bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intelligent Identification of Structural Damage Based on the Curvature Mode and Wavelet Analysis Theory
Authors: Bao Longsheng , Cao Yue , Zhang Xiaowei
Published: February 2021

Structural health monitoring is extensively used in new and old structures. During the process of monitoring, a large amount of data is generated. The selection of the appropriate methodology for the analysis of these data constitutes a major problem for maintenance personnel. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to programme data according to the curvature mode and wavelet transform theory to achieve automatic identification of structural damage and explore its applicability. First, the damage model is established with finite element software, and the applicability of the theory is verified by analysing the wavelet coefficients before and after structural damage. Thereafter, a programme is written to achieve the automatic output of the structural damage location based on the finite element results and basic theory. Data fitting is then performed to estimate the degree of structural damage. To evaluate the effects of the practical application of the programme, experimental verification is conducted. The experimental results demonstrate that the programme can automatically output the damage location and avoid the occurrence of calculation errors.
Analysis of Damping Characteristics of a Hydraulic Shock Absorber
Authors: Wu Zhifei , Xu Guangzhao , Yang Hongwei , Li Mingjie
Published: February 2021

In the present study, a hydraulic shock absorber is proposed. Since the damper is mainly used in suspension energy recovery system, the damping characteristics of the damper under no‐load state are studied in this paper. Structural design is conducted so that the unidirectional flow of the oil drives the hydraulic motor to generate electricity. Meanwhile, an asymmetrical extension/compression damping force is obtained. A mathematical model of the shock absorber is established, and the main characteristics of the inherent damping force are obtained. Based on the established model, effects of the accumulator volume, accumulator preinflation pressure, hydraulic motor displacement, check valve inner diameter, and spring stiffness, hydraulic line length and inner diameter on the indicator characteristics are analyzed. Moreover, a series of experiments are conducted on the designed damper to evaluate the characteristics of the inherent damping force and analyze the effect of the accumulator volume and preinflation pressure on the damping characteristics.
Monotone Iterative Schemes for Positive Solutions of a Fractional
q
-Difference Equation with Integral Boundary Conditions on the Half-Line
Authors: Jiang Min , Huang Rengang
Published: February 2021

In this paper, we study the boundary value problem of a fractional

q

-difference equation with nonlocal integral boundary conditions on the half-line. Using the properties of the Green function and monotone iterative method, the extremal solutions are obtained. Finally, an example is presented to illustrate our main results.
Explaining the Gender Gap in Waiting Times for Scheduled Surgery in the Portuguese National Health Service
Authors: Cima Joana , Guimarães Paulo , Almeida Álvaro
Published: February 2021

Objective: This paper evaluates the gender gap in waiting times for scheduled surgery, using information on 2.6 million surgical episodes in Portuguese National Health Service hospitals covering the period from 2011 to 2015. Methodology: We estimated the gross gender gap, i.e., the differential between the waiting times of men and women, and then add several explanatory variables that can account for this difference to estimate an adjusted gender gap. The variables are added in a way that permits the most flexible parametric specification. Next, we used Gelbach’s decomposition to understand the contribution of each variable to the difference between the gross and the adjusted gender gaps. Results: The gross gender gap of 10% is reduced to a 3% adjusted gender gap after accounting for observable explanatory factors. Gelbach’s decomposition shows that patient priority and hospital-fixed effects are the variables that contribute the most to the explained component of the gap. The analysis suggests that men tend to be ranked with more severe priorities, and that there are hospital specificities that cause men to have shorter waiting times. Conclusions: Overall, we identified a gender bias against women in surgery waiting times, but the size of the bias is smaller than was previously suggested in the literature.
Adansonia digitata L. – A review of traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology
Authors: De Caluwé Emmy , Halamouá Kateřina , Van Damme Patrick
Published: February 2021

Baobab (Adansonia digitata L., Malvaceae) is a multi-purpose tree species native to Africa. Its fruit pulp has very high vitamin C content (ffi ten times that of orange), and can be used in seasoning, as an appetizer and to make juices. Seeds contain appreciable quantities of crude protein, digestible carbohydrates and oil, whereas they have high levels of lysine, thiamine, Ca and Fe. They can be eaten fresh or dried, ground into flour and thus added to soups and stews. Processing eliminates a number of anti-nutritional factors present in the seed. Baobab leaves are superior in nutritional quality to fruit pulp, and contain significant levels of vitamin A. The leaves are a staple for many populations in Africa, and are eaten fresh or dried. Several plant parts have interesting anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and baobab has been used extensively since ancient times in traditional medicine.
The making and legitimacy of the Ethiopian constitution: towards bridging the gap between constitutional design and constitutional practice
Authors: Regassa Tsegaye
Published: February 2021

