVID-19 outbreak on social media
Authors: Sing Bik Ngai Cindy , Yao Le , Gill Singh Rita
Published: June 2022

This study compares the coverage of coping strategies and emotions portrayed in news regarding COVID-19 by The New York Times in the U.S. and People’s Daily of China via social media. By employing corpus assisted discourse analysis to scrutinize the text corpora, our study uncovered prominent keywords and themes. Findings indicate that a comprehensive range of themes relating to coping strategies was more common in People’s Daily while a relatively smaller number of themes was apparent in The New York Times. In terms of emotions exhibited in the news coverage, positive emotions such as cheer, gratitude, and good wishes predominated in People’s Daily whereas in The New York Times, negative emotions in the form of fears and anxiety were salient. The differences are explained with reference to the political context intertwined with the news environment and prior experiences in handling epidemics, with practical implications.
Two-day versus seven-day course of levofloxacin in acute COPD exacerbation: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Messous Salma , Trabelsi Imen , Bel Haj Ali Khaoula , Abdelghani Ahmed , Ben Daya Yosra , Razgallah Rabie , Grissa Mohamed Habib , Beltaief Kaouthar , Mezgar Zied , Belguith Asma , Bouida Wahid , Boukef Riadh , Boubaker Hamdi , Msolli Mohamed Amine , Sekma Adel , Nouira Semir
Published: June 2022

Introduction:

Duration of antibiotic treatment in acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) is most commonly based on expert opinion. Typical administration periods range from 5 to 7 days. A 2-day course with levofloxacin was not previously assessed. We performed a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of 2-day versus 7-day treatment with levofloxacin in patients with AECOPD.

Methods and analysis:

Patients with AECOPD were randomized to receive levofloxacin for 2 days and 5 days placebo ( n = 155) or levofloxacin for 7 days ( n = 155). All patients received a common dose of intravenous prednisone daily for 5 days. The primary outcome measure was cure rate, and secondary outcomes included need for additional antibiotics, ICU admission rate, re-exacerbation rate, death rate, and exacerbation-free interval (EFI) within 1-year follow-up. The study protocol has been prepared in accordance with the revised Helsinki Declaration for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects and Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice. The study was approved by ethics committees of all participating centers prior to implementation (Monastir and Sousse Universities).

Results:

310 patients were randomized to receive 2-day course of levofloxacin ( n = 155) or 7-day course ( n = 155). Cure rate was 79.3% ( n = 123) and 74.2% ( n = 115), respectively, in 2-day and 7-day groups [OR 1.3; 95% CI 0.78–2.2 ( p = 0.28)]. Need for additional antibiotics rate was 3.2% and 1.9% in the 2-day group and 7-day group, respectively; ( p = 0.43). ICU admission rate was not significantly different between both groups. One-year re-exacerbation rate was 34.8% ( n = 54) in 2-day group versus 29% ( n = 45) in 7-day group ( p = 0.19); the EFI was 121 days (interquartile range, 99–149) versus 110 days (interquartile range, 89–132) in 2-day and 7-day treatment groups, respectively; ( p = 0.73). One-year death rate was not significantly different between the 2 groups, 5.2% versus 7.1% in the 2-day group and 7-day group, respectively; ( p = 0.26). No difference in adverse effects was detected.

Conclusion:

Levofloxacin once daily for 2 days is not inferior to 7 days with respect to cure rate, need for additional antibiotics and hospital readmission in AECOPD. Our findings would improve patient compliance and reduce the incidence of bacterial resistance and adverse effects.
Mesoporous silica nano-adjuvant triggers pro-inflammatory responses in Caco-2/peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) co-cultures
Authors: Ghasemi Maryam , Bakhshi Bita , Khashei Reza , Soudi Sara
Published: June 2022

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity and immune-stimulatory effect of Mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) Nano-adjuvant on pro-inflammatory cytokines and pattern recognition receptors (PRR) genes expression in Caco-2/PBMC co-culture model. MSNs were synthesized and characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) and Barrett Joyner Halenda (BJH) techniques. The BET specific surface area of MSNs was around 947 m2/g and the total pore volume and average pore diameter were 1.5 cm3/g and 8.01 nm, respectively. At the concentration of 10 µg/mL, MSN showed a low and time-dependent cytotoxicity on Caco-2 cells, while no cytotoxic effect was observed for 0.1 and 1 µg/mL concentrations after 24, 48 and 72 h. The expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines genes (IL-1, IL-8 and TNF-α) in co-cultures treated with different concentrations of MSN showed a dose-dependent significant increase up to 17.44, 2.722 and 4.34 folds, respectively, while the expression augmentation of IL-1 gene was significantly higher than the others. This indicates slight stimulation of intestinal inflammation. Different concentrations of MSN significantly increased TLR4 and NOD2 expression to 4.14 and 2.14 folds, respectively. NOD1 was not affected significantly. It can be concluded that MSN might increase protective immune responses against antigens as a vaccine adjuvant candidate. It seems that stimulation of TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-8 expression in enterocytes probably transpires through the agonistic activity of MSN for TLRs including TLR4, while NOD2-associated signaling pathways are also involved. This study provides an overall picture of MSN as a novel and potent oral adjuvant for mucosal immunity.
An Operational Definition of First Ray Hypermobility
Authors: Glasoe Ward M.
Published: June 2022

Background:

The first ray (metatarsocuneiform) behaves as a load-bearing strut in supporting weight. Due to its functional importance, stress-testing techniques are used to assess the stability of the first ray and objectify evidence of hypermobility. The test and measurement of first ray hypermobility (FRH) is of interest to clinicians and researchers. The condition itself, however, has proven elusive to diagnose. This article defines FRH for the purpose of improving the consistency by which the diagnosis is made. Currently, the lack of a consensus definition prevents research from determining the incidence rates and prevalence of FRH, a commonly reported medical condition.

The Definition:

Symptomatic FRH presents as dorsal displacement that measures greater than 8 mm, accompanied with signs and symptoms consistent with loading insufficiency of the first ray. The operational definition is objective and if adopted across health care professions, the criterion could become the standard for identifying FRH in patients and research participants.

Level of Evidence:

Level V, expert opinion