bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of a Handheld Device vs Endotracheal Tube–Based Neuromonitoring for Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Stimulation
Authors: Kong Derek Kai , Kong Amanda M. , Chai Raymond L.
Published: May 2021

Objective

To measure the effect of thyroidectomy difficulty on intraoperative neuromonitoring false loss of signal (LOS) and to compare intraoperative endotracheal tube–based neuromonitoring (ETNM) and Checkpoint palpation‐based direct stimulation (pDS) signals with postoperative laryngoscopy. We hypothesized that pDS has higher a positive predictive value for postdissection confirmation of recurrent laryngeal nerve function than ETNM and that this difference is accentuated with increasing thyroidectomy difficulty.

Study Design

Prospective single‐arm cross‐sectional study comparing ETNM and pDS for patients undergoing hemi‐, total, or completion thyroidectomy from July 2018 to March 2020.

Setting

Single‐surgeon series at a tertiary care hospital.

Methods

Percentage concordance and positive and negative predictive values were measured. Each thyroidectomy was assigned a validated thyroidectomy difficulty score, and recorded recurrent laryngeal nerve signals were compared with postoperative vocal fold mobility.

Results

Percentage concordance was 90.09%. Positive and negative predictive values were 0.19 (95% CI, 0.09‐0.31) and 1.0 for ETNM and 0.59 (95% CI, 0.35‐0.82) and 1.0 for pDS. The difference in positive predictive value was significant (0.40 [95% CI, 0.33‐0.47], P <. 001). False LOS rates for ETNM and pDS were 13.19% versus 3.30% (9.89% [95% CI, 1.80%‐18.62%], P =. 0155), 44.11% versus 0% (44.11% [95% CI, 25.80%‐60.54%], P <. 001), and 73.33% versus 13.33% (60% [95% CI, 24.76%‐78.46%], P =. 001) for the second through fourth thyroidectomy difficulty score quartiles, respectively. False LOS with ETNM was linearly correlated with increasing difficulty (R2 = 0.97).

Conclusion

ETNM was subject to high rates of postdissection false LOS that increased with thyroidectomy difficulty score. pDS is a reliable alternative that has higher positive predictive value than ETNM, particularly in more challenging cases such as those with posteriorly fixed thyroid cancers and fibrotic glands.

Evidence level

2.
Adolescent Popularity as a Nonlinear, Two-Dimensional Construct: Convergent Results From Three Large Samples
Authors: Marks Peter E. L. , Babcock Ben , van den Berg Yvonne H. M. , Gommans Rob , Cillessen Antonius H. N.
Published: May 2021

The goal of this study was to advance the conceptualization and measurement of adolescent popularity by exploring the commonly used composite score (popularity minus unpopularity). We used standardized peer nominations from 4,414 early adolescents (ages ≈ 12-14 years) from three samples collected in two countries. Popularity and unpopularity were strongly related, but not linearly; scatterplots of the two variables resembled an L-shaped right angle. Subsequent analyses indicated that either including popularity as a curvilinear term or including both popularity and unpopularity as separate terms explained significantly more variance in social and behavioral correlates than linear, bivariate analyses using popularity, unpopularity, or composite popularity. These results suggest that researchers studying adolescent popularity should either separate popularity and unpopularity or treat composite popularity as curvilinear.
Sensing scalarity: Towards a humanistic approach to scale
Authors: Linder Benjamin
Published: May 2021

This article develops the notion of “sense of scale” to theorize the emotional, tactile, and affective (re)production of scalarity during the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic’s geographic upheavals – from personal proxemics to international travel bans – call for a return to scale that attends to its experiential qualities. Scale is continually conjured, apprehended, and (re)configured through proximal feelings and sensory encounters. After charting some conceptual foundations, subsequent sections discuss the relational transformation of the domestic, global, and urban scales under COVID-19. “Sense of scale” enables (post)humanistic theorizations of scale to take shape and also highlights the importance of scale for understanding everyday life.
The Mexican social unconscious—part II: Politics and group analysis
Authors: Hernández-Tubert Reyna
Published: May 2021

The origins of the Mexican people and their impact on their social unconscious have been presented in the first part of this article. This second part starts with a discussion of the unavoidable need to include the political dimension in any group-analytic theory and enquiry. It then sketches the socio-political evolution of the country up to the present and its impact on the collective mood and relations among individuals and groups.
Transitioning to University with a Mental Illness: Experiences of Youth and their Parent
Authors: Boughton Kristy , Boyle Sarah L. , O’Byrne Ryan , Lumley Margaret N.
Published: May 2021