This article describes the making of the 1995 constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FORE) and analyzes its implications for legitimacy. It contends that legitimacy of the constitution, which fosters fidelity to it, can –as one among other factors– help bridge the gap between constitutional design and constitutional practice. By making a process-content-context analysis of the constitution, it argues that the Ethiopian constitution which had a weak original legitimacy, can earn a derivative legitimacy through aggressive implementation. Aggressive implementation, it is maintained, demands fidelity to the constitution. Fidelity and other components of a redemptive constitutional practice (such as creative constitutional interpretation, constitutionally informed legislation, positive constitutional amendment, and constitutionally responsible voting) help deal with the perennial question of how to bridge the gap between constitutional design and constitutional practice in Ethiopia and beyond.
Impact of international donors’ new policy agenda on project collaboration between community-based women organizations and NGOs in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya
Authors: De Feyter Sophie
Published: February 2021

This article first describes the New Policy Agenda (NPA), a market-based ideology influencing donor agencies’ strategies for international development. The article then continues to discuss how community-based women organizations (CBWOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) evaluate their collaborations or ‘partnerships’ in practice in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya. We tested the research hypothesis that the NPA reduces the likelihood of achieving equitable partnerships because of its insistence on ‘contracting’ partners, i.e. creating a patron-client relationship. This was carried out through qualitative research consisting mainly of semi-structured interviews and participatory observation with NGOs and CBWO representatives working in Kibera. Research results show that the contract conditions for CBWOs to enter into a partnership may reduce the chances of the most vulnerable groups in society of obtaining assistance. This ‘contracting’ relationship may also cause a loss of CBWO members’ motivation. The NPA and its emphasis on saving time and money also has a negative impact not only on the external development actors’ knowledge about the development context, but also on the multiple accountabilities in a CB WO-NGO partnership, on the quick-fix nature of the solutions applied to remedy the Jack of accountability and on the practical implementation of ‘participatory development’ in Kibera.
The Ogaden War: Somali women’s roles
Authors: Van Hauwermeiren Remco
Published: February 2021

In 1977 Somalia invaded Ethiopia hoping to seize the Ogaden, an Ethiopian region predominantly inhabited by ethnic Somali. Histories of this event are rare and focus exclusively on the political and military aspects of the conflict. This is not surprising given the Cold War backdrop of the conflict. This article, however, shifts the focus away from the political towards the personal. Focus here is on the different roles Ogadeni women took up in the Somali-Ethiopian war, also known as the Ogaden war. Through interviews with former actors in the conflict it became clear that women occupied a range of roles in the war, varying from victims or care-givers to active participants in militias and front-line combat. In conflicts today, Somali women still retain many of these roles. Originally some Somalis did oppose this state of affairs, today most seem to have accepted the phenomenon of female actors in the Ogaden war, even though that approval can be linked with a political agenda. Both Ogadeeni and Somali women were active in the war, transcending Somali clan lines along the way. Accounts of the women interviewed illustrate the effects of their choice to participate in the Ogaden war.
Perpetual ‘Outcasts’? Squatters in peri-urban Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Authors: Mpofu Busani
Published: February 2021

After independence in 1980 Zimbabwe’s cities experienced a proliferation in the number of squatter camps. This was because of the failure of the urban economy to offer adequate housing and jobs, leaving peri-urban space as the only sanctuary for the urban poor to live in and eke out a living informally. The promotion of rural ‘growth points’ by the national government to promote rural development to discourage migration to urban areas failed. Yet, a poor policy response by the state to this negative outcome of rapid urbanisation that aims to reverse this rural-urban migration has led to unending confrontations between its various arms and squatters who continue to be regarded as encroachers. Focussing on Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and based on interviews, archival research, Council minutes and newspapers, this article critiques the state’s urban development policy vis-à-vis squatters and informality. It is argued that the persistence of a salient perception by government officials that all Africans belong to rural areas and have access to land they can fall back on in hard times serves as a vital lubricant to the state’s action of forcibly sending squatters to rural areas. This ignores the historical pattern of rapid urbanisation and the growth ofinformal economies supporting the livelihoods of thousands of people. I seek to add to the literature on low-cost housing shortages, urban squatters and peri-urbanism in Zimbabwe and on studies of informality in Third World cities in general.
Sorcellerie en milieu urbain amplifieé par les pentecôtismes camerounais
Authors: Batibonak Sariette
Published: February 2021

Once considered as a “rural” phenomenon, issues pertaining to the occult have, at the height of globalization, become an “urban” problem. Witchcraft is particularly invoked to designate success; to provide information on individual and collective misfortunes, justifying battles against fetishes, misfortune, bad genies and all kinds of evil spirits leading to poverty, unemployment, bad luck or (a state of) being possessed. Increasingly since the nineties, the city has become the stage for Pentecostal effervescence. Preacher-healers have settled predominately in urban areas and play a crucial role in the reconstruction of sorcery’s collective imagery, updating magical-religious systems of reference; rehabilitating exorcism and devotion in matters of deliverance. Religious and magical justifications have become regular features of urban acts and behaviours. In this context, witchcraft distinguishes itself as a response to urban life and could even be one of its founding elements. What are its urban markers? How does it express itself in contemporary urban life? Using an in situ approach, active observation and semi-structured interviews – this research examines, from an ethnographical perspective, urban witchcraft as amplified by a Pentecostal discourse vector of anti-witchcraft violence.
Empirical evidence for cognitive subgroups in body dysmorphic disorder
Authors: Malcolm Amy , Brennan Sarah N , Grace Sally A , Pikoos Toni D , Toh Wei Lin , Labuschagne Izelle , Buchanan Ben , Kaplan Ryan A , Castle David J , Rossell Susan L
Published: February 2021

