bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Skills Inventory: A Spanish Adaptation and Further Validation in Adult Population
Authors: Postigo Álvaro , González-Nuevo Covadonga , García-Fernández Jaime , García-Cueto Eduardo , Soto Christopher J. , Napolitano Christopher M. , Roberts Brent W. , Cuesta Marcelino
Published: February 2024

Social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills encompass a broad range of interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities that are crucial for establishing and maintaining relationships, managing emotions, setting and pursuing goals, and exploring new learning opportunities. To address the lack of consensus regarding terminology, definition, and assessment of SEB skills, Soto et al. developed the Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Skills Inventory (BESSI), which consists of 192 items, 32 facets, and 5 domains. The objective of the current study was to adapt the BESSI to Spanish (referred to as BESSI-Sp) and enhance the overall understanding of the BESSI framework. A sample of 303 people was employed with a mean age of 30.35 years ( SD = 14.73), ranging from 18 to 85 years. The results indicate that the BESSI-Sp demonstrates strong psychometric properties. Its facet- and domain-level structure aligns with the theoretical expectations and closely resembles the English-language source version. The facets exhibit high reliability (mean ω = .89), and the scores demonstrate adequate stability after 3 to 4 weeks (mean rICC = .77). The BESSI-Sp also displays evidence of convergent validity and integrates well with the Big Five framework, providing incremental validity for various outcomes. We discuss the implications of these findings for the assessment of SEB skills and future research in this field.
Who Teaches About Hostility? Examining Factors for Inclusion in Journalism Curriculum
Authors: Mesmer Kelsey R. , Miller Kaitlin C.
Published: February 2024

Journalistic well-being is garnering increasing attention from scholars globally. Nevertheless, minimal research has explored how colleges and universities are teaching about such topics, especially as they pertain to hostility toward the press, which is on the rise. Utilizing a survey of journalism instructors at ACEJMC-accredited U.S.-based universities, this study explores the state of education on the topics of abuse and safety toward journalists. Data indicate that instructors rarely teach about hostility in the classroom, although most feel efficacious to do so. Moreover, findings indicate an instructor is more likely to teach about hostility toward the press the more they see it as an issue and have encountered it personally as a journalist—particularly women faculty. Implications for these findings are discussed for journalism schools and their curriculum.
“Real News Arrives From Abroad”: Transnational Eyewitnessing in Leonora Raines’ War Correspondence for the New York Evening Sun (1914–1918)
Authors: Fondren Elisabeth
Published: February 2024

This article synthesizes results from historical newspaper analysis and archival research with standpoint epistemology to explore the dynamics of transnational eyewitnessing illustrated by Leonora Raines, a Paris-based American journalist who reported the Great War (1914-1918) for the metropolitan New York Sun. Few World War I military-press histories have explored how female reporters engaged in transnational journalism, harnessing their role as an “outsider within” to produce cross-border stories for audiences dependent on foreign news. Analysis of Raines’ 126 articles, her scrapbook, and records from U.S. and German archives reveal her interactions with foreign sources, military censors, and propaganda across France, the Western Front, and Germany.
Factors Associated With Information Credibility Perceptions: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Ou Mengxue , Ho Shirley S.
Published: February 2024

Research on factors influencing information credibility judgment is increasing, whereas their findings are mixed. This study conducted a meta-analysis of 85 empirical studies, synthesizing the effects of 12 frequently examined source, content, channel, and receiver factors on information credibility perception. Results reveal that message quality, source credibility, and message fluency have large correlations with credibility perception, while other factors show small-to-medium correlations. Personal topic knowledge does not have a significant relationship with credibility perception. Gender composition, information channel, topic, and research method significantly moderate the aggregated relationships. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Verification Behaviors and Countermeasures in the Age of Misinformation
Authors: Chan Michael
Published: February 2024

Across the globe, social media have become dominant channels of communication and news for many citizens. They also provide online spaces where misleading information can exacerbate social cleavages and political differences in societies, which can then lead to deleterious democratic outcomes. Therefore, much work has sought to understand the ways in which the effects of misinformation can be attenuated. This virtual theme collection highlights eight studies that examined the conditions in which individuals would actively verify information as well as the effectiveness of certain countermeasures designed to help individuals discern information veracity.
“We Get Our Healing Through Traditional Ways”: Canadian Indigenous Women's Use of Violence Against Women Shelters, Mainstream Counseling, and Traditional Healing
Authors: Ogden Cindy L. , Tutty Leslie M.
Published: February 2024

