bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Important factors in the tracking of tropical cyclones in operational models
Authors: Marchok Timothy
Published: June 2021

Multiple configurations of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory vortex tracker are tested to determine a setup that produces the best representation of a model forecast tropical cyclone center fix for the purpose of providing track guidance with the highest degree of accuracy and availability. Details of the tracking algorithms are provided, including descriptions of both the Barnes analysis used for center-fixing most variables and a separate scheme used for center-fixing wind circulation. The tracker is tested by running multiple configurations on all storms from the 2015-2017 hurricane seasons in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific Basins using forecasts from two operational National Weather Service models, the Global Forecast System (GFS) and the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecast (HWRF) model. A configuration that tracks only 850 mb geopotential height has the smallest forecast track errors of any configuration based on an individual parameter. However, a configuration composed of the mean of eleven parameters outperforms any of the configurations that are based on individual parameters. Configurations composed of subsets of the eleven parameters and including both mass and momentum variables provide results comparable to or better than the full 11-parameter configuration. In particular, a subset configuration with thickness variables excluded generally outperforms the 11-parameter mean, while one composed of variables from only the 850 mb and near-surface layers performs nearly as well as the 11-parameter mean. Tracker configurations composed of multiple variables are more reliable in providing guidance through the end of a forecast period than are tracker configurations based on individual parameters.
The Role of Planetary-Scale Eddies on the Recent Isentropic Slope Trend during Boreal Winter
Authors: Park Mingyu , Lee Sukyoung
Published: June 2021

According to baroclinic adjustment theory, the isentropic slope maintains its marginal state for baroclinic instability. However, the recent trend of Arctic warming raises the possibility that there could have been a systematic change in the extratropical isentropic slope. In this study, global reanalysis data are used to investigate this possibility. The result shows that tropospheric isentropes north of 50°N have been flattening significantly during winter for the recent 25 years. This trend pattern fluctuates at intraseasonal time scales. An examination of the temporal evolution indicates that it is the planetary-scale (zonal wavenumbers-1–3) eddy heat fluxes, not the synoptic-scale eddy heat fluxes, that flatten the isentropes; synoptic-scale eddy heat fluxes instead respond to the subsequent changes in isentropic slope. This extratropical planetary-scale wave growth is preceded by an enhanced zonal asymmetry of tropical heating and poleward wave activity vectors. A numerical model is used to test if the observed latent heating can generate the observed isentropic slope anomalies. The result shows that the tropical heating indeed contributes to the isentropic slope trend. The agreement between the model solution and the observation improves substantially if extratropical latent heating is also included in the forcing. The model temperature response shows a pattern resembling the warm-Arctic–cold-continent pattern. From these results, it is concluded that the recent flattening trend of isentropic slope north of 50°N is mostly caused by planetary-scale eddy activities generated from latent heating, and that this change is accompanied by a warm-Arctic–cold-continent pattern that permeates the entire troposphere.
From artistic consecration to degradation: The case of Sven Hassel
Authors: Želinský Dominik , Smith Philip , Simonsen Sandra
Published: June 2021

Sociologists often neglect aesthetic and moral factors in explaining the rise and fall of artists’ reputations. Their focus has often been on more ostentatiously “sociological” variables such as politics, networks, organizations, and power. In this study we make central a pollution dynamic and explore the overlooked phenomenon of “literary degradation.” We identify two pathways—the downward aesthetic and downward moral classification. We exemplify both these pathways on the case of the Danish writer known as Sven Hassel, once an acclaimed new writer compared to Hemingway in the 1950s. Yet by the 1970s his books were generally seen as militaristic pulp flirting with Nazi sympathies. We show the forces of degradation are divergently activated according to context.
Navigating Student Motherhood in a Precarious Urban Context: Perspectives from Higher Education in Uganda
Authors: Kakuru Doris M.
Published: June 2021

This paper reports findings of a study on young mothers living in Uganda’s poor urban areas which have been politically labeled as informal settlements and therefore not eligible for social services delivery. Although 59% of all school dropouts in Uganda are due to young motherhood, the national education policy, and practice automatically exclude young mothers. Past studies on student motherhood addressed student mothers of all ages, and were not focused on poor urban communities. The qualitative study involved young female participants enrolled in institutions of higher learning aged, between the 17 and 25 and investigated the magnitude of their marginalization and exclusion. Study participants were purposively selected using snowball technique. Data were collected using life history interviews and observation. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and thematic analysis was done. The key themes are the context of urban poverty and student motherhood, lack of counseling services, poor law enforcement, and abandonment. The paper discusses how the young women navigate motherhood and education, thereby advancing the discourse on student motherhood in precarious educational contexts of urban poverty.
Interconnected bureaucracies? Comparing online and offline networks during global climate negotiations
Authors: Goritz Alexandra , Jörgens Helge , Kolleck Nina
Published: June 2021

