bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improvement of ERA5 over ERA-Interim in Simulating Surface Incident Solar Radiation throughout China
Authors: He Yanyi , Wang Kaicun , Feng Fei
Published: February 2021

Surface incident solar radiation (Rs) is important for providing essential information on climate change. Existing studies have shown that the Rs values from current reanalyses are significantly overestimated throughout China. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) recently released the fifth generation of atmospheric reanalysis (i.e., ERA5) with a much higher spatiotemporal resolution and a major upgrade compared to its predecessor, ERA-Interim. This study is to verify whether ERA5 can improve the Rs simulation using sunshine duration–derived Rs values at ~2200 stations over China from 1979 to 2014 as reference data. Compared with the observed multiyear national mean, the Rs overestimation is reduced from 15.88 W m−2 in ERA-Interim to 10.07 W m−2 in ERA5. From 1979 to 1993, ERA-Interim (−1.99 W m−2 decade−1; p < 0.05) and ERA5 (−2.42 W m−2 decade−1; p < 0.05) estimates of Rs in China continued to decrease and the decline of the latter is closer to the observed. After 1993, they both show a strong brightening (i.e., 2.26 W m−2 decade−1 in ERA-Interim and 1.49 W m−2 decade−1 in ERA5) but observations show a nonsignificant increase by 0.30 W m−2 decade−1. Due to the improvement of total cloud cover (TCC) simulation by ERA5, its Rs trend bias induced by the TCC trend bias is smaller than that in ERA-Interim. In addition, the reason why the simulation trend in ERA5 remains biased might be that ERA5 still ignores aerosol changes on interannual or decadal time scales. Therefore, subsequent reanalysis products still need to improve their simulation of clouds, water vapor, and aerosol, especially in aerosol direct and indirect effects on Rs.
Comparison of Two Multisatellite Algorithms for Estimation of Tropical Cyclone Precipitation in the United States and Mexico: TMPA and IMERG
Authors: Yuan Shanshui , Zhu Laiyin , Quiring Steven M.
Published: February 2021

Tropical cyclone precipitation (TCP) contributes a significant amount of precipitation each year in the contiguous United States and Mexico, and it can cause damaging floods. In this study, we evaluate the ability of two precipitation estimates from the latest Integrated Multisatellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG Final Run V06, hereafter referred to as IMERG-F) and its predecessor, the TRMM Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA research product 3B42V7, hereafter referred to as TMPA), to capture TCP at daily, event, and annual scales by comparing the satellite observations with gauge measurements based on data from 2014 to 2018. The results show that both TMPA and IMERG-F are able to accurately capture the general TCP patterns. IMERG-F provides a noticeable improvement in accuracy over TMPA, especially for times and locations with light and heavy TCP. However, both IMERG-F and TMPA still systematically underestimate TCP during extreme events. At the annual scale, both TMPA and IMERG-F slightly underestimate annual TCP, but IMERG-F to a lesser degree. For individual TC events, IMERG-F has lower bias and a higher Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency than TMPA in the majority of the events. The differences between IMERG-F and TMPA are especially pronounced for extreme TCP events, such as Hurricane Harvey in 2017. At the daily scale, both IMERG-F and TMPA underestimate TCP when daily TCP exceeds ~150 mm. However, IMERG-F shows closer agreements with gauge-based measurements than TMPA. This study demonstrates that IMERG-F can more accurately measure TCP than TMPA. However, there are still systematic biases in IMERG-F when it comes to heavy TCP at all of the time scales.
Broadband Submesoscale Vorticity Generated by Flow around an Island
Authors: Zeiden Kristin L. , MacKinnon Jennifer A. , Alford Matthew H. , Rudnick Daniel L. , Voet Gunnar , Wijesekera Hemantha
Published: February 2021

