bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Check-list of Pteridophytes from Gujarat State, Western India
Authors: RAJPUT KISHORE S. , KACHHIYAPATEL RONAK N. , PATIL SACHIN M. , VASAVA AJIT M. , PATEL RAVI S. , PATEL SURESH K. , RAOLE VINAY M.
Published: August 2021

Gujarat is the westernmost state of India and is known for varied climatic conditions starting from moist deciduous forest to pure desert conditions as in the Greater Rann of Kachchh. A major part of the geographical area of Gujarat is a semi-arid region with dry climatic conditions; but studies on pteridophyte diversity of Gujarat state have always been neglected by botanists. Consequently, the diversity of pteridophytes in the state was poorly represented with 12 genera and only 16 species reported in previous literature. The present investigation was carried out to document species diversity and to update the checklist of pteridophytes occurring in Gujarat state. A total of 50 naturally occurring species or subspecies representing 23 genera in 14 families were collected from different regions of the state. An additional 13 species cultivated in the University Botanical Garden or in homes and gardens have also been noted. Among the indigenous species, Aleuritopteris anceps, A. formosana, Ceratopteris thalictroides subsp. thalictroides, Ophioglossum indicum, O. lancifolium, O. lusoafricanum and O. petiolatum are reported as new distributional records for the state. The maximum diversity was observed in south Gujarat, followed by Central Gujarat and the Saurashtra region whereas less diversity was observed in the North and Kachchh regions. Results of our study are compared to findings made by earlier workers.
The correct spelling for the name Cardamine xinfenii (Brassicaceae)
Authors: DENG YUNFEI
Published: August 2021

N/A
The “State” of Active Learning in the Atmospheric Sciences: Strategies Instructors Use and Directions for Future Research
Authors: Handlos Zachary J. , Davenport Casey , Kopacz Dawn
Published: August 2021

Extensive research within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields has demonstrated that active learning leads to greater educational success for students relative to traditional lecture methods. While studies have explored active learning use across various STEM fields, minimal research has focused specifically on the atmospheric sciences. A baseline knowledge of the use of active learning in this field is vital for determining instructional effectiveness and can identify areas for improvement. The goal of this study is to provide a baseline regarding the state of active learning within the atmospheric sciences, including understanding what active learning strategies are most widely used, their frequency of use, and who is using them. Atmospheric science instructors were invited to participate in an online survey to provide information about their active learning use in the classroom and resources used to learn more about active learning strategies. Survey results indicate that case studies are the most popular high-use active learning strategy across all levels of instruction, though how they are implemented within the classroom is not clear. New atmospheric science instructors, instructors beyond the typical 5-yr tenure mark, and female instructors exhibit the highest number of unique active learning strategies. Future work stresses the need for a larger sample size and more direct classroom observation of instructors using active learning.
The Evolution of Hail Production in Simulated Supercell Storms
Authors: Kumjian Matthew R. , Lombardo Kelly , Loeffler Scott
Published: August 2021

Hailstorms pose a significant socioeconomic risk, necessitating detailed assessments of how the hail threat changes throughout their lifetimes. Hail production involves the favorable juxtaposition of ingredients, but how storm evolution affects these ingredients is unknown, limiting understanding of how hail production evolves. Unfortunately, neither surface hail reports nor radar-based swath estimates have adequate resolution or details needed to assess evolving hail production. Instead, we use a novel approach of coupling a detailed hail trajectory model to idealized convective storm simulations to better understand storm evolution’s influence on hail production. Hail production varies substantially throughout storms’ mature phases: maximum sizes vary by a factor of two, and the concentration of severe hail more than fivefold during 45-60-min periods. This variability arises from changes in updraft properties, which come from (i) changes in low-level convergence, and (ii) internal storm dynamics, including anticyclonic vortex shedding/storm splitting, and the response of the updraft’s airflow and supercooled liquid water content to these events. Hodograph shape strongly affects such behaviors. Straighter hodographs lead to more prolific hail production through wider updrafts and weaker mesocyclones, and a periodicity in hail size metrics associated with anticyclonic vortex shedding and/or storm splitting. In contrast, a curved hodograph (favorable for tornadoes) led to a storm with a stronger but more compact updraft, which occasionally produced giant (10-cm) hail, but that was a less-prolific severe hail producer overall. Unless storms are adequately sampled throughout their lifecycles, snapshots from ground reports will insufficiently resolve the true nature of hail production.
The Inland Maintenance and Reintensification of Tropical Storm Bill (2015) Part 1: Contributions of the Brown Ocean Effect
Authors: Wakefield Ryann A. , Basara Jeffrey B. , Shepherd J. Marshall , Brauer Noah , Furtado Jason C. , Santanello Joseph A. , Edwards Roger
Published: August 2021