We know little about what services are accessed by Indigenous women abused by intimate partners (IPV). This mixed-methods secondary analysis examines the demographics and narratives of 40 Canadian Indigenous women regarding their use of violence against women (VAW) emergency shelters (55%), second-stage VAW shelters (7.5%), mainstream community counseling (70%), and Indigenous healing practices (42.5%). Five women who identified as LGBTQ or two-spirit accessed community services but not VAW shelters. The women had experienced severe IPV, but scored below clinical cut-offs for depression, psychological distress, and PTSD. They described strengths, concerns, and barriers in accessing services. Implications for counselors are presented.
Wiener–Hopf method to solve the anti-plane problem of moving semi-infinite crack in orthotropic composite materials
Authors: Das Shiv Shankar , Tanwar Anshika , Das Subir , Craciun Eduard-Marius
Published: February 2024

This paper contains the solution to the problem of a semi-infinite moving crack situated in an orthotropic strip bonded between two identical strips. The crack moves with a constant velocity, and the surface is under shear wave disturbance. We first examine the equations of elasticity, which include equilibrium equations and stress and displacement constitutive relations with the model-specific continuity and boundary conditions. Using the Fourier integral transform, the standard form for the Wiener–Hopf (W-H) equation is obtained, which is solved using the W-H method. The analytical expressions for the considered crack problem have been obtained for stress intensity factor (SIF), normalized stress intensity factor (NSIF), and stress magnification factor (SMF). The behavior of NSIF has been graphically presented for particular cases of composite materials for different crack propagation velocities and various depth ratios of the strips. The novelty of this paper lies in the analytic solutions using the W-H method for the semi-infinite moving crack problem under the influence of anti-plane shear waves. The pictorial presentations of normalized SIF clearly show their dependency on strip depths, crack propagation velocities and elastic constants.
Backing plate material selection for optimizing joint performance in friction stir welded aluminium honeycomb
Authors: Dutta Ananta , Pal Surjya K , Panda Sushanta K
Published: February 2024

Aluminium honeycomb core is a thin-walled cellular structure extensively used in crash resistance applications in automotive industry. To overcome current challenges in adhesive-bonded honeycomb, new fabrication route using micro friction stir lap welding has been proposed. With a specific energy absorption capacity as high as 28.2 kJ/kg in flatwise impact testing, fabricated honeycomb demonstrated its potential for industrial applications. The structure exhibited no weld cracks or cell wall delamination, unlike adhesive-bonded honeycombs. However, in friction stir welding of thin sheets (0.5 mm), achieving an optimized heat input is challenging due to limited scope for variation in process parameter and tool design. Therefore, control of heat outflow by proper selection of backing plate material is the alternative approach for achieving desirable joint performance. Experiments with backing plates having a range of thermal diffusivities demonstrated that joint produced with mild steel backplate exhibited maximum shear-tensile strength. Conversely, joint with aluminium backplate exhibited poor plastic flow of material. Effective sheet thickness and lap width were predominantly affected by heat accumulation in weld, resulting in different failure modes.
Understanding Households’ Willingness to Pay for Improved Sanitation Services in Benin: A Study Protocol
Authors: Gaffan Nicolas , Kpozehouen Alphonse , Degbey Cyriaque , Ahanhanzo Yolaine Glele , Paraïso Moussiliou Noël
Published: February 2024

Nowadays, in Benin, latrine construction by households highly depends on their financial contributions. However, empirical evidence shows that many households are unwilling to invest in adequate sanitation services. The study aims to determine the household’s willingness to pay for improved sanitation services and the associated factors. The study population will include households lacking unimproved sanitation facilities. The household heads will be eligible for survey participation. We will perform a contingent valuation to determine households’ willingness to pay for a Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrine. Following a description of the surveyed population, we will assess willingness to pay using the ‘ doubleb’ command in Stata. Subsequently, we will conduct multivariate logistic regression to determine the factors associated with willingness to pay. The expected results will be: a description of the basic characteristics of households without improved sanitation services, an estimation of household willingness to pay for VIP latrines using the contingent valuation, and factors associated with household willingness to pay for VIP latrines. This study will contribute to the literature on household demand for improved sanitation services in Benin.
The Utility of 18F-FDG-PET–CT Metabolic Parameters in Evaluating the Primary Tumor Aggressiveness and Lymph Node Metastasis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Yun , Hu Yuxiao , Zhao Shuang , Huang Rong
Published: February 2024

Background:

Following changes in primary tumor (T) and lymph node (N) staging for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in the Eighth Edition AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, simplification of T staging has been proposed. However, a limited range of 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography–computed tomography (18F-FDG PET–CT) metabolic parameters has been investigated. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the primary tumor invasiveness and the lymph node metastasis (LNM) of NPC from a metabolic perspective.

Methods:

A total of 435 NPC patients underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT before treatment were retrospectively examined. The primary endpoint was differences in standard uptake value (SUV), lean body mass-normalized SUV (SUL), body surface area-normalized SUV (SUS), glucose-normalized SUV (GN), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), and glucose-normalized total lesion glycolysis (GNTLG) of primary tumors and LNM between different T and N stages. The metabolic parameters associated with T and N staging were identified.