An array of moorings deployed off the coast of Palau is used to characterize submesoscale vorticity generated by broadband upper-ocean flows around the island. Palau is a steep-sided archipelago lying in the path of strong zonal geostrophic currents, but tides and inertial oscillations are energetic as well. Vorticity is correspondingly broadband, with both mean and variance O(f) in a surface and subsurface layer (where f is the local Coriolis frequency). However, while subinertial vorticity is linearly related to the incident subinertial current, the relationship between superinertial velocity and superinertial vorticity is weak. Instead, there is a strong nonlinear relationship between subinertial velocity and superinertial vorticity. A key observation of this study is that during periods of strong westward flow, vorticity in the tidal bands increases by an order of magnitude. Empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) of velocity show this nonstationary, superinertial vorticity variance is due to eddy motion at the scale of the array. Comparison of kinetic energy and vorticity time series suggest that lateral shear against the island varies with the subinertial flow, while tidal currents lead to flow reversals inshore of the recirculating wake and possibly eddy shedding. This is a departure from the idealized analog typically drawn on in island wake studies: a cylinder in a steady flow. In that case, eddy formation occurs at a frequency dependent on the scale of the obstacle and strength of the flow alone. The observed tidal formation frequency likely modulates the strength of submesoscale wake eddies and thus their dynamic relationship to the mesoscale wake downstream of Palau.
Enacting alternatives to nationalist essentialising in language learning: Students’ voices
Authors: De Vincenti Gloria , Giovanangeli Angela
Published: February 2021

Researchers examining nationalistic conceptions of language learning argue that nationalist essentialism often shapes the way languages are taught by educators and understood by learners. While numerous studies focus on how frameworks informed by Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and intercultural education offer alternative approaches to national stereotyping, these studies tend to focus on theoretical approaches, teacher perspectives or innovative teaching and learning resources. The literature to date, however, does not provide case studies on student responses to activities designed by the teacher to open up the classroom with opportunities that move beyond essentialist representations. This article responds to the need for such scholarship and presents a case study involving a focus group with tertiary students in an Italian language and culture subject. It reveals some of the ways in which students enacted and reflected upon alternatives to nationalist essentialising as a result of language learning activities that had been informed by the discursive processes of CDA. The findings suggest that students demonstrated skills and attitudes such as curiosity, subjectivities and connections with broader social contexts. Some of the data also indicates student engagement in critical inquiry and their potential for social agency.
The Impacts of Temporal Variation and Individual Differences in Driver Cognitive Workload on ECG-Based Detection
Authors: Yang Shiyan , Kuo Jonny , Lenné Michael G. , Fitzharris Michael , Horberry Timothy , Blay Kyle , Wood Darren , Mulvihill Christine , Truche Carine
Published: February 2021

Objective

This paper aimed to investigate the robustness of driver cognitive workload detection based on electrocardiogram (ECG) when considering temporal variation and individual differences in cognitive workload.

Background

Cognitive workload is a critical component to be monitored for error prevention in human–machine systems. It may fluctuate instantaneously over time even in the same tasks and differ across individuals.

Method

A driving simulation study was conducted to classify driver cognitive workload underlying four experimental conditions (baseline, N-back, texting, and N-back + texting distraction) in two repeated 1-hr blocks. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) were compared among the experimental conditions and between the blocks. Random forests were built on HR and HRV to classify cognitive workload in different blocks and for different individuals.

Results

HR and HRV were significantly different between repeated blocks in the study, demonstrating the time-induced variation in cognitive workload. The performance of cognitive workload classification across blocks and across individuals was significantly improved after normalizing HR and HRV in each block by the corresponding baseline.

Conclusion

The temporal variation and individual differences in cognitive workload affects ECG-based cognitive workload detection. But normalization approaches relying on the choice of appropriate baselines help compensate for the effects of temporal variation and individual differences.