Landfalling tropical cyclones (TCs) often decay rapidly due to a decrease in moisture and energy fluxes over land when compared to the ocean surface. Occasionally, however, these cyclones maintain intensity or reintensify over land. Post-landfall maintenance and intensification of TCs over land may be a result of fluxes of moisture and energy derived from anomalously wet soils. These soils act similarly to a warm sea surface, in a phenomenon coined the “Brown Ocean Effect.” Tropical Storm (TS) Bill (2015) made landfall over a region previously moistened by anomalously heavy rainfall and displayed periods of reintensification and maintenance over land. This study evaluates the role of the Brown Ocean Effect on the observed maintenance and intensification of TS Bill using a combination of existing and novel approaches, including the evaluation of precursor conditions at varying temporal scales and making use of composite backward trajectories. Comparisons were made to landfalling TCs with similar paths that did not undergo TC maintenance and/or intensification (TCMI) as well as to TS Erin (2007), a known TCMI case. We show that the antecedent environment prior to TS Bill was similar to other known TCMI cases, but drastically different from the non-TCMI cases analyzed in this study. Furthermore, we show that contributions of evapotranspiration to the overall water vapor budget were non-negligible prior to TCMI cases and that evapotranspiration along storm inflow was significantly (p<0.05) greater for TCMI cases than non-TCMI cases suggesting a potential upstream contribution from the land surface.
Assessing the benefits of specific attenuation for quantitative precipitation estimation with a C-band radar network
Authors: Chen Ju-Yu , Trömel Silke , Ryzhkov Alexander , Simmer Clemens
Published: August 2021

Recent advances demonstrate the benefits of radar-derived specific attenuation at horizontal polarization (AH) for quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) at S and X band. To date the methodology has, however, not been adapted for the widespread European C-band radars such as installed in the network of the German Meteorological Service (DWD, Deutscher Wetterdienst). Simulations based on a large dataset of drop size distributions (DSDs) measured over Germany are performed to investigate the DSD dependencies of the attenuation parameter αH for the AH estimates. The normalized raindrop concentration (Nw) and the change of differential reflectivity (ZDR) with reflectivity at horizontal polarization (ZH) are used to categorize radar observations into regimes for which scan-wise optimized αH values are derived. For heavier continental rain with ZH > 40 dBZ, the AH-based rainfall retrieval R(AH) is combined with a rainfall estimator using a substitute of specific differential phase (). We also assess the performance of retrievals based on specific attenuation at vertical polarization (AV). Finally, the regime-adapted hybrid QPE algorithms are applied to four convective cases and one stratiform case from 2017 to 2019, and compared to DWD’s operational RAdar-OnLine-ANeichung (RADOLAN) RW rainfall product, which is based on Zh only but adjusted to rain gauge measurements. For the convective cases, our hybrid retrievals outperform the traditional R(Zh) and pure R(AH/V) retrievals with fixed αH/V values when evaluated with gauge measurements and outperform RW when evaluated by disdrometer measurements. Potential improvements using ray-wise αH/V and segment-wise applications of the ZPHI method along the radials are discussed.
The Role of the Government in Development of the Electric Vehicle Industry of China
Authors: Wang Qiuyi , Mah Jai S.
Published: August 2021

As one of the technology-intensive industries, the electric vehicle (EV) industry has attracted the attention of the Chinese government. It has provided various incentives for the purchase of EVs, including tax incentives, policy loans at preferential interest rates and the establishment of charging facilities. EV production technology developed rapidly and sales of EVs increased significantly during the 2010s. The role of the government seems to have been of vital importance to the rapid development of the EV industry in China. To improve this further, it would be helpful for the government to efficiently coordinate various policy measures benefitting the EV industry and create a more suitable social environment for consumers to use EVs. The government should also carefully consider how to improve the applicability of EVs in different regional surroundings. In addition, efficient collaboration between the electronics industry and the automobile industry would be critical.
This Is My Body: A Reflection on Medical and Spiritual Distancing During the COVID19 Pandemic
Authors: Acosta Lealani Mae Y.
Published: August 2021

As sentient beings and as patients, clinicians, and Catholics, we long for touch and union. With COVID19, the distancing inherent during the pandemic manifests itself in medical and spiritual ways as we yearn to connect with our patients, our physicians, and the Eucharist.

As sentient beings and as patients, clinicians, and Catholics, we long for touch and union. With COVID19, the distancing inherent during the pandemic manifests itself in medical and spiritual ways as we yearn to connect with our patients, our physicians, and the Eucharist. COVID19 distancing manifests in medical & spiritual ways as we yearn to connect with our patients, our physicians, and the Eucharist.
Geographic Associations Between Social Factors and SARS-CoV-2 Testing Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic, February–June 2020, Massachusetts
Authors: Troppy Scott , Wilt Grete E. , Whiteman Ari , Hallisey Elaine , Crockett Molly , Sharpe J. Danielle , Haney Gillian , Cranston Kevin , Klevens R. Monina
Published: August 2021

Objectives

Widespread SARS-CoV-2 testing is critical to identify infected people and implement public health action to interrupt transmission. With SARS-CoV-2 testing supplies and laboratory capacity now widely available in the United States, understanding the spatial heterogeneity of associations between social determinants and the use of SARS-CoV-2 testing is essential to improve testing availability in populations disproportionately affected by SARS-CoV-2.