Measuring the influence of international public administrations has traditionally been conducted with ‘offline’ data, using interviews, surveys or official documents. However, an emerging strand of the literature argues that influence can also be observed ‘online’, with data based on online social networks, such as Twitter. Our contribution aims at bringing these two strands closer together. We triangulate offline data from a large-N survey with online data from Twitter to examine to what extent they provide distinct theoretical and methodological insights into the role of international public administrations in global governance. As a case study, we use the policy area of global climate governance, an issue area where the influence of international public administrations has raised increasing scholarly interest. Our findings show that international public administrations occupy potentially influential positions in both ‘offline’ and ‘online’ networks. They are more often central actors in the survey network than in Twitter network, but in both networks, they constitute the primary source of issue-specific information.

Points for practitioners

First, online social networks provide practitioners with opportunities to connect and interact with other political actors and help shape public discourse through communication. Second, online social networks provide important forums for societal actors who aim to protect global public goods. Third, online social networks offer actors the opportunity to shape values and norms, and to persuade persons or organizations beyond one’s own circle. Therefore, it is particularly important that online communication strategies are carefully designed and implemented in view of their potential power.
The Age-Graded Consequences of Justice System Involvement for Mental Health
Authors: Powell Kathleen
Published: June 2021

Objectives:

Drawing on the life course and social stress perspectives, this paper examines age variation in the mental health consequences of justice system involvement by assessing arrest, conviction, or incarceration as possible age-graded stressors that amplify harm at younger ages of involvement.

Methods:

Individual fixed effect regression models utilizing National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1997) data test whether age moderates the mental health impact of arrest, conviction, or incarceration. Follow-up analyses for moderated associations compute and compare age-specific relationships to identify differences in the significance and magnitude of mental health consequences for contacts spanning late adolescence, emerging adulthood, and adulthood.

Results:

The incarceration-mental health relationship is moderated by age, as significant harms to mental health are exclusively observed following secure confinement in late adolescence (ages 16–17) and emerging adulthood (18–24), but not in adulthood (25–33). The lack of moderation between arrest and mental health indicates a universally harmful experience at all ages.

Conclusions:

Evidence supports conceptualizing incarceration as an age-graded social stressor that is correlated with pronounced harm to mental health during late adolescence and emerging adulthood. Future research should identify the mechanisms of this unique stress response following earlier incarcerations and its long-term salience for processes of cumulative disadvantage.
Exploring strategic perspectives on the Special Constabulary
Authors: Callender Matthew , Britton Iain , Knight Laura
Published: June 2021

This article explores senior and strategic perspectives on the volunteer Special Constabulary in England and Wales, based on 38 interviews with senior police leaders. The strategic context and leadership of Special Constabularies represents an overlooked element of police leadership, given the scale and potential of volunteer officers to impact upon policing delivery and reform. The paper identifies tension between a traditional strategic paradigm that frames bounded expectations of the role of Special Constables, emphasising differences between them and their paid counterparts, and considerations of police reform which prompt different thinking in respect of practice, identity and integration of volunteer officers.
Disparity between scientific accomplishment and biotechnology availability in Brazil
Authors: Braz Lucia Maria Almeida , Tahmasebi Roozbeh , da Costa Antonio Charlys , Witkin Steven S
Published: June 2021

Despite being among the world’s leaders in scientific output, Brazil ranks 66th among countries in the production of reagents and supplies needed for state-of-the-art scientific analyses. The production of needed reagents and equipment for experimental analyses and patient diagnostics is sorely lacking within Brazil and explicit in this pandemic period caused by SARS-CoV-2. A significant fraction of resources from Brazilian funding agencies is now being transferred to companies in other countries for the purchase of essential scientific-related products. Is this sustainable? Therefore it is necessary to draw the attention of all the world and Brazilian society about this situation
An Evolutionary Perspective in Tourism: The Role of Socioeconomic Status on Extremeness Aversion in Travel Decision Making
Authors: Kim Jungkeun , Giroux Marilyn , Park Jooyoung , Lee Jacob C.
Published: June 2021

The present research investigates a novel relationship between travelers’ childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and travel decision-making. We theorize that travelers from lower childhood SES or resource-scarce/unpredictable environments are more likely to avoid extreme options in a choice set. Five studies consistently show that childhood SES is negatively associated with extremeness aversion in diverse travel choices. We also demonstrate that the general risk tendency mediates the relationship between childhood SES and extremeness aversion in travel decision making (studies 3A and 3B). Lastly, we reveal that childhood SES is more likely to predict extremeness aversion when a choice set involves a quality–price trade-off rather than a quality–quality trade-off (study 4). This research introduces evolutionary aspects to explain pervasive behavioral tendencies in the context of travel and tourism and offers new insights to practitioners.
Wdfy3 regulates glycophagy, mitophagy, and synaptic plasticity
Authors: Napoli Eleonora , Panoutsopoulos Alexios A , Kysar Patricia , Satriya Nathaniel , Sterling Kira , Shibata Bradley , Imai Denise , Ruskin David N , Zarbalis Konstantinos S , Giulivi Cecilia
Published: June 2021

