bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transformational Transparency in Supply Chains: Leveraging Technology to Drive Radical Change
Authors: Searcy Cory , Castka Pavel , Mohr Jakki , Fischer Sönke
Published: November 2022

Many companies are implementing transparency initiatives to improve environmental and social impacts throughout their supply chains. Meaningful change, however, is elusive, and transparency efforts are often criticized as legitimizing mechanisms or “window-dressing.” This article introduces a model of transformational transparency that enables new insights to drive radical change in companies and supply chains, as well as in industries and society at large. The model highlights the need for technological investments grounded in improving data, empowering stakeholders, and applying moral leadership. It presents examples that demonstrate how the model allows companies to foster dramatic improvements in social and environmental impacts.
“A Futile Activity”: Reflections on Imprisonment in India through Kobad Ghandy’s Fractured Freedom: A Prison Memoir (2021)
Authors: Darlong Diengdoh Basil N.
Published: November 2022

Prison writing in India has not been adequately engaged with, either in its literary bounds or its implications on prison conditions and administration. With the majority of incarcerations consisting of those yet to be found guilty of a crime, the absence of uniform policies or legal provisions concerning these ‘undertrials’ affects in a consequential way the prisoner's ability to exercise certain rights, even if limited, especially with regard to personal expression. This article explores this aspect through the decade-long incarceration reflected upon by Kobad Ghandy's Fractured Freedom: A Prison Memoir (2021).
Categorization of different types of people based on their electroneurophysiological responses to fabric–skin contact
Authors: Ye Ting , Liu Fanxizi , Liu Gui , Cui Lina , Qiu Yiping
Published: November 2022

The hairy skin of the human body is the main receptor of fabric contact. In order to evaluate clothing comfort objectively, electroneurophysiological tests with nine subjects were carried out to determine their cognitive differences in fabric static and dynamic contact. Electroencephalography and electrocardiography signals were collected when the subjects statically and dynamically touched a piece of polyester fabric with their forearms. According to their electroneurophysiological responses to fabric contact, the subjects could be categorized into three different types, namely, extraordinary, ordinary and nonsensitive ones. Their different sensitivity could be observed from the activities of α waves, sympathetic nervous system and pneumogastric nervous system. The extraordinarily sensitive subject responded to the fabric–skin static contact with an intensive α rhythm reaction followed by a suppressed α wave, an enhanced activity of the sympathetic nervous system and a mild participation of the pneumogastric nervous system. During dynamic contact, the pneumogastric nervous system activity increased greatly to balance the nervous system. The ordinarily sensitive subjects responded gently to the fabric–skin static contact, with a gradually suppressed α wave, an enhanced activity of the sympathetic nervous system and the near absence of the pneumogastric nervous system. Fabric dynamic contact induced a strong α rhythm reaction followed by a suppressed α wave combined with a joint effort of the sympathetic nervous system and pneumogastric nervous system. The nonsensitive subjects responded with almost no difference between the fabric–skin static and dynamic contact in both electroencephalography and electrocardiography tests. This preliminary study could provide an efficient way to identify different types of subjects and lay a fair ground for comparison purposes in future electroneurophysiological studies of clothing comfort.
Fear of COVID-19, death depression and death anxiety: Religious coping as a mediator
Authors: Kızılgeçit Muhammed , Yıldırım Murat
Published: November 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the well-being and mental health of populations worldwide. This study sought to examine whether religious coping mediated the relationship between COVID-19-related fear and death distress. We administered an online survey to 390 adult participants (66.15% females; Mage = 30.85 ± 10.19 years) across Turkey. Participants completed a series of questionnaires measuring the fear they had experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, their levels of religious coping and their levels of death anxiety and depression. Our findings revealed that (a) fear of COVID-19 was associated with positive religious coping, negative religious coping, death anxiety and death distress; (b) negative religious coping was associated with death anxiety and depression and (c) negative religious coping mediated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and death anxiety and depression. These results highlight the detrimental effect of negative religious coping in increasing the adverse effect of the COVID-19 fear on death depression.
The Political Branding of a Powerless Nation: A Historical Account of the Branding of Kuwait During the Reign of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem (1950–1965)
Authors: Dashti Ali A. , Al-Kandari Ali A. , Almutairi Talal M. , Altourah Albaraa F. , Jamal Abdulmohsen
Published: November 2022