Despite extant research suggesting the important role of family in supporting youth with disabilities (e.g., learning disabilities) making the transition to university, family relational influences on youth with mental illness undergoing this transition remains unclear. Adopting a family resilience perspective, this mixed-methods study aimed to examine (a) how parent-child relationship factors relate to youths’ mental illness symptoms and well-being and (b) youth and parent perspectives on how parents can best support youth in this transition. A total of 225 youth with mental illness (aged 17–23, M = 18.43, SD = 0.91, 87% white) completed questionnaires assessing parent-child relationship satisfaction, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and life satisfaction. For 22 of these youth, a parent (aged 45–57, M = 49.77, SD = 3.57, 100% white) completed questionnaires assessing caregiver burden and reward. Parents (and their child) completed written responses addressing what youth most need from parents during this transition. Parent-child relationship factors were moderately associated with youth mental illness and well-being. Thematic analysis indicated much agreement and some difference between youth and caregivers on the aspects of parental support most valued during this transition. Implications for supporting such youth as they adapt to university are discussed.
Sexual Orientation Identity and Its Implication in the Disparities in Psychological Health-Related Quality of Life
Authors: Xie Hui , Li Yannan , Turner Cailtin
Published: May 2021

Purpose:

To examine disparities in psychological health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among sexual minority women within racial/ethnic subgroups.

Design:

A secondary analysis of the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS).

Setting:

United States.

Subjects:

Noninstitutionalized, cisgender, adult women in the U.S (unweighted n = 81,947).

Measures:

Socioeconomics, health behaviors, and healthcare access as risk factors, whereas 1 item measures psychological HRQoL as an outcome.

Analysis:

Weighted multivariable logistic regressions to estimate the odds of having adversely psychological HRQoL in relation to sexual orientation and other correlates within a racial/ethnic subgroup independently.

Results:

The prevalence of adverse psychological HRQoL was greater in bisexual and “other” sexual orientation women. Both bisexual (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.26-2.00) and “other” sexual orientation (Aor = 1.93; 95%CI = 1.26-2.96) had greater adjusted odds of adversely psychological HRQoLcompared to their heterosexual peers in non-Hispanic White women. Bisexual women (aOR = 3.42; 95%CI = 1.98-5.88) had greater adjusted odds of adversely psychological HRQoLcompared to their heterosexual peers in Latinas. No similar pattern was observed in non-Hispanic Black women.

Conclusion:

Disparities in psychological HRQoL varied by sexual orientation identities within different racial/ethnic subgroups. The magnitude of the association for Latina bisexual women was strong. Implications for bisexual health among people with intersecting identities are discussed.
A computationally efficient adaptive robust control scheme for a quad-rotor transporting cable-suspended payloads
Authors: Ullah Nasim , Sami Irfan , Shaoping Wang , Mukhtar Hamid , Wang Xingjian , Shahariar Chowdhury Md , Techato Kuaanan
Published: May 2021

This article proposes a computationally efficient adaptive robust control scheme for a quad-rotor with cable-suspended payloads. Motion of payload introduces unknown disturbances that affect the performance of the quad-rotor controlled with conventional schemes, thus novel adaptive robust controllers with both integer- and fractional-order dynamics are proposed for the trajectory tracking of quad-rotor with cable-suspended payload. The disturbances acting on quad-rotor due to the payload motion are estimated by utilizing adaptive laws derived from integer- and fractional-order Lyapunov functions. The stability of the proposed control systems is guaranteed using integer- and fractional-order Lyapunov theorems. Overall, three variants of the control schemes, namely adaptive fractional-order sliding mode (AFSMC), adaptive sliding mode (ASMC), and classical Sliding mode controllers (SMC)s) are tested using processor in the loop experiments, and based on the two performance indicators, namely robustness and computational resource utilization, the best control scheme is evaluated. From the results presented, it is verified that ASMC scheme exhibits comparable robustness as of SMC and AFSMC, while it utilizes less sources as compared to AFSMC.
An Analysis of Factors Affecting Private Expenditure on Education in India
Authors: Mukherjee Ananda , Sengupta Sarbajit
Published: May 2021

Private expenditure on education is a determining factor for ensuring an individual’s educational progress. Though the government provides a vast infrastructure at minimal cost, the individuals have to incur cost from their pockets for various purposes. In this study, we have analysed the various influences on private expenditure on education based on National Sample Survey 71st round conducted in 2014. We have found that household consumer expenditure, respondent’s age, medium of instruction dummy, private coaching dummy and household computer dummy affect private expenditure on education positively, and household size, rural dummy, female dummy, social group dummies, minority religion dummy and type of school dummy affect private expenditure on education negatively. The important policy implications are the tendency to spend less for the female child needs to be amended and the male and female child needs to be given same preference when it comes to expenditure on education. Family planning should be implemented effectively to keep the household size reasonably small for better educational access of an individual. The weaker social groups such as STs, SCs and OBCs and the minorities should be supported well by scholarships and stipends for furthering their education. The number of government institutions should increase to provide low-cost education to society. English medium schools should be made to offer more seats for the financially weak. Private coaching should be made as redundant as possible by improving teaching in the schools. For having computer in households, the financially weak should get some subsidy or may be community computer centres can cater to their needs at reduced cost or free of cost.

