bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of radiographic parameters on CT associated with femoroacetabular impingement in a Chinese asymptomatic population
Authors: Chen Jing , Xu Lei , Chen Zhe-feng , Zou Yue-fen
Published: January 2020

Background

Imaging evaluation of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) plays a major role in early diagnosis and treatment, preventing irreversible degenerative changes in hip joints.

Purpose

To investigate the anatomical parameters associated with FAI in a Chinese asymptomatic population by computed tomography (CT) and to evaluate the prevalence of the radiographic features of cam and pincer types in Chinese patients.

Material and Methods

We reviewed the CT images of 470 hips in 235 Chinese patients who underwent abdominal and pelvic CT scans for reasons unrelated to hip symptoms at our hospital between February and October 2017. The following measurements were made on each hip joint: acetabular version angle (AV); anterior acetabular sector angle (AASA); posterior acetabular sector angle (PASA); the lateral center edge angle (LCE); the alpha angle (AA); and femoral head-neck offset (FHNO).

Results

Significant differences in all parameters were seen between men and women. Young men and elderly women showed more retroversion in our study. LCE, AA, and FHNO were all larger in men than women. The data showed 25% of female joints and 34.5% of male joints had at least one predisposing factor for FAI using measurement parameters by CT images in Chinese asymptomatic patients, and the prevalence of pincer lesion (19.1%) was larger than cam lesion (9.1%).

Conclusion

Morphological features associated with FAI are also present in Chinese asymptomatic patients. The threshold values for abnormal parameters should be reconsidered based on gender, age, and other factors in order to improve the accuracy of diagnosis.
Social Network Analysis in Egyptology: Benefits, Methods and Limits
Authors: Chollier Vincent
Published: January 2020

This article aims at presenting a methodology for Social Network Analysis (SNA) applied to Egyptology and ancient societies studies, with its benefits and issues. One of the big issues dealing with social relationships in ancient Egypt lies in the use of kinship terminology defining relations outside the family. In that sense, SNA allows researchers to partially set aside links values contrary to traditional genealogical studies, especially for the graphical projection. Thus, biological and social brothers do not have to be distinguished using this method, although this distinction is often impossible to do. It then presents an empirical method developed using this branch of sociology on an Egyptological dataset dating back from the New Kingdom. With the help of centrality measures, SNA enabled attention to be drawn to secondary role characters at the first sight of the hieroglyphic documentation. However, studying such a type of documentation requires a cautious approach, especially regarding the nature and aim of the sources available.
Empowerment Self-Defense Training in a Community Population
Authors: Hollander Jocelyn A. , Cunningham Jeanine
Published: January 2020

Nearly all research on the effects of women’s self-defense training examines college age or, less frequently, adolescent populations. This study broadens that focus by evaluating the effectiveness of self-defense training for an adult community population, ages 18–77 years, comparing students who completed a 9-hr community-based empowerment self-defense course to similar women who did not take the course. Participants who completed the empowerment self-defense course reported significantly less sexual assault at the 1-year follow-up as well as significantly greater self-defense self-efficacy, more accurate knowledge about sexual assault and the possibility of resistance, and less self-silencing than those who did not take the course. This research provides the first systematic evidence that empowerment self-defense training can be effective in preventing assault in adult populations outside of educational contexts. Empowerment self-defense training is therefore an important part of sexual assault prevention efforts. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/0361684319897937
Organ Donation at the End of Life: Experiences From the 3 Wishes Project
Authors: Takaoka Alyson , Honarmand Kimia , Vanstone Meredith , Tam Benjamin , Smith Orla M. , Baker Andrew , LeBlanc Allana , Swinton Marilyn , Neville Thanh H. , Clarke France J. , Hancock Jennifer , McMullen Sarah , Meade Maureen O. , Rose Trudy , Arora Samantha , Cook Deborah J.
Published: January 2020

Purpose:

The 3 Wishes Project (3WP) promotes holistic end-of-life care in the intensive care unit (ICU) to honor dying patients, support families, and encourage clinician compassion. Organ donation is a wish that is sometimes made by, or on behalf of, critically ill patients. Our objective was to describe the interface between the 3WP and organ donation as experienced by families, clinicians, and organ donation coordinators.

Methods:

In a multicenter evaluation of the 3WP in 4 Canadian ICUs, we conducted a thematic analysis of transcripts from interviews and focus groups with clinicians, organ donation coordinators, and families of dying or died patients for whom donation was considered.

Results:

We analyzed transcripts from 26 interviews and 2 focus groups with 18 family members, 17 clinicians, and 6 organ donation coordinators. The central theme describes the mutual goals of the 3WP and organ donation—emphasizing personhood and agency across the temporal continuum of care. During family decision-making, conversations encouraged by the 3WP can facilitate preliminary discussions about donation. During preparation for donation, memory-making activities supported by the 3WP redirect focus toward personhood. During postmortem family care, the 3WP supports families, including when donation is unsuccessful, and highlights aspirational pursuits of donation while encouraging reflections on other fulfilled wishes.