Application

The findings provide insight into the value and limitations of ECG-based driver cognitive workload monitoring during prolonged driving for individual drivers.
Conceptualising Male Vulnerability in a Ghanaian Context: Implications for Adult Education and Counselling
Authors: Anapey Gideon Mensah , Adu-Marfo Ama Otwiwah , Kwapong Olivia Adwoa Tiwaah Frimpong
Published: February 2021

Gender advocates have bemoaned the diatribe about women inequality at the neglect of males’ vulnerability in abstract narratives. We propose that achievement of female empowerment will be complimented by empirically exploring men’s vulnerability themes wrapped in “masculinity” with cultural differences. This study documented views on male vulnerability in the Ghanaian environment using mixed-method design with 189 respondents conveniently. Chi square goodness-of-fit test, and thick descriptions were applied to the open-ended questionnaire items. Indeed, 74% of the participants agreed that Ghanaian males were vulnerable with 26% expressing contrary views. With nine overarching themes generated, gender was not a significant factor in categorising male vulnerability (Σ2 (8) = 10.836, p > .05). We concluded that both sexes appear to have shared views on Ghanaian males’ vulnerability issues and recommended for gender advocates to expand the equality discourse to cover males’ vulnerability. Implications for adult education and guidance and counselling practices are indicated.
Muslim and Jewish Immigrants’ Adjustment: The Role of Religious-American Harmony, Religious-American Identity Centrality, and Discrimination
Authors: Amini Sadie S. , Nguyen Angela-MinhTu D.
Published: February 2021

Religious-minority immigrants must negotiate both their religious and host cultural (e.g., American) identities; however, the duality of these identities is rarely examined in relation to adjustment. In this study, we tested whether a religious-American identity centrality could predict better adjustment over and above religious identity centrality and American identity centrality. Moreover, based on the Integrative Psychological Model of Biculturalism, we investigated whether the harmony perceived between one’s religious and American identities could mediate the relationship between religious-American identity centrality and adjustment, and between perceived discrimination and adjustment. With data from 130 first-generation Muslim American and Jewish American participants, we found support for most hypotheses. Although a more central religious-American identity predicted better adjustment, it did not predict better adjustment over and above religious identity centrality and American identity centrality. More importantly, religious-American harmony mediated the positive association between religious-American identity centrality and adjustment, and the negative association between perceived discrimination and adjustment. Implications of our findings for research on dual identities are discussed.
Social Ontology and Model-Building: A Response to Epstein
Authors: Ruiz Nadia
Published: February 2021

Brian Epstein has recently argued that a thoroughly microfoundationalist approach towards economics is unconvincing for metaphysical reasons. Generally, Epstein argues that for an improvement in the methodology of social science we must adopt social ontology as the foundation of social sciences; that is, the standing microfoundationalist debate could be solved by fixing economics’ ontology. However, as I show in this paper, fixing the social ontology prior to the process of model construction is optional instead of necessary and that metaphysical-ontological commitments are often the outcome of model construction, not its starting point. By focusing on the practice of modeling in economics the paper provides a useful inroad into the debate about the role of metaphysics in the natural and social sciences more generally.
Parental bonding and adolescent bullying perpetration: Examining sequential indirect effects of anxiety and anger-in
Authors: Lee Dong Hun , Shin HaeJin
Published: February 2021

The purpose of the current study was to examine how perceived parental bonding indirectly affects bullying perpetration through adolescent psycho-emotional states. Using structural equation modeling, the authors tested a comprehensive model, wherein lack of parental caring was associated with increased adolescent anxiety and suppressed anger, which was associated with a greater risk of bullying perpetration. Data were collected from 669 middle school students (458 males, 211 females) in the southeastern region of South Korea. Participants completed the Korean versions of the Parental Bonding Inventory, Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale, and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, as well as, the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire. Results demonstrated that parental bonding was negatively associated with adolescent anxiety; adolescent anxiety was positively related to adolescent anger-in; and adolescent anger-in was positively associated with bullying perpetration. Neither adolescent anxiety nor anger-in directly linked the relationship between parental bonding and bullying perpetration. However, the results partially supported the hypothesized model in that maternal parental bonding indirectly influenced bullying perpetration through adolescent anxiety and subsequently through anger-in. Together, the present findings illuminate a potential underlying mechanism that adolescent psycho-emotional states bridge parental bonding and bullying behaviors. Interventions designed to build quality parent-child relationships and emotion regulation strategies may reduce bullying perpetration particularly among adolescents who developed poor bonds with their mothers.
Net zero carbon: Energy performance targets for offices
Authors: Cohen Robert , Desai Karl , Elias Jennifer , Twinn Richard
Published: February 2021

The UKGBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework was published in April 2019 following an industry task group and extensive consultation process. The framework acts as guidance for achieving net zero carbon for operational energy and construction emissions, with a whole life carbon approach to be developed in the future. In consultation with industry, further detail and stricter requirements are being developed over time. In October 2019, proposals were set out for industry consultation on minimum energy efficiency targets for new and existing commercial office buildings seeking to achieve net zero carbon status for operational energy today, based on the performance levels that all buildings will be required to achieve by 2050. This was complemented by modelling work undertaken by the LETI network looking into net zero carbon requirements for new buildings. In January 2020 UKGBC published its guidance on the levels of energy performance that offices should target to achieve net zero and a trajectory for getting there by 2035.

This paper describes the methodology behind and industry perspectives on UKGBC’s proposals which aim to predict the reduction in building energy intensity required if the UK’s economy is to be fully-powered by zero carbon energy in 2050.

Practical application: Many developers and investors seeking to procure new commercial offices or undertake major refurbishments of existing offices are engaging with the ‘net zero carbon’ agenda, now intrinsic to the legislative framework for economic activity in the UK. A UKGBC initiative effectively filled a vacuum by defining a set of requirements including energy efficiency thresholds for commercial offices in the UK to be considered ‘net zero carbon’. This paper provides all stakeholders with a detailed justification for the level of these thresholds and what might be done to achieve them. A worked example details one possible solution for a new office.
Nasal Septal Angioleiomyoma and Septal Sinus Surgery: A Review of 2 Cases
Authors: Noreikaite Gabriele , Kim Sihun A. , Horcher Adelaide
Published: February 2021

Angioleiomyomas are smooth muscle masses originating from blood vessel tunica media. This is a rare tumor, comprising less than 1% of benign sinonasal cavity tumors. Failure to recognize and surgically excise nasal angioleiomyomas can result in lesion recurrence. We present 2 new cases of nasal septum angioleiomyoma at a single institution. Additionally, both cases underwent septal and nasal surgery. Due to the nonspecific clinical and imaging findings, a high index of suspicion is needed to diagnose nasal septum angioleiomyoma, often requiring histopathological verification. Preferred treatment is complete surgical excision. From our experience, concurrent corrective septal and sinus surgery can be completed with tumors less than 1.0 cm in size.
Are Morphs a Valid Substitute for Real Multiracial Faces in Race Categorization Research?
Authors: Ma Debbie S. , Kantner Justin , Benitez Jonathan , Dunn Stephanie
Published: February 2021

The rise of the multiracial population has been met with a growing body of research examining multiracial face perception. A common method for creating multiracial face stimuli in past research has been mathematically averaging two monoracial “parent” faces of different races to create computer-generated multiracial morphs, but conclusions from research using morphs will only be accurate to the extent that morphs yield perceptual decisions similar to those that would be made with real multiracial faces. The current studies compared race classifications of real and morphed multiracial face stimuli. We found that oval-masked morphed faces were classified as multiracial significantly more often than oval-masked real multiracial faces (Studies 1 and 2), but at comparable levels to unmasked real multiracial faces (Study 2). Study 3 examined factors that could explain differences in how morphs and real multiracial faces are categorized and pointed to the potential role that unusualness/distinctiveness might play.
Internal Governance and Corporate Fraud
Authors: Choi Jongmoo Jay , Li Lily , Shenkar Oded , Zhang Jian
Published: February 2021

