bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Growing ZnO nanowires on aramid fabric for improving the ultraviolet aging property
Authors: Chu Yanyan , Chen Chao , Huang Weihan , Li Shichen , Rahman Riazur , Min Shengnan , Zhang Mengwei , Chen Xiaogang
Published: August 2022

Aramid fiber is commonly used for ballistic vests because of its excellent mechanical properties. However, it has a drawback in that the fiber force deteriorates under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. It is proposed in this paper to grow ZnO nanowires on aramid fabric through the hydrothermal method for improving its UV aging properties. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses illustrate that there is some damage to the N-H and C-N chemical bonds for bare aramid fabric after UV irradiation, although no significant damage is shown by scanning electron microscopy observation. For fabrics subject to 120 h UV irradiation, the warp and weft tensile force of bare fabric decrease by 38.44% and 18.15%, respectively. However, the warp and weft tensile force of fabric with ZnO nanowires increase by 275.52% and 164.84%, respectively, and remain at 241.67% and 197.13% after UV irradiation, respectively. In addition, the burst force of bare fabric decreases over by 50% due to the UV irradiation. Nevertheless, with ZnO nanowires, the burst force of aramid fabric increases dramatically and the increase percentage is over 200%. Even after the UV irradiation, the burst force of fabric with nanowires still retains almost 30% over the bare fabric.
Morphology of the internal auditory canal: Deriving parameters from computer tomography scans. An observational STROBE-MR study
Authors: Mntungwa Nandipha , Human-Baron Rene , Hanekom Tania
Published: August 2022

Person-specific three-dimensional computational modelling plays a vital role in modern-day research of cochlear implants to assist in understanding the neural interface of the cochlea and implanted electrode array. Further improvements are made to these models as more parameters are included. Landmark assessment provides information and is frequently used to register coordinates for model generation as it captures small variations.

Objectives

The objective of this study is to identify and define landmarks to adequately describe the internal auditory canal for inclusion in three-dimensional computational models of the cochlea and its surrounding structures.

Participants

Computer tomography scans of live human cochleae were collected in the retrospective period. Descriptive and comparative statistics were used to describe the data obtained from the scans.

Results

The mean anterior-posterior (AP) diameter at the base of the basal turn, the diameter of the AP at the midpoint of the IAC, and the anterior and posterior length of the internal acoustic canal were measured. 57.14% of the internal acoustic canals observed presented with a cylindrical, 40.48% was funnel-shaped and 2.38 % were bud-shaped. A statistically significant differences were found between the diameters of male and female internal acoustic meatus.

Conclusions

This paper serves as a reference that provides a set of references for the description of the internal acoustic canal for inclusion in three-dimensional computational reconstruction of the cochlea and surrounding structures.
Transcervical Exploration via the Posterolateral Approach to Extract a Fishbone Embedded in the Paraglottic Space
Authors: Bao Yang-Yang , Gao Min , Chen Zhe , Chen Heng-Chao , Cao Zai-Zai , Guo Yu , Zhou Shui-Hong
Published: August 2022

Ingested foreign bodies occasionally migrate to the paraglottic space. The external transcervical approach is almost always required to extract completely embedded foreign bodies. We report a case of an ingested fishbone embedded in the paraglottic space, which was successfully removed through transcervical exploration of the paraglottic space via the posterolateral approach. The posterolateral approach is safe and effective for the removal of foreign bodies completely embedded in the paraglottic space.
Clinical Features and Treatment of Congenital Pyriform Sinus Fistula: Analysis of 12 Cases
Authors: Zhang Shurou , Yuan Ziyi , Xia Zhigang , Chen Huanqi , Zhang Ziheng , Chen Mengjiao , Ye Fan
Published: August 2022

Background

Congenital pyriform sinus fistula (CPSF) is a rare congenital disease derived from the remnants of the third or fourth branchial cleft.

Objectives

To investigate the imaging characteristics, clinical manifestations, surgical methods, complications, and personalized treatment of CPSF.

Material and Methods

The clinical data of 12 CPSF patients admitted to the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from March 2016 to May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Cryogenic plasma radiofrequency ablation, carbon dioxide laser resection, and external cervical excision were selected based on the individual condition, and postoperative complications and efficacy were evaluated.

Results

There were 6 men and 6 women. Neck abscess or thyroiditis was considered at the initial diagnosis. In 11 of the cases, the CPSF was on the left side, whereas in the rest one case, it was on the right. A pyriform fossa fistula was observed during hypopharyngeal iodine angiography. Eight patients were treated with endoscopic piriform fossa fistula laser resection, two with cryogenic plasma radiofrequency ablation, and the rest with external cervical fistula resection. There was no evidence of postoperative hoarseness, pharyngeal fistula, dysphagia, and other complications.