Conclusions:

Organ donation and the 3WP provide complementary opportunities to engage in value-based conversations during the dying process. The shared values of these programs may help to incorporate organ donation and death into a person’s life narrative and incorporate new life into a person’s death narrative.
Legislative bargaining and partisan delegation
Authors: Choate Thomas , Weymark John A , Wiseman Alan E
Published: January 2020

We use an extension of the Baron–Ferejohn model of legislative bargaining in which there are three legislators, two of whom have partisan ties, to analyze the division of a fixed political resource in a majoritarian legislature. A legislator’s preferences depend on the shares that he and any copartisan receive. We ask whether there are circumstances under which a partisan legislator is willing to delegate proposal-making authority to a party leader so as to take advantage of the special proposal rights accorded by the legislature to this office rather than retaining equal-recognition proposal rights for himself. We show that this is the case only if (i) the leader’s proposal recognition probability is larger than the probability that one of the partisans is recognized when the legislators act independently, (ii) the value of partisan affiliation is sufficiently high, and (iii) the legislators are sufficiently impatient. We explore the relevance of these results to ongoing debates regarding the role and effect of parties and party leaders in Congress.
Reducing search space of optimization algorithms for determination of machining sequences by consolidating decisive agents
Authors: Manafi Davood , Nategh Mohammad Javad
Published: January 2020

One of the main objectives of computer-aided process planning is to determine the optimum machining sequences and setups. Among the different methods to implement this task, it can be named the constrained optimization algorithms. The immediate drawback of these algorithms is usually a large space needed to be searched for the solution. This can easily hinder the convergence of the solution and increase the possibility of getting trapped in the local minima. A novel approach has been developed in this work with the objective of reducing the search space. It is based on consolidating the decisive factors influencing the consecutive features. This helps prevent creation of sequences which need the change of setup, machine tool, and cutting tool. The proposed method has been applied to three different optimization methods, including genetic, particle swarm, and simulated annealing algorithms. It is shown that these algorithms with reduced search spaces outperform those reported in the literature, with respect to the convergence rate. The best results are found in the genetic algorithm from the viewpoint of the obtained solution and the convergence rate. The worst results belong to the particle swarm algorithm in connection with the strategy of generating new solutions.
Comparing American perceptions of post-Civil War Ku Klux Klan and transnational violence
Authors: Newell Michael
Published: January 2020

Recently, public debates have questioned whether or not the American government responds differently to terrorism by white, right-wing, Americans. This article examines a historical period in which similar dynamics were on display in state responses to the Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan (KKK), Irish-American Fenians, and anarchists from 1860 to 1920. This history suggests that political officials responded to these groups more on the basis of ideas than their actual levels of violence, including discourses of Americanism shaped by ideology, nativism, and racism. Successful claims to ‘Americanism’ lent the KKK a sense of familiarity that led it to be seen as less of a threat to ontological security, even as it posed a significant threat of physical violence. In contrast, the ideologically subversive and foreign anarchists were responded to more severely, despite being responsible for far fewer deaths and injuries than the KKK. This history suggests that American counter-terrorism has been influenced by factors of racial and national belonging in the past, and provides significant context for the consideration of current debates about responses to right-wing groups.
The body weaponized: War, sexual violence and the uncanny
Authors: Kirby Paul
Published: January 2020

It is today common to argue that rape is a weapon, tool or instrument of warfare. One implication is that armed groups marshal body parts for tactical and strategic ends. In this article, I interrogate this discourse of embodied mobilization to explore how body weaponry has been made intelligible as a medium for sexual violence. First, I show that, despite wide rejection of essentialist models, the penis and penis substitutes continue to occupy a constitutive role in discussions of sexual violence in both political and academic fora, where they are often said to be like weapons, a tendency I term ‘weapon talk’. Second, I trace the image of the body weapon in key threads of feminist theorizing and commentary, to show how the penis has appeared as a ‘basic weapon of force’ in various permutations. Third, I explore the weaponization of the body as it appears in military thought and in the cultural circulation of ideas about the soldiering body in which sexual pleasure and violence are frequently conflated. Building on this foundation, I propose that these literatures collectively describe an uncanny weapon object, and I draw out the significance of this term for feminist security studies and martial empiricism. In short, the uncanny haunts accounts of sexual violence in the collision of sexuality and machinery in the image of a body weapon, in the unsettling designation of sexuality as itself both familiar and dangerous, and in the strange movement of violent bodies across the boundary between wartime and peacetime. A concluding discussion draws out implications and challenges for thinking about embodied violence, advocating renewed attention to the history of weaponization as a fallible and confounding process.
“Life is more important than football”: Comparative analysis of Tweets and Facebook comments regarding the cancellation of the 2015 African Cup of Nations in Morocco
Authors: Moreau Nicolas , Roy Melissa , Wilson Andrew , Atlani Duault Laetitia
Published: January 2020