JEL: I25, I22
The “Third-Victimization”: The Cybervictimization of Sexual Assault Survivors and Their Families
Authors: Clevenger Shelly , Navarro Jordana
Published: May 2021

Sexual assault has a devastating effect on survivors as well as their family and friends (i.e., secondary survivors). Research shows that survivors’ abilities to cope in the aftermath of sexual trauma are particularly difficult in the “internet” age. This struggle stems from the abilities of perpetrators to use cyberspace to abuse, harass, and threaten survivors vis-à-vis various cybercrimes: cyberstalking, cybersexual abuse, and cyberfraud. Indeed, a survivor in this study referred to the cybervictimizations as the “third-victimization” because it followed the sexual assault (first) and the “revictimization” experienced during the pursuit of justice (second). This article presents the results of semistructured interviews about the third-victimization of 48 female survivors and 89 secondary survivors, the family of the survivor. These results show that all primary and most secondary survivors (91%) experienced at least one third-victimization, with a majority experiencing multiple forms.
Thermorheological properties of magnetorheological grease and its thermomagnetic coupling mechanism
Authors: Jiabao Pan , Guangxin Yang , Jianping Wang , Xiaocui Wang , Xiaolei Wang
Published: May 2021

A heating phenomenon exists in the service process of magneto-rheological devices. For magnetorheological devices using magnetorheological grease (MRG) as the working medium, changes in the medium’s rheological behaviors caused by temperature increase will generate challenges in the reliable service of the devices. With laboratory-prepared MRG as the research object, MRG rheological property laws under different temperatures and magnetic field intensities are investigated, and the magnetic properties of carbonyl iron (CI) powder under different temperatures are analyzed. The relationship between the evolution of the MRG structural system and changes in rheological properties under the action of thermomagnetic coupling is discussed. The results show that the MRG structural system is composed of base carrier liquid soap fibers and magnetic chains under the action of a magnetic field, and the soap fibers can strengthen the structural intensity of the MRG. A decrease in the entanglement degree of the soap fiber structure caused by temperature increase will obviously weaken the intensity of the entire MRG system and narrow the regulation and control scope of the MRG rheological properties. The structural evolution of soap fibers under thermomagnetic coupling will affect the chain formation of magnetic particles and ultimately their rheological properties. At low temperature and magnetic field intensity, the entanglement degree of soap fibers is relatively high, and the magnetic force on magnetic particles is weak, which cannot completely overcome the binding of soap fibers. The influence of soap fibers is the dominant factor affecting the MRG rheological properties. As temperature and magnetic field intensity increase, the entanglement degree of soap fibers decreases, magnetic particles gradually disperse from the soap fibers under the action of a large magnetic field force, and the magnetic chain structure gradually becomes the dominant factor affecting the MRG rheological properties. Moreover, the weakening degree of the temperature increase effect on the MRG rheological properties decreases, and the rheological law changes gradually.
Contours of a National Infrastructure Policy for the New Millennium
Authors: Morris John C. , Williamson Ryan D. , Meiburg A. Stanley
Published: May 2021

As calls for renewed efforts to address the state of the nation’s infrastructure grow across both partisan and ideological lines, they raise pointed questions regarding the nature of such efforts. For example, how do we pay for needed infrastructure? How do we set priorities among the many and varied needs across the nation? Most critically, should the national government play the central role in such an effort or is this task more appropriately left to the states? With Netzer’s article in mind, we examine the core factors that a national infrastructure policy in the 21st century should consider. We illustrate these factors through the use of two exemplar cases: traditional wastewater infrastructure, and the infrastructure required to conduct free, safe, and fair elections. Contrary to Netzer, we contend that there are many advantages to employing a national policy in these areas.
Low-dose ‘boom-boom’ radiotherapy for ocular lymphoma arising from IgG4-related ophthalmic disease: Case report and literature review
Authors: Meng Katherine , Lim Mei Chin , Poon Michelle Li Mei , Sundar Gangadhara , Vellayappan Balamurugan
Published: May 2021

Ocular adnexal extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (OA-EMZL) and immunoglobulin G4-related ophthalmic disease (IgG4-ROD) may exist on a continuum. Presence of immunoglobulin light-chain restriction and clonal gene rearrangement suggests presence of lymphoma; whereas bilateral, infraorbital nerve and systemic involvement accompanied by elevated serum IgG4 levels may indicate synchronous IgG4-ROD. Although steroids have been the mainstay for the treatment of IgG4-ROD, radiotherapy (RT) has been used occasionally. The reported RT doses range between 24 and 30 Gy, which can result in acute and late toxicities. A low-dose regimen of four Gy has not been previously described. We describe a patient with bilateral OA-EMZL arising from IgG4-ROD successfully treated with low dose ‘boom-boom’ radiotherapy. In addition, we review the literature for the association between these two conditions and the role of RT in their management.
The ethylene oxide sterilised Opera acetabular component demonstrates high rates of loosening and revision compared to the gamma irradiated Ogee cup: a cohort study demonstrating potential shortcomings of revision-based registry data
Authors: Baryeh Kwaku W , Bennett Kate , Sochart David H
Published: May 2021

Aims:

To evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of 2 cemented ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) acetabular components, with the main difference between the 2 components being their method of sterilisation.