Objective:

Current understanding of cognitive functioning in body dysmorphic disorder is limited, owing to few studies, small sample sizes and assessment across only limited cognitive domains. Existing research has also shown inconsistent findings, with both intact and impaired cognition reported in body dysmorphic disorder, which might point towards cognitive heterogeneity in the disorder. This study aimed to examine the cognitive profile of body dysmorphic disorder in a large sample across eight cognitive domains, and to explore whether cognitive subgroups might be identified within body dysmorphic disorder.

Method:

Cognitive domains of inhibition/flexibility, working memory, speed of processing, reasoning and problem-solving, visual and verbal learning, attention/vigilance and social cognition were assessed and compared between 65 body dysmorphic disorder patients and 70 healthy controls. Then, hierarchical clustering analysis was conducted on the body dysmorphic disorder group’s cognitive data.

Results:

Group-average comparisons demonstrated significantly poorer cognitive functioning in body dysmorphic disorder than healthy controls in all domains except for attention/vigilance and social cognition. Cluster analysis identified two divergent cognitive subgroups within our body dysmorphic disorder cohort characterised by (1) broadly intact cognitive function with mild selective impairments (72.3%), and (2) broadly impaired cognitive function (27.7%). However, the clusters did not significantly differ on clinical parameters or most sociodemographic characteristics.

Conclusion:

Our findings demonstrate considerable cognitive heterogeneity among persons with body dysmorphic disorder, rather than uniform deficits. Poor performances in the broadly impaired subgroup may have driven group-level differences. However, our findings also suggest a dissociation between cognitive functioning and clinical characteristics in body dysmorphic disorder that has implications for current aetiological models. Additional research is needed to clarify why some people with body dysmorphic disorder demonstrate cognitive deficits while others do not.
The neuroscience of early intervention: Moving beyond our appeals to fear
Authors: Palaniyappan Lena
Published: February 2021

This viewpoint is a continuation of the debate on the early intervention movement in psychiatry. The criticisms of Malhi and colleagues have generated some fundamental questions about the priorities of the early intervention movement and the need for further work. In particular, the summons sent to neuroscience need to be more specific in the near future. We may be doing well with what we have, but more directed efforts are needed to purposefully seek what we do not.
Prevalence and characteristics of women with borderline personality pathology referred to a perinatal consultation liaison service
Authors: Nagel Katharina , Thomson Richard , Lorimer Stephanie , Judd Fiona
Published: February 2021

Objective:

To examine the prevalence and characteristics of pregnant women with borderline personality pathology (defined as borderline personality disorder and borderline personality traits) referred to a perinatal consultation-liaison psychiatry service.

Method:

Socio-demographic and clinical data, and diagnoses made according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) criteria were recorded for all women referred to and seen by the perinatal consultation-liaison psychiatry service over an 18-month period. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis.

Results:

A total of 318 women were seen. The most common diagnoses found were depressive disorder (25.5%) and anxiety disorder (15.1%). Borderline personality disorder was found in 10.1% of women and almost one in five women had two or more borderline personality traits (19.5%). When compared to women with other diagnoses, women with borderline personality pathology had higher rates of unplanned pregnancy, being unpartnered, substance use during pregnancy and higher rates of child safety services involvement as a child or in a previous pregnancy. Over 40% of women with borderline personality pathology were referred to child safety services in the current pregnancy and a diagnosis of borderline personality pathology increased the risk of child safety services involvement by almost sixfold (odds ratio: 5.5; 95% confidence interval = [1.50, 20.17]).

Conclusion:

The prevalence of borderline personality pathology in antenatal women identified at antenatal screening and the recognition that women with borderline personality pathology are ‘high-risk’ caregivers argue for borderline personality pathology to be recognised as a high priority for investment in service development.
Understanding policing demand and deployment through the lens of the city and with the application of big data
Authors: Ellison Mark , Bannister Jon , Lee Won Do , Haleem Muhammad Salman
Published: February 2021

The effective, efficient and equitable policing of urban areas rests on an appreciation of the qualities and scale of, as well as the factors shaping, demand. It also requires an appreciation of the factors shaping the resources deployed in their address. To this end, this article probes the extent to which policing demand (crime, anti-social behaviour, public safety and welfare) and deployment (front-line resource) are similarly conditioned by the social and physical urban environment, and by incident complexity. The prospect of exploring policing demand, deployment and their interplay is opened through the utilisation of big data and artificial intelligence and their integration with administrative and open data sources in a generalised method of moments (GMM) multilevel model. The research finds that policing demand and deployment hold varying and time-sensitive association with features of the urban environment. Moreover, we find that the complexities embedded in policing demands serve to shape both the cumulative and marginal resources expended in their address. Beyond their substantive policy relevance, these findings serve to open new avenues for urban criminological research centred on the consideration of the interplay between policing demand and deployment.
The role of social capital in the collective-led development of urbanising villages in China: The case of Shenzhen
Authors: Tong De , Wu Yaying , MacLachlan Ian , Zhu Jieming
Published: February 2021