Autophagy is essential to cell function, as it enables the recycling of intracellular constituents during starvation and in addition functions as a quality control mechanism by eliminating spent organelles and proteins that could cause cellular damage if not properly removed. Recently, we reported on Wdfy3’s role in mitophagy, a clinically relevant macroautophagic scaffold protein that is linked to intellectual disability, neurodevelopmental delay, and autism spectrum disorder. In this study, we confirm our previous report that Wdfy3 haploinsufficiency in mice results in decreased mitophagy with accumulation of mitochondria with altered morphology, but expanding on that observation, we also note decreased mitochondrial localization at synaptic terminals and decreased synaptic density, which may contribute to altered synaptic plasticity. These changes are accompanied by defective elimination of glycogen particles and a shift to increased glycogen synthesis over glycogenolysis and glycophagy. This imbalance leads to an age-dependent higher incidence of brain glycogen deposits with cerebellar hypoplasia. Our results support and further extend Wdfy3’s role in modulating both brain bioenergetics and synaptic plasticity by including glycogen as a target of macroautophagic degradation.
Idiopathic ovarian vein thrombosis causing pulmonary embolism: case report and literature review
Authors: Li Wenrui , Cao Saisai , Zhu Renming , Chen Xueming
Published: June 2021

Ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) is a rare medical disorder, which is most often found in the immediate postpartum period. OVT is rarely considered idiopathic. We report a case of idiopathic OVT with pulmonary embolism in a 33-year-old woman who presented with abdominal pain. Computed tomography and postoperative pathology confirmed the diagnosis of idiopathic OVT. To date, only 12 cases of idiopathic OVT have been reported. In this case report, we present a summary of these cases and a review of literature regarding management of idiopathic OVT.
Femoral head collapse rate among Japanese patients with pre-collapse osteonecrosis of the femoral head
Authors: Asada Ryuta , Abe Hiroyasu , Hamada Hidetoshi , Fujimoto Yusuke , Choe Hyonmin , Takahashi Daisuke , Ueda Shusuke , Kuroda Yutaka , Miyagawa Takaki , Yamada Kazuki , Tanaka Takeyuki , Ito Juji , Morita Satoshi , Takagi Michiaki , Tetsunaga Tomonori , Kaneuji Ayumi , Inaba Yutaka , Tanaka Sakae , Matsuda Shuichi , Sugano Nobuhiko , Akiyama Haruhiko
Published: June 2021

Objective

In this study, we aimed to elucidate the relationship between the duration from diagnosis to femoral head collapse and the collapse rate among patients with pre-collapse osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH).

Methods

In this retrospective, observational, multicenter study, we analyzed 268 patients diagnosed with ONFH and classified them using the Japanese Investigation Committee classification. The primary endpoint was duration from the time of diagnosis to femoral head collapse for each type of ONFH.

Results

The 12-, 24-, and 36-month collapse rates among participants were 0%, 0%, and 0% for type A, respectively; 0%, 2.0%, and 10.8% for type B, respectively; 25.5%, 40.8%, and 48.5% for type C-1, respectively; and 57.4%, 70.3%, and 76.7% for type C-2 ONFH, respectively. A comparison of unilateral and bilateral ONFH, using Kaplan–Meier survival curves demonstrated similar collapse rates.

Conclusions

The lowest collapse rate was observed for ONFH type A, followed by types B, C-1, and C-2. Additionally, a direct association was observed between the collapse rate and location of the osteonecrotic lesion on the weight-bearing surface.
Apoptosis levels in bovine Johne’s disease ileal lesions and association with bacterial numbers
Authors: Lucena Amalia Naranjo- , Garza-Cuartero Laura , McAloon Conor , Mulcahy Grace , Zintl Annetta , Perez José , Wolfe Alan
Published: June 2021

Johne’s disease (JD) is a chronic granulomatous enteritis caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). While it is generally accepted that MAP employs immune subversion mechanisms, aspects of the host-pathogen relationship are not fully understood. We sampled 3 ileal tissue sections from 17 naturally infected cattle ( n = 51 sections) to analyze differences in cell types, apoptosis, and phagocytic cells. Diffuse multibacillary (DM) was the most common lesion type ( n = 17) followed by diffuse intermediate (DI; n = 15). DM lesions had significantly greater proportion of Treg cells (CD3+ FoxP3+) relative to all CD3+ T cells as compared to DI forms ( P < .05). CD68+ individual cell size was significantly smaller in DM than in diffuse lymphocytic (DL) forms ( P < .05). Area of caspase-3 positivity (apoptosis) was greater in DM lesions than DL ( P < .05) and DI ( P < .0001), and was linked to higher numbers of MAP within the macrophage.
Enterprise e-banking satisfaction and continuance in business operations
Authors: Liao Ziqi , Shi Xinping , Yee Man Hei
Published: June 2021