This article examines whether internal governance in the form of managerial dissent between the CEO and subordinate executives reduces fraud likelihood. We model fraud as a rational decision in a cost–benefit framework and a collective activity by all executives. The model predicts a negative relation between dissent and fraud occurrence. We use three measures for higher dissent: a larger fraction of subordinates having joined the firm prior to the CEO, a lower CEO pay slice, and a smaller difference in pay performance sensitivity between the two; and find supporting evidence. We address endogeneity concerns by including firm-fixed effects, constructing a propensity score–matched sample, and conducting instrument variable analysis. We also find that fraud duration is negatively related to dissent.
Pathophysiologic mechanisms of cerebral endotheliopathy and stroke due to Sars-CoV-2
Authors: Kakarla Visesha , Kaneko Naoki , Nour May , Khatibi Kasra , Elahi Fanny , Liebeskind David S , Hinman Jason D
Published: February 2021

Cerebrovascular events have emerged as a central feature of the clinical syndrome associated with Sars-CoV-2 infection. This increase in infection-related strokes is marked by atypical presentations including stroke in younger patients and a high rate of hemorrhagic transformation after ischemia. A variety of pathogenic mechanisms may underlie this connection. Efforts to identify synergism in the pathophysiology underlying stroke and Sars-CoV-2 infection can inform the understanding of both conditions in novel ways. In this review, the molecular cascades connected to Sars-CoV-2 infection are placed in the context of the cerebral vasculature and in relationship to pathways known to be associated with stroke. Cytokine-mediated promotion of systemic hypercoagulability is suggested while direct Sars-CoV-2 infection of cerebral endothelial cells may also contribute. Endotheliopathy resulting from direct Sars-CoV-2 infection of the cerebral vasculature can modulate ACE2/AT1R/MasR signaling pathways, trigger direct viral activation of the complement cascade, and activate feed-forward cytokine cascades that impact the blood-brain barrier. All of these pathways are already implicated as independent mechanisms driving stroke and cerebrovascular injury irrespective of Sars-CoV-2. Recognizing the overlap of molecular pathways triggered by Sars-CoV-2 infection with those implicated in the pathogenesis of stroke provides an opportunity to identify future therapeutics targeting both Sars-CoV-2 and stroke thereby reducing the impact of the global pandemic.
Inflammatory indicator levels in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement via median sternotomy with preoperative anxiety and postoperative complications: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Gao Qiang , Mok Hsiao-Pei , Zhang Hong-Yu , Qiu Hai-Long , Liu Jian , Chen Ze-Rui , Teng Yun , Li Xiao-Hua , Cen Jian-Zheng , Chen Ji-Mei , Zhuang Jian
Published: February 2021

Objective

This study was performed to evaluate the association of preoperative anxiety with inflammatory indicators and postoperative complications in patients undergoing scheduled aortic valve replacement surgery.

Methods

A prospective cohort study was performed. The Hamilton Anxiety Scale was used to assess preoperative anxiety. The serum white blood cell (WBC) count and concentrations of C-reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8 were measured 1 day preoperatively and 3 and 7 days postoperatively. Postoperative complications were also recorded.

Results

Seventy-three patients were included. The incidence of preoperative anxiety was 30.1% (22/73). The payment source was the only independent risk factor for preoperative anxiety. The incidence of postoperative complications was lowest in the mild anxiety group. The WBC count 3 days postoperatively was significantly lower in the mild than moderate-severe anxiety group. The IL-8 concentration 1 day preoperatively was highest in the no anxiety group.