The ‘urbanising village’ is a uniquely Chinese urban form that emerged during the period of rapid urbanisation in the reform era. The absence of state governance in rural areas relegates considerable decision-making power to village collectives, and the social capital inherited from traditional rural villages may remain in place after villages are urbanised. To explore the role of social capital and its mobilisation in solving the land use challenges posed by the urbanisation of rural settlements, we analysed the growth processes of Huanggang village as a typical example of a ‘collective-led’ self-organised urbanising village in Shenzhen. Qualitative analysis using semi-structured interviews and abundant secondary data provides credible evidence that defining property rights through land titling is not the only way to achieve orderly development, safe and sanitary living conditions and efficient land use in informal settlements. Social capital, measured by networks, norms and trust passed down among long-term acquaintances in rural villages, plays an important role in the development of communities. Village collectives can unite villagers and mobilise their social, cultural and material capital to compensate for the absence of formal governance institutions and government-provided community services. The implications of these findings suggest a new strategic pathway for managing urbanising villages in China and informal settlements in other developing countries.
Results and outcomes for patients with atrioventricular groove disruption after mitral valve surgery
Authors: Ivanov Borko , Djordjevic Ilija , Eghbalzadeh Kaveh , Schlachtenberger Georg , Gerfer Stephen , Gaisendrees Christopher , Kuhn Elmar , Rahmanian Parwis , Sabashnikov Anton , Mader Navid , Wahlers Thorsten
Published: February 2021

Background:

Atrioventricular groove disruption (AVGD) is a rare and severe complication of mitral valve surgery (MVS). Current literature is limited to several case reports and series. Our aim was to analyze outcomes of patients with AVGD after MVS from our tertiary cardiac surgery center.

Methods:

Between June 2010 and January 2019, 18 patients suffering AVGD were identified in our institutional database and included in our retrospective observation. Preoperative, intraoperative and outcome data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Late survival was estimated by using the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis.

Results:

The mean age of the study population was 76 ± 5 years. Most common indication for MVS was an isolated mitral valve insufficiency (67%). Severe annular calcification was present in four patients (22%). Majority of implanted valves were biological prosthesis (78%). Due to the location, 72% suffered type I rupture. External repair was performed in 94% of all patients. Second look operation in regard of excessive mediastinal hemorrhage was necessary in 67% of patients. Mean hospital stay of the presented collective was 13 ± 11 days with an intra-hospital mortality of 56%. Late follow-up was obtained in eight patients at an average of 3.1 (1.6–5.7) years postoperatively.

Conclusion:

Mortality rates for AVGD after MVS are high. However, way of managing AVGD depends on the underlying type of rupture and should be evaluated in regard of the myocardial damage. Due to the rare occurrence, registry data might help to address more scientific value concerning therapeutic measures and outcomes of this severe complication.
Influence of iron deficiency anemia on glycated hemoglobin levels in non-diabetic Saudi women
Authors: Bindayel Iman Abdullah
Published: February 2021

Objective

Studies of patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) have shown a relationship between high glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and low hemoglobin (Hb) concentration. The present study was conducted to determine the influence of IDA on HbA1c in non-diabetic women.

Methods

Fifty-nine Saudi women (20 to 50 years old) were enrolled and categorized into groups according to their circulating hemoglobin concentration: Non-IDA (Hb ≥7.45 mmol/L; n = 38) and IDA (Hb ≤7.44 mmol/L; n = 21). The IDA group was further subdivided according to the severity of the IDA, as follows: mild (Hb 6.83 to 7.44 mmol/L; n = 9) and moderate–severe (Hb <6.83 mol/L; n = 12). HbA1c, Hb, ferritin, fasting blood glucose, and red blood cell (RBC) count were measured in each participant.

Results

HbA1c did not significantly differ between the groups, but the absolute HbA1c level was significantly lower in the mild and moderate–severe anemia groups than the non-anemic group, and was positively associated with Hb, ferritin, and RBC count. In addition, the HbA1c level was inversely associated with the Hb concentration.

Conclusions

HbA1c is significantly associated with parameters related to IDA in non-diabetic Saudi women. Therefore, assessment of IDA-related parameters is recommended prior to making a diagnosis of diabetes.
Characteristics, complications, and outcomes of early-stage cervical stump carcinoma: laparoscopy versus laparotomy
Authors: Lu Zhiying , Guo Chenyan , Wang Ting , Qiu Junjun , Hua Keqin
Published: February 2021

Objective

To compare the characteristics, surgical complications, and overall survival between patients undergoing laparoscopy versus laparotomy for treatment of early-stage cervical stump carcinoma.