Conclusion and Significance

CPSF is less common in adults than in children. For patients with recurrent neck abscesses, CPSF should be highly suspected, timely angiography should be performed as soon as possible, and care should be taken to avoid missed diagnoses. The primary method for piriform fossa fistula removal is surgical treatment. Finally, tailoring treatment regimens to the patient’s condition can significantly improve curative efficacy.
Nasopharyngeal Warthin’s Tumors: A Case Report and Minireview
Authors: Shi Zhan , Zhai Xiang
Published: August 2022

Warthin’s tumors of the head and neck are more common in the parotid and salivary glands and are extremely rare in the nasopharynx. This paper reports the clinical data of a patient with a nasopharyngeal Warthin’s tumor and posterior nostril atresia who underwent nasal endoscopic nasal mass resection combined with posterior nostriphoplasty, and the patient has no tumor recurrence during the postoperative follow-up of until 14 months. This case report, combined with a literature review, conducted an in-depth analysis of nasopharyngeal Warthin’s tumors to enable more otolaryngology specialists to deepen their understanding of such diseases.
Infratemporal Fossa Abscesses: A Systematic Review of Cases
Authors: Young Kurtis , Tang Dennis M. , Wu Arthur W.
Published: August 2022

Objectives

We have attempted to characterize the clinical presentations and management of infratemporal fossa abscesses with the goal of improving awareness and promoting earlier diagnosis and treatment for this rare condition.

Methods

an extensive systematic search was performed through Pubmed/Medline, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), and Web of Science. Two authors screened out studies by abstracts, and a third resolved any conflicts. The remaining studies were assessed by full-text assessment, leaving 43 studies for data extraction.

Results

sixty-seven patients were included from the final 43 studies. The patients were predominantly male (56.7%), and the average age of patients was 44.3 years (standard deviation (SD) 19.8 years). Risk factors most commonly odontogenic, whether the etiology was through tooth extraction (n = 30, 44.8%) or infection (n = 17, 25.4%). Symptoms on presentation included pain (n = 40, 83.3%), swelling (n = 39, 81.3%), and trismus (n = 36, 75.0%). Twenty-two (32.8%) patients were managed with intraoral incision and drainage (I&D), 18 (26.9%) with extraoral I&D. After treatment, 45 of the 48 (93.8%) patients from the case reports and series were deemed to have achieved complete resolution.

Conclusions

Infratemporal fossa abscesses are rare, but they may be associated with serious neurologic and systemic complications. Although prompt diagnosis paramount in avoiding these sequelae, patients often experienced delays in diagnosis. Surgical drainage and extended antibiotic therapy is recommended.
Geocultural power and the digital Silk Roads
Authors: Winter Tim
Published: August 2022

Only a select group of countries have systematically surveyed and classified, written and exhibited the history, religion and culture of others. Today, through its Belt and Road Initiative, China begins to join this group. Proclamations to ‘revive’ the Silk Roads for the twenty-first century have triggered a profusion of cultural sector projects – led in part by the behemoths of China’s technology industries, Tencent, Baidu and Huawei – as part of the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation and diplomacy architecture. This paper argues that geocultural power arises from having the capacity to write and map geocultural histories, and that digitalisation and the new cultural economies it creates is fast emerging as a powerful means for achieving this. It demonstrates how Big Earth Data, crowdsourced imagery and VR technologies afford geocultural thinking, and parallels are drawn with nineteenth-century Europe to consider such developments.
Consolidate gains, implement more change – The 2021 business information review survey: Part I
Authors: Phillips Stephen
Published: August 2022

In its 31st year, the Business Information Review Survey captures insights from conversations with leading information managers in the UK. The participants include class leading information services leaders from a range of sectors, including financial services, law, professional services, manufacturing, health and biomedical. The conversations took place in the first and second quarters of 2022. They covered corporate structure, the operating environment, staffing trends, the impact of technology, content delivery, vendor and client engagement. Respondents were also invited to share their strategic priorities for 2022 and 2023. Due to the quality and volume of information gathered, the survey is broken down into two parts. Part I introduces the survey, provides a detailed insight into the methodology, a high level summary of the participants, and detailed insights into the organisational structure , operating conditions and current staffing trends.
The role of cytokines in migraine: A systematic review
Authors: Thuraiaiyah Janu , Erritzøe-Jervild Mai , Al-Khazali Haidar Muhsen , Schytz Henrik Winther , Younis Samaira
Published: August 2022

Background

Cytokines are important endogenous substances that are involved in immune and inflammatory responses. Neurogenic inflammation has been proposed to play a role in migraine involving altered cytokine levels. Therefore, we aimed to provide a systematic review on the current knowledge on cytokine levels in migraine patients during and outside attacks.

Methods

Databases of PubMed and Embase were systematically searched for studies investigating cytokine levels in migraine patients during and outside attacks.