Conclusions

Mild preoperative anxiety might help to improve clinical outcomes. However, further investigations with more patients are warranted. Patients with different degrees of anxiety may have different levels of inflammatory cytokines.
Geography and the theory of uneven and combined development: Theorizing uniqueness and the return of China
Authors: Dunford Michael , Gao Boyang , Liu Weidong
Published: February 2021

As societal interaction and combination play a vital role in shaping spatio-temporal development paths, meta-theories of uneven development should give way to a relational meta-theory of uneven and combined development (U&CD). U&CD examines at multiple levels of abstraction not just internal causal mechanisms governing the trajectories of individual societies but also causal mechanisms deriving from societal interaction in a world of multiple unevenly developed societies and multiple development pathways. As a consequence it helps explain geographical differentiation and the multiplicity, hybridity and multilinearity of processes of development. As U&CD examines the roles of ideal and efficient causes and causal laws, it also entails revitalized social science and political economy approaches in geography and urban and regional development studies. To demonstrate the indispensability of analyses of the role of societal interaction and the explanatory significance of the theory of U&CD, a series of longue-durée vignettes explore their role in explanations of the spatio-temporality of the decline and subsequent return of China in a changing and interdependent world.
Typologies of Rape Victimization Experiences Among Women Attending College: A Latent Class Analysis
Authors: Littleton Heather , McConnell Alex , Messman Terri L. , Layh Marlee
Published: February 2021

Past research has categorized the rape experiences of women attending college into types primarily based on perpetration tactics and/or survivor substance use. However, this practice may overlook key differences. Therefore, in the current study, we sought via latent class analysis (LCA) to identify types of rape using multiple assault characteristics, including survivor resistance and substance use by the survivor and perpetrator. Participants were 344 college women who experienced rape since age 14 who completed an online survey. A five-class rape typology model was the best-fit: (a) Combined force/substance-facilitated rape (16.0%), (b) Substance-facilitated rape, congruent drinking (18.0%), (c) Substance-facilitated rape, non-congruent drinking (14.0%), (d) Low force/resistance rape (25.0%), and (e) Forcible rape (27.0%). Classes differed in acknowledgment, perpetrator relationship, current psychological distress, and recent hazardous drinking. Findings showed that college women’s rape experiences fell into several distinct typologies on the basis of the presence of force/resistance as well as survivor and perpetrator substance use/substance-related impairment. Practitioners working with college rape survivors should be mindful of how multiple assault characteristics may affect survivors’ recovery trajectory. Future research should further investigate the implications of these rape typologies on adjustment, recovery, and re-victimization risk among survivors.
Can the combined treatment of solifenacin and imipramine has a role in desmopressin refractory monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis? A prospective double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study
Authors: Samir Mohamed , Mahmoud Mahmoud A , Elawady Hossam
Published: February 2021

Background:

Nocturnal enuresis is a common disease of childhood. It can be classified into monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (MNE) or nonmonosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (NMNE). Imipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant used to treat enuresis with initial success rates are high as 50% but some studies record a high relapse rate and it has a cardiotoxic effect when overdosed. Anticholinergics may be effective in the treatment of children with bladder storage dysfunction, including daytime incontinence. However, anticholinergics monotherapy is not effective in treating MNE. In our study, we used a low dose (25 mg) of imipramine in order to avoid its potential side effects and combined it with the synergistic anticholinergic action of solifenacin. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination of solifenacin and imipramine compared with placebo in the treatment of desmopressin refractory MNE.

Methods:

One hundred children aged 6 years or more with primary MNE unresponsive to desmopressin treatment were included. The children were randomly divided into two equal groups. Group A received imipramine 25 mg and solifenacin 5–10 mg oral tablets and group B received placebo once 1 h before bedtime for 3 months. The primary end point was to investigate the efficacy of the combined treatment of solifenacin and imipramine and the secondary end point was the safety of the drugs.

Results:

Our study showed that the mean post treatment wet nights per month was significantly lesser in the treatment group than placebo group ( p < 0.001) and cure rate was significantly higher in treatment group than placebo group ( p < 0.001). The relapse rate was statistically significantly lower in treatment group than placebo group ( p = 0.032). No significant side effects related to the drugs were reported.