This article aims at examining key determinants and implications of enterprise e-banking satisfaction and continuance in business operations. The empirical results unveil that firms’ satisfaction significantly mediates the effects of trustworthiness, utilitarian value, and usability on firms’ continuance intention to use enterprise e-banking services. The empirical results also suggest that it is fundamental for commercial banks to provide trustworthy and reliable enterprise e-banking services that can efficiently and effectively facilitate firms in different industries to perform banking works and transactions online. The present study makes important contributions to research and practice. The empirically grounded findings enrich the theoretical understanding of the implementation of enterprise e-banking systems and services in business operations and provide managerial insights for the development and enhancement of digital banking and financial services.
A Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Initiative in Ethnic Communities of Northern Thailand: Local Perspectives and Future Prospects
Authors: Roesler Anna , Smithers Lisa G. , Wangpakapattanawong Prasit , Moore Vivienne
Published: June 2021

Background:

Nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) interventions can contribute to improved food security and household dietary diversity. As well as undertaking trials, contextual factors that influence sustainability need to be scoped.

Objective:

To explore locals’ views of an NSA initiative, designed to improve food security and reduce malnutrition in children younger than 5 years, scoping future prospects 6 months after the conclusion of the trial.

Methods:

The initiative that was formally trialed over 6 months (November 2014 to April 2015) entailed keeping hens and home gardens. It occurred in the ethnic hill tribes of northern Thailand. In November 2015, 20 in-depth interviews were undertaken with villagers who had been involved in the initiative. Dialogue occurred in Thai with assistance of a translator and was recorded, transcribed, and translated to English. A detailed thematic analysis was undertaken.

Results:

Eggs produced by the hens were appreciated and fed to children, and the message of providing children with an egg a day was widely remembered. Subsequently, the hens ceased laying or died. The home gardens had seasonal scarcity of water. Less visible, but fundamental, women lacked time for these activities due to heavy burdens of farm labor.

Conclusion:

Keeping hens has potential to become a sustainable activity. Home gardens need water infrastructure to be viable. Women do not necessarily have spare capacity for such initiatives. The required labor needs deliberation by villagers.
“You Start with the Youth”: Narratives of Deservingness and Dissent at a Homeless Service Organization
Authors: Yarbrough Dilara
Published: June 2021

As they provide social services to people experiencing poverty and homelessness, many nonprofit organizations perpetuate ideologies that obscure the political and economic causes of poverty and blame poor people for their plight. But the ideologies and practices of service provision are more diverse than many scholars of the nonprofit industry have assumed. What are the processes by which professionalized service organizations not tied to broader social movements might nonetheless facilitate rather than hinder structural explanations of inequality among their clients? Using ethnographic observation, in-depth interviews, and analysis of art and writing by young adults experiencing homelessness, I investigate the prevalence of structural explanations of poverty among clients at a large homeless youth service organization. I find that the organization’s liberal assimilationist narratives about “youth” facilitate more critical analyses of poverty and inequality among homeless participants. As the organization’s public-facing communications emphasize the positive meanings of youth to assert clients’ deservingness, homeless clients leverage the organization’s assimilationist discourse to advance more radical critiques of the systems that oppress them. Building on scholarship about the medicalization of homelessness and the nonprofit industrial complex, this case study demonstrates how multiple ideologies and practices spanning the continuum from repressive to mobilizing can take hold within a single organization, and by extension, the nonprofit service industry.
Mechanical and thermal performance of PEEK/PEI blend matrix reinforced with surface modified halloysite nanotubes
Authors: Ahamad Abrar , Kumar Pradeep
Published: June 2021

The present research work investigates the effect of modified halloysite nanotubes (mHNTs) on the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polyetherimide (PEI). The developed PEEK/PEI blend matrix with 1 wt% of mHNTs shows a significant enhancement in mechanical properties like tensile, flexural, hardness, and impact. The developed blend matrix of PEEK/PEI matrix with mHNTs shows a significant enhancement of 25% in storage modulus (E′) and 13°C in glass transition temperature (Tg). In addition, an appreciable improvement of 26°C observed in maximum degradation temperature (Tmax). The effectiveness of the dispersion of mHNTs in the PEEK/PEI blend matrix was investigated by using SEM and TEM micrographs. The micrographs revealed that the mHNTs are uniformly dispersed in the PEEK/PEI matrix. The possible interaction of HNTs with PEEK/PEI and mHNTs with PEEK/PEI matrix were analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR).
Impact of Community Social Development Projects on Community Improvement: Case of Ibule-Soro Community, Ondo State, Nigeria
Authors: Olusa Adekemi Opeyemi
Published: June 2021