Results

Screening yielded identification of 45 articles investigating 18 cytokines in total. We found that the interictal level of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin 10, was decreased, while the level of transforming growth factor beta 1 was increased in migraine patients compared to controls. Levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 6, were increased outside attacks compared to controls. Ictal levels of cytokines were unchanged or varying compared to the interictal state in migraine patients. Three studies reported dynamic cytokines levels during the course of an attack.

Conclusion

The findings of the current review underline a possible involvement of cytokines in the proposed inflammatory mechanisms of migraine. However, future studies are needed to expand our knowledge of the exact role of cytokines in the migraine pathophysiology with focus on cytokines TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-10 while applying refined methodology.
Platooning Trajectory Optimization for Connected Automated Vehicles in Coordinated Arterials
Authors: Guerra Agustin , Elefteriadou Lily
Published: August 2022

This paper proposes heuristic methods to optimize the trajectories of connected automated vehicles (CAVs) along an arterial assuming fully automated traffic condition. CAV trajectories are adjusted to form platoons at the saturation headway, guaranteeing the arrival of vehicles at the downstream intersection during the green interval. On the arrival of CAVs, an algorithm enables a smooth transition to the system target speed. The CAVs’ trajectories are then adjusted by an algorithm according to the vehicles’ positions (leader/follower). Simulation parameters that consider human driving are selected to avoid overestimating the benefits of the proposed strategy. A simulation algorithm is developed to evaluate the performance of the proposed heuristic. The proposed method is compared with a pre-timed coordinated signal control scheme. Seven demand scenarios corresponding to undersaturated conditions are evaluated. The proposed method reduced travel time by 7% to 16% and delay by 23% to 43%. Its computational efficiency makes the proposed method suitable for real-world tests.
Simulation of Urban Crash Occurrence Based on Real-World Crash Data
Authors: Langer Marcel , Kates Ronald , Bogenberger Klaus
Published: August 2022

The intelligent application of simulation is of central importance for the successful development and testing of automated driving functions. Realistic virtual environments are required to assess and optimize both the efficiency and safety of automated driving functions in real-world traffic situations. While existing traffic flow simulation frameworks excel at evaluating traffic efficiency, the implementation of human failure models and traffic safety aspects is a current field of research. In this publication, the occurrence of human failures is inferred from real-world crash statistics and introduced into traffic simulation. A realistic traffic simulation setup of the city of Ingolstadt, Germany, is used as a basis for this simulation of crash occurrence. Focusing on intersections as the most important urban crash hot spots, the relation between human failures and the occurrence of collisions is estimated for each conflict point in the simulation network. From crash statistics, the distributions of crash quantities and types across the intersections in the simulation network are calculated. An Iterative Proportional Fitting algorithm is used to project crash counts available at the intersection level onto the “conflict level,” determined by intersecting traffic streams within intersections. Human failures are generated and applied to traffic participants in the simulation using a Monte Carlo selection. The results demonstrate the functionality of the method for calibrating models for realistic crash occurrence in traffic simulation. This methodology provides a basis for simultaneous evaluation of both traffic efficiency and traffic safety impacts of future developments in urban traffic networks.
Distribution of Highway Infrastructure Cost Responsibility and Revenue Contribution Shares Among Highway Users in North Carolina: Present Conditions and Future Alternatives
Authors: Hasnat Md Mehedi , Bardaka Eleni
Published: August 2022

As the proportion of fuel-efficient and electric vehicles is rapidly increasing, US states are challenged to meet the greater needs of the aging transportation infrastructure with less funds. The purpose of this study is to support state authorities in understanding the equity implications, feasibility, and effectiveness of many of the currently available transportation funding mechanisms. To fulfill this objective, the study analyzes data from North Carolina (NC) between 2014 and 2017. As a first step, we estimate and compare the transportation infrastructure cost responsibility and revenue contribution of NC highway users. Results indicate that lightweight vehicles contribute substantially more to the revenue compared with their share of cost responsibilities. Single-unit trucks with four or more axles and multi-unit trucks are found to underpay their cost responsibilities by 37% to 92%. We use these results in combination with previous research to assess different scenarios for funding transportation infrastructure in the future. Each alternative is evaluated for its revenue generation potential, equity-related improvements, applicability, and public acceptance. Findings suggest that a moderate increase in traditional taxes such as motor fuels tax, vehicle sales tax, or the state sales tax are practical and reasonable approaches for generating significant additional revenue in the short run without strong opposition from the public. However, all the scenarios analyzed by this study, which are based on tax and fee structures planned or implemented in the USA, are found to have minor impacts in improving equity between the cost responsibility and revenue contribution across vehicle classes.
Privacy-Preserving Adaptive Trajectory Storage on Blockchain for COVID-19 Contact Tracing
Authors: Khan Junaid Ahmed , Bangalore Kavya , Ozbay Kaan
Published: August 2022