This study analyzes comments from two major social media, Facebook and Twitter, regarding the controversial cancellation of the 2015 African Cup of Nations (CAN) in Morocco and its transfer to Equatorial Guinea, a move precipitated by the contemporaneous outbreaks of Ebola in West Africa. Using frame analysis methodology (frames being the central ideas structuring a narrative account of an issue, event or controversy), it investigates how the sporting and health worlds are understood and conceptualized on Twitter and Facebook, in the context of a specific event. We also investigated the extent to which these frames are platform-specific. Data were collected by keyword extraction and submitted to a qualitative thematic and frame analysis, from which we identified six frames (Epidemic management, Sporting event, Political, Skepticism, Religion, and Economic). Analysis of these frames identified a number of classic issues from the sociology of not only football and epidemics but also of African political issues. The cancellation of the CAN thus provides an excellent window into the complex links between sport, heath and politics. Indeed, the online comments of social media users expressed a rich range of pre-existing frustrations, beliefs and political positions. Our results show that, in the context of the cancellation of the 2015 CAN, tweets mostly framed the event as an epidemic management issue, while Facebook comments typically framed it as an epidemic management, sporting and political event. Some themes treated in a factual way on Twitter became politicized on Facebook where, in addition, new political themes emerged. We conclude that studying social media conversations relating to a mega-sporting event could provide sociologically valuable insights about topics not typically directly associated with sport or health.
The grassroots campaign for a Human Rights Act in Queensland: A case study of modern Australian law reform
Authors: Phillips Emma , McVeigh Aimee
Published: January 2020

The Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld) is the first dedicated human rights statute enacted in Queensland and only the third law of this type in Australia. Its passage was the culmination of a sustained, grassroots campaign spanning five years. The success of this campaign can be explained through an understanding of the existing socio-political climate and resulting opportunities, and the strength of community activism, engagement and systemic advocacy.
The effects of nonlocal and surface/interface parameters on nonlinear vibrations of piezoelectric nanoresonator
Authors: Hashemi Kachapi Sayyid H , Mohammadi Daniali Hamidreza , Dardel Morteza , Fathi Alireza
Published: January 2020

In current work, Gurtin–Murdoch surface/interface and nonlocal theories are presented to investigate nonlinear vibration and stability analysis of piezoelectric nanoresonator simultaneously subjected to direct and alternating voltages. Complex averaging method combined with arc-length continuation is used to achieve the nonlinear frequency response and stability analysis of the piezoelectric nanoresonator. It is concluded that ignoring surface and small-scale effects lead to inaccurate results in vibration response of the piezoelectric nanoresonator. Also, with increasing dimensionless nonlocal parameter and decreasing nanoshell stiffness, dimensionless natural frequency, the resonance amplitude, the range of instability with saddle-node bifurcations and nonlinear hardening behavior, and also resonance frequency decrease. In addition, it is found that when the surface/interface effects corresponding to higher surface/interface density are considered, natural frequency is increased. Also, regardless the Lamé’s constants lead to decreasing of piezoelectric nanoresonator stiffness, and as a result, the dimensionless natural frequency is lower than all cases. The rest of the surface/interface parameters do not have much effect on the dimensionless natural frequency. Also, with increasing electrostatic and piezoelectric voltages, the oscillation amplitude and range of the piezoelectric nanoresonator system’s instability and all nonlinear behavior of piezoelectric nanoresonator are increased.
Active tuning of the vibration band gap characteristics of periodic laminated composite metamaterial beams
Authors: Ren Tao , Liu Chunchuan , Li Fengming , Zhang Chuanzeng
Published: January 2020

A novel strategy is proposed to investigate the vibration band-gap and active tuning characteristics of the laminated composite metamaterial beams. The piezoelectric actuator/sensor pairs are periodically placed along the laminated composite beam axis so that the vibration frequency band-gap and active tuning characteristics can be induced. The dynamic equations of the laminated composite metamaterial beams bonded by the piezoelectric actuator/sensor pairs are established based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. The negative proportional feedback control strategy is employed to provide the positive active control stiffness for the piezoelectric actuator/sensor patches. The spectral element method is used to calculate the dynamic responses of the laminated composite metamaterial beams with the periodically placed piezoelectric patches, and the calculation accuracy for the dynamic responses is validated by the finite element method. The results demonstrating the high-performance vibration band-gap properties in the low-frequency ranges can be achieved by properly designing the sizes and the number of the piezoelectric patches. Moreover, the vibration band-gap characteristics, especially the band-gap width and the normalized band-gap width with respect to the considered excitation frequency range, can be significantly changed by tuning the structural parameters of the piezoelectric actuators and sensors. In addition, the cross-ply angle of the laminated composite metamaterial beams has significant influences on the band-gap characteristics and the vibration reduction performance of the laminated composite beam structures.
NAM Therapy—Evidence-Based Results
Authors: Esenlik Elçin , Gibson Travis , Kassam Serena , Sato Yuki , Garfinkle Judah , Figueroa Alvaro A. , AlQatami Fawzi , Runyan Christopher , Alperovich Michael , Golinko Michael S. , Lee Catherine , Chatzigianni Athina , Zafeiriadis Anastasios A. , Santiago Pedro , Hosseinian Banafsheh , Kaygısız Emine Uluğ , Üçüncü Neslihan , Aslan Belma Işık , Uzuner Fatma Deniz , Gülşen Ayşe , Akkurt Atılım , Arslan Seher Gündüz , Sabás Mariana , Muñoz-Mendoza Maria Ana , Masis Daisy , Holguin Lizbeth , Granados Aracely , Rojas Nancy Edith , Campo Beatrice , Keskin Kamile , Akçam M. Okan , Lowe Kristen M. , Morselli Paolo G. , Pannuto Lucia , Yarza Ignacio Nacho , Martinez Ana Tejero , Coşkun Esra Yüksel , Nissan Sagit
Published: January 2020