Patients and methods:

Data was collected prospectively on 352 consecutive total hip replacements, performed between March 2000 and July 2004, at a single centre. A posterior approach was used with a cemented C-Stem femoral component (DePuy, Warsaw, IN, USA) in all cases and either the Ogee (DePuy, Warsaw, IN, USA) or the Opera (Smith & Nephew, Memphis, TN, USA) acetabular implant. Patients were reviewed clinically and radiologically with a median 12-year follow-up (6–16 years).

Results:

The risk of experiencing loosening was 90% lower for the Gamma irradiated implant (GII) group compared to the ethylene oxide sterilised implant (EOSI) group, which was statistically significant ( p = 0.003), (HR 0.10; 95% CI, 0.02–0.45). The incidence of cup revision was also lower in the GII group ( p = 0.029), but after adjustment for age, gender and BMI was not statistically significant ( p = 0.104). 15-year survivorship with failure/loosening as an endpoint was 70.1% for the EOS implant and 92.9% for the GII (OR 4.99; CI 95%, 1.75–14.2) and with revision as an endpoint was 81.4% for the EOSI and 92.9% for the GII (OR 2.60; CI 95%, 0.87–7.75)

Conclusions:

We report increased rates of loosening, revision and failure for the EOSI compared to the GII at long-term follow-up. This may have been attributable to the different sterilisation methods used.
Social-cultural sustainability of roots tourism in Calabria, Italy: A tourist perspective
Authors: Ferrari Sonia , Hernández-Maskivker Gilda , Nicotera Tiziana
Published: May 2021

Roots tourists are members of diaspora communities who visit their motherland during holidays searching for their roots and identity. This research aims to explore how roots tourism can contribute to a more sustainable development of destinations by focusing on its socio-cultural impact. It involves qualitative research, analysing roots tourism from the tourists’ point of view. 45 roots tourists who visited the Calabria region in Italy were interviewed. The findings of the research show that roots tourism can be seen as socio-culturally sustainable. This paper seeks to fill a gap in the literature on the effects of the development of roots tourism on the local socio-cultural fabric to evaluate them in terms of sustainability.
Measuring parent strategy use in early intervention: Reliability and validity of the Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention Fidelity Rating Scale across strategy types
Authors: Sone Bailey J , Kaat Aaron J , Roberts Megan Y
Published: May 2021

Children with autism spectrum disorder benefit from early, intensive interventions to improve social communication, and parent-implemented interventions are a feasible, family-centered way to increase treatment dosage. The success of such interventions is dependent on a parent’s ability to implement the strategies with fidelity. However, measurement of parent strategy use varies across studies. Most studies use one of two types of observational coding measures (macro- and micro-codes). Macro-codes are known for being efficient while micro-codes are known for being precise. This study evaluates the reliability and validity of the NDBI-Fi, a macro-code, compared to a micro-code. Parent–child interaction videos for 177 participants were used to compare these measures. Results demonstrated that the NDBI-Fi had strong inter-rater reliability. It also had strong convergent validity with the micro-code after intervention. In addition, the NDBI-Fi was sensitive to change, and it demonstrated precision comparable to the micro-code. Furthermore, a novel scoring procedure detected differences in parents who learned different intervention strategy types. However, the NDBI-Fi did not demonstrate strong validity before intervention, particularly when measuring responsive intervention strategies. Taken together, findings support the use of the NDBI-Fi as an outcome measure, and future work should focus on continued development of valid pre-intervention macro-codes.

Lay abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder benefit from early intervention to improve social communication, and parent-implemented interventions are a feasible and family-centered way to increase the amount of treatment they receive. For these treatments to be effective, it is important for the parent to implement the strategies as intended. However, measurement of parent strategy use is inconsistent across studies of parent-implemented interventions. This study evaluates the quality of the NDBI-Fi, an efficient measure, compared to a more time-consuming measure that is known to be precise. Videos of parents playing with their children were used to compare these two measurement methods. Results demonstrated that the NDBI-Fi was of good quality: scorers had high levels of agreement, the NDBI-Fi was similar to the more precise measure in rating parents after intervention, it detected changes from before to after intervention, and it detected differences when parents learned different types of intervention strategies. The NDBI-Fi was not as precise as the other measure across all strategies before parents learned intervention. Taken together, the findings of this study support the use of the NDBI-Fi as a high-quality outcome measure.
The relationship between sensory reactivity, intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety subtypes in preschool-age autistic children
Authors: MacLennan Keren , Rossow Timothy , Tavassoli Teresa
Published: May 2021