This study explores the political branding of a powerless small state, the state of Kuwait during the reign of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem, from 1950 to 1965. The study uses models developed by Anholt for a strategic perspective on nation branding and by Bolin and Miazhevich for tactical communication in nation branding. This study explores the use of strategic communication in an Islamic-Arabic culture to brand Kuwait as a sovereign nation. At the strategic level, it employs the components of strategy, substance, and symbolic action, and at the tactical level, it uses the components of agents, audience analysis, temporal orientation and media to examine symbolic action. Using those models and following a qualitative historical analysis, the study identifies and analyzes the efforts of Sheikh Al-Salem to transform Kuwait from a Sheikhdom to Statehood in the 1950s. Those efforts helped to deter Iraq's threat to the Kuwaiti sovereignty as well as establish a self-governing, constitutional monarchy in the 1960s. The study concludes by evaluating the effectiveness of Sheikh Al-Salem's efforts as measured by tangible outcomes.
Assessment of renewable electricity adoption in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Olanrele Iyabo Adeola , Fuinhas José Alberto
Published: November 2022

Most sub-Saharan African electricity generation is through renewable energy sources. However, the pace of renewable expansion is slow, mirrored by the region's low per capita electric power consumption and electricity access. The study examines the determinants of renewable electricity generation adoption in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries using content description and a panel ARDL analysis. Findings from this study show that hydroelectric power is the long-standing renewable electricity source in the region. The deployment of non-hydro renewable electricity sources is slow despite its vast potential. In most evaluated countries, renewable electricity targets are below actual realization. Also, policies are ineffective in driving renewable electricity adoption, as indicated by the negative relationship between renewable electricity generation and policy enactments in SSA. Foreign direct investment and financial development significantly negatively impact renewable electricity adoption, suggesting that both factors do not expand renewable electricity generation. Feasible strategies for increasing non-hydro renewable electricity use include activating renewable energy support mechanisms and their uptake. In addition, governments in SSA should strengthen their legal and institutional frameworks and encourage lessening bottlenecks and bureaucracies associated with renewable electricity investment.
Real-time monitoring of structures under extreme loading using smart composite-based embeddable sensors
Authors: Rao Rajani Kant , Sindu Bellam Sukumar , Sasmal Saptarshi
Published: November 2022

Cementitious composites reinforced with conductive nanoparticles, also known as smart composite-based sensors, are emerging as novel sensors for real-time monitoring of structures. The present study deals with the development of embeddable smart composite-based sensor (called as eSCS), for monitoring the damage evolution in large-scale beam-column (B-C) sub-assemblages. Firstly, a systematic approach has been developed to fabricate the sensors through incorporation of functionalized (-COOH) multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The optimum dosage of CNTs required for developing sensors with maximum conductivity and piezo-resistivity was ascertained by determining the percolation threshold limit. The best performing eSCS was then successfully embedded at the critical locations of full-scale B-C joint specimens. The embedded sensors are used, for the first time, for damage monitoring of the B-C sub-assemblages subjected to reverse cyclic loadings. From the study, it is found that eSCS with 0.50 wt.% COOH-MWCNT shows excellent piezoresistive behaviour and gauge factors are found to be approximately 730, 457 and 396 for the applied compressive stress ranges of 2–4, 2–6 and 2–8 MPa, respectively. The embedded sensors showed the excellent strain sensing capability under reverse cyclic loading. The present study demonstrates the suitability of embedded eSCS sensors for robust structural health monitoring applications.
Adaptation and Validation of the Nigerian (Igbo) Version of the WHOQOL-OLD Module
Authors: Gebrye Tadesse , Okoye Emmanuel C. , Akosile Christopher O. , Onwuakagba Ifeoma Uchenna , Uwakwe Richard , Igweze Chibueze C. , Chukwuma Victoria C. , Fatoye Francis
Published: November 2022

Objective: To adapt and validate the original English version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-version for older adults (WHOQOL-OLD) in Igbo language, culture, and environment. Participants: Community-dwelling older adults (≥65 years) from Nnewi community in Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-cultural adaptation and validation study. The original English version of the WHOQOL-OLD was translated into Igbo language, synthesized, backward translated into the English language, subjected to expert panel review, and pretested. The Igbo and English versions of the WHOQOL-OLD were then used to assess the quality of life among consecutively recruited 109 older adults through interviewer-administration. Findings: The structure of the Igbo version of the WHOQOL-OLD differed from that of the original WHOQOL-OLD. The Igbo version of the WHOQOL-OLD displayed acceptable internal consistency (0.63–0.95), known-group validity (0.60–0.99), convergent validity, and ceiling and floor effects. Conclusion: The I-WHOQOL-OLD is a reliable and valid tool and thus can be used as an outcome measure among Igbo-speaking older adults.
Cultivation of Humanity: How we can stagnate within the eternal flow
Authors: Campill Marc Antoine
Published: November 2022