Privacy preservation in various contact tracing approaches for the COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 virus is challenging, as such applications tend to reveal users’ points of interest (POIs) and other sensitive data shared together with their location information. This paper proposes COVID-19 eavesdropping resistant tracing (COVERT)-Blockchain, a novel distributed-ledger-based platform to facilitate contact tracing without invading users’ privacy. COVERT-Blockchain enables infected users to share only their anonymized location traces on the Blockchain with a sliding window of the previous 15 days, thereby avoiding constant location information sharing with third party users. To further reduce the chances of revealing the corresponding users’ trajectories, in COVERT-Blockchain we employ an adaptive logging mechanism to store trajectory data for contact tracing only if the users stayed in a location where there is significant presence of other humans around them for a relatively long duration of time. This ensures anonymity where the trajectory is generated differently each time for each user, and such infrequent and random trajectory generation enables us to generate unidentifiable trajectories for each user and thus preserve their privacy. COVERT-Blockchain is evaluated for scalability and robustness in relation to overhead and delays in storing and retrieving data from the Blockchain. Results show it to efficiently achieve contact tracing without any breaches of privacy.
Method for Estimating the Monetary Benefit of Improving Annual Average Daily Traffic Accuracy in the Context of Road Safety Network Screening
Authors: Zarei Mohammad , Hellinga Bruce
Published: August 2022

Conventional road safety network screening (NS) relies on measures of historical crash data and annual average daily traffic (AADT) as a measure of exposure to develop safety performance functions. AADT is typically estimated from short-term counts and contains error which can negatively affect NS outcomes and result in the inefficient allocation of safety improvement resources. In this paper, we propose a simulation-based method for quantifying the monetary benefit of improving AADT accuracy. The results of applying the method under various conditions show that crash data sets with higher sample mean and dispersion parameter values are more sensitive to AADT error and consequently benefit more from improving AADT accuracy. The use of the proposed method is illustrated through the application to a real-world example.
Biomarkers of inflammation and left ventricular remodelling in psoriasis patients treated with infliximab
Authors: Midtbø Helga , Kringeland Ester , Gerdts Eva , Ueland Per Magne , Meyer Klaus , Linde Anja , Ulvik Arve , Jonsson Roland , Tveit Kåre Steinar
Published: August 2022

Objective: Psoriasis is an immune mediated disorder associated with T cell activation and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We explored the association of inflammation with left ventricular (LV) remodelling in psoriasis patients receiving treatment with the tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) blocker infliximab. Methods: Psoriasis patients ( n = 47, age 47 ± 14 years, 66% men) and 99 control subjects without psoriasis (age 47 ± 11 years, 72% men) were examined by echocardiography in a cross-sectional study. LV remodelling was assessed by LV mass index for height in the allometric power of 2.7. Serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), neopterin, kynurenine:tryptophan ratio (KTR) and the pyridoxic acid ratio (PAr) index were measured. Results: Serum concentration of neopterin ( p = .007) was higher in psoriasis patients, while the other inflammatory biomarkers had similar levels. LV mass index was lower in patients than controls (35.6 ± 9.6 g/m2.7 vs. 40.3 ± 9.8 g/m2.7, p = .008). In the total study population, serum SAA (β = 0.18, p = .02), KTR (β = 0.20, p = .02) and the PAr index (β = 0.26, p = .002) were all associated with higher LV mass index independent of age, sex, body mass index, hypertension, smoking, renal function and psoriasis. Also in psoriasis patients, higher SAA level (β = 0.34, p = .02), KTR (β = 0.32, p = .02) and the PAr index (β = 0.29, p = .05) were associated with higher LV mass index independent of body mass index, hypertension and diabetes. Conclusion: Higher levels of the inflammatory biomarkers SAA, KTR and the PAr index were associated with greater LV mass index in psoriasis patients, indicating a role of chronic inflammation in LV remodelling evident even during treatment with TNF-α blockers.
The Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Warfare Exposure on Military Sexual Trauma Among Veterans
Authors: Doucette Carly E. , Morgan Nicole R. , Aronson Keith R. , Bleser Julia A. , McCarthy Kimberly J. , Perkins Daniel F.
Published: August 2022