Many orthodontists working on patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) have shown great enthusiasm for presurgical infant orthopedics (PSIO) to improve surgical outcomes with minimal intervention. Even though every clinician aims to use the best treatment modality for their patients, PSIO effects can be confounded by surgical type and timing of the primary repair, as is discussed in many studies. In such cases, one should be cautious when evaluating the particular outcomes for patients with CLP since it is difficult to differentiate the sole effect of an individual surgical or orthodontic intervention. As with any treatment methodology, nasoalveolar molding (NAM) has both benefits and limitations. Commonly cited concerns with NAM, and PSIO in general, include increased cost, increased burden of care, and a negative impact on maxillary growth. However, NAM cannot be deemed as having apparent long-term negative or positive effects on skeletal or soft tissue facial growth, based on previous studies. A review of the literature suggests that NAM does not alter skeletal facial growth when compared with the samples that did not receive PSIO. Nevertheless, the published studies on NAM show evidence of benefits to the patient, caregivers, the surgeon, and society. These benefits include documented reduction in severity of the cleft deformity prior to surgery and as a consequence improved surgical outcomes, reduced burden of care on the care givers, reduction in the need for revision surgery, and consequent reduced overall cost of care to the patient and society.
Ballistic performance and damage simulation of fiber metal laminates under high-velocity oblique impact
Authors: Zhang Chao , Zhu Qian , Curiel-Sosa Jose L , Bui Tinh Quoc
Published: January 2020

Fiber metal laminates have been successfully applied in military aircrafts, armor vehicles and other modern engineering industries as protective structures due to their outstanding impact resistant properties. Prediction of the ballistic performance and investigation on the damage mechanism of the fiber metal laminates under general oblique impact conditions still remain a very challenging issue. In this study, a nonlinear dynamic finite element model in terms of continuum damage mechanics including intra- and inter-layer failure modes is presented. The accuracy of this model is validated with available experimental data. The damage and ballistic performance of two different structural fiber metal laminates subjected to high-velocity oblique impact by rigid hemispherical nose projectile with angles of 0°, 30°, 45° and 60° are studied. The numerical results show that the projectile deflects when the oblique impact occurs and the deflection angle decreases with increasing the impact velocity. The residual velocity of the projectile and the energy absorption of the target are related to the initial impact velocity and impact angle of the projectile. The proposed simulation approach offers a new proper reference for numerical investigations of common oblique impact problems in other fiber metal laminates.
Majority rule dynamics between a double coalition and a third opinion: coalition profit models and majority coalition ties
Authors: Martínez Felipe Gayosso , Balankin Alexander
Published: January 2020

This article explores the opinion dynamics of a double coalition opinion against a third opinion under majority rule updates on odd fixed size connected groups. For this purpose, coalition benefit criteria and three opinion formation models which extend the 2-state majority rule model on lattices are introduced. The proposed models focus on the coalition profit of its constituent coalition opinions and cover the possible final scenarios from coalition alliance perspective: either minor opinion or major opinion is favored, or dynamics do not favor to any coalition opinion. Opinion exchanges take place on a torus embedded lattice network of a 3-state system having in consideration tie configurations and two rules to break them: either by random choice or leaving ties unaltered. Models were analyzed in the statistical mechanics spirit through Monte Carlo simulations without node replacement. Estimations for coalition benefits, the growth of coalition ties, and consensus probabilities are reported. The loss of coalition strengths due to coalition ties and its indecision is indicated. In particular, the logistic decay of consensus probability is due to the logistic adaptive growth of coalition ties. Scaling behaviors for consensus time and coalition ties in terms of network size are suggested. The results of numerical simulations are discussed in the context of social influence and social dynamics.
Development of body-based spatial knowledge through mental imagery in an artificial agent
Authors: Lara Bruno , Gaona Wilmer , Escobar Esaú , Pardo José Manuel , Hermosillo-Valadez Jorge
Published: January 2020