Infrastructure is important to livability of any community, hence efforts have been made by the government and the communities to provide these infrastructures. This is because it is evident that only government cannot provide all the needed infrastructures, so there is need for collaborative efforts which is done by participation of the community in the implementation of the provision of infrastructure. The collaborative effort was adopted by the Community and Social Development Projects (CSDP), a World-Bank assisted project. This study was carried out in Ibule-Soro community, in Ifedore Local Government Area, Ondo State. In all, 400 buildings were identified in the community by the community leaders out of which 10% were selected, which gave a sample size of 40 for the questionnaire administration; discussion session was held with the leaders of the community. Concept of community development and CSDP was critiqued. Findings revealed that the community is not poor, as 65% of the respondents earned above N30,000 which is the minimum wage in Nigeria, this may be due majorly to the fact that 85% of the respondents are engaged in one or the other activity like government employment, private sector or self-employed. Also, 65% of the respondents submitted that the community heard about CSDP through the community leader. It took less than six months between when the community informed the office and when the office responded to the community. The projects implemented in the community are renovation of the block of six classrooms in the Jooro high school and extension of 31 electric poles in Ibule-Soro community. The projects have lots of positive impact on the community as it has enhanced increase in the number of students’ enrolment at Jooro high school and the electric poles extension has improved the electric voltage in the community. The use of the participatory approach to implementation of community projects was recommended for adoption in similar future projects.
Psychosocial and lifestyle predictors of distress and well-being in people with mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Chapman Justin J , Malacova Eva , Patterson Sue , Reavley Nicola , Wyder Marianne , Brown Wendy J , Hielscher Emily , Childs Sarah , Scott James G
Published: June 2021

Objectives:

People with mental illness may be vulnerable to psychological distress and reduced well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess psychosocial and lifestyle predictors of distress and well-being in people with mental illness during the pandemic.

Method:

People with mental illness who participated in an exercise programme prior to the pandemic were invited to complete surveys about mental health and lifestyle corresponding to before and during the pandemic.

Results:

Social support reduced, alcohol intake increased, and sleep quality and diet worsened during the pandemic, contributing to distress. Psychological distress was associated with the two or more mental illnesses, and negatively associated with having a physical disease. Better diet appeared to protect against increases in distress; loneliness hindered improvements in well-being.

Conclusions:

Healthy lifestyle programmes designed to improve social connection may improve health for people with mental illnesses during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Relationship Between Polymorphism of Thrombin-Activatable Fibrinolysis Inhibitor Gene +1040C/T and a Cohort of Chinese Women With Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion
Authors: Fang Ping , Cai Decheng , Du Lijun , Shen Fei , Zhang Chengfang , Li Meijuan
Published: June 2021

The balance between coagulation and fibrinolysis is essential for a successful pregnancy. This study aimed to explore the genetic variant of +1040C/T in the coding region of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) gene in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and in unrelated healthy controls and to investigate the possible association between TAFI +1040C/T polymorphism and RSA. Peripheral blood samples were collected from 137 Chinese patients with RSA and 103 unrelated healthy Chinese controls. The TAFI +1040C/T polymorphism was analyzed using SNaPshot SNP typing after DNA extraction. The frequency of the C allele was lower in RSA patients compared with the controls (0.78 vs 0.84). A subanalysis of the TAFI +1040C/T polymorphism in the 2 populations of RSA women (groups 2RSA and >2RSA) showed that the +1040CT genotype was significantly higher and the +1040CC genotype was significantly lower than from that found in controls. The allele +1040C was associated with a reduced risk of RSA in both group 2RSA (OR = 0.418, 95%CI, 0.255-0.685) and group >2RSA (OR = 0.473, 95%CI, 0.274-0.819) compared with controls. Our data indicate a protective role for TAFI +1040C allele against RSA, and may be associated with the genetic susceptibility of RSA.
Severe Persistent Pain and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Sickle Cell Disease: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Knisely Mitchell R. , Tanabe Paula J. , Walker Julia K. L. , Yang Qing , Shah Nirmish R.
Published: June 2021

Background:

Severe pain is among the most common and deleterious symptoms experienced by individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD), of whom more than 50% report chronic pain. Despite this, the understanding of the biological contributors to persistent severe SCD pain is limited. This exploratory study sought to describe pain phenotypes based on frequency of severe pain experienced over 6 months and identify inflammatory biomarkers associated with pain phenotypes among individuals with SCD.

Methods:

This study used self-report and electronic health record data collected from 74 individuals enrolled in the Duke Sickle Cell Disease Implementation Consortium Registry. Plasma from previously collected blood specimens was used to generate inflammatory biomarker data using the Inflammation 20-plex ProcartaPlexTM panel. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the occurrence of severe pain over the past 6 months, and bi-variate analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between inflammatory biomarkers and pain phenotypes.

