bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aero-structural optimization and actuation analysis of a morphing wing section with embedded selectively stiff bistable elements
Authors: Rivas-Padilla José R , Boston D Matthew , Boddapati Karthik , Arrieta Andres F
Published: February 2023

Morphing wings provide a potential avenue to improve aerodynamic performance of aircraft operating at multiple design conditions. Nevertheless, morphing wing design is constrained by the mutually exclusive goals of high load-carrying capacity, low weight, and sufficient aerodynamic control authority via conformal shape adaptation. This trade-off can be addressed by exploiting the stiffness selectivity and shape “lock-in” properties enabled by using bistable beam-like elements within compliant structures. In this paper, we present an aero-structural optimization method to realize morphing structures with selective stiffness and shape “lock-in” capability from embedded bistable elements. We leverage an embeddable beam element with an invertible curved arch that provides stiffness selectivity and camber variation to the proposed rib geometry. Optimization objectives and constraints are designed to maximize the structure’s stiffness change and camber morphing “lock-in” effect when operating at two distinct flight conditions. Using the optimization results, we manufacture a wing section demonstrator with selective stiffness and “lock-in” morphing featuring two optimized ribs, a load-carrying skin made of a carbon reinforced laminate, Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) actuators, and a servo-controlled mechanism for switching the bistable elements’ states. The power and energy requirements of actuating and holding a target deflection are experimentally measured and compared. The results show that the bistable elements can assist in holding a target deflection at a reduced energy cost. Finally, we test the experimental demonstrator in a low-speed wind tunnel demonstrating the load carrying capability and lift variation achieved from switching states.
Simultaneously improving fracture toughness and impact resistance of the rapid-curing CFRP via insert with MAM/EP resin film
Authors: Liu Yuhang , Min Wei , Qi Liangliang , Muhuo Yu , Sun Zeyu
Published: February 2023

In this research, a resin film of the MAM/EP blend curing system containing the triblock copolymer polymethyl methacrylate- b-poly-n-butyl acrylate- b-polymethyl methacrylate (MAM) was prepared. Such resin film was inserted into the interlaminar of rapid-curing composites to simultaneously improve both mode I, mode II fracture toughness and impact resistance. Both the Mode I and Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness of the composites were carefully investigated as a function of MAM content of the MAM/EP resin film (0, 20 and 40 phr@50 μm). A maximum improvement up to 109% and 70.2% on Mode I and Mode II fracture toughness, respectively was obtained with the introduction of the 40 phr@50 μm compared to the laminates with the introduction of the 0 phr@50 μm. Analysis of the fracture surfaces of the laminates elucidated that the distinctive improvement of the interlaminar fracture toughness could be attributed to the characteristic interlaminar structures of MAM in epoxy resin by self-assembly. The interleaved laminates also displayed an increase of 26.7% for the compression after impact (CAI) properties, and showed excellent impact resistance. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the composite was thereafter explored, which indicated slight enhancements to the strengths.
UN Security Council Elections as an Incentive for Compliance
Authors: Caro-Burnett Johann , Weese Eric
Published: February 2023

Standard economic theory would predict that costly demands placed by the United Nations on its members should be rewarded. Similarly, when rewards are not attractive enough, countries are not expected to comply with such demands. In this paper, we study whether the rewards offered by the United Nations are seats at the Security Council. We show empirically that countries that have greater demands placed upon them by Security Council resolutions are more likely to be elected. Furthermore, although countries comply with resolutions leading up to their election, compliance decreases after they are elected. Finally, we show that countries that have not been in the Security Council recently, and thus are due for election, have additional requests made of them.
Travel While Working Remotely: A Topological Data Analysis of Well-Being in Remote Work Trip Experiences
Authors: Chevtaeva Ekaterina , Neuhofer Barbara , Egger Roman , Rainoldi Mattia
Published: February 2023

The proliferation of novel work arrangements, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to the emergence of remote work trip experiences in which work is conducted within the context of leisure travel. Remote work trips challenge the dichotomous view of traditional work and leisure domains. Grounded in positive psychology, this exploratory research investigates remote work travel experiences as a new phenomenon under the leisure travel umbrella. Using a data analytics approach based on a topological analysis of 32,881 Instagram posts, the findings revealed 23 distinct elements of remote work trip experiences that potentially influence well-being. The results indicate that traveling may benefit well-being despite not taking any breaks from work. By investigating the emerging trend of remote work trips and by expanding the understanding of how integrated work-travel experiences can influence well-being, this study contributes to the body of literature on both travel and positive psychology alike.
The Relation Between Cash Reserves, Governance, and Donations in Nonprofit Organizations
Authors: Pizzini Mina , Sterin Mikhail
Published: February 2023