Results:

There were significant differences between all parameters relative to the primary tumor but no significant differences in any parameter relative to the LNM and T stages. Higher mean values of TGNmax, TGNmean, TSUVpeak, and TSUSmax were associated with advanced T stages. Higher mean values of all the LNM parameters were associated with more advanced N stages. Only primary tumor metabolic tumor volume (TMTV), TSUVpeak, TSULmax, and TSUSmax showed a significant positive association with T staging, while lymph node metabolic tumor volume (LNMTV) and TSUSmax were significantly positive in N staging.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest that metabolic parameters are useful indicators of tumor invasiveness and LNM based on the Eighth Edition manual. Compared with volume-dependent parameters, TGNmax, TGNmean, TSUVpeak, and TSUSmax may be better indicators of local tumor aggressiveness. SUSmax of the primary tumor was associated with LNM. In addition to SUVmax, other metabolic parameters (eg, SULmax, SUSmax, GNmax, and GNmean) could evaluate tumor aggressiveness and LNM better.
Interleukins and Psoriasis
Authors: Zhu Qi , Zhao Linna , Ding Haining , Song Jingna , Zhang Qin , Yu Shuhua , Wang Yi , Wang Hongmei
Published: February 2024

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects 2% to 3% of the world’s population. It is widely assumed that immune cells and cytokines acting together play a crucial part in the pathophysiology of psoriasis by promoting the excessive proliferation of skin keratinocytes and inflammatory infiltration. Interleukins (ILs), as a critical component of cytokines, have been closely associated with the pathogenesis and progression of psoriasis. This review summarizes the current contribution of ILs to psoriasis and describes the role each IL performs in psoriasis. Furthermore, the paper presents the therapeutic effects and application prospects of biologics developed for ILs in clinical treatment and experiments. The study aims to further the research on ILs in the treatment of psoriasis.
Verrulyse Methionine® as Monotherapy in Children and Adolescents With Common Warts
Authors: Friedland Rivka , Renert-Yuval Yael , Solomon-Cohen Efrat , Reiss-Huss Shiran , Ben Amitai Dan
Published: February 2024

Background:

Common cutaneous non-genital viral warts are a common skin infection with significant morbidity in the pediatric population. Although various therapeutics are available, many of them necessitate recurrent patient visits and may be associated with significant irritation and pain. Verrulyse Methionine® (VM), a nutritional supplement, was previously suggested as a non-invasive treatment option for the disease.

Objective:

To assess the response to oral VM supplement as a monotherapy in a cohort of children and adolescents with multiple, non-genital viral warts after failing previous treatments.

Methods:

We reviewed medical records of pediatric patients (<18 y/o) with viral warts treated with VM between 2010 and 2021.

Results:

Among 25 patients with multiple verrucae vulgaris lesions who failed previous treatments, 14 (56%) had complete or almost-complete response to VM within 4 months, after an average of 18 months of active disease prior to VM treatment initiation. None of the 4 patients with verruca plana had response to VM treatment. Favourable cosmetic results were found in responders, and no adverse events were recorded.

Conclusion:

Response rates in our cohort are comparable to those reported in the literature for destructive local therapeutics for viral warts. Thus, our data suggest that VM may be considered for children with multiple verrucae vulgaris, providing a painless and non-invasive therapeutic option for this common disease.
Xenophobia in the context of African worldviews: A synopsis of the Nigerian situation
Authors: Olonisakin Tosin Tunrayo , Adebayo Sulaiman Olanrewaju
Published: February 2024

This paper examines the phenomenon of xenophobia in Africa. The manifestation of xenophobia was explored within the tenets of the terror management theory which links existential concerns to the development of worldviews that help to make sense of life vagaries. We put forward that colonialism impacted the African worldview of collectivism and human connectedness and contributed to a worldview of the world as a dangerous place. The authors largely situate xenophobic attitudes of Africans toward Africans within the colonial experience which promoted ethnic discord and influenced the perception and receptivity toward strangers. The value of collectivism in pre-colonial and post-colonial African societies was compared to demonstrate the impact of colonialism. Furthermore, a synopsis of ethnic politics as a legacy of colonialism in Nigeria was provided. The authors conclude by emphasizing the importance of giving recognition to ethnic identity as one approach to managing xenophobic attitudes toward co-nationals in African countries.
Mortality risk among Autistic children and young people: A nationwide birth cohort study
Authors: Vu Hien , Bowden Nicholas , Gibb Sheree , Audas Richard , Dacombe Joanne , McLay Laurie , Sporle Andrew , Stace Hilary , Taylor Barry , Thabrew Hiran , Theodore Reremoana , Tupou Jessica , Schluter Philip J
Published: February 2024