Methods

Patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO, 2009) stage IA2 to IIA2 cervical stump carcinoma who underwent laparoscopy or laparotomy in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University from January 2000 to June 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients’ clinical characteristics, pathological features, complications, and follow-up data were retrieved.

Results

Seventy-two patients were included in the analysis; 58 underwent laparoscopy and 14 underwent laparotomy. With respect to surgical complications, laparoscopy was associated with a significantly lower complication rate, less blood loss, a shorter operative time, and a higher hospitalization fee than laparotomy. Survival was not significantly different between the laparoscopy and laparotomy groups.

Conclusions

Although survival was not significantly different between the two surgical approaches, the rate of surgical complications was much lower in the laparoscopy than laparotomy group.
GLP-1 alleviates NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent inflammation in perivascular adipose tissue by inhibiting the NF-κB signalling pathway
Authors: Chen Xiangheng , Huang Qiuling , Feng Juling , Xiao Zhongsheng , Zhang Xiaoling , Zhao Lei
Published: February 2021

Objectives

To study the effect of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) on NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-induced inflammation in perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) of Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats and the underlying role of nuclear factor (NF)-κB signalling.

Methods

Thirty ZDF rats were randomly divided into three study groups: DM (0.9% saline, subcutaneously); DM+GLP-1 (liraglutide, s.c.); and NF-κB+GLP-1 (betulinic acid then liraglutide, s.c.). Ten Zucker lean rats were examined as normal controls. PVAT from ZDF (DM) rats was examined for inflammasome mRNA. Protein levels of NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1, caspase-1, gasdermin D (GSDMD), interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 in PVAT were compared between control, DM and DM+GLP-1 groups. Protein levels of NLRP3, IL-1β, IL-18 and NF-κB in PVAT were compared between control, DM, DM+GLP-1 and NF-κB+GLP-1 groups.

Results

The inflammasome most abundantly expressed in ZDF rat PVAT was NLRP3. NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1, IL-1β, IL-18, and GSDMD were markedly upregulated in DM versus control tissue, and GLP-1 reversed this effect. Inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome-associated inflammation by GLP-1 was lost by activation of NF-κB with betulinic acid.

Conclusion

GLP-1 may alleviate NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent inflammation in PVAT by inhibiting NF-κB signalling.
Male Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: A Spanish Typology
Authors: González-Álvarez José Luis , Santos-Hermoso Jorge , Soldino Virginia , Carbonell-Vayá Enrique J.
Published: February 2021

Typological approaches in research of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) have been discussed on the basis of their validity and applicability in professional practice; yet most of the published studies on offender typologies are limited due to the use of relatively small, non-representative samples. The current study explored typologies of IPVAW perpetrators in a large-scale representative Spanish sample ( n = 9,731 cases extracted from the Comprehensive Monitoring System of Gender-Based Violence Cases; VioGén System), according to classic batterer typologies proposed by Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart (1994) . To this end, the risk factors measured by the most extended Spanish police recidivism risk assessment tool (Valoración Policial del Riesgo; VPR) were used as clustering variables. Multiple correspondence analyses revealed the appropriateness of a bi-dimensional model to conceptualize IPVAW offender typologies. Our four-group solution may be described based on the levels of instability and antisociality of IPVAW offenders, as objectively measured by VPR5.0 risk indicators. Statistically significant differences between the IPVAW suggested typologies were found on all indicators, except for the presence of perpetrators younger than 24 years old and the presence of bidirectional intimate partner violence, which were equally distributed across the four groups. High instability/low antisociality (HiLa) and high instability/high antisociality (HiHa) individuals shared most risk indicators related to the aggressor’s psychological instability; whereas HiHa and low instability/high antisociality (LiHa) men endorsed more antisociality indicators than statistically expected. The low instability/low antisociality (LiLa) group was characterized by the less presence of VPR risk indicators. Although the four subtypes identified in our study resembled classic typologies, we propose a new subtype, with high levels of instability and antisociality (i.e., HiHa). This work contributes to existing knowledge of the heterogeneity of these men, by providing useful typologies that can help inform prevention and treatment.
Assessment of Alteration of Serum Adiponectin Levels in Migraineurs: An Interventional Case Control Study
Authors: Joshi Siddarth S. , Nemichandra S. C. , Harsha S. , Prashant Akila , Paneyala Shasthara , Iqbal Roshan , Colaco K. Vimala Christina
Published: February 2021

Background and Objectives:

Migraine is one of the major headache disorders. Epidemiological studies have shown its high prevalence and negative impact on personal and socioeconomic aspects. It is currently ranked 19th by the “World Health Organization” amongst all diseases, leading to disability worldwide. Inflammatory mediators, which include adipokines, have been analyzed in migraine pathophysiology. Nevertheless, their role is not well recognized. This study is aimed to assess serum high molecular weight adiponectin (HMW-ADP) levels in migraineurs: during the ictal phase, prior to, and postabortive treatment.

Methods:

This was a hospital-based interventional case-controlled study, checking the peripheral blood samples from migraineurs during an acute attack and after one hour of treatment with naproxen sodium (10–15 mg/kg). Age, sex, and BMI matched controls without headache were taken, and a single blood sample was drawn in them. HMW-ADP levels were evaluated by immunoassays.