Cash reserves enable nonprofit organizations to absorb financial shocks and meet unexpected demand for charitable services. Large cash holdings, however, provide managers with an opportunity to use funds to accrue private benefits, and excessive cash levels may negatively influence donors’ contribution decisions. Although an extensive literature examines cash holdings in for-profit firms, few accounting studies address the determinants and consequences of cash reserves in nonprofits (Core et al., 2006). This study investigates whether corporate governance mechanisms, which are designed to limit managers’ opportunistic behavior, are associated with nonprofit managers’ ability to build cash reserves. It also examines how excessive cash reserves influence donors’ decisions to contribute to a charity. Results indicate that cash reserves are positively associated with three proxies for corporate governance (board size, board independence, and board monitoring activities). We also find that excessive cash holdings are negatively associated with future donations, after controlling for governance. Our results suggest that donors withhold contributions from charities that are likely to hold their donations for future use rather than deploy them in the current period. This study contributes to research addressing the role of governance in controlling nonprofit managers’ actions and provides new evidence on factors affecting donors’ giving decisions.
Can the “real world” please stand up? The struggle for normality as a claim to reality
Authors: Wehrle Maren
Published: February 2023

In this paper, I show that a phenomenological concept of normality can be helpful to understand the experiential side of post-truth phenomena. How is one’s longing for, or sense of, normality related to what we deem as real, true, or objective? And to what extent is the sense for “what (really) is” related to our beliefs of what should be? To investigate this, I combine a phenomenological approach to lived normality with a genealogical account of represented normality that sheds light on the social and historical contingency of definitions of normality and their intertwinement with structures of power. It is my contention that such an approach to normality is well-suited to investigate how is and ought are interrelated within subjective experience and practice. This might in turn help overcoming one-sided debates on post-truth, which rely on the strict opposition of objectivity versus subjectivity, universal truth versus subjective experience, facticity versus meaning, or reason versus stupidity. It also sheds light on the ambivalent or contested status of experience within debates of post-truth and feminist theory. I will conclude that post-truth is related to what Hannah Arendt has termed the lack of a common world (i.e., normality), arguing that a plurality of experiences is needed to let the “real world” stand its ground again.
Family Life During and Beyond COVID-19: The Impact of Relationship Quality on Caregivers’ Management of Paid Work, Caregiving, and Self-Care
Authors: Hunter Sarah C. , Mauch Chelsea E. , Ridley Kate , Shipman Jessica , Riggs Damien W. , Coveney John , Feo Rebecca , Golley Rebecca K.
Published: February 2023

This multi-method project examined how Australian caregivers navigated family life during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and subsequent impact on family health behaviours. Participants were invited to complete all three phases. In phase 1, 115 caregivers completed an online survey, focussed on 2020 experiences of COVID-19. In phase 2, 96 of the participants completed a use-of-time recall and 80 completed a dietary recall examining participants’ health behaviours including how they spent their time, their physical activity, and diet quality. Phase 3 involved 24 of the participants completing an online story completion task, focussed on understanding participants’ sense-making of COVID-19. Through triangulating analyses of the three phases, this project identified how poor relationship quality negatively affected families’ experiences of significant disruptions and transitions. This project provides a nuanced picture of how COVID-19 in 2020 impacted family life and highlights the importance of caregiver relationship quality for family health and wellbeing.
Unauthorized Mexican-Born Immigrants, Occupational Injuries, and the use of Medical Services in the United States
Authors: Orraca-Romano Pedro P. , Hamilton Erin R. , Vargas-Valle Eunice D.
Published: February 2023

This article examines how unauthorized immigrant status is associated with the risk of suffering a work-related accident or illness and with the use of medical services after experiencing an injury among Mexican immigrants in the United States. Using individual-level data on 81,004 Mexican immigrants who previously worked in the United States and were interviewed when they returned to Mexico in the Survey of Migration in the Northern Border of Mexico from 2010 to 2018, we estimate a series of probit models and nonlinear decompositions to analyze legal status differences in the incidence of occupational injuries among immigrant workers. The results show that among Mexican immigrants in the United States unauthorized status was associated with a greater probability of experiencing an occupational injury. The higher injury rate among unauthorized immigrants was partly driven by the fact that they worked more hours per day, more days per week, and were employed in riskier occupations than authorized immigrants. If unauthorized immigrants were older and had higher levels of English-language ability, the injury gap would have been even larger. Unauthorized status was also associated with a lower likelihood of using medical services after suffering an occupational injury because unauthorized workers had less access to medical care. The findings show that the right to legal work has important implications for the health of immigrants by setting a higher risk level for injury on the job and limiting access to health care following such an injury.
Playing the role of supervisor: Reflections on supervision
Authors: Vogt Marianna
Published: February 2023

What does a supervisor do? What makes for good supervision? Is one a supervisor, or is it a role one steps into, that once embodied allows you to gather and hold insights plain-old-you don’t have access to? This article, in the form of a case study, uses self-reflection and interviews with supervisees to explore these questions.
Post-ischemic hyperemia following endovascular therapy for acute stroke is associated with lesion growth
Authors: Luby Marie , Hsia Amie W , Lomahan Carolyn A , Davis Rachel , Burton Shannon , Kim Yongwoo , Craft Veronica , Uche Victoria , Cabatbat Rainier , Adil Malik M , Thomas Leila C , De Vis Jill B , Afzal Mariam M , McGavern Dorian , Lynch John K , Leigh Richard , Latour Lawrence L
Published: February 2023