Distance perception for mobile agents is of great importance for safe navigation in unknown environments. Traditional methods make use of analytical solutions. Yet, according to some research hypothesis, distance perception is not the result of mathematical calculations, but an emergent consequence of an association process, where visual and tactile information acquire a central role. Designing models closer to natural cognition poses paramount challenges to artificial intelligence (AI), which call for a review of some of the foundations of current methods. Our work is framed in the embodied cognition paradigm, which highlights the importance of the body for the development of cognitive processes. We provide theoretical grounds and empirical evidence for an artificial account of distance perception through a multimodal association process. By learning multimodal sensorimotor schemes, an agent is capable of perceiving affordances related to distance perception without any non-body-based geometric knowledge. We let an agent interact with an environment cluttered with objects, while learning multimodal sensorimotor associations. The learned spatial relations are thoroughly characterized to show how the model depends on the agent’s specific sensorimotor capabilities. The system is tested in a passability experiment and a navigation task, showing the agent anticipates undesired situations using the learned model predictions.
Narrative Review of Controversies Involving Vasopressin Use in Septic Shock and Practical Considerations
Authors: Der-Nigoghossian Caroline , Hammond Drayton A. , Ammar Mahmoud A.
Published: January 2020

Objective: To summarize literature evaluating vasopressin use, focusing on clinical controversies regarding initiation, dosing, and discontinuation and interaction of vasopressin with other therapies in septic shock patients. Data Sources: A PubMed English-language literature search (January 2008 to December 2019) was performed using these terms: arginine vasopressin, septic, shock, and sepsis. Citations, including controlled trials, observational studies, review articles, guidelines, and consensus statements, were reviewed. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Relevant clinical data focusing on specific controversial questions regarding the utility of vasopressin in patients with septic shock were narratively summarized. Data Synthesis: Current literature does not strongly support the use of vasopressin as a first-line initial therapy for septic shock. Additionally, there are conflicting data for weight-based dosing of vasopressin in overweight patients. Evidence for vasopressin renal protection and interaction with corticosteroids is minimal. However, vasopressin has the ability to reduce catecholamine requirements in septic shock patients and may provide a mortality benefit in specific subgroups. Discontinuation of vasopressin last, not second to last, in resolving septic shock may reduce hypotension development. Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice: This review addresses specific clinical controversies that drive vasopressin use in septic shock patients in real-world practice. Conclusion: Vasopressin should remain second-line adjunct to norepinephrine to augment mean arterial pressures. Dosing should be initiated at 0.03 U/min, and higher doses offer minimal benefit. There are conflicting data on the impact of weight on vasopressin response. Studies have failed to show renal benefit with vasopressin use or an interaction with corticosteroid therapy.
Systematic Review of Subtalar Distraction Arthrodesis for the Treatment of Subtalar Arthritis
Authors: Fletcher Amanda N. , Liles Jordan L. , Steele Johnathan J. , Pereira Gregory F. , Adams Samuel B.
Published: January 2020

Background:

Subtalar distraction arthrodesis (SDA) was developed as a means of treating the symptoms of subtalar arthritis. Despite almost 30 years of research in this field, many controversies still exist regarding SDA. The objective of this study was to present an overview of outcomes following SDA, focusing on surgical technique as well as clinical and radiographic results.

Methods:

MEDLINE and EMBASE were queried and data abstraction was performed by 2 independent reviewers. Inclusion criteria for the articles were (1) English language, (2) peer-reviewed clinical studies with evidence levels I to IV, (3) with at least 5 patients, and (4) reporting clinical and/or radiographic outcomes of SDA.

Results:

Twenty-five studies matched the inclusion criteria (2 Level III and 23 Level IV studies) including 492 feet in 467 patients. The most common indication for SDA was late complications of calcaneus fractures. Many different operative techniques have been described, and there is no proven superiority of one method over the other. The most commonly reported complications were nonunion, hardware prominence, wound complications, and sural neuralgia. All studies showed both radiographic and clinical improvement at the last follow-up visit compared with the preoperative evaluation. Pooled results (12 studies, 237 patients) demonstrated improved American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot scores with a weighted average of 33 points of improvement.

Conclusion:

SDA provides good clinical results at short-term and midterm follow-up, with improvement in ankle function as well as acceptable complication and failure rates. Higher quality studies are necessary to better assess outcomes between different operative techniques.