Results:

Among the 74 participants included in this study, 33.8% reported severe pain occurring never or rarely, 40.5% reported severe pain occurring sometimes, and 25.7% reported severe pain occurring often or always. Soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) was the only inflammatory biomarker significantly associated with the pain phenotype groups ( p = 0.049). Post hoc comparisons identified that participants in the often/always severe pain group had significantly higher plasma concentrations of sE-selectin compared to those in the sometimes severe pain group ( p = 0.040).

Conclusions:

Our findings provide preliminary evidence of the frequent occurrence of severe pain and that sE-selectin may be an objective biomarker for the frequent occurrence of severe pain in this population.
Improved Voltammetric Determination of Kynurenine at the Nafion Covered Glassy Carbon Electrode – Application in Samples Delivered from Human Cancer Cells
Authors: Sadok Ilona , Tyszczuk-Rotko Katarzyna , Mroczka Robert , Kozak Jędrzej , Staniszewska Magdalena
Published: June 2021

Nowadays, development of analytical methods responding to a need for rapid and accurate determination of human metabolites is highly desirable. Herein, an electrochemical method employing a Nafion-coated glassy carbon electrode (Nafion/GCE) has been developed for reliable determination of kynurenine (a key tryptophan metabolite) using a differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry. To our knowledge, this is the first analytical method to allow for kynurenine determination at the Nafion-coated electrode. The methodology involves kynurenine pre-concentration in 0.1 M H2SO4 in the Nafion film at the potential of +0.5 V and subsequent stripping from the electrode by differential pulse voltammetry. Under optimal conditions, the sensor can detect 5 nM kynurenine (for the accumulation time of 60 seconds), but the limit of detection can be easily lowered to 0.6 nM by prolonging the accumulation time to 600 seconds. The sensor shows sensitivity of 36.25 μAμM−1cm−2 and 185.50 μAμM−1cm−2 for the accumulation time of 60 and 600 seconds, respectively. The great advantage of the proposed method is easy sensor preparation, employing drop coating method, high sensitivity, short total analysis time, and no need for sample preparation. The method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy (using a high-performance liquid chromatography), selectivity (towards tryptophan metabolites and different amino acids), and recovery. The comprehensive microscopic and electrochemical characterization of the Nafion/GCE was also conducted with different methods including atomic force microscopy (AFM), optical profilometry, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The method has been applied with satisfactory results for determination of kynurenine concentration in a culture medium collected from the human ovarian carcinoma cells SK-OV-3 and to measure IDO enzyme activity in the cancer cell extracts.
Intentional Ingestion of a Metallic Wire Causing Perforation and Retroperitoneal Abscess: A Case Report
Authors: Tavallaei Mehdi , Bahadorinia Mahsa , Haj Mohamad Ebrahim Ketabforoush Arsh
Published: June 2021

Foreign body ingestion is a frequent condition, with the majority of foreign bodies (FBs) tending to spontaneously proceed along the gastrointestinal tract without any major complications. A wide range of procedures are available to remove FBs; however, a real challenge exists in managing sharp, rigid, and long foreign objects, which are related to higher rates of complications. A 34-year-old man who intentionally swallowed a metallic wire of 20 cm length, presented to our ED with abdominal pain 2 weeks after the ingestion. The FB had migrated to the stomach and duodenum. Complications included perforation of the duodenum and ascending colon and a retroperitoneal abscess. FB removal was done via laparotomy, followed by the repair of perforations and damaged tissues. This case highlights the complications of a FB presence in the gastrointestinal tract for 14 days and emphasizes the importance of urgent and appropriate management of such conditions.
Cordons sanitaires or tainted coalitions? The electoral consequences of populist participation in government
Authors: Riera Pedro , Pastor Marco
Published: June 2021

An increasing literature has studied the recent growth of populist parties and the determinants of their electoral success. This article contributes to this body by addressing the question of whether cordon sanitaires or tainted coalitions are more effective at hindering the electoral success of populist parties. Building on the populist parties and cost of governing literatures, we hypothesize that populist parties suffer considerable loses at the ballot box when they join coalition governments as junior partners. Moreover, we test various mechanisms for this negative effect: poor economic conditions, the existence of parliamentary majorities, ideological extremism and low intra-cabinet conflict. Using data from ParlGov and Klüver and Spoon, we find strong support for the main hypothesis, and additional analyses suggest that when populists join coalitions as junior partners they lose extra electoral support if they are ideological extreme, there is low intra-cabinet conflict, or their coalition has a parliamentary majority.
Self-care support of diet and the gut in the routine care of school-age children with long-term conditions: An integrative review
Authors: Cave Laurie , Milnes Linda J , McHugh Gretl A
Published: June 2021