Autism has been associated with increased mortality risk among adult populations, but little is known about the mortality risk among children and young people (0–24 years). We used a 15-year nationwide birth cohort study using linked health and non-health administrative data to estimate the mortality risk among Autistic children and young people in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Time-to-event analysis was used to determine the association between autism and mortality, controlling for sex, age, ethnicity, deprivation and rurality of residence. The participant population included 895,707 children of whom 11,919 (1.4%) were identified as Autistic. Autism was associated with a significantly higher mortality risk (hazard ratio = 2.35; 95% confidence interval = 1.80–3.06) compared to the general population. In addition, using stratified analyses, we found that this risk was significantly higher among females (hazard ratio = 5.40; 95% confidence interval = 3.42–8.52) compared to males (hazard ratio = 1.82; 95% confidence interval = 1.32–2.52). We also determined that among Autistic young people, mortality risk was significantly higher for those with a co-occurring intellectual disability (hazard ratio = 2.02; 95% confidence interval = 1.17–3.46). In this study, autism was associated with higher mortality in children and young people compared to the non-Autistic population. Increased efforts are required to better meet the health needs of this population.

Lay abstract

Existing literature indicates that Autistic people have shorter life expectancy, but little is known about the mortality risk among Autistic children and young people (0–24 years). We used a 15-year nationwide birth cohort study to estimate the mortality risk among Autistic children and young people in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The study included 895,707 children and 11,919 (1.4%) were Autistic. We found that autism was associated with a significantly higher mortality risk compared to the non-Autistic population. In addition, we found that this risk was significantly higher among females compared to males and for those with a co-occurring intellectual disability. Increased efforts are required to better meet the health needs of this population.
Social zeitgeber and sleep loss as risk factors for suicide in American Indian adolescents
Authors: Ehlers Cindy L. , Gilder David A. , Benedict Jessica , Wills Derek N. , Phillips Evie , Gonzales Cathy , Karriker-Jaffe Katherine J. , Bernert Rebecca A.
Published: February 2024

American Indians / Alaska Natives (AI/AN) bear a high burden of suicide, the reasons for which are not completely understood, and rates can vary by tribal group and location. This article aims to identify circumstances reported by a community group of American Indian adolescent participants to be associated with their depression and/or suicide. American Indian adolescents (n  =  360) were recruited from contiguous reservations and were assessed with a semi-structured diagnostic interview. Twenty percent of the adolescents reported suicidal thoughts (ideation, plans), an additional 8% reported a history of suicide attempts, and three deaths due to suicide were reported. Suicidal behaviors and major depressive disorder (MDD) co-occurred and were more common among female adolescents. The distressing events that adolescents most often reported were: death in the family, family disruption, peer relationship problems, and school problems. All of these events were significantly associated with suicidal behaviors, however those with suicidal acts were more likely to report death in the family. Those with MDD but no suicidal behaviors were more likely to report disruptions in the family. Disruptions in falling asleep were also associated with suicidal behaviors and having experienced a death in the family. Disruptions in important relationships, particularly through death or divorce, may be interpreted as a loss or disruption in “social zeitgebers” that may in turn disturb biological rhythms, such as sleep, thus potentially increase the risk for MDD and/or suicide. Prevention programs aimed at ameliorating the impact of disruptions in important relationships may potentially reduce suicidal behaviors in AI/AN adolescents.
Queer occultism, sentimental biopower, and becoming ‘bottoms’ as a means to divest from white supremacy among practitioners of magic in Montréal
Authors: Sheedy Sydney
Published: February 2024

Astrology, magic, and other psychic healing practices are undergoing a cultural revival, notably among those on the Left who employ it as a language for social justice. Queer practitioners have claimed kinship with the occult through a perceived shared abjection, deeming it an inherently queer resource for self- and community empowerment, and naming anti-racism and decolonization key aims of their work. At the same time, these forms of occultism draw suspicion, not least among practitioners themselves, who are critical of the ways these knowledge traditions have been complicit in ‘spiritual genocide’. Drawing from ethnographic fieldwork with 30 informants in Montréal in 2022, I investigate the occult’s appeal among queer people as a process of affective expansion, wherein practitioners attune to heretofore repressed lifeways, knowledges and worlds that machineries of empire have rendered invisible. If contemporary occult movements represent a turning towards putatively repressed modalities that may rival those which we have otherwise inherited, queer informants claim a special relationship to these objects through a framework of sensitivity that magic allows them to workshop. Theorizing the occult as a biopolitical affect regime, I argue that informants ironically invest in historically racialized language of impressibility as indexes of social health at the same time that they locate queerness, rather than whiteness, as a conduit for that affective expansion. I argue that white informants demonstrate a particular anxiety about how to learn to become open to this otherwise, positing ‘bottoming’ as a spiritual and political imperative to become receptive to forms of accountability, reparations and solidarity. How does the occult represent an attempt to build capacity for receptivity among participants, and how do they link this capacity to the healing of white supremacy and decolonization?
Does being ‘left behind’ corrode government legitimacy? Tax morale and economic stress
Authors: Bowler Shaun , Johns Rob
Published: February 2024