Results:

A total of 120 patients which included 60 migraine patients along with 60 controls without headache were involved in the study. HMW-ADP was higher in migraine patients (9.89 ± 5.04 mcg/mL) than in patients without headache history (4.63 ± 2.98 mcg/mL; P = < .001); along with this, serum HMW-ADP (6.4 ± 4.09 mcg/mL; P = <.001) was found to be significantly lower in responders 60 min after acute abortive treatment.

Conclusion:

HMW-ADP levels were raised in migraineurs. Additionally, among responders following abortive treatment a considerable reduction in the levels was noted. These results recommend that the HMW-ADP might be a possible “novel biomarker of acute remedy response in acute migraineurs”.
Making and embedding humane technologies: can artistic practices provide normative guidance?
Authors: van Grunsven Janna Bertchen
Published: February 2021

In this commentary, I raise one question and one critical comment about Rietveld’s normative claim that ‘artistic practices afford embedding technologies better in society’ (2019, p. 5). In what exact sense is this the case? It seems that Rietveld offers two interconnected but conceptually distinct answers to this question. The first focuses on art’s habit-breaking possibilities. The second concerns art’s ability to make the lived experiences of the stakeholders potentially affected by a given technology experientially concrete. I will discuss both points, and why I think more needs to be said about them.
Effect of long-term moisture exposure on impact response of glass-reinforced vinylester
Authors: Alizadeh Fatemeh , Kharghani Navid , Guedes Soares Carlos
Published: February 2021

Glass/Vinylester composite laminates are comprehensively characterised to assess its impact response behaviour under moisture exposure in marine structures. An instrumented drop weight impact machine is utilised to determine the impact responses of dry and immersed specimens in normal, salted and sea water. The specimens, which had three different thicknesses, were subjected to water exposure for a very long period of over 20 months before tested in a low-velocity impact experiment. Water uptake was measured primarily to study the degradation profiles of GRP laminates after being permeated by water. Matrix dissolution and interfacial damage observed on the laminates after prolonged moisture exposure while the absorption behaviour was found typically non-Fickian. The weight of the composite plates firstly increased because of water diffusion up to month 15 and then decreased due to matrix degradation. The specimens with 3, 6 and 9 mm thickness exhibited maximum water absorption corresponding to 2.6%, 0.7% and 0.5% weight gain, respectively. In general, the results indicated that water uptake and impact properties were affected by thickness and less by water type. Impact properties of prolonged immersed specimens reduced remarkably, and intense failure modes detected almost in all cases. The least sensitive to impact damage were wet specimens with 9 mm thickness as they indicated similar maximum load and absorbed energy for different impact energies.
Real-time simulation of a fragmenting explosion for cylindrical warheads
Authors: Felix David , Colwill Ian , Harris Paul
Published: February 2021

Explosion models based on finite element analysis (FEA) can be used to simulate how a warhead fragments. However, their execution times are extensive. Active protection systems need to make very fast predictions, before a fast attacking weapon hits the target. Fast execution times are also needed in real-time simulations where the impact of many different computer models is being assessed. Hence, FEA explosion models are not appropriate for these real-time systems. As a trade-off between accuracy and execution time, this paper creates a simulation of fragments from a warhead’s explosion, using simple analytical equations. The results are verified against explosion experimental data and FEA results. The developed model then can be made available for real-time simulation and fast computation.
Metaphors in the Making: Illuminating the Process of Arts-Based Health Research Through a Case Exemplar Linking Arts-Based, Qualitative and Quantitative Research Data
Authors: Archibald Mandy , Blines John
Published: February 2021

Background:

The potentials of arts-based health research are increasingly being realized as an approach to understanding and communicating the complexities of the human experience of health and illness. Despite this, arts-based health research often remains shrouded in obscurity, limiting its potential utility. Arts-based health research offers unique opportunities to integrate evidence of patients’ lived experience with other forms of research evidence to improve understanding and knowledge translation, but transparent descriptions of this praxis are generally lacking. In response, this article offers methodological insight and guidance through an in-depth case exemplar of an arts-based health research process linking qualitative research with diverse evidence sources in the context of frailty research.

Methods:

Responding to research data generated within a Centre of Research Excellence in Frailty and Healthy Ageing, we adopted a researcher-as-practitioner stance to produce research-based artworks to integrate and communicate conflicting research findings. We structure this process according to Ecker’s seven domains of qualitative inquiry, demonstrating parallels between the arts-based research and qualitative inquiry processes and offering opportunities for engaging with “evidence misalignments” resulting from incongruent evidence sources.

Findings:

Arts-based health research can enable meaningful reflection upon, integration, and communication of “evidence-misalignments” in research spanning the health and social sciences. Such misalignments are problematic when the lived experience of health and illness conflicts with other empirical evidence, including gold standard evidence guiding treatment decisions. These in turn, can function as plausible barriers to self management and to achievement of health outcomes.