Sensory reactivity differences are a diagnostic criterion of autism. Sensory hyperreactivity has been linked to intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety in autistic children. However, research is yet to explore the mediating relationships or sensory hyporeactivity, seeking and anxiety subtypes in preschool-age autistic children. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the relationships between sensory reactivity, intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety subtypes in a heterogeneous group of 54 preschool-age autistic children, age 3–5 years, using observation and parent-report assessments. Correlational analysis found sensory hyperreactivity, intolerance of uncertainty and total anxiety were significantly intercorrelated. In addition, sensory hyperreactivity was significantly correlated with separation anxiety when controlling for autism traits. Serial mediation analyses indicated significant full mediation between sensory hyperreactivity and anxiety through intolerance of uncertainty, and significant full mediation between sensory hyperreactivity and intolerance of uncertainty through anxiety. Our results suggest that sensory hyperreactivity is a key early factor in the development of anxiety, and supports that intolerance of uncertainty is an important interrelated construct in the development and maintenance of anxiety in autism. Our findings have important implications for the development of effective interventions. However, due to limitations with the measures, our research also highlights a pressing need for objective assessments of anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty that can be used with preschool-age autistic children.

Lay abstract

This study found links between greater sensory hyperreactivity (e.g., over-sensitive to sensory input), intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety, including separation anxiety, in autistic pre-schoolers. Sensory hyperreactivity may predict both anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty, and anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty may both be mutually important, mediating factors. These findings have implications for early anxiety interventions. But there is a pressing need for objective assessments that can be used with preschool-age autistic children.
Life-course trajectories of working conditions and successful ageing
Authors: Nilsen Charlotta , Darin-Mattsson Alexander , Hyde Martin , Wastesson Jonas W.
Published: May 2021

Aims:

As populations are ageing worldwide, it is important to identify strategies to promote successful ageing. We investigate how working conditions throughout working life are associated with successful ageing in later life.

Methods:

Data from two nationally representative longitudinal Swedish surveys were linked ( n=674). In 1991, respondents were asked about their first occupation, occupations at ages 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 years and their last recorded occupation. Occupations were matched with job exposure matrices to measure working conditions at each of these time points. Random effects growth curve models were used to calculate intra-individual trajectories of working conditions. Successful ageing, operationalised using an index including social and leisure activity, cognitive and physical function and the absence of diseases, was measured at follow-up in 2014 (age 70 years and older). Multivariable ordered logistic regressions were used to assess the association between trajectories of working conditions and successful ageing.

Results:

Intellectually stimulating work; that is, substantive complexity, in the beginning of one’s career followed by an accumulation of more intellectually stimulating work throughout working life was associated with higher levels of successful ageing. In contrast, a history of stressful, hazardous or physically demanding work was associated with lower levels of successful ageing.

Conclusions:

Promoting a healthy workplace, by supporting intellectually stimulating work and reducing physically demanding and stressful jobs, may contribute to successful ageing after retirement. In particular, it appears that interventions early in one’s employment career could have positive, long-term effects.
Partisanship and positionality in qualitative research: Exploring the influences of the researcher’s experiences of serious crime on the research process
Authors: Mendez Melissa
Published: May 2021

Debates on positionality and partisanship in the research process are long-standing, complex and often highly contentious. Engaging with, and contributing to, both these key debates, this paper introduces the concept of victim-as-researcher. This draws from the author’s experiences of undertaking research in Trinidad and Tobago with a group of offenders who had committed similar offences to that which the researcher was herself a victim. There is a paucity of literature which speaks to the experiences of victims of serious, violent crime who subsequently engage in qualitative research with offenders who have been convicted of offences similar to the ones experienced by the researcher and which, therefore, can elicit trauma whilst in the field and through analysis. This paper aims to extend the methodological literature on positionality and victimology by foregrounding the victim-as-researcher as an important category in reflexive sociological and criminological research.
Assembling Auras: Towards a Methodology for the Preservation and Study of Video Games as Cultural Heritage Artefacts
Authors: Guay-Bélanger Dany
Published: May 2021

Video games, while a digital art, live on physical media. Whether cartridge, magnetic tape or floppy disk, they degrade. Without care and study, they disappear and cannot be played again. While it might be possible to preserve play using emulation or video captures, scholars need to consider every option at their disposal to preserve video games for future study. This includes securing original versions of games and ephemera, recording play, interviewing game creators, and players, and much more. This article develops a new approach to conceptualise video games as material and cultural heritage, and proposes a methodology for their study, especially those for which there is no original version left.
Decolonizing VAWA 2021: A Step in the Right Direction for Protecting Native American Women
Authors: Gilbert Sheena L. , Wright Emily M. , Richards Tara N.
Published: May 2021