By now we are familiar with studies which tie being ‘left behind’ to voter support for populist or other extreme views. In the UK case, this is seen in support for Brexit but can also apply to support of parties such as UKIP (e.g. Bolet, 2021; Ford and Goodwin, 2014). Comparative studies show that electoral support for populist parties in part reflects lowered trust in mainstream politics (e.g. Geurkink et al., 2020; Keefer et al., 2021; Mauk, 2020), which is seen as a behavioural indicator of slipping legitimacy. Political support for populist movements is interpreted as declining legitimacy of existing governments, and that decline is seen as being tied to economic stress and the ‘left behind’ areas. In this article, we ask whether economics stresses also have impact upon another and possibly more direct measure of government legitimacy – tax morale.
Rock anchor hanger effect on single-tower earth-anchored suspension bridge mechanical performance: An analytical model and multi-objective golden eagle optimization
Authors: Chen Yu-peng , Zhang Wen-ming
Published: February 2024

The application of a composite saddle in single-tower earth-anchored suspension bridges (STEASBs) replaces the tower on the steep slope side, which is a cost-effective solution that improves bridge safety and provides environmental protection for the steep bank slope of the valley. However, this novel bridge design needs an appropriate model to evaluate the effect of rock anchor hangers on the structure in the non-girder area and adjust their parameters to optimize the mechanical response of the whole bridge structure. This study proposes an approach to quickly evaluate the most unfavorable load cases of the STEASB and further optimizes the structural parameters of rock anchor hangers to enhance structural safety. An analytical model for the STEASBs under the live load is proposed and verified by the finite element model (FEM), with the maximum relative error not exceeding 7.37%. Combined with the golden eagle optimizer (GEO), the most unfavorable load cases of the corresponding design indices are yielded. The Pareto optimal solutions for the spacing, cross-sectional area, and initial tension of the vertical rock anchor hangers are obtained through multi-objective optimization to improve the mechanical behavior of STEASBs. In addition, it is clarified that the main function of rock anchor hangers is to reduce the peak value of the stress amplitude of the hangers and girder-end rotation, providing a theoretical basis for the STEASB design.
A numerical analysis of hydrotreated vegetable oil and dimethoxymethane (OME1) blends combustion and pollutant formation through the development of a reduced reaction mechanism
Authors: García-Oliver José M , Novella Ricardo , Micó Carlos , Bin-Khalid Usama , Lopez-Pintor Dario
Published: February 2024

The solution to the dilemma of carbon footprint of internal combustion engines and pollutant emissions is necessary for the survival of this technology. In this context, alternative fuels have shown great potential in terms of achieving cleaner combustion and compliance with ever increasing pollutant emissions regulations. This work is focused on the study of two promising alternative fuels as Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), which is a biofuel and Dimethoxymethane also termed as OME1, which is an e-fuel. A comprehensive numerical approach has been followed to study these fuels. Primarily a compact reaction mechanism having 121 species and 678 reactions has been developed which can be utilized to perform 3D CFD simulations of blends of these fuels. Secondly, a detailed numerical investigation including combustion and emissions analysis has been carried out. Results show that the developed mechanism is able to offer predictions, which match the experimental behavior observed in various combustion parameters and thus can be utilized for compression ignition engine applications involving these promising fuels. In addition, the numerical analysis also highlights that a reduction of 50% and 37% in terms soot and NOx emissions respectively can be achieved by addition of 30% OME1 in the blend containing HVO, suggesting that these blends can be utilized in unmodified CI engines to break the soot-NOx tradeoff without significantly penalizing the energy loss.
Investigations on the applicability of machine learning algorithms to optimize biodiesel composition for improved engine fuel properties
Authors: Bukkarapu Kiran Raj , Krishnasamy Anand
Published: February 2024

Selecting suitable biodiesel for the intended application is challenging due to the significant variations in the feedstock for producing biodiesel. The available models to predict biodiesel properties have limited applicability and reliability. The present work addresses these two challenges by developing reliable models based on machine learning algorithms for predicting engine fuel properties of biodiesel and optimizing biodiesel composition for better fuel properties. The models are developed using multilinear regression (MLR), artificial neural networks (ANN), support vector machine regression with grid search (SVMGS), Bayesian optimization (SVMBO) and grey-wolf optimization (SVMGWO) for hyperparameter tuning, Gaussian process regression (GPR), random forest (RF), and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) algorithms. The models are trained to predict viscosity, cetane number, and calorific value from 13 methyl ester constituents of 70 biodiesels. SVMGS models predicted the viscosity, cetane number, and calorific value of 33 validation samples with a mean absolute percentage error of 1.54%, 1%, and 0.43%. Biodiesel composition was optimized to minimize viscosity and maximize cetane number and calorific value. The optimized composition exhibits 3.72 cSt viscosity, 57 cetane number, and 43 MJ/kg calorific value, which can be prepared by blending 68% ± 1% camelina and 32% ± 1% coconut oil. Applying machine learning algorithms to predict biodiesel properties yielded more accurate predictions than available models. It helped find the optimal composition for improved engine characteristics.
Coupled effect of injection position variation on gas exchange stability of a free-piston engine
Authors: He Lei , Wang Li , Yuan Chenheng
Published: February 2024