Interpretation:

Through the researcher-as-practitioner lens, and with an orientation to production, this work engaged with a new means of materiality—one that extends beyond text and numerical representations—and whose meaning and connections may not be immediately apparent. These relationships change how the researchers-practitioner engages with, understands, explores, and represents concepts, enabling epistemological and ontological gains of benefit to the health and social sciences.
Stern tube seals operation: A practical approach
Authors: Borras F Xavier , van den Nieuwendijk Roy , Ramesh Vikram , de Rooij Matthijn B , Schipper Dik J
Published: February 2021

Stern tube seals are a key component of the propulsion system of a ship. The purpose of these sealing rings is to ensure a reliable sealing condition, preventing the spillage of lubricant to the environment. The research on these large rotary seals is limited due to their complex accessibility: stern tube seals are located below the seawater level on a moving ship. A dynamic setup replicating the operating conditions of a stern tube seal is presented together with a novel arrangement for monitoring the flow rate across the seal. The frictional torque, the operating temperature, and the lubricant migration across the seal are measured under various shaft velocities and pressure differences. The existing theory for rotary lip seals is reviewed for the stern tube seal application. From the results it is deduced that the stern tube seals tested operate within the elastohydrodynamic regime with film thicknesses in the sub-micrometer range.
The act of telling: South African women’s narratives of HIV status disclosure to intimate partners in the HPTN 071 (PopART) HIV prevention trial
Authors: Viljoen Lario , Wademan Dillon , Hoddinott Graeme , Bond Virginia , Seeley Janet , Bock Peter , Fidler Sarah , Reynolds Lindsey ,   on behalf of the HPTN 071 (PopART) team
Published: February 2021

Background:

Public health programming often frames HIV status disclosure as a means to negotiate condom- and abstinence-based prevention or to involve intimate partners in HIV care to garner treatment adherence support. HIV treatment can be used to ensure viral suppression and prevent onward transmission, which provides strong evidence to encourage disclosure. The ideological shift towards HIV treatment as prevention is expected to facilitate disclosure.

Purpose:

There is a lack of research on how the scale-up of universal HIV testing and treatment influences disclosure practices in high burden settings. In this manuscript, we aim to address this gap.

Methods:

To this end, we conducted a two-phased narrative performative analysis of the disclosure scripts of 15 women living with HIV in three communities of Western Cape, South Africa where the HPTN 071 (PopART) HIV prevention trial implemented a universal HIV testing and treatment model as part of the intervention. The women were part of a larger cohort nested in the trial. We use Goffman’s dramaturgical metaphor, which understands social interactions as ‘performances’ by ‘actors’ (people) guided by ‘scripts’ (anticipated dialogues/interactions), to explore how women living with HIV manage their status disclosure.

Conclusion:

We describe how these women perform HIV status disclosure (or deliberate non-disclosure) to retain, reaffirm or redefine existing social scripts with partners. Their performances reveal priorities other than those imagined by public health programmes driving HIV disclosure (or non-disclosure): establishing trust, resenting betrayal and ensuring self-preservation while simultaneously (re)constructing self-identity. None of the women engaged with the concept of treatment as prevention in their disclosure narratives, either to facilitate disclosure or to ‘justify’ non-disclosure. HIV prevention, in general, and treatment adherence support were rarely mentioned as a reason for disclosure. To date, there has been a missed opportunity to ease and support disclosure in health programmes by tapping into existing social scripts, impeding potential patient and public health benefits of universal HIV testing and treatment.
Observational cohort study of neurological involvement among patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Fleischer Michael , Köhrmann Martin , Dolff Sebastian , Szepanowski Fabian , Schmidt Karsten , Herbstreit Frank , Güngör Cansu , Stolte Benjamin , Steiner Katharina Marie , Stadtler Christine , Riße Joachim , Fiedler Melanie , Meyer zu Hörste Gerd , Mausberg Anne-K. , Kill Clemens , Forsting Michael , Sure Ulrich , Dittmer Ulf , Witzke Oliver , Brenner Thorsten , Kleinschnitz Christoph , Stettner Mark
Published: February 2021

Background:

A growing number of reports suggest that infection with SARS-CoV-2 often leads to neurological involvement; however, data on the incidence and severity are limited to mainly case reports and retrospective studies.

Methods:

This prospective, cross-sectional study of 102 SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive patients investigated the frequency, type, severity and risk factors as well as underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of neurological involvement (NIV) in COVID-19 patients.

Results:

Across the cohort, 59.8% of patients had NIV. Unspecific NIV was suffered by 24.5%, mainly general weakness and cognitive decline or delirium. Mild NIV was found in 9.8%; most commonly, impaired taste or smell. Severe NIV was present in 23.5%; half of these suffered cerebral ischaemia. Incidence of NIV increased with respiratory symptoms of COVID-19. Mortality was higher with increasing NIV severity. Notably, 83.3% with severe NIV had a pre-existing neurological co-morbidity. All cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, and SARS-CoV-2 antibody quotient did not suggest intrathecal antibody synthesis. Of the patients with severe NIV, 50% had blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption and showed a trend of elevated interleukin levels in CSF. Antibodies against neuronal and glial epitopes were detected in 35% of the patients tested.