Level of Evidence:

Level III.
Reciprocating compressor fault diagnosis using an optimized convolutional deep belief network
Authors: Zhang Ying , Ji Jinchen , Ma Bo
Published: January 2020

This article proposes an optimized convolutional deep belief network for fault diagnosis of reciprocating compressors. Sparse filtering is first used to compress raw signal into compact time series by refining the most representative information and to reduce the computational burden. Then, the proposed convolutional deep belief network is adopted to learn the unsupervised features of the compressed signal without the need of feature extraction by human effort. To improve the generalization ability of the network, an optimized probabilistic pooling out is proposed in this article to replace the standard one in the pooling layer of the convolutional deep belief network. Finally, the unsupervised features calculated by the optimized convolutional deep belief network are fed as the input of the softmax regression classifier for fault identification. Four types of vibration signals reflecting different operating conditions are collected from the industry to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The obtained results demonstrate that the proposed convolutional deep belief network method can achieve a higher classification accuracy rate of up to 91% for fault diagnosis than the traditional methods and accomplish the fault diagnosis of reciprocating compressor effectively.
Outcomes in Adulthood After Long-Term Foster Care: A Sibling Approach
Authors: Brännström Lars , Vinnerljung Bo , Hjern Anders
Published: January 2020

When a child is removed from their home and placed in foster care, society takes over the responsibility for that child’s well-being and development. Failure to provide a child with a nurturing upbringing may have negative consequences for the child as well as for society. Using Swedish longitudinal registry data for a national cohort sample of siblings, in which some were placed in foster care and others remained in their birth parents’ care, this study asks whether long-term foster care ensures improved life chances. Results from multilevel regression analyses of a wide range of educational, social, and health-related outcomes in mature adult age (16 outcome constructs) support a row of previous studies indicating that traditional long-term foster care does not seem to improve maltreated children’s life chances.
Perceived Ease of Access and Age Attenuate the Association Between Marijuana Ad Exposure and Marijuana Use in Adolescents
Authors: Turel Ofir
Published: January 2020

This study theorizes and tests moderators (perceived availability of marijuana and age-group) of the association between adolescents’ frequency of marijuana ad exposure and past-year marijuana use. To test this model, I analyzed national survey data from 9,024 American adolescents with hierarchical regression techniques. Results showed that being a male (95% confidence interval [CI] for unstandardized regression coefficient [0.06, 0.16]) and peer pressure (95% CI [0.04, 0.14]) were positively associated with past-year marijuana use, and father education (95% CI [−0.11, −0.06]) was negatively associated with it. Perceived ease of access (95% CI [0.18, 0.22]), ad exposure (95% CI [0.03, 0.14]), and age (95% CI [0.16, 0.27]) were positively associated with past-year marijuana use. Importantly, the associations of perceived ease of access and age with past-year marijuana use were significantly larger than that of ad exposure. Age (95% CI [0.00, 0.15]) and perceived ease of access (95% CI [0.01, 0.07]) independently strengthened the ad exposure to use association. There was a significant three-way interaction (95% CI [0.01, 0.12]) showing that age increases the positive influence of perceived ease of access on the marijuana ad exposure to past-year marijuana use association. An exploratory analysis further revealed that male adolescents are more strongly influenced by perceived ease of access compared to females. Based on the findings, I suggest that approaches for reducing perceived marijuana availability and for implementing age-specific interventions are promising avenues for prevention programs aimed at decreasing marijuana use in adolescents.
The Impact of Rehabilitation-oriented Virtual Reality Device in Patients With Ischemic Stroke in the Early Subacute Recovery Phase: Study Protocol for a Phase III, Single-Blinded, Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial
Authors: Ahmed Nima , Mauad Vitor A Queiroz , Gomez-Rojas Olga , Sushea Ammu , Castro-Tejada Gelanys , Michel Janet , Liñares Juan Manuel , Pedrosa Salles Loise , Candido Santos Ludmilla , Shan Ming , Nassir Rami , Montañez-Valverde Raul , Fabiano Ronaldo , Danyi Sofia , Hassan Hosseyni Seyed , Anand Seerat , Ahmad Usman , Casteleins William Augusto , Sanchez Alma Tamara , Fouad Ahmed , Jacome Alvaro , Moura de Oliveira Paiva Mariana Sanali , Saavedra Ruiz Ana Gabriela , Grochowski Rubens A , Toyama Mayumi , Nagi Hibatalla , Sarvodelli Marcella Zanini , Halalau Alexandra
Published: January 2020

Background and rationale:

Stroke is considered the most common cause of adult disability. Intensive rehabilitation protocols outperform nonintensive counterparts. The subacute stroke phase represents a potential window to recovery. Virtual reality (VR) has been shown to provide a more stimulating environment, allowing for increased patient compliance. However, the quality of current literature comparing VR with standard therapies is limited. Our aim is to measure the impact of VR versus standard therapy on the recovery of the upper limb motor function in patients with stroke in the early subacute recovery phase.

Method:

This is a randomized, controlled trial that will assign 262 patients to tailor-made standard rehabilitation (TMSR) or TMSR plus immersive VR device. The trial will be conducted in an urban rehabilitation clinic in the United States with expertise in the management of poststroke patients. Patients will be 18 to 70 years of age and in the early subacute period (30-90 days post ischemic stroke). The primary outcome will be the change of Fugl-Meyer Assessment—Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) score, measured at baseline and 13 weeks after randomization. The secondary outcome will be the change in the UK Functional Independence Measure and Functional Assessment Measure (UK FIM-FAM) score at the same time points.