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was hallmark legislation aimed at combating violence against women. While violence against women is a national issue that affects women of all race/ethnicities, it affects Native American women the most, as Native women experience the highest rates of violence. Violence against Native women is rooted in colonization because it decreases the power of tribal government, diminishes tribal sovereignty, and devalues Native Americans, which in turn leaves Native women more vulnerable to victimization. As such, amendments to VAWA must take particular action on violence against Native women, including actions that support decolonization. The 2013 VAWA reauthorization acknowledged colonization and was the federal government’s first step in the decolonization process. It restored tribal jurisdiction over some VAWA crimes, but there are still gaps regarding protecting Native women. This policy analysis examines the proposed VAWA reauthorization, HR 1620, and provides three specific recommendations in order to better protect Native women: (1) allow tribes to write their own rape laws, (2) expand tribal jurisdiction to all VAWA crimes and stranger and acquaintance violence, and (3) enhance tribes’ abilities to secure VAWA funds and resources. These recommendations are discussed in terms of existing literature and implications for Native people and Native communities.
The Interaction of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Authors: Naha Ushasi , Miller Adam , Patetta Michael J. , Barragan Echenique Diego M. , Mejia Alfonso , Amirouche Farid , Gonzalez Mark H.
Published: May 2021

Background

Diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and is associated with its own neuropathic complications. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication seen in diabetic patients. In this study, we examine the relationship between the severity of DPN and CTS.

Methods

Type 2 diabetic and control patients (n = 292) were recruited at a clinic visit. The Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) questionnaire was used to collect data related to peripheral neuropathy. The MNSI scores were compared for patients with CTS with and without DM in univariable and multivariable analyses. χ2 analyses were performed to quantitatively measure the associations between peripheral neuropathy and the presence of CTS.

Results

Of the 292 patients, 41 had CTS, and 19 of these had both CTS and DM. Of the 138 diabetic patients, 85 had peripheral neuropathy. There was no association between a diagnosis of CTS and an MNSI score indicative of peripheral neuropathy. In the diabetic population, CTS was inversely associated with DPN ( P = .017). The MNSI scores between diabetic and control patients with CTS were comparable.

Conclusion

The severity of peripheral neuropathy in diabetic patients with and without CTS is comparable. Diabetic patients without peripheral neuropathy have an association with higher incidence of CTS in this study, suggesting that there are disparate mechanisms causing DPN and CTS. Nevertheless, diabetes and CTS are risk factors for developing the other, and future studies should further explore how DPN and CTS differ to tailor patient interventions based on their comorbidities.
The weight of motherhood: Identifying obesity, gestational weight gain and physical activity level of Italian pregnant women
Authors: Benvenuti Maria Beatrice , Bø Kari , Draghi Simonetta , Tandoi Elisabetta , Haakstad Lene AH
Published: May 2021

Objective:

Pre-pregnancy obesity and suboptimal gestational weight gain are on the rise globally and are independently associated with several maternal and neonatal complications. A healthy lifestyle, including regular physical activity, may improve health and reduce these complications, but many women are less active and willing to engage in physical activity with advancing gestation. Therefore, the inclusion of a wider range of physical activity such as domestic chore, occupational activity and active commuting may help pregnant women to meet the physical activity recommendations of 150 min/week. Very little is known about these issues in Italy, a country with strong traditional roles regarding pregnancy and motherhood, including “la famiglia” (the family). Primary objective describes health and lifestyle behavior of pregnant Italian women. Secondary objective reports total physical activity level, recreational exercise and context of these activities from pre-pregnancy and throughout gestation in regard to gestational weight gain management.

Study design:

Cross-sectional study performed in one public hospital and four antenatal clinics in Italy. Participants (n = 513) completed a validated self-administered questionnaire, the Physical Activity Pregnancy Questionnaire, in gestation week 36.01 (standard deviation 2.0). Pre-pregnancy body weight (kg) was self-reported, whereas maternal weight (kg) was measured at gestation week 36. In line with current American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines (2020), participants were categorized into regular physical activity (⩾150 min/week) or non-regular physical activity (<150 min/week).

Results:

Mean pre-pregnancy body-mass index was 22.8 kg/m2 (standard deviation 3.9), with 14.4% of women entering motherhood overweight and 5.3% obese. Mean gestational weight gain was 11.9 kg (standard deviation 4.1). Among those with a body-mass index ⩾25, 46.5% gained above the Institute of Medicine recommendations. With respect to recreational exercise/sport, 4.7% were active according to guidelines, whereas 82.7% accumulated ⩾150 min/week when combining exercise/sport with daily-life physical activity (commuting and occupational). Exercising ⩾150 min/week and working 100% in third trimester were associated with gestational weight gain within Institute of Medicine recommendations (p = 0.06 and p = 0.03).