Military sexual trauma (MST) is a pervasive problem; this study examined the relationship of the precursory traumas of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and warfare exposure with MST. Post-9/11 veterans were surveyed at 3 months and at 24 to 30 months post-military separation. Female veterans who experienced at least 1 ACE but no warfare exposure were significantly more likely to receive unwanted sexual attention. Veterans (males and females) experiencing three or more ACEs but no warfare exposure were significantly more likely to receive unwanted sexual attention and contact. Experiencing only warfare exposure was not related to unwanted sexual attention or contact for females; however, a significant interaction was found between combined warfare exposure, ACEs, and MST for males and females. Veterans who reported warfare exposure and one to two or three or more ACEs were more likely to report unwanted sexual attention and/or contact. Exploration of individual ACEs revealed a significant relationship between childhood sexual abuse and unwanted sexual contact. For females, witnessing domestic violence predicted unwanted sexual contact. There was also a significant interaction between childhood sexual abuse and warfare exposure. Females who experienced both childhood sexual abuse and warfare exposure were significantly more likely to receive unwanted sexual attention and unwanted sexual contact. Albeit a small sample, males who experienced both were also significantly more likely to receive unwanted sexual attention. The findings reveal that precursory traumatic experiences in childhood and the interaction of ACEs and warfare exposure during military service can increase the likelihood of unwanted sexual attention and contact. This research further substantiates the need for screening efforts. It also demonstrates the importance of practitioners engaging in trauma-informed care principles and practices to address the residual effects of previous experiences during sexual trauma or mental health treatment efforts.
Weight Status Among Minnesota Hispanic or Latino/a Youth: An Exploration of Protective Factors
Authors: Martin Christie L. , McMorris Barbara J. , Eisenberg Marla E. , Sieving Renee E. , Porta Carolyn M. , Mathiason Michelle A. , Espinoza Sarah M. , Cespedes Yazmin A. , Fulkerson Jayne A.
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Pediatric obesity disproportionately impacts Hispanic or Latino/a adolescents. Culturally appropriate family-based behavioral initiatives to improve weight status are warranted. The purpose of this research was to determine prevalence rates and identify protective factors associated with having overweight/obesity (body mass index ≥ 85th percentile) to inform Hispanic or Latino/a-targeted behavioral intervention development.

Design

Secondary data analyses of a population-based statewide survey.

Setting

Minnesota public high schools.

Participants

Male (n = 2,644) and female (n = 2,798) Hispanic or Latino/a 9th and 11th graders (N = 5,442).

Measures

Obesity-related behaviors (meeting fruit and vegetable [F&V] and physical activity [PA] recommendations), family caring, family country/region of origin, and weight status.

Analysis

Stepwise logistic regression models (F&V, PA), stratified by biological sex, were used to identify protective factors of overweight/obesity.

Results

The overall prevalence of meeting F&V and PA recommendations was 11.0% and 11.8%, respectively. Meeting F&V recommendations was not protective against overweight/obesity in either sex. Yet, males and females who met PA recommendations had significantly lower odds of having overweight/obesity ( p < .05). In F&V and PA models, family caring was protective against overweight/obesity in females ( p < .05), and family country/region of origin was protective against overweight/obesity in both sexes ( p < .05).

Conclusion

Findings illustrate a need for obesity prevention initiatives for Hispanic or Latino/a youth. More research is needed to understand the protective nature of family caring and country/region of origin.
Privacy Calculus Theory in the Digital Government Context: The Case of Taiwan’s New eID Policy
Authors: Huang Zong-Xian , Huang Tong-yi
Published: August 2022

Based on the case of the national electronic identification card (New eID) policy in Taiwan, this study integrated the government’s components with a privacy calculus model to analyze factors which affect personal data disclosure intention. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the survey data and explore how citizens balance benefits and risks associated with the New eID issue. The research results suggested that financial compensation, personalized services, and service compatibility can enhance cognition of privacy-related benefits of citizens, while this cognition will further increase willingness to authorize their personal data. Moreover, the impact of government elements on citizens’ willingness to authorize their personal information also has statistical backings. Citizens’ cognition of privacy-related risks, however, has no statistical effect within the model, which is contrary to findings from previous studies. The study attempted to make contributions to supplementing the connotation of an extant theoretical framework, and discussed the privacy-related questions concerning digital government.
Silence in Social Media: A Multilevel Analysis of the Network Structure Effects on Participation Disparity in Facebook
Authors: Sohn Dongyoung , Choi Yong-Suk
Published: August 2022

Most messages on social media platforms are reportedly posted by a small number of active communicators, while the great majority of users remain silent as lurkers who read but seldom write. Despite extensive research to date, it remains unclear why such a disparity in individuals’ participation in social media exists. Drawing on the behavioral data of 15,633 Facebook users nested in 73 local networks, this study attempted to examine how the structural properties of networks give rise to the highly skewed distribution of message contributions between individual users. Multilevel statistical analyses of the data revealed that the participation disparity among individuals might be in part a function of the structural characteristics of networks in which they are embedded, suggesting that being active or silent in the social media environment is largely conditional on the surrounding network structures.
Paying for Preschool: Who Blends Funding in Early Childhood Education?
Authors: Duer Jennifer K. , Jenkins Jade
Published: August 2022

As a result of patchwork policies, early childhood education (ECE) providers combine funding from multiple sources, known as blended funding. However, little is known about the consequences of blended funding for policy goals. We use national ECE provider data to identify the prevalence of blended funding models, and detailed state quality rating data to describe the relation between funding and quality through the lens of organizational theory. We operationalize blended funding as the total number of revenue sources, which reflects participation in multiple ECE institutions. Results emphasize that combining funding from distinct ECE policies within programs is a typical practice for ECE providers, and reveal a positive association between a provider’s number of funding sources and program quality.
Multimodal signals of high commitment in expert-to-expert contexts
Authors: Vincze Laura , Poggi Isabella
Published: August 2022