Methods

We assessed positive and negative results of SARS-CoV-2 molecular tests conducted from February 1 through June 17, 2020, from the Massachusetts Virtual Epidemiologic Network, an integrated web-based surveillance and case management system in Massachusetts. Using geographically weighted regression and Moran’s I spatial autocorrelation tests, we quantified the associations between SARS-CoV-2 testing rates and 11 metrics of the Social Vulnerability Index in all 351 towns in Massachusetts.

Results

Median SARS-CoV-2 testing rates decreased with increasing percentages of residents with limited English proficiency (median relative risk [interquartile range] = 0.96 [0.95-0.99]), residents aged ≥65 (0.97 [0.87-0.98]), residents without health insurance (0.96 [0.95-1.04], and people residing in crowded housing conditions (0.89 [0.80-0.94]). These associations differed spatially across Massachusetts, and localized models improved the explainable variation in SARS-CoV-2 testing rates by 8% to 12%.

Conclusion

Indicators of social vulnerability are associated with variations in SARS-CoV-2 testing rates. Accounting for the spatial heterogeneity in these associations may improve the ability to explain and address the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic at substate levels.
Academic self-efficacy and test anxiety in high school students: A conditional process model of academic buoyancy and peer support
Authors: Lei Weina , Zhang Huan , Deng Wenbo , Wang Hongyan , Shao Faxian , Hu Weiping
Published: August 2021

Based on social cognitive theory and ecological systems theory, this study constructed a conditional process model to explore the relationship between academic self-efficacy and test anxiety as well as underlying psychological mechanisms through academic buoyancy and peer support. A sample of Chinese high school students ( N = 560) completed questionnaires assessing academic self-efficacy, academic buoyancy, peer support, and test anxiety. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed an indirect effect of academic self-efficacy on test anxiety through academic buoyancy. Moreover, the results of the conditional process analysis demonstrated that this indirect effect was moderated by peer support. The findings suggested that both personal positive psychological characteristics (e.g., academic buoyancy) and school environmental factors (e.g., peer support) are protective factors for test anxiety in high school students. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.
Stereotypes About Political Attitudes and Coalitions Among U.S. Racial Groups: Implications for Strategic Political Decision-Making
Authors: Craig Maureen A. , Zou Linda X. , Bai Hui , Lee Michelle M.
Published: August 2021

What are people’s expectations of interracial political coalitions? This research reveals expectations of flexible interracial coalitions stemming from how policies and racial groups are viewed in terms of perceived status and foreignness. For policies seen as changing societal status (e.g., welfare), people expected Black–Hispanic political coalitions and viewed Asian Americans as more likely to align with Whites than with other minorities. For policies seen as impacting American identity (e.g., immigration), people expected Asian–Hispanic coalitions and that Black Americans would align with Whites more than other minorities. Manipulating a novel group’s alleged status and cultural assimilation influenced coalitional expectations, providing evidence of causality. These expectations appear to better reflect stereotypes than groups’ actual average policy attitudes and voting behavior. Yet these beliefs may have implications for a diversifying electorate as White Americans strategically amplified the political voice of a racial group expected to agree with their personal preferences on stereotyped policies.
Hamiltonian coordination primitives for decentralized multiagent navigation
Authors: Mavrogiannis Christoforos , Knepper Ross A.
Published: August 2021

We focus on decentralized navigation among multiple non-communicating agents in continuous domains without explicit traffic rules, such as sidewalks, hallways, or squares. Following collision-free motion in such domains requires effective mechanisms of multiagent behavior prediction. Although this prediction problem can be shown to be NP-hard, humans are often capable of solving it efficiently by leveraging sophisticated mechanisms of implicit coordination. Inspired by the human paradigm, we propose a novel topological formalism that explicitly models multiagent coordination. Our formalism features both geometric and algebraic descriptions enabling the use of standard gradient-based optimization techniques for trajectory generation but also symbolic inference over coordination strategies. In this article, we contribute (a) HCP (Hamiltonian Coordination Primitives), a novel multiagent trajectory-generation pipeline that accommodates spatiotemporal constraints formulated as symbolic topological specifications corresponding to a desired coordination strategy; (b) HCPnav, an online planning framework for decentralized collision avoidance that generates motion by following multiagent trajectory primitives corresponding to high-likelihood, low-cost coordination strategies. Through a series of challenging trajectory-generation experiments, we show that HCP outperforms a trajectory-optimization baseline in generating trajectories of desired topological specifications in terms of success rate and computational efficiency. Finally, through a variety of navigation experiments, we illustrate the efficacy of HCPnav in handling challenging multiagent navigation scenarios under homogeneous or heterogeneous agents across a series of environments of different geometry.
Automated infrastructure: COVID-19 and the shifting geographies of supply chain capitalism
Authors: Lin Weiqiang
Published: August 2021