By introducing Taoism— the understanding of flow—and the meaning of cultivation as a basic human ability, an essential challenge in our current understanding of science can be discovered. Human interaction with nature is a meaningful process, which can reveal a better understanding of the inner cultivation processes and with it a multidimensional field of endless inputs triggering an ongoing process of growth. For this purpose, MyCu-cultivation ( My cultural cultivation) is introduced as new terminology. A construct that allows to separately elaborate the social concepts of culture and the process of metaphysical reality perception—generated in our mind. At the same time, the layers of physical experienced reality and imagination are reintroduced in an alternative interrelation, leading to new insights in the layers of metaphysical understandings. Therefore, the central manifestation of meaning-making will be elaborated through the metaphorical use of bookshelves, allowing to perceive new insights in the raw information processing of individuals—underlining the human limitations, in processing the overwhelming meaning flow. This theoretical knowledge leads us further to a new possibility of understanding the constructive externalization of the imagination, highlighting the diversity of phenomenological insights in our everyday life, resulting in a complex theoretical repositioning between semiotics, cultural psychology, and Naturwissenschaften.
No time to grieve: Inuit loss experiences and grief practices in Nunavik, Quebec
Authors: Hordyk Shawn Renee , Macdonald Mary Ellen , Brassard Paul , Okalik Looee , Papigatuk Louisa
Published: November 2022

This article presents an overview of past and current grief rituals and practices and existing grassroots and institutional initiatives seeking to address the complex, prolonged, and traumatic grief experienced by many Inuit living in Quebec. While conducting a study seeking to identify the strengths, resources, and challenges for Nunavik's Inuit communities related to end-of-life care, results emerged concerning how family caregivers’ grief related to the dying process was compounded by the sequelae of historic loss experiences (e.g., losses related to Canada's federal policies, including residential schools, forced relocations, and dog slaughters) and by present loss experiences (e.g., tragic and sudden deaths in local communities). To better support caregivers, an understanding of these grief experiences and a vision of bereavement care inclusive of community mobilization efforts to develop bereavement training and support is needed. We conclude with a discussion of a community capacity approach to bereavement care.
The ethics of asymmetric politics
Authors: Lovett Adam
Published: November 2022

Polarization often happens asymmetrically. One political actor radicalizes, and the results reverberate through the political system. This is how the deep divisions in contemporary American politics arose: the Republican Party radicalized. Republican officeholders began to use extreme legislative tactics. Republican voters became animated by contempt for their political rivals and by the defense of their own social superiority. The party as a whole launched a wide-ranging campaign of voter suppression and its members endorsed violence in the face of electoral defeat. This paper is about how such asymmetric polarization affects everyone else’s obligations. My core claim is that two kinds of relationship – civic friendship and non-subordination – underpin critical democratic norms. Republican misbehavior has severed cross-partisan civic friendships. Their authoritarianism forfeits their claim to non-subordination. The former means that non-Republicans need not justify policy on public grounds. The latter undercuts Republicans’ claim to enjoy minority vetoes when out of power and it gives their rivals reason to disobey the laws that Republicans make when they are in power. More generally, when one political actor contravenes the proper norms of democratic politics, their opposition is not bound by those norms.
Intersectional Antiracist Advocacy Practice in Health Care Organizations
Authors: Hudson Kimberly D. , Matsuzaka Sara , Mehrotra Gita
Published: November 2022

Health care organizations, like individuals, can evolve to become antiracist and promote racial equity within and beyond the organization. In this brief article, we introduce an intersectional antiracist advocacy practice framework applicable to health care organizations that seek restorative and transformative change, as well as participation in social and economic justice action. Becoming an antiracist organization requires an acknowledgment that no organization is impervious to racist and other oppressive ideologies. Organizations can then begin to interrogate, interrupt, and address how racism permeates agency policies, procedures, and culture. The implementation of an intersectional antiracist advocacy practice framework within organizations involves a multifaceted approach, including both internal and external practices. Internally facing practices include providing mandatory antiracist trainings to all employees; promoting a representative and equitable workplace; and developing an organizational power structure based on inclusion, transparency, and accountability. Externally facing practices include fostering nonexploitative, reciprocal community partnerships; contributing to social and economic justice movements; and demonstrating transparency and accountability for the negative impact of operations in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities and lands. We conclude with key questions for health care organizations to consider in regard to their racial equity efforts, specifically around organizational readiness, risk tolerance, and long-term commitment.
Interstitial pneumonitis associated with dasatinib treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia or acute lymphoblastic leukemia: case series and a literature review
Authors: Kim Sang-A , Kwon Byoung Soo , Chung Jin-Haeng , Lee Ji Yun , Bang Soo-Mee , Lee Jeong-Ok
Published: November 2022

Dasatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is usually prescribed for chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, some patients may develop an intolerance to this drug over the years. Among various toxicities related to dasatinib, dasatinib-associated interstitial pneumonitis is not reported frequently in the literature yet. Moreover, published studies have reported only few cases of dasatinib-associated pneumonitis, almost exclusively in chronic myeloid leukemia. In this study, we describe three cases of dasatinib-associated interstitial pneumonitis in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia or Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (a 56-year-old man, a 34-year-old man, and a 46-year-old woman) at our institution. In all three patients, the time from the initiation of dasatinib therapy to the onset of interstitial pneumonitis varied greatly. Among them, one patient underwent a surgical lung biopsy, which revealed chronic granulomatous inflammation without any causative pathogen. In all patients, dasatinib was discontinued after the diagnosis of interstitial pneumonitis, and two patients were treated with systemic steroids. Although infrequent, dasatinib-induced pneumonitis should be considered a possible diagnosis in dasatinib-treated patients with fever and respiratory symptoms. In addition, hematologists and pulmonologists should be aware of this rare but critical toxicity.
Compartment syndrome following minimally invasive mitral valve repair: A case report
Authors: Bui Vinh Duc An , Le Michael Minh , Nguyen Dang , Pham Chuong Tran Viet , Thomas Hannah , Nguyen Dinh Hoang
Published: November 2022

A 38-year-old Asian male with severe mitral valve regurgitation underwent elective minimally invasive mitral valve repair with artificial chordae and concomitant Cox-Maze procedure. Cardiopulmonary bypass required large peripheral cannulas due to the patient’s increased body surface area with a total bypass time of 216 min. At 10 h, the patient reported progressive right lower extremity pain with evidence of swelling, diffuse paresthesias, and weak peripheral pulses. The patient underwent double-incision lower leg fasciotomies, revealing significant interstitial fluid and bulging muscle chambers. Compartment syndrome demonstrates non-traumatic etiologies. Elevated body mass index, Kawashima Type D femoral artery classification, prolonged bypass times, driven partially due to concomitant Cox-Maze, and larger cannula sizes should increase the index of suspicion.
The effect of mindfulness training on stress and sleep quality of postmenopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Shabani Fatemeh , Montazeri Maryam , Abdolalipour Somayeh , Mirghafourvand Mojgan
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Mindfulness is an effective method for empowering women to cope with menopausal changes. This study aimed to determine the effect of mindfulness training on stress and sleep quality in postmenopausal women.

Materials and Methods

English (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINHAL) and Persian (SID, Magiran) databases were searched until 25 June 2022, using the free and MeSH keywords included Mindfulness and Menopause. The quality of the published papers was evaluated using Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions version 5.2.0. The meta-analysis was conducted in RevMan 5.3 and the results were reported with mean difference (95% confidence interval). The quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach.

Results

A total of 1206 records were obtained. After removing duplicate and non-eligible records, finally five articles were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The results indicated that sleep quality score (SMD = −1.44; 95% CI = −2.44 to −0.46; p = 0.004) and perceived stress score (MD = −4.21; 95% CI = −6.41 to −2.00; p = 0.0002) were significantly reduced in the mindfulness training group compared to control group.

Conclusion

Mindfulness training is associated with improving sleep quality and perceived stress (with a low quality of evidence) in postmenopausal women. Mental health and quality of life in postmenopausal women impressively affect the community health. Given the low quality of evidence of the studies in this field, randomized controlled trials with better methodologies are suggested.
Bright light therapy as a non-pharmacological treatment option for multiple sclerosis-related fatigue: A randomized sham-controlled trial
Authors: Voggenberger Lisa , Böck Marion , Moser Doris , Lorbeer Gudrun , Altmann Patrick , Leutmezer Fritz , Berger Thomas , Seidel Stefan
Published: November 2022

Background

Fatigue is a common symptom in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) that significantly impairs quality of life. Bright light therapy may be a cheap treatment option with little to no adverse events.

Objectives

To evaluate the effectiveness of bright light therapy as a treatment option for MS-related fatigue.

Methods

This was randomized sham-controlled trial including 26 pwMS with a Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) Score ≥36. Participants were assigned to receive either bright white light therapy ( n = 13) or dim red light (sham-intervention; n = 13). Participants used the respective intervention for 30 min each morning for two weeks, followed by a two-week washout period. The primary endpoint was the difference in FSS scores following light treatment as calculated by analysis of covariance.

Results

There was no significant difference in FSS (F(1,23) = 2.39, p = .136, partial ⴄ2 = .094). However, FSS scores generally improved over the course of the study in a clinically relevant manner.