The paper merges research in multimodality with studies in epistemics and discourse analysis, and analyses the ways in which expert speakers multimodally display their knowledge and their degree of commitment toward it. In a corpus of video abstracts where medical researchers orally illustrate their findings published in the British Medical Journal, body signals of high commitment – palm-up-open-hand, headshake, eyelid-closure, and shoulder shrug – are analyzed from a semantic and cognitive point of view as markers of high certainty and obviousness. The differences and relationships among body epistemic markers and their concomitant lexical affiliates, along with their semantic nuances, are illustrated in depth.
The Business Opportunity of Blockchain Value Creation among the Internet of Value
Authors: Sestino Andrea , Giraldi Luca , Cedrola Elena , Zamani Seyedeh Zahra , Guido Gianluigi
Published: August 2022

Blockchain is a buzzword today, and its application is daily increasing. Recently, literature has proposed the new concept of the Internet of Value (IoV), which refers to a view of the Internet as a means where value is transferred as easily, cheaply and reliably as data is now transferred. The ever-growing interest in Blockchain research and practice has given rise to disorganized knowledge around its application, especially for business purposes. To qualitatively assess this gap, we conducted a literature review by investigating a final number of 169 original contributions produced in the last half-decade. The insights have been analysed and systematized considering the possible contribution of the Blockchain application to the Internet of Value, to shed light on Blockchain opportunities in business value creation regarding five basic topics: Blockchain exploitation in the energy sector; Blockchain exploitation in healthcare; Blockchain exploitation in supply chain management (SCM); Blockchain exploitation in industrial marketing; and Blockchain exploitation in data privacy protection.
Assessing the Long-Run Sustainability of Public Debt and Fiscal Deficit in India
Authors: Deheri Abdhut , Nag Ajit
Published: August 2022

This article assesses the long-run sustainability of public debt and fiscal deficit in India for the period 1980–1981 to 2019–2020. The study estimated a model-based fiscal reaction function (FRF) using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model to assess debt sustainability. The results revealed that the primary surplus responds positively and significantly to the previous period debt in both the short- and long-run. This implies that the fiscal policy satisfies the intertemporal budget constraint (IBC) and follows the debt-stabilizing rule. Next, to assess the sustainability of the fiscal deficit, we examined the long-run association between total revenues and total expenditures using a structural break cointegration test. The results revealed that they are cointegrated, implying that IBC is met and the fiscal deficit is sustainable. The results of long-run estimation provide evidence in support of strong budgetary sustainability. Overall, the results indicate that the public debt and the fiscal deficit are sustainable in India. From a policy standpoint, our research suggests that the government should take the necessary measures to reduce the growing public debt to ensure its long-run sustainability.
Educational Landscape for Incarcerated Girls With Disabilities in the United States, Norway, and Mexico
Authors: Welch Aerin M. , Gøranson Ingrid E. , Ramirez-Sanchez Marisol , Athans Chryssa A.
Published: August 2022

Juvenile incarceration in the United States is declining; however, the rate of female youth incarceration is on the rise. Incarcerated female youth are more likely to have educational disabilities compared with female youth in public schools, as well as higher rates of mental health disorders and less consistent relationships with caregivers compared with incarcerated male youth. This article compares the characteristics of incarcerated female youth and the services available for incarcerated youth in the United States, Norway, and Mexico. Like the United States, Mexico is known for high rates of incarceration, whereas Norway is known for low rates of incarceration. All three countries have laws protecting the right of incarcerated youth to access education and mandating that juvenile facilities provide educational services. While this type of program is important, female offenders report that programs focused on close personal relationships were integral. Norway alone puts an emphasis on building positive relationships with facility staff and on involving community members in the programs for incarcerated youth. This may be a factor in Norway’s low incarceration rates and may how to help address the needs of incarcerated female youth in the United States and Mexico.
Striking a Balance Among Major Curriculum Ideologies in General Education Curriculum Design and Planning Among Hong Kong Universities
Authors: Lam Man-Ho Adrian
Published: August 2022

With qualitative document analysis, this research focuses on Hong Kong's intended General Education Curriculum (GEC) across the eight publicly funded universities in Hong Kong, in relation to the macro and meso context by departing from the dimensions of (1) rationale; (2) aims and objectives; as well as (3) content. Their GEC can generally be viewed as transmitting a body of structured pure knowledge under academic rationalism, offering fluency and training of useful skills and dispositions under social efficiency, facilitating self-actualization through personalized process of inquiry under child-centeredness, as well as analyzing society and constructing changes under social reconstructionism.
A Tale of Two Offices: The Socioeconomic Environment’s Effect on Job Performance While Working From Home
Authors: Loignon Andrew C. , Johnson Michael A. , Veestraeten Marlies , Boyd Terrance L.
Published: August 2022