In recent years, geographers have evinced how infrastructure constitutes the bedrock of supply chain capitalism and its oppressions. This article interrogates how advanced automation – comprising robotics, artificial intelligence and software – is poised to politicize this infrastructural space further on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflecting on COVID-19 developments, the article shows how logistics is turning to advanced automation to drive productivity outside labour, spur self-service consumption through digital technologies and contest labour’s future. As automated infrastructure threatens to take hold, a configuration of exchange that increasingly places labour, but not profits, outside of capital’s circulations will need to be challenged
Development of Joint Stated-Preference-off-Revealed-Preference Model for Shanghai Commute Mode Choices in Response to Parking Fee Management
Authors: Zhang Ping , Ye Xin , Wang Ke
Published: August 2021

Facing challenges in parking demand-and-supply imbalance and severe road traffic congestion during peak periods in Shanghai, in this paper we develop an SP-off-RP (stated-preference-off-revealed-preference) choice model to analyze relations between parking fee and commute mode choices based on survey data collected there. The survey questionnaire collects information about travelers’ daily commute, travel choices in the SP context, and personal socioeconomic and demographic attributes. The road network and public transportation network data are also used for model development. The model includes three main travel modes: car, public transit, and non-motorized mode. Variables that significantly influence mode choice and the reasons behind it are discussed, including the parking fee, the level-of-service (LOS) of the three modes, and socioeconomic and demographic variables. In the process of model development, a random sample of full-mode commute trips in Shanghai is integrated to improve model precision. The study reveals that the new random disturbance in the SP context is relatively large. The direct elasticity of the parking fee is estimated at −0.85, which means that when the parking fee increases by 10%, the average probability of choosing a private car for the commute will decrease by 8.5%. It is also found that transit LOS improvements have potential to reduce auto use in Shanghai. The study provides references on parking pricing as an alternative policy for travel demand management in Shanghai.
Modified Breast Band Improving the Postoperative Breast Augmentation and Reconstructive Experience
Authors: Mowlavi Arian , Bash Bryce , Skenderian Shea , Sin Zachary
Published: August 2021

Background:

Superior displacement of implants is a common complication in the early postoperative period following breast augmentation surgery. Postoperative breast bands are used during the first 4 weeks to optimize breast implant position following breast augmentation and reconstructive procedures. Although currently available breast bands are effective in maintaining implants in an inferior position, they have been observed to irritate the armpit region. We hypothesized that a modified breast band geometry with cut outs to accommodate the armpit region would provide equal maintenance of desired implant position while providing improved postoperative comfort.

Methods:

Forty patients who underwent breast augmentation and/or reconstruction were randomly assigned to receive either the traditional breast band or the modified cut out designed breast band following surgery for 4 weeks. Patients rated their breast bands on a 1 to 10 scale regarding (1) comfort, (2) appearance, and (3) overall satisfaction at their routine postoperative visits at 1, 2, and 4 weeks following surgery.

Results:

The modified breast band scored higher for all factors at 1, 2, and 4 weeks following surgery. The traditional band demonstrated decreasing scores for comfort and overall satisfaction when compared at 4 weeks versus 1 week. There was no change in the modified breast band scores for comfort, appearance, nor overall satisfaction over the same time period.

Discussion:

This study of 40 patients found that the modified band provides equally effective maintenance of implants in a desired position without compromising comfort and appearance. Patients who used the modified band had a better experience with the band comfort, appearance, and overall satisfaction in comparison to the traditional band. The higher ratings for the cut out band for comfort, appearance, and overall satisfaction were consistent from week 1 to 4.

Conclusion:

In contrast, the traditional band not only scored lower in comfort, appearance, and overall satisfaction compared to the modified band but also demonstrated significant decrease in the patients’ ratings for comfort and overall satisfaction for the traditional band from week 1 to 4. This study supports the conclusion that a modified cut out breast band design provides an equally effective maintenance of implants in a desired position without compromising comfort, appearance, and overall satisfaction when compared to the traditional band.
Post Syndemic Resiliency and an Interview With Olympians Wendy Bruce-Martin and Justin Spring
Authors: Terry Paul E.
Published: August 2021

A syndemic occurs when two or more afflictions create a greater burden than either would produce alone. The interaction of COVID-19 with the highly publicized acts of racism this past year have produced a syndemic that will require a fresh, multi-faceted form of resiliency if society is to recover and become stronger. This editorial interviews two Olympians, Wendy Bruce-Martin and Justin Spring, who are exemplars of the kind of discipline and creativity needed to bounce back from both personal and professional set-backs. Coaction research findings are discussed and the components recommended by the American Psychological Association for building resilience are reviewed.
The Impact of Parental Depression on Children’s Smartphone Addiction: A Serial Mediation Model With Parental Neglect and Children’s Self-Esteem
Authors: Mun Il Bong , Lee Seyoung
Published: August 2021