Conclusion

Bright light therapy decreased FSS scores over the course of this study. However, this effect was not significant in comparison to a sham intervention.
Assessing the Influence of Multitiered Systems of Support Training on School Counselors’ Perceptions of School Counseling Activities: Results of a National Study
Authors: Goodman-Scott Emily C. , Edirmanasinghe Natalie A. , Moe Jeffry , Boulden Rawn
Published: November 2022

School counselors are often integral in implementing multitiered systems of support (MTSS), and training in MTSS is crucial for building school counselors’ MTSS capabilities (Sink, 2016). However, scholarship investigating school counselors’ MTSS training is limited, particularly regarding their school counseling practices. In this study, we assessed school counselors’ training in MTSS in relation to their beliefs about appropriate roles and activities. School counselors indicated whether they completed coursework, continuing education, or supervision focused on MTSS, and whether they had experiences with MTSS. Participants shared their beliefs about appropriate activities for school counselors via the International Survey of School Counselor Activities, United States version (Fan et al., 2019). We found that MTSS training was related to perceptions of career counseling, individual work, group work, leadership, and prevention, highlighting the aspects of MTSS training that corresponded with school counseling roles. We provide implications for practice and future research.
Does Venture Capital Reputation Contribute to Pre-IPO Performance of Entrepreneurial Firms in the Chinese Context?
Authors: Long Hai , Zhao Jianzhi , Lin Xiaochen , Liu Lanyong
Published: November 2022

This study investigates venture capital (VC) reputation impact on the pre-IPO performance of the entrepreneurial firms backed by three kinds of VCs. This study employs backward stepwise regression models following prior theoretical frameworks to examine the research question. Based on a database of the top 50 VC firms ranked during 2016 to 2020 and their portfolio firms. This study shows some contingent contribution to pre-IPO firm performance. Firstly, the reputation of the Chinese government-owned VCs is negatively associated with their portfolio firm performance. Still, there is a positive relationship between foreign and local private VCs. Secondly, entrepreneurial firm performance is significantly associated with industry policy and entrepreneur’s performance than VC reputation. This study has practical implications for entrepreneurs and limited partners regarding their corporation relationships with the Chinese VCs.

JEL codes: G24, G34
Ultrasonographic Assessment of Glenohumeral Joint Stability Immediately After Arthroscopic Bankart-Bristow Procedure
Authors: Inoue Jumpei , Takenaga Tetsuya , Tsuchiya Atsushi , Okubo Norio , Takeuchi Satoshi , Takaba Keishi , Nozaki Masahiro , Kobayashi Makoto , Fukushima Hiroaki , Kato Jiro , Murakami Hideki , Yoshida Masahito
Published: November 2022

Background:

The changes in glenohumeral joint stability after surgery in a clinical setting are yet unknown.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

This study aimed to compare the anterior humeral head translation between pre- and postsurgical conditions using ultrasonography. It was hypothesized that ultrasonographic assessment would reveal decreased anterior translation.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

A total of 27 patients (24 male, 3 female; mean age, 24.1 ± 9.7 years) with anterior shoulder instability were studied prospectively. All the patients underwent the arthroscopic Bankart-Bristow procedure under general anesthesia, and ultrasonographic evaluation was performed before and immediately after surgery. The forearm was fixed with an arm positioner in the beach-chair position, and the ultrasonographic transducer was located at the posterior part of the shoulder to visualize the humeral head and glenoid rim at the level of interval between the infraspinatus tendon and teres minor tendon. The upper arm was drawn anteriorly with a 40-N force at 0°, 45°, and 90° of shoulder abduction with neutral rotation. The distance from the posterior edge of the glenoid to that of the humeral head was measured using ultrasonography with and without anterior force. Anterior translation was defined by subtracting the distance with anterior force from the distance without anterior force.

Results:

The humeral head position was translated posteriorly immediately after surgery in all patients. Anterior translation decreased significantly after surgery at 45° (7.7 ± 4.3 vs 5.8 ± 2.0 mm; P = .031) and 90° (8.9 ± 3.4 vs 6.1 ± 2.2 mm; P < .001) of abduction, whereas there was no difference between pre- and postsurgical translation at 0° of abduction (4.9 ± 2.3 vs 4.0 ± 2.1 mm, P = .089).

Conclusion:

Ultrasonographic assessment immediately after a Bankart-Bristow procedure showed the humeral head was translated posteriorly relative to the glenoid at 0°, 45°, and 90° of abduction. The surgery also decreased anterior translation in response to an anteriorly directed force at 45° and 90° of abduction.
Challenges of consultant-led planning in India’s smart cities mission
Authors: Chakravarty Surajit , Bin Mansoor Mohammed S , Kumar Bibek , Seetharaman Priya
Published: November 2022

The growing involvement of private-sector consultants in urban planning has been critiqued as a potential problem, mainly due to doubts over their ethical position. India’s Smart Cities Mission which aims to equip 100 cities with smart technologies, relies on private consultants both to plan the interventions and to implement them. With the planning phase now complete, and implementation in its early stages, this study examines the proposals generated by the consultants. The study deploys natural language processing computational techniques to compare a large corpus of text extracted from the proposal documents to a framework of common planning terms. The analysis yields insights regarding the consultants’ “styles,” and the evolution of the proposals over four rounds of selection. Findings suggest that some consultants show better results than others, but as many as a third of the reports prepared for the mission have low scores on the study’s metrics. In addition, a close reading of the program design helps understand the institutional context within which consultants are embedded. The paper concludes with recommendations for closer scrutiny of the consultants’ work within the mission.
Democracy in a deluge: Epistemic agency of marginalized voices in Oaxaca's storm governance
Authors: Bridel Anna
Published: November 2022