Conclusion:

Italian pregnant women have a low exercise level, still over 80% achieved a total physical activity level ⩾150 min/week when adding occupational and commuting activities. Nearly 50% of overweight and obese women exceeded the recommended gestational weight gain during pregnancy.
Minimal and Maximal Models to Quantitate Glucose Metabolism: Tools to Measure, to Simulate and to Run in Silico Clinical Trials
Authors: Cobelli Claudio , Dalla Man Chiara
Published: May 2021

Several models have been proposed to describe the glucose system at whole-body, organ/tissue and cellular level, designed to measure non-accessible parameters (minimal models), to simulate system behavior and run in silico clinical trials (maximal models). Here, we will review the authors’ work, by putting it into a concise historical background. We will discuss first the parametric portrait provided by the oral minimal models—building on the classical intravenous glucose tolerance test minimal models—to measure otherwise non-accessible key parameters like insulin sensitivity and beta-cell responsivity from a physiological oral test, the mixed meal or the oral glucose tolerance tests, and what can be gained by adding a tracer to the oral glucose dose. These models were used in various pathophysiological studies, which we will briefly review. A deeper understanding of insulin sensitivity can be gained by measuring insulin action in the skeletal muscle. This requires the use of isotopic tracers: both the classical multiple-tracer dilution and the positron emission tomography techniques are discussed, which quantitate the effect of insulin on the individual steps of glucose metabolism, that is, bidirectional transport plasma-interstitium, and phosphorylation. Finally, we will present a cellular model of insulin secretion that, using a multiscale modeling approach, highlights the relations between minimal model indices and subcellular secretory events. In terms of maximal models, we will move from a parametric to a flux portrait of the system by discussing the triple tracer meal protocol implemented with the tracer-to-tracee clamp technique. This allows to arrive at quasi-model independent measurement of glucose rate of appearance (Ra), endogenous glucose production (EGP), and glucose rate of disappearance (Rd). Both the fast absorbing simple carbs and the slow absorbing complex carbs are discussed. This rich data base has allowed us to build the UVA/Padova Type 1 diabetes and the Padova Type 2 diabetes large scale simulators. In particular, the UVA/Padova Type 1 simulator proved to be a very useful tool to safely and effectively test in silico closed-loop control algorithms for an artificial pancreas (AP). This was the first and unique simulator of the glucose system accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a substitute to animal trials for in silico testing AP algorithms. Recent uses of the simulator have looked at glucose sensors for non-adjunctive use and new insulin molecules.
A 64-year-old woman with rapid neurologic decline diagnosed with Toxoplasma encephalitis after presumed metastatic cancer
Authors: Rosso Claudia , Giscombe Lisa , Tannous Toufic , Keating Matthew
Published: May 2021

In an era of fragmented medical care, concurrent clinical features that ultimately lead to a unified diagnosis may not be prioritized appropriately. We present a case of a 64-year-old woman referred to hematology clinic for anemia, with recent memory loss and gait disturbance. Two months later, she developed pneumonia; imaging workup showed a left renal mass. Neurologic function continued to decline precluding definitive nephrectomy. She then presented with new-onset seizure and initial neuro-imaging was reported as unremarkable. One month later, outpatient neurologic workup demonstrated new left-sided weakness which prompted hospitalization and repeat neuro-imaging, which showed a 1.7-cm right frontal lobe mass lesion with surrounding vasogenic edema. The patient ultimately underwent craniotomy with resection of the mass lesion; pathology did not show metastatic renal cell cancer, the provisional clinical diagnosis. Rather, immunostaining revealed a parasite and ultimately led to a diagnosis of Toxoplasma encephalitis, an infection whose clinical presentation had been interpreted by healthcare providers for months to be a result of metastatic cancer.
Anomalous responses on Amazon Mechanical Turk: An Indian perspective
Authors: O’Brochta William , Parikh Sunita
Published: May 2021

What can researchers do to address anomalous survey and experimental responses on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)? Much of the anomalous response problem has been traced to India, and several survey and technological techniques have been developed to detect foreign workers accessing US-specific surveys. We survey Indian MTurkers and find that 26% pass survey questions used to detect foreign workers, and 3% claim to be located in the United States. We show that restricting respondents to Master Workers and removing the US location requirement encourages Indian MTurkers to correctly self-report their location, helping to reduce anomalous responses among US respondents and to improve data quality. Based on these results, we outline key considerations for researchers seeking to maximize data quality while keeping costs low.
Gender and the privacy paradox in Chinese college students’ locative dating communication
Authors: Peng Altman Yuzhu
Published: May 2021

This article explores the role gender plays in addressing the privacy paradox in the context of young Chinese people’s locative dating communication. Based on a case study of 19 Chinese college students, I explore differing privacy management strategies adopted by female and male participants in their use of WeChat People Nearby. This gendered phenomenon reveals how People Nearby works within patriarchal Chinese society to pose more privacy-related risks to women than to men in locative dating communication. The research findings shed new light on the socio-technological processes through which existing gender power relations are reproduced in young Chinese people’s use of locative social media applications.
Barriers to HIV Testing and Opportunities for Expansion Using Home-Based HIV Self-Testing: Results of a National Study of Higher HIV Risk Young Men Who Have Sex With Men
Authors: Marks Sarah J. , Merchant Roland C. , Clark Melissa A. , Liu Tao , Rosenberger Joshua G. , Bauermeister Jose A. , Mayer Kenneth H.
Published: May 2021