Conclusion:

The combination treatment of solifenacin and imipramine is a useful and safe treatment for nocturnal enuresis after failure of everything else.
The clinical results of treating Kummell’s disease with mineralized collagen modified polymethyl methacrylate
Authors: Wang Xi , Xu Jin , Kou Jianming , Tian Wei , Gao Chong , Cui Fuzhai , Qiu Zhiye
Published: February 2021

To investigate the clinical results of treating Kummell’s Disease by using mineralized collagen modified polymethyl methacrylate bone cement, 23 cases (23 vertebras) who sustained Kummell’s Disease treated with mineralized collagen modified polymethyl methacrylate bone cement from July 2017 to February 2019 were reviewed retrospectively. The visual analogue scale, vertebral body height, Cobb angle, CT values pre-operation and post-operation as well as incidence of complications were observed. All the patients were successfully followed up with an average period of 11.3 months (ranging from 6 to 12 months). The patients could ambulate on the second day after the operation. The visual analogue scale scores significantly decreased from two days after the operation to the last follow-up compared with that before the operation ( p < 0.05); the average vertebral height and local Cobb angle had significant recovery ( p < 0.05); the CT value of the treated vertebra significantly increased compared with that before the operation ( p < 0.05). Bone cement leakage occurred in one case, anterior edge leakage occurred in one case, and no clinical symptoms caused by bone cement leakage occurred. No re-fracture of the treated vertebral body or adjacent vertebral bodies were observed in the follow-ups. With good osteogenic activity and degradable absorption characteristics, mineralized collagen was compounded with the existing polymethyl methacrylate bone cement to reduce its strength in the vertebral body and enhance biocompatibility, the incidence of adjacent vertebral fractures and re-fractures within the injured vertebrae is significantly reduced, and good clinical results are obtained, which is worthy of popularization.
An Interview With Patti Rundall: A Passionate Activist, Full of Energy!
Authors: Rundall Patti , Arendt Maryse
Published: February 2021

Since 1980, alongside IBFAN partners, Patti Rundall has worked to build collaborative networks that help countries bring in legally binding controls based on the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and the United Nations World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolutions. Conflicts of interest and their impact on policymaking, research, education, and health systems has been a cross-cutting theme of her work, which has focused on the adoption and strengthening of the European Union’s baby food legislation and the improvement of Codex Global Trading Standards. With IBFAN, she helped countries adop many resolutions including WHA Resolution 49.15 https://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/WHA49.15_iycn_en.pdf?ua=1 (1996) about conflicts of interest; she helped found and launch the Conflicts of Interest Coalition at the UN General Assembly. Patti is a founder of Baby Feeding Law Group (the alliance of 23 United Kingdom health professional and mother-support organizations), a member of the Infant Feeding in Emergencies core group and a leader in company campaigns (e.g., the Nestlé Boycott). She represented IBFAN on the European Commission’s Platform for Action on Diet and Physical Activity from 2007 until 2019. In the year 2000 she was awarded the title Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for her service to infant nutrition. (This is a verbatim interview: MA = Maryse Arendt; PR = Patti Rundall.)
Global Philanthropy: Does Institutional Context Matter for Charitable Giving?
Authors: Wiepking Pamala , Handy Femida , Park Sohyun , Neumayr Michaela , Bekkers René , Breeze Beth , de Wit Arjen , Einolf Christopher J. , Gricevic Zbignev , Scaife Wendy , Bethmann Steffen , Breen Oonagh B. , Kang Chulhee , Katz Hagai , Krasnopolskaya Irina , Layton Michael D. , Mersianova Irina , Lo Kuang-Ta , Osili Una , Pessi Anne Birgitta , Sivesind Karl Henrik , Yamauchi Naoto , Yang Yongzheng
Published: February 2021