Despite repeated calls for grassroots participation in climate policy making, the epistemic agency of marginalized voices remains little understood. While local knowledge is increasingly regarded as an antidote to top-down climate expertise, it is often not heard, or ends up reinforcing dominant framings of risk. The concept of civic epistemologies (CEs), often understood as the sociocultural norms by which societies authorize knowledge claims, can provide insights into the epistemic agency of marginalized actors in climate governance, but has rarely been applied to such concerns. At the same time, such questions affect how scholars conceptualize CEs, which have seldom been examined where civics are fragmented or marginalized. In this article, I argue that understanding CEs as “expectations of democracy” can indicate how they authorize climate expertise in such settings. I illustrate this argument by examining hurricane governance in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, where vulnerable fishers constitute a sociopolitically and economically excluded part of a fragmented civic that shapes the production of risk expertise. Here, fisher expectations that the government will behave corruptly, and government expectations that fishers prefer to remain socioeconomically separate from the state reify biophysical approaches to risk. This analysis contributes to understanding why many attempts to include marginalized voices in climate policy fail to achieve their anticipated outcomes, expanding understanding of how CEs mediate epistemic agency in contested political contexts. Furthermore, examining CEs as expectations of democracy can inform upon conditions under which political-epistemic orders change, revealing opportunities for intervention in climate risk governance.
Physeal Sparing Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction With Suture Anchor for Femoral Fixation of Graft
Authors: Tayne Samantha , Kim Billy I. , Lau Brian C.
Published: November 2022

Background:

Patellar instability is a common problem in the active pediatric population. Physeal sparing medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction using a soft suture anchor for femoral graft fixation has the proposed advantages of diminishing volumetric bony removal from the epiphysis, increasing the margin of safety with respect to notch, trochlear, and/or physeal damage, as well as reducing the risk of thermal damage to the physis during socket reaming.

Indications:

MPFL reconstruction is indicated in patients with recurrent patellar instability with MPFL tear or attenuation on magnetic resonance imaging or failure of conservative treatment. Physeal sparing techniques are necessary in the pediatric population to prevent growth disturbance and deformities that can lead to significant long-term disability.

Technique Description:

The patient was placed in supine position. Following examination under anesthesia, diagnostic arthroscopy was performed to assess for patellofemoral chondral defects. The surgical technique required 6 steps: (1) medial patellar dissection, (2) patellar anchor placement with 1.8-mm suture anchors, (3) medial femoral dissection over Schottle’s point, (4) femoral anchor placement using 2.8-mm double loaded anchor, (5) allograft femoral fixation, and (6) allograft patellar fixation. After skin closure, examination under anesthesia was repeated.

Results:

The patient was weight-bearing as tolerated immediately after surgery, using a brace for the first 6 weeks. Rehabilitation progressed from regaining range of motion, strengthening of the operative extremity, and returning to sport activities. In the senior author’s experience using this technique, there have been no recurrent patellar dislocations and no evidence of growth disturbance or angulation. One patient did find that the graft was prominent over the femoral epicondyle and returned to the operating room for debulking at 9 months postoperatively.

Discussion/Conclusion:

In conclusion, we propose that physeal sparing MPFL reconstruction using soft anchors for patellar and femoral fixation offers a simple and safe technique with reproducible anatomic graft placement and favorable clinical outcomes. This technique is technically simple and can be easily learned by surgeons familiar with adult MPFL reconstruction techniques. The author(s) attests that consent has been obtained from any patient(s) appearing in this publication. If the individual may be identifiable, the author(s) has included a statement of release or other written form of approval from the patient(s) with this submission for publication.
Genetic basis and molecular profiling in myeloproliferative neoplasms
Authors: Luque Paz Damien , Kralovics Robert , Skoda Radek C.
Published: November 2022