A substantial proportion of acute stroke patients fail to recover following successful endovascular therapy (EVT) and injury to the brain and vasculature secondary to reperfusion may be a contributor. Acute stroke patients were included with: i) large vessel occlusion of the anterior circulation, ii) successful recanalization, and iii) evaluable MRI early after EVT. Presence of hyperemia on MRI perfusion was assessed by consensus using a modified ASPECTS. Three different approaches were used to quantify relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Sixty-seven patients with median age of 66 [59–76], 57% female, met inclusion criteria. Hyperemia was present in 35/67 (52%) patients early post-EVT, in 32/65 (49%) patients at 24 hours, and in 19/48 (40%) patients at 5 days. There were no differences in incomplete reperfusion, HT, PH-2, HARM, severe HARM or symptomatic ICH rates between those with and without early post-EVT hyperemia. A strong association (R2 = 0.81, p < 0.001) was found between early post-EVT hyperemia (p = 0.027) and DWI volume at 24 hours after adjusting for DWI volume at 2 hours (p < 0.001) and incomplete reperfusion at 24 hours (p = 0.001). Early hyperemia is a potential marker for cerebrovascular injury and may help select patients for adjunctive therapy to prevent edema, reperfusion injury, and lesion growth.
Undoing settler imaginaries: (Re)imagining digital knowledge politics
Authors: Rivera Isaac
Published: February 2023

Geography as a discipline is entangled in settler colonial regimes that continue to shape geographic practice and the boundaries of geographical knowledge. Digital technologies play an instrumental role in shaping the view of geography and sociospatial relations. This paper traces the construction of the settler imaginary in geographic thought through scholarship and digital geographies and anticolonialism. By bridging anticolonial scholarship and digital geographies, this paper contributes to debates on anticolonial and decolonial refusal politics and its role in realizing reciprocal land-life relations. The (re)imagining of digital knowledge politics begins with accountable digital geographic practices on the terms of Indigenous peoples’.
Exogenous factors and the crisis bargaining process
Authors: Danilovic Vesna , Clare Joe
Published: February 2023

We examine whether bargaining behavior alters the initially expected effects of exogenous factors, such as power balance, issues, and domestic regimes, influencing crisis outcomes. Our argument is that, instead of weakening threat credibility as assumed in the traditional advocacy for firmness, mixing coercion with accommodation optimally allows states to reach an outcome within the bargaining range shaped by exogenous factors. After establishing causal mechanisms, we test our hypotheses over the 1918−2015 period. The findings validate our expectations that intransigence exacerbates crisis stability even under favorable exogenous conditions whereas mixed bargaining mitigates the effects of unfavorable ones.
Co-Delivery of paclitaxel and doxorubicin in folate-Targeted pluronic/ploy (D,L-lactide-b-glycolide) polymersomes
Authors: Wu Tian Yi , Cao Wen Jie , Li Zi Ling , Gong Yan Chun , Xiong Xiang Yuan
Published: February 2023

Drugs with different solubility can be selectively embedded into polymersomes with the hydrophilic core and hydrophobic bilayer. Novel folate-targeted Pluronic/poly (D,L-lactide- b-glycolide) polymersomes were constructed and used for the co-delivery of paclitaxel (PTX) and doxorubicin (DOX) to improve their inhibitory effect over cancer cells. The particle size of blank polymersomes was mainly distributed below 125 nm. The release of PTX and DOX from polymersomes showed an initial burst release followed by a sustained and slow release. The in vitro cytotoxicity data showed that the targeted co-loaded polymersomes (PTX&DOX FA-Ps) exhibited better inhibitory effect than single-loaded polymersomes and free drugs did. Furthermore, PTX&DOX FA-Ps showed the synergistic therapeutic effect over OVCAR-3 cancer cells. The cellular uptake results also showed that folate modified polymersomes had excellent targeting performance. Therefore, the folate-targeted Pluronic/poly (D,L-lactide- b-glycolide) polymersomes have potential application value as novel drug carriers to co-deliver PTX and DOX.
Incidence and Severity of Sexual Harassment, and its Impact on Mental Health in a Cohort of International Humanitarian Field-Workers
Authors: Martinmäki Saara E. , de Jong Kaz , Komproe Ivan H. , Boelen Paul A. , Kleber Rolf J.
Published: February 2023

To date, there have been no cohort studies of sexual harassment incidence and its relation to mental health within humanitarian field-workers. Research among numerous occupations suggests an association between workplace sexual harassment and several health complaints. This study examined the incidence and severity of sexual harassment and its association with changes in mental health in a cohort of international humanitarian aid field-workers (iHAWs). Four hundred and seventy-eight iHAWs filled in questionnaires about sexual harassment, depression, anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as part of a larger study on health and well-being. Six percent of male and 18% of female iHAWs reported experiencing sexual harassment during their latest field assignment, with most reporting low levels of nonphysical forms of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment was predictive of negative changes in both depression and anxiety symptom severity between before and after an assignment for females; for males, it predicted negative changes in PTSD symptom severity. Sexual harassment did not predict utilization of mental healthcare services within 2 months after the end of assignment. The current findings are the first figures derived from a representative sample of iHAWs on the incidence of sexual harassment during a field assignment and show sexual harassment to be a relatively common and present issue. The findings are mostly in line with the extant literature and underscore the importance of attending to the issue of sexual harassment in the humanitarian sector.
Profiles of Teenage Athletes’ Exposure to Violence in Sport: An Analysis of Their Sport Practice, Athletic Behaviors, and Mental Health
Authors: Daignault Isabelle , Deslauriers-Varin Nadine , Parent Sylvie
Published: February 2023