Discussion:

If the use of VR in the rehabilitation of patients with stroke proves to have a significant impact on their motor recovery, it will constitute an extremely important step into decreasing the functional impairment associated with stroke and the related health care expense burden.
Psychological impact and health-related quality-of-life outcomes of Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser syndrome: A systematic review and narrative synthesis
Authors: Facchin Federica , Francini Federica , Ravani Silvia , Restelli Elisa , Gramegna Maria Giada , Vercellini Paolo , Aimi Giorgio
Published: January 2020

Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser syndrome causes absence or underdevelopment of uterus and vagina, but women’s subjective experience remains understudied. This systematic review was conducted to examine the psychological and health-related quality-of-life outcomes of Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser syndrome. In total, 22 articles identified through electronic search matched the inclusion criteria and were included in our review. Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser syndrome may be associated with psychological symptoms and impaired quality of life, but especially with poor sexual esteem and genital image. Women may experience difficulties managing intimacy and disclosing to partners. Mothers may be perceived as overinvolved, with consequent negative emotions in women with the disease.
Experimental and numerical evaluation of innovated T-resisting frames with haunched horizontal plate girders
Authors: Ashtari Payam , Rahnemoun Mohammad , Rasouli Irandokht
Published: January 2020

In this article, a novel configuration for innovated T-resisting frames is proposed. New configuration uses haunched beams with three configurations as horizontal plate girders with prismatic link beam. Using haunched beams confirms T-resisting frame main concept with shear yielding which results in better seismic performance. Haunch configuration leads to achieve any link length ratio especially for very short links. To evaluate seismic response of the haunched beam, a half scale T-resisting frame specimen with haunched configuration at side column face is subjected to a proper cyclic loading protocol. In addition, the same frame is modeled in ABAQUS software to validate the modeling techniques. Results of verification showed good conformity between numerical analysis and test result. Finally, several numerical examples are studied to investigate the effect of height and span length on T-resisting frames with different haunch locations and various link lengths in seismic response. It was found that shear yielding of haunched beams results in high ductility and more energy dissipation and a proper behavior in comparison with prismatic ones.
The Occurrence of Lung Cancer and Non-Pulmonary Malignancies After Pleural Infections
Authors: Khan J. , Ala-Seppälä H. , Lehtomäki A. , Toikkanen V. , Pohja E. , Laurikka J. , Ukkonen M.
Published: January 2020

Background and Aims:

Patients who develop infections of the pleura have several risk factors for malignancies, particularly lung cancer, and the infections might even be caused by undiagnosed intra-thoracic neoplasms. The aim of the study was to compare the occurrence of lung cancer and other malignancies between patients treated for pleural infections and controls during long-term follow-up.

Materials and Methods:

All consecutive patients treated for pleural infections between January 2000 and June 2016 at the Tampere University Hospital were included. Ten matched controls and data regarding later cancer diagnoses were requested from national registries. The cancer types and rates, the diagnostic delays, as well as survival were compared between patients and controls.

Results:

The material comprised 506 patients and 5022 controls (78% was male and median age was 60 years in both groups) with a median follow-up time of 69 months. In total, 74% of pleural infections were related to pneumonia. The occurrence of lung cancer during follow-up was 3.0% in all patients, 2.2% in pneumonia-related cases, and 0.6% in controls, p < 0.001 when compared with controls. The overall rate of non-pulmonary malignancies did not differ. Lung cancer was diagnosed within 3 months in 73% of patients versus in 6.9% of controls, p < 0.001. The survival in patients with later lung cancers or other malignancies was inferior to that of controls with similar neoplasms.

Conclusion:

The rate of lung cancer diagnoses was significantly increased in patients treated for pleural infections when compared with matched controls and the prognosis of patients with subsequent malignancies was impacted.
Vascular Resections for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Vascular Resections for PDAC
Authors: Oba A. , Bao Q. R. , Barnett C. C. , Al-Musawi M. H. , Croce C. , Schulick R. D. , Del Chiaro M.
Published: January 2020

Background and Aims:

It has become clear that vein resection and reconstruction for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the standard of care as supported by multiple guidelines. However, resection of large peri-pancreatic arteries remains debatable.

Materials and Methods:

This review examines the current state of vascular resection with curative intent for PDAC in the last 5 years. Herein, we consider venous (superior mesenteric vein, portal vein), as well as arterial (superior mesenteric artery, celiac trunk, hepatic artery) resection or both with or without reconstruction.

Results:

Improvement of multidrug chemotherapy has revolutionized care for PDAC that should shift traditional surgical thinking from an anatomical classification of resectability to a prognostic and biological classification.