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses closed their offices and asked their employees to work from home. The transition to remote work has yielded performance gains for many companies; so much so that many firms are planning to continue to use remote work after the pandemic subsides. Nevertheless, such benefits may not be distributed equally throughout the workforce. Drawing on the sociocognitive theory of socioeconomic status (SES), we predict that one’s home working environment features salient signals of their social status that affect their performance. Based on a sample of 304 remote workers from within the United States collected during the COVID-19 shutdown, we find that individuals whose home offices connote higher levels of SES report a greater sense of control over their environment, which ultimately is associated with higher levels of perceived job performance. Furthermore, we find that the more time an individual spends in their home office, the stronger the relationship between their environment-based SES and their personal sense of control. Taken as a whole, our findings suggest that because home working environments are arrayed along an SES gradient, they present another mechanism by which pre-existing inequalities may be made salient as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Review of Tisotumab Vedotin-tftv in Recurrent or Metastatic Cervical Cancer
Authors: Heitz Nathan , Greer Samuel C. , Halford Zachery
Published: August 2022

Objective:

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of tisotumab vedotin-tftv (TV), a first-in-class vectorized anti-tissue factor (TF) antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), for the treatment of recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer.

Data Sources:

A literature search of ClinicalTrials.gov, Embase, and PubMed was conducted using the terms tisotumab vedotin AND cervical cancer from inception to June 30, 2022.

Study Selection and Data Extraction:

All applicable publications, package inserts, meeting abstracts, and clinical trials involving TV in the treatment of cervical cancer were reviewed.

Data Synthesis:

TV is a fully human TF-specific monoclonal antibody conjugated to monomethyl auristatin E, which serves as a highly potent cytotoxic payload. In the pivotal phase II InnovaTV 204 clinical trial, TV demonstrated an objective response rate of 24% (95% confidence interval [CI], 16%-33%). The mean duration of response was 8.3 months. Common toxicities included abdominal pain, alopecia, conjunctivitis, constipation, decreased appetite, diarrhea, dry eye, epistaxis, nausea/vomiting, and peripheral neuropathy. Unique and/or serious adverse events warranting careful monitoring include ocular complications, hemorrhaging, peripheral neuropathies, fetal-embryo toxicity, pneumonitis, and immunogenicity.

Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice:

Recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer remains a high-risk disease with limited treatment options. Using ADCs to target tumors with aberrant expression of TF appears to be a viable treatment strategy.

Conclusions:

TV is the first Food and Drug Administration–approved TF-directed ADC. With a manageable safety profile and promising anticancer activity, TV warrants consideration as a novel targeted agent for the treatment of recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer. Further studies are required to determine the optimal place in therapy for TV.
Work Needs Satisfaction Scale- Spanish Version: Psychometric Properties and Validity Evidence
Authors: Autin Kelsey L. , Shelton Andrew J. , Garcia Roberto G. , Diaz Tapia Willy Anthony , Cadenas Germán A.
Published: August 2022

With a growing Latinx workforce in the U.S., many of whom are Spanish-speaking, there is a pressing need to examine key constructs related to vocational well-being in this population. The aim of the current study was to validate a Spanish language version of the Work Needs Satisfaction Scales (WNSS; Autin et al., 2019 ). The WNSS comprises a set of scales developed to measure satisfaction of survival, social contribution, autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs, all of which are theorized to be key mediators in the link from decent work to well-being and work fulfillment. Using cross-sectional data across two samples of Latinx workers, we tested the reliability and validity of a Spanish language version of the WNSS (WNSS-SV). In Study 1 we conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with a sample of 195 participants. This resulted in a 19-item scale with five factors mirroring those of the English language scale. In Study 2 ( N = 377), we examined factor structure and model fit using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); measurement invariance across gender, language, and social class group; and concurrent validity. Results from Study 2 demonstrated the model was a good fit to the data; showed concurrent validity; and provided support for measurement invariance. Thus, overall results indicated that the WNSS-SV may serve as a useful tool for future research on work-related need satisfaction among Latinx workers. A discussion regarding the importance of these findings and implications for practice and research are provided.
Stem Cell Therapy for Repair of the Injured Brain: Five Principles
Authors: Rust Ruslan , Tackenberg Christian
Published: August 2022

Cell therapy holds great promise for regenerative treatment of disease. Despite recent breakthroughs in clinical research, applications of cell therapies to the injured brain have not yielded the desired results. We pinpoint current limitations and suggest five principles to advance stem cell therapies for brain regeneration. While we focus on cell therapy for stroke, all principles also apply for other brain diseases.
Things That Tell: An Object-Centered Methodology for Restorying Women’s Longing and Belonging
Authors: Mozeley Fee , Judge Sara Kianga , Long Debbi , McGregor Jodie , Wild Naomi , Johnston Jay
Published: August 2022