Gas exchange fluctuations may lead to operation instability of the free-piston engine (FPE), because the engine has a coupling effect between the gas exchange and the piston motion, which is different from a conventional engine. It is, therefore, important to study the gas exchange instability to ensure the stable operation of the engine. This study focuses the effect of variable piston position when injecting on the gas exchange stability of a looped scavenging FPE, and a systematic full-cycle gas exchange model is presented by developing a dynamic model, a combustion model, and a multidimensional scavenging model. Meanwhile, an iterative method between motion and scavenging is used to solve the model numerically for gas exchange simulation, and the effects of variable piston position when injecting on piston motion, thermodynamic in cylinder, and gas exchange process are studied. The results indicate that retarding injection induces instability of gas exchange duration which first increases and then decreases, and there is an injection position which is most conducive to the increase of capture efficiency of gas exchange, although the scavenging efficiency is lowest under this condition. This result also suggests that more complete exhaust may be achieved by a different injection position.
Performance assessment of aluminum chips in reduced-scale friction for developing copper-free elastomer-modified friction composites
Authors: Ghosh Prosenjit
Published: February 2024

This research paper investigates the frictional and thermomechanical properties of a copper (Cu) free non-asbestos organic (NAO) composite for developing brake friction material for automotive/railway applications. Reduced-scale brake composites were manufactured and tested in a pin on disc tribometer. The effect of aluminum (Al) chips on the dry sliding wear behavior of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) modified phenolic resin-based reduced-scale friction composites was investigated. Other common ingredients of friction materials like fiber, filler, and friction modifiers were not included to get the specific effect of Al on the various properties of the composites. Four composites were prepared with varying Al content, for example, 25, 50, 75, and 100 phr (parts per hundred resins). The average COF increases by ∼70% for 75 phr Al loaded composite (optimum composition) compared to the base composite (devoid of Al). However, mechanical properties, such as hardness and flexure strength, decrease with increasing phr of Al, although compressive strength does not change significantly. The optimum composite exhibits the lowest specific wear rate among Al chips loaded composites. The optimum composite also shows nearly three times improvement in thermal conductivity compared to the base composite. The wear behavior of the composites has been analyzed from the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images.
Effects of air gap and compression on the dual performance of multilayer thermal protective clothing under low radiant heat
Authors: Rui Ke , He Jiazhen , Xin Meiyan , Chen Zhongwei , Guan Jinping
Published: February 2024

An air gap in thermal protective clothing (TPC) plays an important role in determining heat transfer, but it may also increase the amount of stored thermal energy that would discharge to the skin after exposure, especially when the TPC suffers compression. To investigate the effect of air gap and compression on the dual thermal protective performance (TPP), thermal hazardous performance (THP) and overall thermal protective performance (OTPP) of TPC, nine air gap configurations with different sizes and positions and five compression levels were designed in this study. Regression models were established to explore the relationships among air gap size, compression and THP for different air gap positions. The results demonstrate that increasing the air gap size without exceeding 12 mm not only significantly enhances the TPP by impeding heat transfer from the heat source to the fabric system during exposure but also decreases the THP by reducing heat discharge from the fabric system to the sensor even when compression is applied. Although an inner air gap contributes more to increasing the TPP during exposure than an outer air gap, it may also bring about severe stored energy discharge when compression is applied. It suggests that a larger air gap size should be divided into individually separate air gaps within different fabric layers to reduce the heat transfer during exposure as well as lower the stored thermal energy discharge after exposure.
Oxygen Therapy to Enhance Wound Healing After Revascularization
Authors: Chinaroonchai Kusuma
Published: February 2024

Oxygen is one of the important factors for wound healing and infection control. The revascularization procedure is amended to correct the tissue hypoxia problem by increasing the blood flow to obtain an adequate amount of oxygen. Hypoxic wounds are still the issue in the cases of unsuccessful or incomplete revascularization. The issue needs to be clarified and confirmed by proper methods for management to achieve wound healing and prevent limb loss. Oxygen therapy may benefit in the case of remaining hypoxia or wound infection in postrevascularization.
The Evolution of Social Network Analysis in Public Administration
Authors: Xiao Yu , Si Yutong , Guo Yue
Published: February 2024