The present study investigates the mechanisms underlying the relationship between parental depression and children’s smartphone addiction. It explores the effects of parental depression on children’s smartphone addiction, as well as the mediating roles of parental neglect and children’s self-esteem in this relationship, which multiplies sequentially. We utilize data—comprising 2,396 children and their parents—from the National General Survey on Korean Children, using parent–child dyads. First, a hierarchical regression analysis shows that parental depression significantly and positively predicts children’s smartphone addiction ( B = .29, SE = .03, p < .001). Second, Hayes’s PROCESS macro (Model 6), executed to test the mediation effects, reveals that the effect of parental depression on children’s smartphone addiction is significantly mediated by parental neglect ( B = .07, Boot SE = .01, 95% Boot CI [.05, .10]) and children’s self-esteem ( B = .12, Boot SE = .01, 95% Boot CI [.10, .14]). Moreover, the serial mediation model’s results support that parental neglect and children’s self-esteem serially mediate the relationship between parental depression and children’s smartphone addiction ( B = .02, Boot SE = .004, 95% Boot CI [.01, .03]), implying that a higher level of parental depression is sequentially associated with increased parental neglect that reduces children’s self-esteem and consequently accelerates their smartphone dependence. The theoretical and practical implications of the results as well as the directions for future research are discussed.
Effectiveness and Safety Studies of Omalizumab in Children and Adolescents With Moderate-To-Severe Asthma
Authors: Cheng Lu , Yang Tianrui , Ma Xiang , Han Yuling , Wang Yongtai
Published: August 2021

Background: Omalizumab is currently approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe allergic asthma in patients 6 years and older. Objective: To assess the effectiveness and safety of subcutaneous omalizumab as an add-on therapy option for moderate–severe allergic asthma in patients aged 6—20 years old. Methods: The studies published from July, 1970 to May, 2021 were searched from the electronic databases which followed keywords: (“anti-IgE” OR “anti-immunoglobulin E” OR “anti-IgE antibody” OR “omalizumab” OR “rhuMAb-E25” OR “Xolair”) AND “asthma” AND (“child” OR “children” OR “adolescents” OR “youth” OR “teenager” OR “kids” OR “pediatric”). Thirteen studies were pooled to determine the effectiveness and safety of omalizumab. Efficacy endpoints were evaluated using a fixed-effects model or a random-effects model depending on heterogeneity. Safety endpoints were evaluated by odds ratio. Results: Thirteen studies were included. In this meta-analysis, our results showed that fractional exhaled nitric oxide and asthma control test scores were significantly improved with omalizumab treatment. Serum immunoglobulin E was also decreased in children with moderate-to-severe asthma after treatment with omalizumab. The analysis found that there was no significant difference between pre-and post-treatment in forced expiratory volume in one second/ forced vital capacity ratio, forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75% of vital capacity, or FEV1. Overall, more adverse events occurred with omalizumab compared to placebo. However, the degree was mild to moderate. Conclusion: This meta-analysis indicates that omalizumab is safe and effective to treat children and adolescents with moderate-to-severe asthma.
Donor Identity, Morality, and Nonprofit Organizations: Soliciting Donations and Recruiting Volunteers for the Red Cross, 1863–1919
Authors: Dromi Shai M.
Published: August 2021

Recent literature has highlighted the central role that donor identity, the perception of oneself as a giving person, plays in fundraising. In this, nonprofit organizations develop strategies to encourage a generous self-perception among potential donors and volunteers to elicit donations. However, existing literature has not yet examined the cultural repertoires that organizations develop to portray convincing representations of donor identity to their donor and volunteer base. This article argues that nonprofit organizations draw on broad, culturally defined notions of the moral good to create idealized depictions of a donor identity. To demonstrate, the article looks at the early decades of the Red Cross movement. It shows that the movement developed four different logics to depict romanticized notions of donors and volunteers, each based on a different idea of the social good. The article argues that such meaning-making is a key aspect of nonprofit organizations’ work.
Welfare, Work and the Conditions of Social Solidarity: British Campaigns to Defend Healthcare and Social Security
Authors: Coderre-LaPalme Genevieve , Greer Ian , Schulte Lisa
Published: August 2021

When the welfare state is under attack from neoliberal reformers, how can trade unionists and other campaigners build solidarity to defend it? Based on 45 qualitative interviews, this article compares campaigns to defend British health services and social security benefits between 2007 and 2016. Building on the macro-insights of comparative welfare-state literature and the more micro-level insights of studies on mobilisation, community unionism and union strategy, it examines the factors that help or hinder the construction of solidarity. This research finds that building solidarity is more difficult when defending targeted benefits than universal ones, not only because of differences in public opinion and political support for services, but also because the labour process associated with targeting benefits, namely the assessing and sanctioning of clients, can generate conflicts among campaigners.
Disproportionate School Punishment and Significant Life Outcomes: A Prospective Analysis of Black Youths
Authors: Chen Edith , Brody Gene H. , Yu Tianyi , Hoffer Lauren C. , Russak-Pribble Aubrey , Miller Gregory E.
Published: August 2021