Violence in sport is a major social issue generating great interest in research over the last 10 years. Studies to date highlight various forms and manifestations of violence in the lives of teenagers practicing individual or team sports, in competitive and recreational contexts. Although allegations of sexual violence involving coaches most often reach media attention, psychological and physical violence involving teammates, parents, and coaches are also prevalent. While profiles of offenders in the sport context have contributed to a better understanding of the issue, similar profiles need to be elaborated for young victims to delineate varying degrees of risk, adaptation, and needs. Latent class analyses were conducted to empirically identify different patterns of exposure to violence in sport from a sample of 1057 athletes aged 14–17 years. Teenagers participated in an online survey assessing their experiences of violence using the Violence Toward Athletes Questionnaire. Results highlighted three different profiles of victimization in the sport context: (a) a non-victimized profile constituting only 37% of the sample; (b) a profile representing 52% of the sample that is mainly exposed to psychological violence by teammates, coaches, and parents; and (c) a “poly-victimized” profile, representing 10% of the sample, that is exposed to all forms of violence at the hands of various perpetrators (teammates, coaches, and parents). The identified profiles were compared according to different indicators of sport practice, athletic behaviors, and mental health. This study delineates the influence of single and multiple forms of violence and its compound consequences on mental health and sport-related behaviors, thus portraying various degrees of need for tailored prevention and intervention measures.
Weeding Out the Weak: Labor, Gender, and Disability in a U.S. Fossil Fuel Boomtown
Authors: Labuski Christine M.
Published: February 2023

COVID-19 has radically reshaped the labor dreams of many U.S. workers. This essay uses pre-pandemic fieldwork in an oil and gas “boomtown” to consider post-work imaginaries in the wake and midst of COVID-19. I use feminist and disability studies perspectives to argue that economic analyses must not only move beyond the discourse of “jobs” but must also attend to gender-based and ableist modes of discrimination that persist even in so-called booming economies. I posit the figure of the economically productive worker, asking how routine practices of identity-shaped discrimination undermine the capacities of some to embody this figure. My interview-derived and ethnographic data suggest that economic self-sufficiency is a woefully inadequate model for meeting the material needs of people, and that labor innovations such as a universal basic income are necessary to achieve the kinds of flourishing sought by those participating in the “great resignation.”
Numerical optimization-based design studies on biaxial tensile tests
Authors: Dexl Florian , Hauffe Andreas , Markmiller Johannes , Wolf Klaus
Published: February 2023

Biaxial tensile tests are of great significance for the characterization of materials. For ductile materials, they allow the representation of the yield strength curve separating elastic and plastic material behavior. Contrary demands regarding the specimen design arise, if a biaxial stress state with the equivalent stress equal or close to the yield strength shall be obtained. On one hand, the specimen shall be of constant thickness and stiffness, in order to allow an unconstrained deformation without undesired lateral strains. On the other hand, stress concentrations arising from the load introduction make a thickened border region necessary, in order to avoid a premature failure of the specimen. The present paper addresses this problem by a multi-objective structural optimization using Evolutionary Algorithms. Well-defined parametric models of biaxial tensile test specimens allow to systematically investigate the influence of the thickness distribution and the sizing of the border region. Additionally, the influence of actuators of constant force compared to actuators of constant displacement are quantified. In all cases, the minimization of the stress difference as well as the actuation effort are considered as objectives. The results allow a deep insight to the optimal definition of biaxial tensile test specimens and are summed up in well-defined design proposals.
People move, policies don’t: discursive partition against climate-impacted dwellers in urbanizing Bangladesh
Authors: Huq Efadul , Shafique Tanzil
Published: February 2023

In Bangladesh, internal climate displacement will continue pushing millions to the urbanizing centres where migrants make homes in informal settlements. These settlements, too, are sites for climate hazards such as heat stress and flooding, affecting climate-displaced and economic migrants alike. The demands of growing migrant populations and long-term informal settlement dwellers converge around rights to secure land and housing, acknowledged in policies at both national and urban scales. Yet, settlements continue to face evictions, revealing a significant mismatch between policy aspirations and concrete urban planning strategies. Based on our ongoing research in the informal settlements of Dhaka, Bangladesh, we point to a structural condition we call discursive partition which continues to exclude climate-impacted dwellers from urban resilience policies despite their formal recognition in national climate policies. Based on evidence of how climate-impacted dwellers themselves lead urban adaptation, we point to three critical revisitations for just climate adaptation plans.
Dietary patterns and life-styles of patients with gastrointestinal involvement of systemic lupus erythematosus: Questionnaire survey from a tertiary center of China
Authors: Xu Haojie , Meng Xia , Wang Lu , Zhu Gaoqi , Fan Xiaoyun , Li Rongli , Fei Yunyun , Yang Huaxia , Zhao Lidan
Published: February 2023

Objective

To investigate the dietary patterns and lifestyles of patients with lupus gastrointestinal (GI) involvement and to reveal the possible role of organ-specific involvement of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) on daily diet.