BCR::ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are clonal diseases originating from a single hematopoietic stem cell that cause excessive production of mature blood cells. The 3 subtypes, that is, polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF), are diagnosed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and international consensus classification (ICC) criteria. Acquired gain-of-function mutations in 1 of 3 disease driver genes (JAK2, CALR, and MPL) are the causative events that can alone initiate and promote MPN disease without requiring additional cooperating mutations. JAK2-p.V617F is present in >95% of PV patients, and also in about half of the patients with ET or PMF. ET and PMF are also caused by mutations in CALR or MPL. In ∼10% of MPN patients, those referred to as being “triple negative,” none of the known driver gene mutations can be detected. The common theme between the 3 driver gene mutations and triple-negative MPN is that the Janus kinase–signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway is constitutively activated. We review the recent advances in our understanding of the early events after the acquisition of a driver gene mutation. The limiting factor that determines the frequency at which MPN disease develops with a long latency is not the acquisition of driver gene mutations, but rather the expansion of the clone. Factors that control the conversion from clonal hematopoiesis to MPN disease include inherited predisposition, presence of additional mutations, and inflammation. The full extent of knowledge of the mutational landscape in individual MPN patients is now increasingly being used to predict outcome and chose the optimal therapy.
Physicians’ experiences and perceived challenges working in an emergency setting in Bharatpur, Nepal: a qualitative study
Authors: Hansen Kristoffer Lund , Bratholm Åsmund , Pradhan Manohar , Mikkelsen Søren , Milling Louise
Published: November 2022

Background

Emergency medical care, including prehospital treatment, forms an important component of any healthcare system. Like most low-middle-income countries, Nepal has an emergency medical system that can be described as underdeveloped. Emergency physicians navigating this system may experience challenges or barriers in their treatment of patients. This study aimed to investigate physicians’ perspectives on emergency and prehospital patient management in a low-income country, Nepal, and to understand the challenges and barriers they perceive in emergency treatment including both the prehospital treatment and the immediate in-hospital treatment at the emergency department.

Methods

Using a qualitative study, eight semi-structured interviews with physicians working in a Nepalese emergency department were performed. The interviews were conducted between September and November 2021 and were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were subsequently analyzed using the systematic text condensation method.

Results

Four main themes and associated sub-themes were identified: (1) patients’ sociocultural, educational, and financial factors (such as financial issues and financial inequality) and regional differences; (2) emergency department’s organization and resources concerning human and material resources, protocols, and guidelines; (3) problems with the emergency department (ED) service’s qualities and availability caused by an insufficient integration of the ED and the EMS, prehospital resources, and financial interests in the EMS; and (4) surrounding healthcare system’s impact on the ED where, especially, the levels of organized primary care, governmental responsibilities, and healthcare structure were addressed.

Conclusions

The physicians identified numerous regularly encountered challenges and barriers. These challenges stretched beyond the ED and into various aspects of society. The patients’ financial problems were described as the greatest problem, restricting the treatment due to a given patient’s inability or unwillingness to pay for the required procedures. The physicians were thus restricted in completing their duties to the desired levels. The low quality of prehospital care and a lack of education and awareness of common diseases and symptoms in a significant proportion of patients were identified by many participants as being significant issues. The aforementioned challenges or barriers directly resulted in patients arriving in critical conditions that could have been avoided if the disease were treated earlier.
Multiple instance neural networks based on sparse attention for cancer detection using T-cell receptor sequences
Authors: Kim Younghoon , Wang Tao , Xiong Danyi , Wang Xinlei , Park Seongoh
Published: November 2022

Early detection of cancers has been much explored due to its paramount importance in biomedical fields. Among different types of data used to answer this biological question, studies based on T cell receptors (TCRs) are under recent spotlight due to the growing appreciation of the roles of the host immunity system in tumor biology. However, the one-to-many correspondence between a patient and multiple TCR sequences hinders researchers from simply adopting classical statistical/machine learning methods. There were recent attempts to model this type of data in the context of multiple instance learning (MIL). Despite the novel application of MIL to cancer detection using TCR sequences and the demonstrated adequate performance in several tumor types, there is still room for improvement, especially for certain cancer types. Furthermore, explainable neural network models are not fully investigated for this application. In this article, we propose multiple instance neural networks based on sparse attention (MINN-SA) to enhance the performance in cancer detection and explainability. The sparse attention structure drops out uninformative instances in each bag, achieving both interpretability and better predictive performance in combination with the skip connection. Our experiments show that MINN-SA yields the highest area under the ROC curve scores on average measured across 10 different types of cancers, compared to existing MIL approaches. Moreover, we observe from the estimated attentions that MINN-SA can identify the TCRs that are specific for tumor antigens in the same T cell repertoire.
Phylogenomic analysis and development of molecular markers for the determination of twelve plum cultivars (Prunus, Rosaceae)
Authors: Xu Yicen , Fang Bo , Li Jingling , Wang Yuanwei , Liu Jingting , Liu Chang , Yu Jie
Published: November 2022

Background

Plums are one of the most important economic crops of the Rosaceae family and are produced all over the world. China has many local varieties, but the genomic information is limited for genetic studies. Here, we first sequenced, assembled, and analyzed the plastomes of twelve plum cultivars and developed molecular markers to distinguish them.