This study tested relationships between racial inequalities in the school system—specifically, the disproportionate punishment of Black students—and life outcomes for Black youths, along with moderating psychological factors. In an 18-year longitudinal study of 261 Black youths (ages 11–29), we investigated whether adult life outcomes varied as a function of adolescent self-control and academic achievement. We tested whether relationships were moderated by the racial climates of the high schools that youths attended, using administrative data on relative punishment rates of Black and White students. Among Black youths who attended schools that disproportionately punished Black students, high self-control in early adolescence presaged higher academic orientation in late adolescence, which in turn predicted higher educational attainment, higher income, and better mental health in adulthood. However, among these same youths, higher academic orientation forecasted higher adult insulin resistance, a key process in cardiometabolic disease. These findings suggest that achieving successes in life in the face of racial inequalities may come at a physical health cost for Black youths.
Dechlorination of landfill poly(vinyl chloride) waste and estimation of recovered chlorine
Authors: Jabrail Fawzi H , Awad Hiba M , Matlob Abdulsalam A
Published: August 2021

The wet treatment process was used for the dechlorination of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) landfill waste plastic, and the process has shown dependence on concentration of alkali. The process of dechlorination of PVC has shown dependence on the concentration of the alkaline solution and the type of organic solvent used in the preparation of the alkaline solution. Ethylene glycol (EG), diethylene glycol (DEG), and tetraethylene glycol (TEG) are the diols that have been investigated. Moreover, the temperature of the PVC dechlorination process and the time of the PVC solution reflux showed effects on the final degree of the dechlorination (DD%). These were calculated using the Mohr method, where the chloride ions were titrated with a standard solution of silver nitrate in the presence of chromate ions. The study shows that 1 M NaOH/TEG alkaline solution was the best to dechlorinate PVC waste with the wet treatment process at 160 ̊c and for 3 h reflux and the process reclaimed poly(vinyl alcohol) PVA as the main product according to the hydroxyl group substitution mechanism (SN2), besides a few units according to the hydrogen chloride elimination mechanism (E2) with a few remaining chlorinated chains after analysis.
Channeling Facts, Crouching Rumours: Taiwan’s Post-Truth Encounter with the Covid Pandemic
Authors: Kuo Wen-Hua
Published: August 2021

This study examines the confrontation between Taiwan and Covid in the period before the virus finally invaded and spread widely on the island in May 2021. While the general approach to Taiwan’s success in keeping the virus out is historical, stating the policy lessons learned from previous anti-pandemic experience, the study focuses on how these coping strategies were able to be made and conducted with little disruption from misinformation and conspiracy theories. Inspired by Sheila Jasanoff’s notion of how science and technology are received through different political and policy systems, and by Bruno Latour’s semiotic reflections on the actor-network theory, the STS take on post-truth politics here is institutional and discursive: instead of focusing on the scientific and the misleading in individual policies, I provide an ethnography of rumour and scientific discourse on Covid, capturing their interactions and net effects in the context of policy discussions. Following closely the daily press conferences held by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), the only official information source for the Covid pandemic, I argue that discursive frames were made upon the limited information given and few confirmed cases found. Through the expert authority and ‘what if?’ scenarios seen at these conferences, Taiwan’s anti-Covid policies came to be presented as a narrative on crises and what the government was doing to get over them, and rumours were either ignored or marginalised. Meanwhile, though disputes and speculations on pandemic control did exist among experts, they only surfaced after the local outbreak, whereupon conspiracy theories flared up, challenging the already exhausted CECC. Together, the excessive information by experts, health professionals, policy analysists and talkshow hosts composes a ‘post-truth normal’ that has started to place Taiwan’s democracy and its trust in expertise on trial.
Atrazine intoxication in cattle, confirmed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
Authors: Props Abigail J. , Richards Hilary J. , Hooser Stephen B. , Burcham Grant N. , Wilson-Frank Christina R.
Published: August 2021

Ten of 40 cows died within 48 h of gaining access to a barn in which various chemicals were stored. Some of the surviving cows exhibited drooling, muscle tremors, and agitation. Postmortem examinations of 2 cows were performed in the field, and revealed nonspecific, moderate-to-severe pulmonary congestion. Liver and rumen contents, each from a different cow, were analyzed using a qualitative, multi-residue GC-MS method validated for the detection of pesticides and other chemical analytes. Using this method, extracts from the liver and rumen content samples were compared to atrazine (neat standard) and matrix-matched, control samples fortified with atrazine. GC-MS analysis detected atrazine at 215 m/z (NIST match >97%) with a retention time of ~13 min in liver and rumen content samples from our case. Detection of atrazine in the samples from the cows in this herd, combined with the clinical history, indicate that atrazine toxicity was the likely cause of clinical signs and death observed in this herd.
Effect of auxetic honeycomb angular stiffeners in cold-formed perforated and webbed steel upright section under buckling modes
Authors: Selvakumar Thasan , Senthil Rajendran , Raj Jawahar Rajan , kumar Soundararajan Lakshmana
Published: August 2021