There is policy impetus for provision of self-care support (SCS) for children with long-term conditions (LTCs). However, it is not clear what SCS should consist of and how it can be delivered in routine care. This review aimed to synthesise the literature, specifically on SCS of diet and the gut as these components are essential for optimal growth and development and enhanced quality of life. Using an integrative review methodology, studies conducted between January 1990 and July 2020 were systematically identified and methodological quality assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Twenty-five studies were included. SCS of diet and the gut consisted of support in developing and applying specific knowledge and skills and practical help with incorporating the demands of self-care into everyday life. Key requisites for models of SCS in the context of delivery and uptake in routine care were starting early, keeping it going, being flexible and choosing appropriate outcomes. This review contributes new understanding on the provision of SCS of diet and the gut for school-age children with LTCs, including identification of gaps in the literature and further research needs.
Socio-demographic differences in polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate drug use among older people with different care needs and in care settings in Stockholm, Sweden
Authors: Doheny Megan , Schön Pär , Orsini Nicola , Fastbom Johan , Burström Bo , Agerholm Janne
Published: June 2021

Aims:

Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) are risk factors for negative health outcomes among older people. This study aimed to investigate socio-demographic differences in polypharmacy and PIM use among older people with different care needs in a standard versus an integrated care setting.

Methods:

Population-based register data on residents aged ⩾65 years in Stockholm County based on socio-demographic background and social care use in 2014 was linked to prescription drug use in 2015. A logistic regression analysis was used to estimate socio-demographic differences in polypharmacy and PIM, adjusting for education, age group, sex, country of birth, living alone, morbidity and dementia by care setting based on area and by care need (i.e. independent, home help or institutionalised).

Results:

The prevalence of polypharmacy and PIM was greater among home-help users (60.4% and 11.5% respectively) and institutional residents (74.4% and 11.9%, respectively). However, there were greater socio-demographic differences among the independent, with those with lower education, older age and females having higher odds of polypharmacy and PIM. Morbidity was a driver of polypharmacy (odds ratio (OR)=1.19, confidence interval (CI) 1.16–1.22) among home-help users. Dementia diagnosis was associated with reduced odds of polypharmacy and PIM among those in institutions (OR=0.78, CI 0.71–0.87 and OR 0.52, CI 0.45–0.59, respectively) and of PIM among home-help users (OR=0.53, 95% CI 0.42–0.67).

Conclusions:

Polypharmacy and PIM were associated with care needs, most prevalent among home-help users and institutional residents, but socio-demographic differences were most prominent among those living independently, suggesting that municipal care might reduce differences between socio-demographic groups. Care setting had little effect on inappropriate drug use, indicating that national guidelines are followed.
Liquid power: reading the infinity pool as a global semioscape
Authors: Thurlow Crispin
Published: June 2021

The analytic focus of this article is the highly fashionable ‘infinity pool’, treated here as a visual-material realization of the cultural politics of super-elite mobility. The article is organized around a three-step analytic structure. First, I demonstrate how the infinity pool is mediatized as a status marker, and thus circulated and normalized. Second, I pinpoint the semiotic and ideological ways the infinity pool emerges as a mediated practice. Third, I examines how the infinity pool is also remediated on Instagram and thereby broadcast anew. Throughout, I evidence my analysis with visual texts drawn from a range of commercial, situated and digital media sources. My primary objective is to show how the infinity pool, as a mediatized, mediated and remediated practice, feeds the global semioscape, that more informal, often banal plane of cultural circulation where images, ideas and aesthetic ideals seed themselves all over the place. In this way, and however frivolous or innocuous infinity pools may seem, they also spread a particularly privileged way of looking at, and being in, the world.
Deep Learning Models for Gastric Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma Classification in Whole Slide Images
Authors: Kanavati Fahdi , Ichihara Shin , Rambeau Michael , Iizuka Osamu , Arihiro Koji , Tsuneki Masayuki
Published: June 2021

Signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) of the stomach is a rare type of cancer with a slowly rising incidence. It tends to be more difficult to detect by pathologists, mainly due to its cellular morphology and diffuse invasion manner, and it has poor prognosis when detected at an advanced stage. Computational pathology tools that can assist pathologists in detecting SRCC would be of a massive benefit. In this paper, we trained deep learning models using transfer learning, fully-supervised learning, and weakly-supervised learning to predict SRCC in Whole Slide Images (WSIs) using a training set of 1,765 WSIs. We evaluated the models on two different test sets (n = 999, n = 455). The best model achieved a ROC-AUC of at least 0.99 on all two test sets, setting a top baseline performance for SRCC WSI classification.
Breast intervention surgery robot under image navigation: A review
Authors: Xinran Zhang , Haiyan Du , Mingyue Lu , Yongde Zhang
Published: June 2021