Results

The twelve plastomes of plum cultivars have a circular structure of 157,863–157,952 bp containing a large single-copy region (LSC) of 86,109–86,287 bp, a small copy region (SSC) of 18,927–19,031 bp, and two inverted repeats (IR) of 26,353–26,387 bp each. The plastomes of plum cultivars encode 131 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. We detected 50, 54, 54, 53, 53, 50, 54, 54, 54, 49, 50, 54 SSRs in the twelve analyzed varieties, respectively. For repeat sequences, we identified 553 tandem repeats, 204 direct repeats, and 270 palindromic repeats. We also analyzed the expansion/contraction of IR regions. The genes rpl22, rps19, rpl2, ycf1, ndhF, and the trnH span on or near the boundary of IR and single-copy regions. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the twelve cultivars were clustered with the P. salicina and P. domestica. We developed eight markers LZ01 to LZ08 based on whole plastomes and nuclear genes and validated them successfully with six repetitions.

Conclusions

The results obtained here could fill in the blanks of the plastomes of these twelve plum cultivars and provide a wider perspective based on the basis of the plastomes of Prunus to the molecular identification and phylogenetic construction accurately. The analysis from this study provides an important and valuable resource for studying the genetic basis for agronomic and adaptive differentiation of the Prunus species.
Distribution, inducibility, and characterisation of prophages in Latilactobacillus sakei
Authors: Ambros Conrad L. , Ehrmann Matthias A.
Published: November 2022

Background

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are used as starters in a wide variety of food fermentations. While the number of reports of phages infecting other LAB steadily increased over the years, information about phage associated with Latilactobacillus sakei, a frequently used meat starter, remains scarce.

Results

In this study, a predictive genomic analysis of 43 Latilactobacillus sakei genomes revealed the presence of 26 intact, eleven questionable and 52 incomplete prophage sequences across all analysed genomes with a range of one to five predicted prophage sequences per strain. Screening 24 sakei strains for inducible prophages by utilising UV light or mitomycin C, we identified seven lysogenic strains showing lysis after induction during subsequent growth monitoring.

Electron microscopic analysis revealed fully assembled virions in the purified lysates of four samples, thus confirming successful prophage induction. All virions featured icosahedral, isomeric heads and long, most likely non-contractile tails indicating siphoviruses. By performing phylogenetic analyses with various marker genes as well as full prophage sequences, we displayed a remarkably high diversity of prophages, that share a similar gene module organisation and six different chromosomal integration sites were identified. By sequencing viral DNA purified from lysates of Latilactobacillus sakei TMW 1.46, we demonstrate that simultaneous induction of multiple prophages is possible.

Conclusions

With this work, we not only provide data about the incidence of prophages harboured by the meat starter Latilactobacillus sakei, we also demonstrated their potential to impact growth of their host after induction, as well as forming seemingly fully assembled virions.
Unlocking the molecular basis of wheat straw composition and morphological traits through multi-locus GWAS
Authors: Esposito Salvatore , Taranto Francesca , Vitale Paolo , Ficco Donatella Bianca Maria , Colecchia Salvatore Antonio , Stevanato Piergiorgio , De Vita Pasquale
Published: November 2022

Background

Rapid reductions in emissions from fossil fuel burning are needed to curb global climate change. Biofuel production from crop residues can contribute to reducing the energy crisis and environmental deterioration. Wheat is a renewable source for biofuels owing to the low cost and high availability of its residues. Thus, identifying candidate genes controlling these traits is pivotal for efficient biofuel production. Here, six multi-locus genome-wide association (ML-GWAS) models were applied using 185 tetraploid wheat accessions to detect quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) for fifteen traits associated with biomass composition.

Results

Among the 470 QTNs, only 72 identified by at least two models were considered as reliable. Among these latter, 16 also showed a significant effect on the corresponding trait (p.value < 0.05). Candidate genes survey carried out within 4 Mb flanking the QTNs, revealed putative biological functions associated with lipid transfer and metabolism, cell wall modifications, cell cycle, and photosynthesis. Four genes encoded as Cellulose Synthase (CeSa), Anaphase promoting complex (APC/C), Glucoronoxylan 4-O Methyltransferase (GXM) and HYPONASTIC LEAVES1 (HYL1) might be responsible for an increase in cellulose, and natural and acid detergent fiber (NDF and ADF) content in tetraploid wheat. In addition, the SNP marker RFL_Contig3228_2154 associated with the variation in stem solidness (Q.Scsb-3B) was validated through two molecular methods (High resolution melting; HRM and RNase H2-dependent PCR; rhAMP).

Conclusions

The study provides new insights into the genetic basis of biomass composition traits on tetraploid wheat. The application of six ML-GWAS models on a panel of diverse wheat genotypes represents an efficient approach to dissect complex traits with low heritability such as wheat straw composition. The discovery of genes/genomic regions associated with biomass production and straw quality parameters is expected to accelerate the development of high-yielding wheat varieties useful for biofuel production.