Despite the importance of social network analysis (SNA) in public administration, comprehensive reviews on this topic are rare. This study aims to fill this gap by focusing on the application of SNA in network research within public administration. This research analyzes 144 empirical papers from top public administration journals (January 1997–January 2022), utilizing bibliometric and content analyses. The study identifies social capital, the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), the ecology of games framework, and resource dependence theory as the predominant theoretical foundations of SNA. The primary focus of these works is on collective action problems and public service delivery, with a trend towards the integration and comparison of theories. Through content analysis, we find a notable shift in SNA application from descriptive analysis to network inference, predominantly using Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs). It also reveals the growing significance of network visualization in SNA. The study concludes with potential future directions for SNA in public administration, highlighting its evolving role and significance.
Spatial Decoding for Gaze Independent Brain–Computer Interface Based on Covert Visual Attention Shift Using Electroencephalography
Authors: Chugh Nupur , Aggarwal Swati
Published: February 2024

The gaze-independent brain–computer interface (BCI) device is used to re-establish interaction for individuals who have abnormal eye movement. It may be possible to control the BCI by shifting your attention spatially. However, spatial attention is rarely employed to increase the effectiveness of target detection and is typically used to provide a simple “yes” or “no” response to the target recognition inquiry. To improve the effectiveness of detecting target, it is crucial to take advantage of the possible advantages of spatial attention. N2-posterior-contralateral (N2pc) component reflects correlates of visual spatial attention and is used to determine target position. In this study, a long-short-term memory (LSTM) network is used to answer “yes/no” questions by decoding covert spatial attention based on N2pc characteristics using EEG signals. The proposed LSTM-based model's average decoding accuracy is 92.79%. The target detection efficiency was successfully increased by about 4% when compared to conventional machine learning algorithms. The proposed model is tested on the independent dataset to validate its performance. The results of this work show that N2pc characteristics can be employed in gaze-independent BCIs for tracking covert attention shifts, which may help persons with poor eye mobility to connect with their environment.
Thermo-promoted annulation of arylboronic acids with anthranils under catalyst-free conditions: Access to acridines
Authors: Jiang Jing , Xie Peng , Gao Yue , Wu Chenqi , Song Jingcheng
Published: February 2024

Acridine derivatives have exhibited great application prospects in organic photovoltaic devices. An efficient and atomically economical synthetic method was developed for the production of acridines from anthranils using arylboronic acids. This protocol features no catalysts, good functional group tolerance, and operational simplicity. This catalyst-free process afforded various acridines in moderate to good yields, providing an efficient platform for the investigation of untapped reactions at high temperatures.
Strategic manoeuvring of argumentation in Chinese corporate public relations discourses
Authors: Wu Nan , Qian Yubin
Published: February 2024

Undertaking chairmen’s letters as data, the article discusses strategic manoeuvring of argumentation in Chinese corporate public relations discourses from the perspectives of topical potential, audience demand and presentational devices. Popular topics chosen were explored, including corporate commerciality, legitimation, entrepreneurship and approachability. Additionally, argumentation move structure and schemes such as symptomatic argument, analogy argument and causal argument were analysed. Inference modes undertaking priori, empirical and evaluative knowledge to respond to audiences’ rational, credibility and affective appeals were investigated. Presentational devices including allusion, metaphor and hypallage were also discussed. These findings were attributed to institutional and social-cultural contexts of the discourse. Hopefully, the study can enhance the explanatory power and applicability of the Pragma-Dialectics in corporate discourse studies and facilitate the research on Chinese corporate communication in general.
Remembering for the future: Feminicide literary narratives and the formation of feminist collective subjects
Authors: Forchieri Sofía
Published: February 2024

Over the past three decades, transnational feminist activist movements in Latin America have been struggling to construct collective subject positions from where to remember, bear witness to, and rally against feminicide. This article explores literature’s contribution to this broader process of feminist collective subjectivity formation. It does so by means of a reading of two recent yet already emblematic feminicide narratives in literature: Selva Almada’s Dead Girls and Cristina Rivera Garza’s Liliana’s Invincible Summer. The article starts by making a case for the importance of attending to the rhetorical dimensions of contemporary literary engagements with feminicide to better understand how they mobilize memory with a view to enabling political change. Subsequently, the analysis shows how, in the process of commemorating gender violence, Almada and Rivera Garza tactically interpellate readers into communities of feminicide remembrance with the aim of bolstering ongoing feminist struggles against gender violence.
Development and validation of a nomogram for Siewert II esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma: a retrospective analysis
Authors: Jin Tao , Li Ze-Dong , Chen Ze-Hua , He Feng-Jun , Chen Zheng-Wen , Liang Pan-Ping , Hu Jian-Kun , Yang Kun
Published: February 2024

Background:

Due to the complex histological type and anatomical structures, there has been considerable debate on the classification of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG), especially Siewert II AEG. Furthermore, neither the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 7th tumor–node–metastasis (TNM) [esophageal adenocarcinoma (E) or gastric cancer (G)] nor the AJCC 8th TNM (E or G) accurately predicted the prognosis of patients with Siewert II AEG.

Objective:

This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the survival and prognosis of patients with Siewert II AEG and establish a new and better prognostic predictive model.