This work was carried out on the buckling effects of cold-formed perforated steel columns with base auxetic polymer stiffeners. Buckling tests were carried out for three thicknesses of steel profiles (1.5–1.8 mm) with and without base stiffeners. Loading conditions were considered to be with displacement variation of 0.1 mm/s and respective axial loads and lateral displacements were noted. Results obtained states that the lateral displacement was found to be 2.2 for 1.8 mm CFS thickness and 93 kN of axial load with the use of auxetic stiffener with 14.8% of the variation in comparison without stiffener. The strain energy of absorption for auxetic stiffener is found to be high as 0.0523 at a lateral load of 80 kN for 1.8 mm CFS thickness. The maximum resistance to local, distortional, and Euler’s buckling loads was found to be high for 1.8 mm thick CFS with stiffener with 11.1%, 17.39%, and 10% in comparison without stiffener.
Measurement of the response time of magnetorheological fluids and ferrofluids based on the magnetic susceptibility response
Authors: Horváth Barnabás , Decsi Péter , Szalai István
Published: August 2021

From a technological point of view one of the most important characteristics of magnetorheological fluids and ferrofluids is their fast (on the [Formula: see text] s time scale) response to external magnetic fields. We report response time measurements based on the time domain magnetic susceptibility response of commercially available fluids. The dynamic susceptibility is measured over time in the presence of external magnetic field by a method using an inductive resonant circuit. The response time of the fluids is extracted as the characteristic time constant from the response to ramp excitation. We investigated the influence of the slope of the ramp excitation on the response time. The macroscopic response times were correlated with the characteristic time scales of the microscopic processes behind the susceptibility response. In case of the magnetorheological fluids the overall response time have been associated with the characteristic times of structure formation. The relatively slow response of the ferrofluid corresponded to a relaxation dominated by Brownian mechanism, which indicated the presence of multi-core clusters.
The Impact of Multidisciplinary Collaborative Nursing Intervention on Arteriovenous Fistula in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis
Authors: Zha Danfeng , Yang Xionghao , Yang Yan , Zhang Haifen , Jin Yan , Li Na , Zhou Yin
Published: August 2021

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of multidisciplinary collaborative nursing intervention on AVF in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing hemodialysis. Patients ( n = 84) with CKD who underwent the first autologous AVF were randomly divided into control group and multidisciplinary collaborative nursing intervention (MCNI) group and they received routine nursing procedure and multidisciplinary collaborative nursing intervention procedure, respectively. The natural blood flow and vessel diameter in MCNI group were higher than that in control group at the fourth week after surgery ( p < .05). The vessel diameter in MCNI group at 2 and 4 weeks after operation was significantly larger than that in control group ( p < .05).In conclusions, the implementation of multidisciplinary collaborative nursing intervention procedure can significantly promote the maturation of AVF, effectively increase the blood flow of AVF and promote the growth of vessel diameter.
Comparison of Urban-Rural Readmission Rates After Colorectal Cancer Surgery: Findings From a Privately Insured Population
Authors: Alyabsi Mesnad , Charlton Mary , Meza Jane , Islam K. M. Monirul , Soliman Amr , Watanabe-Galloway Shinobu
Published: August 2021

Objectives:

We assessed the 30-day readmission rate of a privately insured population diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) who had primary tumor resection in rural and urban communities.

Methods:

Claims data of people aged <65 with a diagnosis of CRC between 2012 and 2016 and enrolled in a private health plan administered by BlueCross BlueShield of Nebraska were analyzed. Readmission was defined as the number of discharged patients who were readmitted within 30 days, divided by all discharged patients. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the factors associated with readmission.

Results:

The urban population had a higher readmission rate (11%) than the rural population (8%). Although the adjusted odds ratio showed that there is no difference in readmission between rural and urban residents, patients with a Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) of >1 were more likely than those without CCI to be readmitted (OR 3.59, 1.41-9.11). Patients with open vs. laparoscopic surgery (OR 2.80, 1.39-5.63) and those with an obstructed or perforated colon vs. none (OR 7.17, 3.75-13.72) were more likely to be readmitted.

Conclusions:

Readmission after CRC surgery occurs frequently. Interventions that target the identified risk factors should reduce readmission rates in this privately insured population.
Similitudes for vibration characteristic of composite laminated plates
Authors: He Fengxia , Luo Zhong , Li Lei , Zhang Xiaoxia
Published: August 2021