Methods

Patients with SLE complicated with gastrointestinal involvement (SLE-GI) admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) from January 2010 to September 2021 were enrolled. Age- and sex-matched SLE patients with lupus nephritis (SLE-LN) but free of other internal organs involvement who were admitted during the same period were enrolled as disease controls at the ratio of 1:1. In addition, a group of age- and sex-matched healthy people were also included as healthy controls (HCs). Questionnaires were distributed to these patients and HC to collect their dietary patterns and lifestyle information. Clinical features, dietary and lifestyle habits were compared between the two groups of patients and HC.

Results

The questionnaire survey showed that compared with HC, the SLE-GI group had higher proportions of vegetarians ( p = 0.014) and a lower proportion of omnivores ( p = 0.058). A higher percentage of SLE-GI patients reported a traditional Chinese medicine ( p = 0.018) taken history and surgical history ( p = 0.014). They also less likely to take fried/pickled food ( p = 0.042) and dietary supplements ( p = 0.024) than HC. Higher percentages of SLE-GI patients and SLE-LN patients preferred self-catering (87.5% and 94.3%) over take-out food than HC (70.8%) ( p = 0.127 and p = 0.016). No significant difference on drinking preference among the three groups, but it seemed more SLE-GI patients consumed yogurt than HC ( p = 0.097). The SLE-LN patients were also found to have lower frequencies of staying up late ( p = 0.005). The SLE-GI group also presented higher positivity rates for anti-SSA (69.6% vs . 45.7%, p = 0.020) and anti-SSB antibodies (32.6% vs . 10.9%, p = 0.011) but lower positivity rates for anti-dsDNA antibodies (30.4% vs . 82.6%, p < 0.001) compared with the SLE-LN group.

Conclusion

The dietary patterns, life-styles and autoantibody spectrum of SLE-GI patients differed greatly from those of SLE-LN patients and healthy people. These factors may reflect the influence of disease and organ involvement modes on patients’ daily life and may contribute partly to the systemic involvement in SLE.
Timing of Physical and Emotional Intimate Partner Violence Exposure and Women's Health in an Australian Longitudinal Cohort Study
Authors: FitzPatrick Kelly M. , Brown Stephanie J. , Hegarty Kelsey , Mensah Fiona , Gartland Deirdre
Published: February 2023

Drawing on data from a prospective pregnancy cohort ( N = 1,507), this study examines the relationship between exposure to physical and emotional intimate partner violence (IPV) across the first 10 years of motherhood and women's mental and physical health. A measure of IPV (Composite Abuse Scale) was included at 1, 4, and 10 years postpartum. Past year and prior experiences of IPV were associated with mental and physical health issues at 10 years, both for mothers who had experienced combined IPV and emotional IPV alone. Awareness of the health issues associated with different types of IPV can assist in tailoring responses for women who experience IPV.
Humoral COVID-19 vaccine response in patients with NMOSD/MOGAD during anti-IL-6 receptor therapy compared to other immunotherapies
Authors: Schwake Carolin , Pakeerathan Thivya , Kleiter Ingo , Ringelstein Marius , Aktas Orhan , Korporal-Kuhnke Mirjam , Wildemann Brigitte , Jarius Sven , Bayas Antonios , Pul Refik , Ceylan Ulas , Faissner Simon , Hellwig Kerstin , Ayroza Galvao Ribeiro Gomes Ana Beatriz , Lipps Patrick , Pröbstel Anne-Katrin , Kümpfel Tania , Oswald Eva , Then Bergh Florian , Gödel Clemens , Hümmert Martin W , Trebst Corinna , Gold Ralf , Ayzenberg Ilya
Published: February 2023

Background:

Data on the humoral vaccine response in patients on anti-interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor therapy remain scarce.

Objective:

The main objective of our study was to investigate the humoral response after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD)/myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) patients treated with anti-IL-6 receptor therapy. Secondarily, we analyzed relapse activity timely associated with vaccination.

Methods:

In this retrospective cross-sectional multicenter study, we included 15 healthy controls and 48 adult NMOSD/MOGAD patients without previous COVID-19 infection. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibody titers during anti-IL-6 receptor therapy were compared to anti-CD20 antibody therapy, oral immunosuppressants, and to nonimmunosuppressed individuals.

Results:

We observed 100% seroconversion in the anti-IL-6 receptor treatment group. Titers of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibodies were lower compared to healthy controls (720 vs 2500 binding antibody units (BAU)/mL, p = 0.004), but higher than in the anti-CD20 (720 vs 0.4 BAU/mL, p < 0.001) and comparable to the oral immunosuppressant group (720 vs 795 BAU/mL, p = 1.0). We found no association between mRNA-based vaccines and relapse activity in patients with or without immunotherapy.