Developments in qualitative research methods recognize the benefits of working with material objects to evoke memories, stories, and reflections on specific topics. Through engagement with materialist theory and methods, our research demonstrates that more than simply eliciting storied responses, self-chosen material objects can in fact co-tell stories in novel ways. This article draws on our storied experiences as a group of women who took part in a four-day residential storying retreat. Our qualitatively driven research employed a range of multi-modal methodologies; however, this article focuses on a particular method that involved co-telling personal stories with the aid of self-selected objects. This method embodies the emotive and co-constitutive power, relational materiality, and reflective potency of object-centered storying. The article builds on and extends qualitative methodologies that value more-than-rational ways of researching.
Masculinity for Sale: Shan Migrant Sex Worker Men in Thailand and Questions of Identity
Authors: Jirattikorn Amporn , Tangmunkongvorakul Arunrat , Ayuttacorn Arratee
Published: August 2022

The Thai sex industry sector catering to sex between men has recently shifted to a predominately migrant workforce, particularly in northern part of the country. The majority of sex worker men in Chiang Mai, a metropolitan center in northern Thailand, are Shan migrants from Myanmar. This research explores the lives of Shan men engaged in sex work in Chiang Mai, examining how engaging with queer sexual commodification shapes their gender and sexual identities. As Shan sex worker men in this research identify as heterosexual men, selling sex to men might impact their sense of (hetero)masculinity. Based on 20 in-depth interviews with Shan migrant sex worker men living and working in Chiang Mai city, this research explores, on the one hand, how Shan sex worker men negotiate, redefine, and reconstruct their masculinities, and on the other, how the identities of being a masculine man, sex worker, and non-citizen migrant intersect and shape their experiences and identities.
Effect of Palmar Grasp Reflex Stimulation on Physiological Parameters and Crying Time During Neonatal Bath: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Kadiroğlu Türkan , Koç Elif S.
Published: August 2022

Objective

This study aimed to determine the effect of palmar grasp reflex stimulation during a neonatal bath on the physiological parameters and crying time of the newborn.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This study was designed as a parallel randomized clinical trial. Parents fully understood the study procedure at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Turkey ( N = 82). Both written and verbal consent was obtained from the parents. Newborns who were ineligible for tub bathing were excluded from the study. The babies in the control group were given baths according to the tub bathing standards. Babies in the experimental group were given palmar grasp reflex stimulation during the baths. The variables examined included body temperature, respiratory rate, pulse, oxygen saturation levels, and crying time. In all analyses, p < 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.

Results

The heart rate of the experimental group was 5.2 beats per minute slower than the control group (χ2 = 12.272; p < 0.001). The respiratory rate of the experimental group was 1.3 lower per minute compared to the control group (χ2 = 43.219; p < 0.001). In addition, the oxygen saturation level (%) of the experimental group was 0.4 higher than the control group (χ2 = 5.793; p < 0.016). Crying time was higher in the control group during bathing ( p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The results showed that the palmar grasp reflex in newborn bathing helps to maintain the stability of physiological parameters and shortens the crying time of babies. Palmar grasp reflex stimulation is recommended in interventions that may cause stress.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Resistance Training on Quality of Life, Depression, Muscle Strength, and Functional Exercise Capacity in Older Adults Aged 60 Years or More
Authors: Khodadad Kashi Sholeh , Mirzazadeh Zahra Sadat , Saatchian Vahid
Published: August 2022

Background

Aging is generally associated with numerous metabolic and physical changes that augment susceptibility to several chronic conditions, disability, and diminished quality of life.

Objective

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate the efficacy of resistance training on quality of life, depression, muscle strength, and functional exercise capacity in older adults (≥60 years).

Data sources

A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Google Scholar, and Scopus up to December 20, 2021.

Results

21 studies ( N = 1610) were included. Resistance training significantly improved physical functioning (standard mean differences (SMD), 0.31; p = 0.02), mental health (SMD, 0.44; p = 0.001), bodily pain (SMD, −0.52; p = 0.004), general health (SMD, 0.43; p = 0.002), social functioning (SMD, 0.25; p = 0.006), and mental component score (SMD, 0.51; p = 0.001) subscales. Moreover, depression (SMD, −1.13; p = 0.01), upper-limb muscle strength (mean difference (MD), 15.26 kg; p = 0.002), lower-limb muscle strength (MD, 48.46 kg; p = 0.02), and handgrip muscle strength (MD, 1.35 kg; p = 0.003) significantly improved following resistance training. No benefits were found for vitality, physical component score, total score of quality of life, and the 6-min walk distance.

Conclusion

Preliminary evidence reveals that resistance training can be effective for improving most domains of quality of life, upper- and lower-limb muscle strength, handgrip strength, and depression in aged people. More proof is hence needed to draw solid conclusions.