Similitude laws can be used to extrapolate the vibration characteristic of a small, inexpensive, and easily tested model into structural behavior for the full-size prototype. In this article, a systematic similitude approach is proposed to predict the natural frequency, mode shape, and vibration response of composite laminated plates. The emphasis of this article is to predict the vibration characteristic of composite laminated plates in an effective and convenient way. Sensitivity analysis (SA) is introduced to improve the prediction accuracy of natural frequency. For distortion similarity, the prediction accuracy is improved close to 5%. Modal assurance criterion (MAC) measures the consistency of mode shapes of the full-size prototype and scaled models. The influence of stacking sequence on mode consistency is investigated. Similitude based on virtual mode and statistical energy (SVMSE) is proposed to extrapolate the transient response of the prototype to simulate the shock environment, such as satellite–rocket separation, etc. In conclusion, the prediction accuracy of natural frequency, mode consistency, and response coincidence are considered comprehensively to extrapolate the vibration characteristic of the full-size laminated plates.
A Within-Study Approach to Evaluating the Role of Moderators of Impact in Limiting Generalizations from “Large to Small”
Authors: Jaciw Andrew P. , Unlu Fatih , Nguyen Thanh
Published: August 2021

There is a burgeoning body of evidence on the average impacts of educational programs. Yet, for many local decision makers, because impacts can vary across sites, the question of whether a certain program will work in their particular district or school remains. This article addresses the question of the generalizability of large-scale average causal effects to specific locales, that is, from “large to small.” Our method evaluates whether impacts measured on the large-scale generalize to individual sites and whether adjusting for variation among sites in their characteristics accounts for impact heterogeneity that limits generalization. Our application to a multisite experimental evaluation in education shows that the average impact does not readily generalize to sites, with discrepancies between 0.17 and 0.41 standard deviations, and that characteristics of sites account only minimally for this variation. This emphasizes need for caution by local decision makers in accepting average impact findings as generalizable to their specific locales.
Promises of Urbanism: New Songdo City and the Power of Infrastructure
Authors: Eireiner Anna Verena
Published: August 2021

All around the world, new cities are popping up. Magically, they all closely resemble each other. They claim a cosmopolitan vibe that one typically associates with the big metropoles such as New York City, Buenos Aires, or Paris. These cities have become prototypical for 21st-century urbanism. They claim to be smarter and ecologically superior, seemingly providing a city-level answer to urging global problems like climate change. This account draws on critical urbanism to critically investigate the promises of model cities. I point out how these high-tech utopias are engineered in ways that render them logically feasible, drawing on the lively example of New Songdo City, South Korea. The powerful, formulaic logic of logistics does not only shape Songdo’s physical transportation and communication networks but also its political structures and economic unfoldings. Infrastructure becomes a medium of what Easterling (2014) calls “extrastatecraft”; spatial infrastructure dictates and polices behaviors, thus becomes a medium of polity.
Functional and structural MRI correlates of executive functions in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Marchesi Olga , Bonacchi Raffaello , Valsasina Paola , Preziosa Paolo , Pagani Elisabetta , Cacciaguerra Laura , Meani Alessandro , Conti Lorenzo , Mistri Damiano , Rocca Maria A , Filippi Massimo
Published: August 2021

Background:

Executive dysfunctions, including difficulties in attention, working memory, planning, and inhibition affect 15%–28% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

Objectives:

To investigate structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities underlying executive function (EF) in MS patients.

Methods:

A total 116 MS patients and 65 controls underwent resting-state (RS) and diffusion-weighted sequences and neuropsychological examination, including Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) to test EF. Brain RS cognitive networks and fractional anisotropy (FA) from a priori selected white matter tracts were derived. Associations of WCST scores with RS functional connectivity (FC) and FA abnormalities were investigated.

Results:

In MS patients, predictors of working memory/updating were: lower corpus callosum (CC) FA, lower left working-memory network (WMN), right WMN RS FC for worse performance; lower executive control network (ECN), higher default-mode network (DMN), and salience network (SN) RS FC for better performance ( R2 = 0.35). Predictors of attention were lower CC genu FA, lower left WMN, and DMN RS FC for worse performance; higher left WMN and ECN RS FC for better performance ( R2 = 0.24). Predictors of worse shifting/inhibition were lower CC genu and superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP) FA, lower left WMN RS FC for worse performance; and higher ECN RS FC for better performance ( R2 = 0.24).

Conclusions:

CC and SCP microstructural damage and RS FC abnormalities in cognitive networks underlie EF frailty in MS.
Communicating disciplinary knowledge to a wide audience in 3MT presentations: How students engage with popularization of science
Authors: (Kevin) Jiang Feng , Qiu Xuyan
Published: August 2021

3MT (Three-minute thesis) presentations, in which students communicate their theses to non-specialist audiences within three minutes, have emerged as an important academic genre, echoing current practices in scientific communication where researchers report their research work to a heterogeneous audience. Although increasing attention has been paid to 3MT presentations, we still lack sufficient knowledge of how presenters should communicate disciplinary knowledge to a wide audience. To address this gap, this corpus-based study investigates the rhetorical organization of moves (i.e. discoursal units serving various coherent communicative functions in text) in 80 3MT presentations from six disciplines. It is found that orientation, rationale, purpose, methods and results are five obligatory moves, among which the results move comprises more than one-fifth of the total length. The rationale and results moves are more often applied in hard sciences than in soft knowledge fields. The findings shed light on advanced academic literacy and how students communicate disciplinary knowledge to a wide audience.