Design:

A retrospective study.

Methods:

Patients with Siewert II AEG, retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) databases, were assigned to the training set. Patients retrieved from a single tertiary medical center were assigned to the external validation set. Significant variables were selected using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to construct the nomogram. Nomogram models were assessed using the concordance index (C-index), a calibration plot, decision curve analysis (DCA), and external validation.

Results:

Age, tumor grade, and size, as well as the T, N, and M stages, were included in the nomograms. For the SEER training set, the C-index of the nomogram was 0.683 (0.665–0.701). The C-index of the nomogram for the external validation set was 0.690 (0.653–0.727). The calibration curve showed good agreement between the nomogram estimations and actual observations in both the training and external validation sets. The DCA showed that the nomogram was clinically useful.

Conclusion:

The new predictive model showed significant accuracy in predicting the prognosis of Siewert II AEG.
Preventing of nonunion in congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia cases of Crawford Type I and II through the use of allograft bypass and a brace: Midterm findings
Authors: Dong Chao , Li Chengxiang , Brückner Ute , Hellmich Hermann , Krieg Andreas H
Published: February 2024

Background:

Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia is a limb deformity, which can be distressing for the affected patients and the pediatric orthopedic surgeons involved. We hypothesized that the modified McFarland procedure would avoid fractures and even have a corrective effect on the affected tibia in congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia patients. Toward this end, we evaluated the midterm results of treating congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia patients of Crawford Type I and II with allograft bypass combined with long-term bracing.

Methods:

This study retrospectively evaluated 7 patients with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia who were treated with allograft bypass combined with long-term bracing between 2009 and 2018. The median follow-up was 7.0 years (range 3.8–10.0 years). The medical records and radiographs were reviewed for demographic data, clinical characteristics, outcomes, and complications.

Results:

At the time of the last follow-up, all allografts revealed complete consolidation in the patients’ tibiae at both ends. All patients presented no functional restriction of the lower limbs and no amputation or non-union has occurred. Most of the obvious deformities of the tibia diaphysis or ankle joint were corrected. Two complications occurred that required successful revision surgery.

Conclusion:

In this series of seven congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia patients, the allograft bypass technique showed satisfactory midterm results and validated our hypothesis. For congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia patients of Crawford Type I and II, this procedure combined with long-term bracing, which involves the affected leg only, can delay or possibly prevent fractures, decrease tibial malalignment, and preserve leg length.

Level of evidence:

level IV.
Predictors of Running-Related Injury Among Recreational Runners: A Prospective Cohort Study of the Role of Perfectionism, Mental Toughness, and Passion in Running
Authors: Naderi Aynollah , Alizadeh Nasrin , Calmeiro Luis , Degens Hans
Published: February 2024

Background:

The health benefits associated with recreational running are challenged by the occurrence of running-related injuries (RRIs). Effective preventive measures require knowledge of sport injury etiology. Psychological factors such as perfectionism, mental toughness, and passion are believed to predispose to sports injury by influencing training behaviors, motivation to run, and suppression of feelings of fatigue and pain. Yet their association with RRIs are understudied.

Hypothesis:

Perfectionism, mental toughness, and passion predict an increased risk of RRIs in recreational runners.

Study Design:

Prospective cohort study.

Level of Evidence:

Level 3.

Methods:

A total of 143 recreational runners (age 34.9 ± 13.9 years, 37% women) with a response rate of 76.5% answered an online questionnaire about their characteristics, running behaviors, and psychological variables (perfectionism, mental toughness, and running passion) as well as a sports injury survey. Then, as a primary outcome, RRIs were recorded biweekly for 6 months. The incidence of injuries was expressed as RRI per 1000 hours of running. The association between predictive factors and RRIs was estimated using logistic regression.

Results:

The incidence of RRIs during follow-up was 5.16 per 1000 hours of running. The knee was the location injured most often (26.4%), followed by the foot (18.9%) and lower leg (13.2%). Higher obsessive passion (OP) for running (odds ratio [OR], 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04-1.20) and perfectionistic concerns (OR, 1.22; CI,1.05-1.41) were associated with a greater risk of RRIs, as were previous injury (OR, 2.49; CI,1.10-5.70), weekly running distance (OR,1.10; CI, 1.03-1.16), and both supinated (OR, 4.51; CI, 1.11-18.30) and pronated (OR, 3.55; CI, 1.29-9.80) foot type. Following a running schedule (OR, 0.24; CI, 0.09-0.66) was associated with a lower risk of RRIs.

Conclusion:

History of previous RRI, pronated and supinated foot type, weekly running distance, perfectionistic concerns, and OP increased RRI risk in recreational runners. Following a running schedule was a protective factor.

Clinical Relevance:

Multiple factors, including runners’ psychological characteristics, predict RRIs. These findings can inform the development of injury risk management strategies.