In recent years, breast cancer incidence has increased year by year, which makes research on treatment methods critical. Intervention surgery is a new development in breast cancer treatment. However, the operation is complicated and lasts for a long time. The doctor’s operation can no longer meet clinical needs. The breast intervention robot has the characteristics of minimal invasiveness, operability, and high flexibility so that it can compensate for the shortcomings of traditional interventional surgery. The combination of the robotic system and medical imaging technology is an important means to determine the lesion location and plan the puncture path. This article mainly reviews the breast intervention robot under image navigation. Based on existing literature, image navigation methods are divided into MRI, ultrasound, and CT for the introduction. First, we summarized the principles and technologies associated with materials, sensors, and actuators used in the MRI-guided breast intervention robot. In particular, the actuation is analyzed and compared in detail. Subsequently, the ultrasound-guided and CT-guided breast intervention robots are introduced. After that, we discuss the image-guided positioning technology. Finally, we summarize the research progress and trends in the future development of breast intervention robots under image navigation.
Motor shifting and torque distribution control of a multi-motor driving system in electric construction vehicles
Authors: Kong Weikang , Wang Jixin , Kong Dewen , Cong Yuanying , Feng Shuangshi
Published: June 2021

With the rapid development of the world economic construction and the shortage of energy, it has become a hot research issue to realize the electrification of the vehicle driving system and improve energy efficiency. Most of the electric construction machinery power systems are characterized by low speed and high load. The coordinated driving of multiple motors can increase the output torque and improve the transmission efficiency of the machine on the basis of a compact layout. A novel configuration of electric construction vehicles based on multi-motor and single-speed and its driving torque distribution control method is presented in this paper. The detailed mathematical model is established and the simulation analysis is carried out based on it. The results show that the proposed multi-motor driving system with the control strategy can improve the overall efficiency in the condition of ensuring the driving force when the parameter matching and motors choosing reasonably.
Analysis of priority capture method for dynamic requirements of intelligent products based on user scenarios
Authors: Wang Weiwei , Wei Ting , Yu Suihuai , Chen Jian , Guo Binhong , Hu Bo
Published: June 2021

To solve the problem of the fuzzy and dynamics of requirement caused by users’ cognitive bias, a dynamic requirement and priority capture method based on user scenarios is proposed, aiming at effectively improving user experience. The method consists of the following steps: Firstly, users with similar characteristics are filtered to form a user cluster, then obtain the user’s product experience in different usage scenarios and acquire preliminary requirements by using service design methods. Secondly, the requirement path model tree will be designed and the requirement path matrix will be constructed through the evaluation of the user cluster. Then the pathfinder algorithm will be used to calculate the required correlation of user clusters and prioritize the requirements. Finally, the direction of the product design will be provided. Taking the design of the intelligent office chair as an example, the effectiveness of the method is verified by evaluating the satisfaction of user experience.
The role of contingency and correlation in the Stroop task
Authors: Hasshim Nabil , Parris Benjamin A
Published: June 2021

Facilitation (faster responses to Congruent trials compared with Neutral trials) in the Stroop task has been a difficult effect for models of cognitive control to explain. The current research investigated the role of word-response contingency, word-colour correlation, and proportion congruency in producing Stroop effects. Contingency and correlation refers to the probability of specific word-response and word-colour pairings that are implicitly learnt while performing the task. Pairs that have a higher probability of occurring are responded to faster, a finding that challenges top-down attention control accounts of Stroop task performance. However, studies that try to experimentally control for contingency and correlation typically do so by increasing the proportion of incongruent trials in the task, which cognitive control accounts posit affects interference control via the top-down biasing of attention. The present research focused on whether facilitation is also affected by contingency and correlation while additionally looking at the effect of proportion congruency. This was done in two experiments that compared the typical design of Stroop task experiments (i.e., having equal proportions of Congruent and Incongruent trials but also contingency and correlational biases) to: (a) a design that had unequal congruency proportions but no contingency or correlation bias (Experiment 1) and (b) a design where the correlation is biased but proportion congruency and contingency were not (Experiment 2). Results did not support the hypotheses that contingency or correlation affected facilitation. However, interference was almost halved in the alternative design of Experiment 2, demonstrating an effect of contingency learning in typical measures of Stroop interference.
The anticipation of an investigation: The effects of expecting investigations after a death from natural causes in prison custody
Authors: Robinson Carol
Published: June 2021

The growing number of deaths from natural causes in prison custody adds urgency to the need to consider what influences the behaviour of prison staff towards dying prisoners. This article identifies the effects on prisoners, their families and prison staff of defining quality end-of-life care as that which meets the expected requirements of an anticipated post-death investigation. Using data collected in two English prisons via ethnographic methods, it explores the practical consequences, emotional effects and bureaucratisation of death arising from the anticipation of an investigation. Taking its lead from research participants, it focuses on the influence of anticipating an investigation by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman, but also the effects of expecting police and coronial investigations. Analysing responses to anticipating an investigation reveals consequences for the care of prisoners, their families and prison staff, which are arguably unintended by the investigating bodies.