Conclusions:

Despite being lower than in healthy controls, the humoral vaccine response during anti-IL-6 receptor therapy was evident in all patients and substantially stronger compared to anti-CD20 treatment. No relevant disease activity occurred after mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2.
The use of mediation analysis in evaluation of complex health interventions
Authors: DiLiberto Deborah D. , Opondo Charles , Staedke Sarah G. , Chandler Clare I. R. , Allen Elizabeth
Published: February 2023

This article presents an application of the causal inference approach to mediation analysis using the example of a complex intervention that aimed to improve the quality of care at health centres in Uganda. Mediation analysis is a statistical method that aims to isolate the causal mechanisms that make an intervention work in a given context. We combined data from a cluster randomized control trial and a mixed-methods process evaluation. We developed two causal models following our hypotheses of how the intervention was intended to work through mechanisms at health centres to improve health outcomes in the community. In adjusted analyses, there was evidence of an effect of the intervention on some health centre mechanisms; however, these did not lead to improvements in community health outcomes. We discuss the practical and epistemological challenges encountered when using mediation analysis to evaluate a complex intervention. These findings will inform future evaluations.

Trial registration:

The trial reported in this article is registered at: clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01024426. Registered 2 December 2009, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT01024426?term=NCT01024426&draw=2&rank=1
Cultural Capital in China? Television Tastes and Cultural and Cosmopolitan Distinctions Among Beijing Youth
Authors: Gao Yang , Kuipers Giselinde
Published: February 2023

How does television taste function as cultural capital in contemporary China? This study shows how Chinese youth engage with global television fiction to mark their positions in China’s changing social and cultural hierarchies. Using multiple correspondence analysis (N = 422) and interviews (N = 48) with college students in Beijing, we identify three taste dimensions: (1) disengaged versus discerning viewers; (2) TV lovers versus TV dislikers; and (3) ‘Western’ versus ‘Eastern’ TV taste. Dimensions 1 and 3 are cultural capital dimensions; they differ in criteria and type of cultural knowledge used to make distinctions and in connection with economic capital. Highlighting cosmopolitan capital as a distinct form of cultural capital, we analyse shifting global systems of cultural distinction, from a Chinese vantage point. Our analysis expands theories of culture and inequality by showing that (and how) tastes reflect and reinforce social stratification in the previously unexplored Chinese context, but with distinctive Chinese characteristics.
Region-wise evaluation of strength and creep behavior of AISI 904L weldments by small specimen testing techniques
Authors: Sunny Kora T , Korra Nanda Naik , Muthukumaran Vasudevan , Ganesh Kumar Jayakumar , Vasantharaja Paramasivam
Published: February 2023

Super austenitic stainless steel AISI 904L is a premium stainless steel renowned for its outstanding characteristics and the ability to be maintained even under harsh situations. This alloy is widely used in a variety of engineering applications, and hence generating creep and indentation data of the material will prove useful for those concerned. Our study investigates the impression creep (IC) and automated ball indentation (ABI) performance in activated tungsten inert gas (ATIG) and hot wire tungsten inert gas (HWTIG) weldments of 10 mm thick plates of AISI 904L. ABI-evaluated strength correlates well with the conventional uniaxial tensile test and hardness data. IC studies were performed on base metal and welds by applying a load of 60 kg on a 1 mm diameter flat-end cylindrical punch at 650 oC. Several cycles of loading followed by partial unloading were performed on ABI specimens at 25 °C using a 0.76 mm diameter tungsten carbide spherical indenter. The results indicated that the ATIG weld excelled over the HWTIG weld with higher creep resistance. During the ABI analysis, the heat-affected zone of HWTIG weldment displayed higher UTS and ABI hardness values of 499 MPa and 185 HB, respectively. Hardness values generated by the ABI analysis are 174 HB, 161 HB, and 177 HB for the base metal, ATIG weldment, and HWTIG weldment, respectively. This was found to be very much in agreement with conventional hardness test results. The results cemented the ability of IC and ABI analysis to precisely predict the creep and mechanical properties of the base metal and weldments. Data generated through this study will benefit industries and researchers associated with AISI 904L.
Color M-Mode Ultrasound to Assess Carotid Arteries: A Feasibility Study
Authors: Carlson Jessica , Adams Tyler , Lee Juhyun , Gao Jing
Published: February 2023

Introduction:

The gradual process of atherosclerosis involves both structural and functional changes that can accumulate over years and contribute to cardiovascular risk. We propose the use of color M-mode ultrasound to evaluate the distensibility of the carotid artery as a quantitative measurement of dynamic function that could evaluate age-related vascular change when considering atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease evaluation and risk. The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility of color M-mode ultrasound to evaluate age-related changes in the carotid arteries.

Methods:

Color M-mode ultrasound of the distal common carotid artery (CCA) with concurrent electrocardiogram tracing was performed on 62 adults (19 men and 43 women) in 3 age groups: young adult (20-44 years; n = 22), middle age (45-64 years; n = 20), and senior (≥65 years; n = 20). Color M-mode ultrasound images of the CCA were processed offline using ImageJ to quantify total, red, green, and blue (RGB) pixels in systole and diastole. The CCA distensibility was calculated by using the following equation: distensibility coefficient (DC) = (systolic − diastolic diameter)/(diastolic diameter × pulse pressure). The difference in ultrasound parameters among the 3 age groups was analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Intraobserver and interobserver reliability of offline imaging processing was tested using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

Results:

We observed a significant difference in CCA distensibility among the 3 age groups ( P < .05). The interobserver reproducibility and intraobserver repeatability in performing offline image processing were excellent (ICC >0.85).