Conclusion:

The present review gives an overview on the results of pancreatectomy associated with vascular resection, with consideration of new perspectives offered by the availability of better systemic therapies.
‘Fake news’ as infrastructural uncanny
Authors: Gray Jonathan , Bounegru Liliana , Venturini Tommaso
Published: January 2020

In this article, we examine how the social disturbance precipitated by ‘fake news’ can be viewed as a kind of infrastructural uncanny. We suggest that the threat of problematic and viral junk news can raise existential questions about the routine circulation, engagement and monetisation of content through the Web and social media. Prompted by the unsettling effects associated with the ‘fake news’ scandal, we propose methodological tactics for exploring (1) the link economy and the ranking of content, (2) the like economy and the metrification of engagement and (3) the tracker economy and the commodification of attention. Rather than focusing on the misleading content of junk news, such tactics surface the infrastructural conditions of their circulation, enabling public interventions and experiments to interrogate, challenge and change their role in reconfiguring relations between different aspects of social, cultural, economic and political life.
Discipline and promote: Building infrastructure and managing algorithms in a “structured journalism” project by professional fact-checking groups
Authors: Graves Lucas , Anderson CW
Published: January 2020

News organizations have adapted in various ways to a digital media environment dominated by algorithmic gatekeepers such as search engines and social networks. This article dissects a campaign to actively shape that environment led by professional fact-checking organizations. We trace the development of the Share the Facts “widget,” a device designed to give fact-checks greater purchase in algorithmically governed media networks by driving adoption of a new data standard called ClaimReview. We show how “structured journalism” gave journalists a language for the social and technical challenges involved, and how this infrastructural technology mediates between fact-checkers, audiences, and platform companies. We argue that this standard-setting initiative exhibits both promotional and disciplining facets, offering greater distribution and impact to journalists while also defining their work in specific ways. Crucially, in this case, this disciplining influence reflects internal professional-institutional agendas in an emerging subfield of journalism as much as the demands of platform companies.
Sustained journalist–audience reciprocity in a meso news-space: The case of a journalistic WhatsApp group
Authors: Kligler-Vilenchik Neta , Tenenboim Ori
Published: January 2020

By engaging with journalists in the networked media environment, audiences can play a role in shaping the epistemologies of journalism: how journalists know what they know, and communicate knowledge claims. While audiences have been offered opportunities to engage in news-production processes, ongoing reciprocal relationships between journalists and audiences online are rare. This study shows how sustained reciprocity takes place in a large-scale WhatsApp group opened by an Israeli journalist/blogger for her audience. Based on an analysis of group conversations, blog posts, and interviews, we demonstrate how a continuous conversation between the journalist and her loyal audience members allows the co-construction of journalistic knowledge across the news-production process. The online space that affords ongoing reciprocal exchanges is termed here a meso news-space, occurring between the private and public realms. This study contributes to understanding how sustained reciprocity can be accomplished and how it can promote shared benefits for journalists and community members.
Personal epistemologies of the media: Selective criticality, pragmatic trust, and competence–confidence in navigating media repertoires in the digital age
Authors: Schwarzenegger Christian
Published: January 2020

While the perils of social media, fake news, and an alleged distrust in legacy media have attained considerable public attention, the implications of these public narratives for their audiences have remained understudied. The aim of this article is to identify consequences of an emerged “fake news and post truth-era-narrative” for media users’ personal epistemologies, media beliefs, and news navigation practices from a media repertoire perspective. Forty-nine in-depth media-biographical interviews with people from three different age groups and with different media repertoires were conducted. Based on the study, the three interrelated dimensions (1) selective criticality, (2) pragmatic trust, and (3) competence–confidence were developed to analyze users’ media and news navigation. These three dimensions can be applied to other scenarios to investigate how people navigate their media repertoires and interact with the news in general.
Low-income children’s readiness for group-based learning at age 3 and prekindergarten outcomes at age 5
Authors: Mudrick Hannah B , Robinson JoAnn L , Brophy-Herb Holly E
Published: January 2020

Although 3-year-olds in the United States may attend prekindergarten prior to formal school entry in kindergarten, few investigations focus on the socioemotional foundations of classroom learning at age 3 and their relationship to later achievement. This study examined the relationship between age 3 readiness for group-based learning, modeled as the latent constructs, effortful control and social communication, and age 5 classroom adjustment and pre-academic outcomes. Data from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project in the United States ( n = 797) included observations, direct assessment, and examiner and teacher report. Children’s effortful control predicted classroom adjustment and their social communication predicted pre-academic outcomes. Readiness for group-based learning provides a way to describe key constructs of early skill development and a framework to support children’s classroom learning. Implications include promoting parents’ and educators’ capacities to support early developmental foundations for later adjustment and learning by fostering infants’ and toddlers’ effortful control and social communication. Efforts to support these skills simultaneously across diverse experiences in the home and classroom by focusing on children’s individual needs may prove advantageous.