Conclusion:

Cerebrovascular events were the most frequent severe NIV and severe NIV was associated with high mortality. Incidence of NIV increased with respiratory symptoms and NIV and pre-existing neurological morbidities were independent risk factors for fatality. Inflammatory involvement due to BBB disruption and cytokine release drives NIV, rather than direct viral invasion. These findings might help physicians define a further patient group requiring particular attention during the pandemic.
New Truxinic and Truxillic Acid Sucrose Diesters From the Leaves of Trigonostemon honbaensis
Authors: Ban Ninh Khac , Huu Tai Bui , Thu Vu Kim , Van Kiem Phan
Published: February 2021

A new δ-truxinic acid sucrose diester and a new ε-truxillic acid sucrose diester (named trigohonbanosides E and F) were isolated from the leaves of Trigonostemon honbaensis. Their chemical structures were determined by extensive analysis of their HR-ESI-MS and NMR spectra. At a concentration of 20 µM, trigohonbanosides E and F exhibited weak inhibitory effects on NO production in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells with inhibitory percentages of 22.7% ± 1.1% and 18.5% ± 1.4%, respectively.
Congenital pituitary cyst resulting in adipsic central diabetes insipidus and secondary hypernatremia in a cat
Authors: Evenhuis Janny , Epstein Steven E , Della-Maggiore Ann , Reagan Krystle L
Published: February 2021

Case summary

A 9-month-old intact female domestic mediumhair cat presented with a 5-month history of obtundation, lethargy, hypernatremia (181 mmol/l; reference interval [RI] 151–158 mmol/l), hyperchloremia (142 mmol/l; RI 117–126 mmol/l), azotemia (blood urea nitrogen 51 mg/dl; RI 18–33 mg/dl), creatinine 3.0 mg/dl (RI 1.1–2.2 mg/dl), hyperphosphatemia (8.3 mg/dl; RI 3.2–6.3 mg/dl) and total hypercalcemia (11.4 mg/dl; RI 9–10.9 mg/dl), with concurrent polyuria with adipsia. Neurologic evaluation revealed proprioceptive deficits, and this finding paired with a history of focal seizure-like activity despite improving sodium concentrations suggested a cerebrothalamic lesion. For this reason, and historical and biochemical findings consistent with adipsic diabetes insipidus (DI), MRI of the brain was performed, which revealed a lesion of the hypophyseal fossa consistent with a pituitary cyst. Given the patient’s age and the timeline of clinical signs, a congenital pituitary cyst was strongly suspected. The patient was managed initially with intravenous fluids to correct the hypernatremia, then managed for more than 4 years with topical ocular desmopressin acetate administration and free water administered through a feeding tube. This cat’s clinical diagnosis included a congenital pituitary cyst with subsequent central DI and primary adipsia.

Relevance and novel information

The clinical presentations of primary adipsia or central DI are both rare in cats. This is the first report to describe these conditions occurring in a cat owing to a congenital pituitary cyst and describes successful long-term management of this condition.
The Correlation Between Timing of Surgery and the Need for RBC Transfusions in the Geriatric Intertrochanteric Fracture Population
Authors: Yang Yun-fa , Huang Jian-wen , Gao Xiao-sheng , Liu Zai-li , Wang Jian-wei , Xu Zhong-he
Published: February 2021

Objective:

To identify whether the timing of surgery affects red blood cell (RBC) transfusion requirements in the elderly with intertrochanteric fractures.

Methods:

We retrospectively studied all patients undergoing surgical fixation of their intertrochanteric fractures in our hospital between January 2009 and December 2018 and analyzed the relationship between the timing of surgery and RBC transfusion.

Results:

A total of 679 patients were included in this study. The need for RBC transfusion was lower in the patients who underwent surgery within 12 h after admission (timing of surgery <12 h, <12 h group) than those who underwent surgery over 12 h after admission (timing of surgery >12 h, >12 h group) (P = 0.046); lower in the the patients who underwent surgery within 24 h after admission (timing of surgery <24 h, <24 h group) than in those who underwent surgery over 24 h after admission (timing of surgery >24 h, >24 h group) (P = 0.008), and lower in the <24 h group compared to the patients who underwent surgery within 48 h after admission (timing of surgery <48 h, <48 h group) (P = 0.035). Moreover, the need for RBC transfusion was lower in the <24 h group (in the first 24 h from admission to surgery) than in the 24-48 h group (in the second 24 h from admission to surgery) (P = 0.016), and also lower in the <24 h group compared to the 48-72 h group (in the third 24 h from admission to surgery) (P = 0.047). However, there were no differences between the <12 h group and 12-24 h group, between the <12 h group and <24 h group, and between the 12-24 h group and <24 h group, respectively.

Conclusion:

Timing of surgery within 24 h contributes to the reduction of RBC transfusion in the elderly with intertrochanteric fractures.