HIV incidence among young adult men-who-have-sex-with-men (YMSM) is among the highest in the United States (US), yet YMSM have lower rates of HIV testing than most other MSM. Among 1,835 U.S. Black, Hispanic, and White YMSM who reported condomless anal intercourse (CAI) in the prior year, 30% (95% confidence interval [CI]: [28%, 32%]) had not been tested for HIV in the past year as recommended by national guidelines, and 19% (95% CI: [17%, 21%]) had never been tested. Factors associated with not being tested in the past year included not having a primary care provider (PCP)) (odds ratio [OR]: 2.00, 95% CI: [1.53, 2.60]), discomfort with asking a PCP for an HIV test (OR: 2.66, 95% CI: [2.05, 3.44]), living in a smaller community (OR: 1.71, 95% CI: [1.35, 2.18]), younger age (OR: 2.00, 95% CI: [1.53, 2.60]), and greater self-perception of having an undiagnosed HIV infection (OR: 1.46, 95% CI: [1.07, 1.99]). YMSM who had not been tested in the prior year were less likely to know where to get tested, yet were interested in trying home-based HIV self-testing. This study shows that knowledge, clinician-relationship, geographic, and perceptional barriers must be overcome to improve HIV testing among YMSM. Home-based HIV self-testing may address some of these barriers, particularly for YMSM living in smaller communities.
Assesing Health Services in Colombia: Development of a Conceptual Framework and Measurement tools based on primary data
Authors: Arrivillaga Marcela
Published: May 2021

Colombia has a mixed public-private health care system, and although official data indicate more than 95% of health coverage, research in this field has demonstrated the persistence of barriers to accessing health care services. This study aimed to analyze the conceptual framework of health services accessibility and develop measurement tools for its assessment using primary data and also to propose a method for ascertaining health services accessibility and availability using a territory-based approach. A mixed method study with concurrent design was carried out in four phases between 2014 and 2017. The starting points were a review of the literature and a documentary research that identified five conceptual frameworks for health services accessibility published between 1970 and 2013. It was found that the theoretical concept of health services availability has not been clear; the literature does not define it explicitly and does not differentiate it from the concept of health coverage. As a result, two measurement tools were developed: a Health Care Services Accessibility Household Survey and a Health Care Services Availability Questionnaire. These tools and the proposed method for ascertaining health services accessibility can be useful for government, institutions, and social and scientific organizations to monitor progress in guaranteeing the fundamental human right to health, declared in the Health Organic Law issued in 2015 in Colombia.
Discourses by Didis of Community Kitchens: A Case on Women Empowerment
Authors: Mahato Madhuri , Vardhan Julie
Published: May 2021

Women empowerment and its importance have often been at the centre of debate especially in India. This concept is slowly moving beyond the theory and notions of discussions and manifesting even at the level of village clusters with adequate interventions from the policymakers. Despite the socio-cultural restrictions, the conspicuous role played by women at the household and community levels remains undeniable. This case study, through the concept of community kitchens, ideally captures the scenario in which Didis have become empowered and are able to add value to their family and community. Through a qualitative analysis it was found that the major themes associated with empowerment are community, decisions, family and values thus showcasing the economic and social implications.

Research Questions/Objectives

Can the concept of women empowerment be de-urbanized? Do women through formalized initiatives feel empowered and experience heightened self-esteem? Can the setting up of micro-entrepreneurial ventures at the village level provide an impetus to alter the existing social structures and power inequalities?

Links to Theory:

Women Empowerment, group approach and power, self-esteem

Phenomenon Studied and Case Context:

The Didis of the community kitchen were members registered as self-help groups with the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society. These community kitchens or Ajeevika Didi kitchens were essentially started and implemented during the COVID pandemic period in a five-phase manner for a period of 3 months from April to June 2020. There were around 450 women who got associated in running these community kitchens. The discourses by these Didis on their association with the micro-entrepreneurial venture and their feelings of empowerment are portrayed in the case.

Findings:

Semi-structured interviews for the sample respondents were conducted and then auto-coded themes, namely, community, decisions, family and values were obtained using the NVivo software. The sentiment analysis of the transcribed interview conversations revealed more of positive sentiments that were centred around the belief that such micro-entrepreneurial opportunities can largely improve their lives and ease out the inequalities that are experienced by them on the power and control fronts. On an overall basis it was observed that when the financial and psychological aspirations were met, fulfilment and satisfaction were the primary outcomes for the study participants.

Discussions:

The present case is aimed for discussion in the entrepreneurship classes of management, especially related to social entrepreneurship, women empowerment and contribution of women to the economy and society. The case highlights that woman’s contribution towards the society and family could be impacted through a woman’s own sense of self-worth and self-esteem. This case highlights further that micro-enterprises that are community level are both a social and economic phenomenon, manifesting benefits for the individual as well as the society.