Conclusion:

These findings suggest that color M-mode ultrasound is feasible in evaluating changes in CCA distensibility and systolic pixel values representing CCA blood flow significantly decreased in seniors.
Building thermal environment solution model and radiation heat transfer calculation model based on Gebhart absorption coefficient
Authors: Lv Liugen , Xiang Yi , Huang Chen
Published: February 2023

The building walls temperatures are different, and there are radiation heat transfers between the walls, which have the characteristics of multiple reflections and multiple absorptions. The Gebhart absorption coefficient considers the radiation energy both directly absorbed by the wall and indirectly absorbed by other walls multiple times reflections. The absorption coefficient Gij is used to represent the proportion of radiation energy absorbed by surface j from the radiation energy of surface i. Through employing Gebhart absorption coefficient, the Gebhart absorption coefficient matrix is constructed based on the wall angle factors and the wall radiation emissivity. The building thermal environment solution model is established, which can calculate the indoor air temperature and wall temperature. The wall radiation heat transfer calculation model is built to calculate the net radiation heat transfer of the walls. An experimental bench was carried out to verify the above theoretical calculation results. The research results showed that the theoretical calculated values of the air temperatures of the building thermal environment solution model were basically consistent with the measured values, and the deviation was within 0.25°C. The deviation between the calculated values of the wall temperatures and the measured values was basically within 1.0°C. The error between the calculated values of the wall radiation heat transfer calculation model and the measured values varied within a small range. The Gebhart absorption coefficient is more appropriate in characterizing radiation heat transfer mechanism of the walls, and it provides a new way and thought for the analysis of radiation heat transfer on building wall.
Adjusting for Baseline Measurements of the Mediators and Outcome as a First Step Toward Eliminating Confounding Biases in Mediation Analysis
Authors: Loh Wen Wei , Ren Dongning
Published: February 2023

Mediation analysis prevails for researchers probing the etiological mechanisms through which treatment affects an outcome. A central challenge of mediation analysis is justifying sufficient baseline covariates that meet the causal assumption of no unmeasured confounding. But current practices routinely overlook this assumption. In this article, we suggest a relatively easy way to mitigate the risks of incorrect inferences resulting from unmeasured confounding: include pretreatment measurements of the mediator(s) and the outcome as baseline covariates. We explain why adjusting for pretreatment baseline measurements is a necessary first step toward eliminating confounding biases. We hope that such a practice can encourage explication, justification, and reflection of the causal assumptions underpinning mediation analysis toward improving the validity of causal inferences in psychology research.
Optimal use of antithrombotic agents in ischemic stroke with atrial fibrillation and large artery atherosclerosis
Authors: Kim Tae Jung , Lee Ji Sung , Yoon Jae Sun , Oh Mi Sun , Kim Ji-Woo , Park Soo-Hyun , Jung Keun-Hwa , Kim Hyun Young , Kwon Jee-Hyun , Choi Hye-Yeon , Kim Hahn Young , Eah Kyung Yoon , Han Sang Won , Oh Hyung-Geun , Kim Young-Jae , Shin Byoung-Soo , Kim Chang Hun , Kim Chi Kyung , Park Jong-Moo , Lee Kyung Bok , Park Tai Hwan , Lee Jun , Park Man-Seok , Choi Jay Chol , Kim Chulho , Shin Dong-Ick , Lee Soo Joo , Kim Dong-Eog , Cha Jae-Kwan , Kim Eung-Gyu , Yu Kyung-Ho , Hong Keun-Sik , Lee Young-Seok , Lee Ju-Hun , Sohn Sung Il , Bae Hee-Joon , Lee Young-Bae , Lee Jun Hong , Rha Joung-Ho , Lee Byung-Chul , Chang Dae-Il , Ko Sang-Bae , Yoon Byung-Woo
Published: February 2023

Background:

Optimal antithrombotic regimens to prevent recurrent stroke in patients with ischemic stroke due to atrial fibrillation (AF) and atherosclerotic large-vessel stenosis remain unknown.

Aims:

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of multiple antithrombotic therapies on outcomes at 1 year after ischemic stroke due to two or more causes.

Methods:

We identified 862 patients with ischemic stroke due to AF and large artery atherosclerosis from the linked data. These patients were categorized into three groups according to antithrombotic therapies at discharge: (1) antiplatelets, (2) oral anticoagulants (OAC), and (3) antiplatelets plus OAC. The study outcomes were recurrent ischemic stroke, composite outcomes for cardiovascular events, and major bleeding after 1 year. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to balance the three groups using propensity scores.

Results:

Among 862 patients, 169 (19.6%) were treated with antiplatelets, 405 (47.0%) were treated with OAC, and 288 (33.4%) were treated with antiplatelets and OAC. After applying IPTW, only OAC had a significant beneficial effect on the 1-year composite outcome (hazard ratio (HR): 0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.23–0.60, p < 0.001) and death (HR: 0.35, 95% CI: (0.19–0.63), p < 0.001). The combination of antiplatelet agents and OAC group had an increased risk of major bleeding complications (HR: 5.27, 95% CI: (1.31–21.16), p = 0.019). However, there was no significant difference in 1-year recurrent stroke events among the three groups.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrated that OAC monotherapy was associated with lower risks of composite outcome and death in patients at 1 year after ischemic stroke due to AF and atherosclerotic stenosis. In addition, the combination of an antiplatelet and OAC had a high risk of major bleeding.
Association between spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection and perivascular adipose tissue attenuation on computed tomography angiography
Authors: Cheng Kevin , Lin Andrew , Stecher Ximena , Bernstein Tomas , Zuñiga Paulo , Mazzon Enrico , Brunser Alejandro , Diaz Violeta , Martinez Gonzalo , Cameron William , Nicholls Stephen J , Patel Sanjay , Dey Damini , Wong Dennis TL , Muñoz Venturelli Paula
Published: February 2023

Background:

Spontaneous cervical artery dissection (sCAD) is a leading cause of ischemic stroke in young patients. Studies using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography have suggested vessel wall inflammation to be a pathogenic factor in sCAD. Computed tomography (CT) attenuation of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is an established non-invasive imaging biomarker of inflammation in coronary arteries, with higher attenuation values reflecting a greater degree of vascular inflammation.

Objectives:

We evaluate the CT attenuation of PVAT surrounding the internal carotid artery (PVATcarotid) with and without spontaneous dissection.

Methods:

Single-center prospective observational study of 56 consecutive patients with CT-verified spontaneous dissection of the internal carotid artery (ICA). Of these patients, six underwent follow-up computed tomography angiography (CTA). Twenty-two patients who underwent CTA for acute neurological symptoms but did not have dissection formed the control group. Using semi-automated research software, PVATcarotid was measured as the mean Hounsfield unit (HU) attenuation of adipose tissue within a defined volume of interest surrounding the ICA.

Results:

PVATcarotid was significantly higher around dissected ICA compared with non-dissected contralateral ICA in the same patients (−58.7 ± 10.2 vs −68.9 ± 8.1 HU, p < 0.0001) and ICA of patients without dissection (−58.7 ± 10.2 vs −69.3 ± 9.3 HU, p < 0.0001). After a median follow-up of 89 days, there was a significant reduction in PVATcarotid around dissected ICA (−57.5 ± 13.4 to −74.3 ± 10.5 HU, p < 0.05), while no change was observed around non-dissected contralateral ICA (−71.0 ± 4.4 to −74.1 ± 4.1 HU, p = 0.19). ICA dissection was an independent predictor of PVATcarotid following multivariable adjustment for age and the presence of ICA occlusion.

Conclusion:

PVATcarotid is elevated in the presence of sCAD and may decrease following the acute event.
Understanding How Charismatic School Leaders Affect a Teacher’s Readiness for Change: The Role of Perspective-Taking
Authors: Da’as Rima’a
Published: February 2023

I examined the effect of school leaders’ charisma on a teacher’s readiness for change mediated through the teacher’s perspective-taking—a social cognitive trait of seeing another’s viewpoint. Study participants were 1,195 teachers working in 95 state elementary schools in the Israeli public-school system at the outset of a large-scale organizational change termed “New Horizon”—a top-down reform that includes changes in teachers’ work and professional development, and in principals’ discretion and autonomy. Using multilevel structural equation modeling, results indicated significant positive relationships between charismatic school leaders and a teacher’s readiness for change through the effects of his/her perspective-taking.
Characteristics and outcomes of patients with psoriasis treated with apremilast in the real-world in Austria – results the APPRECIATE study
Authors: Jonak Constanze , Göttfried Isolde , Perl-Convalexius Sylvia , Gruber Barbara , Schütz-Bergmayr Martina , Vujic Igor , Weger Wolfgang , Schicher Nikolaus , Semlin Lydia , Hemetsberger Margit , Cordey Myriam , Sator Paul
Published: February 2023

Background:

Apremilast, an oral phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, is approved in the European Union for the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis in adult patients refractory or contraindicated to or intolerant of other systemic therapies.

Objectives:

The APPRECIATE study assessed apremilast use in real-world practice and its clinical value to physicians and patients. APPRECIATE was a multinational, observational, retrospective, cross-sectional study.

Methods:

Apremilast effectiveness at 6 (±1) months was assessed on the basis of psoriasis severity and health-related quality-of-life scores and treatment satisfaction using physician/patient-reported outcomes, respectively. We report the Austrian cohort of 72 patients.

Results:

At 6 (±1) months, three-quarters of patients remained on apremilast, while physicians and patients reported treatment benefits across all psoriasis symptoms and manifestations. Of patients, the majority were satisfied with their treatment and achieved treatment goals considered most relevant. Patients’ and physicians’ perceptions of treatment effectiveness were aligned, and health-related quality-of-life scores indicated an improvement in the majority of patients. Apremilast tolerability was consistent with the known safety profile.

Conclusions:

Among psoriasis patients receiving apremilast in Austria, improvement in clinical outcomes were observed and satisfaction with apremilast treatment among patients and physicians was high.

Registration:

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02740218