In this article, we examine whether and how the institutional context matters when understanding individuals’ giving to philanthropic organizations. We posit that both the individuals’ propensity to give and the amounts given are higher in countries with a stronger institutional context for philanthropy. We examine key factors of formal and informal institutional contexts for philanthropy at both the organizational and societal levels, including regulatory and legislative frameworks, professional standards, and social practices. Our results show that while aggregate levels of giving are higher in countries with stronger institutionalization, multilevel analyses of 118,788 individuals in 19 countries show limited support for the hypothesized relationships between institutional context and philanthropy. The findings suggest the need for better comparative data to understand the complex and dynamic influences of institutional contexts on charitable giving. This, in turn, would support the development of evidence-based practices and policies in the field of global philanthropy.
Measuring material plastic response to cyclic loading in modern rail steels from a minimal number of twin-disc tests
Authors: Tomlinson K , Fletcher DI , Lewis R
Published: February 2021

Advances in rail materials from conventional rail steels to those with higher yield points and the potential of additively manufactured laser clad coatings to improve the durability of railway track components presents a new challenge in characterisation. Many of these new and novel materials have either limited test samples available or are more resistant to strain and therefore present challenges in characterisation. The method reported here uses twin disc tests to simulate cyclic loading experienced by rail steel in service. A sample from a single test condition is analysed, measuring the shear yield stress and the accumulated shear strain at multiple depths below the contact surface, from which a Shear Yield Stress – Plastic Shear Strain (SYS-PSS) relationship is extracted. Knowledge of the stress history of a rail sample is not required to apply the method and minimal samples are required, providing a technique which can be used on rail steel samples removed from service.
Cutaneous, systemic features and laboratory characteristics of late- versus adult-onset systemic lupus erythematosus in 1006 Thai patients
Authors: Chanprapaph Kumutnart , Tubtieng Ittipon , Pratumchat Nathathai , Thadanipon Kunlawat , Rattanakaemakorn Ploysyne , Suchonwanit Poonkiat
Published: February 2021

Background

Age at disease onset may modulate systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but its relation to cutaneous/extracutaneous manifestation remains understudied.

Objective

To compare the cutaneous, systemic features, laboratory characteristics, and disease severity between late- and adult-onset SLE patients

Methods

Analyses of the cutaneous, systemic involvement, laboratory investigations, SLE disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K), and disease damage were performed to compare between groups.

Results

Of 1006 SLE patients, 740 and 226 had adult- (15–50 years) and late-onset (>50 years), respectively. Among 782 with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), acute CLE (ACLE) and chronic CLE (CCLE) were more common in the adult- and late-onset SLE, respectively ( p = 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that male patients and skin signs, including papulosquamous subacute CLE, discoid lupus erythematosus, and lupus profundus, were associated with late-onset SLE (all p < 0.05). Late-onset SLE had lower lupus-associated autoantibodies, and systemic involvement (all p < 0.05). ACLE, CCLE, mucosal lupus, alopecia, and non-specific lupus were related to higher disease activity in adult-onset SLE (all p < 0.001). There was no difference in the damage index between the two groups.

Conclusions

Late-onset SLE had a distinct disease expression with male predominance, milder disease activity, and lower systemic involvement. Cutaneous manifestations may hold prognostic values for SLE.
Mainland Chinese Immigrant-owned SMEs in Malaysia: Case Studies
Authors: Ruan Mengdie , Baskaran Angathevar , Zhou Shanshan
Published: February 2021

This article explores the contributions of—and constraints faced by—small and medium enterprises (SMEs) owned by mainland Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs in Malaysia using qualitative research and primary data gathered from five cases. It was found that Chinese immigrant SMEs make significant contributions to the host economy in terms of employment, diverse products and services, exports, innovation, micro foreign direct investment (FDI) and global linkages. Of these, employment creation and exports appear to be their most important contributions. They face various constraints, some of which are largely the same as those faced by local entrepreneurs. However, they additionally face some specific constraints which local entrepreneurs do not, such as language barrier, lack of financial support in the growth stage, lack of government assistance, and onerous bureaucratic problems, such as tax and visa requirements. The findings suggest that the government should create a special department to formulate tailor-made policies and incentives to support immigrant-owned SMEs, so that their contribution to the future economic development of Malaysia can be further strengthened and monitored.
Angioinvasive lymphoma (lymphomatoid granulomatosis) in a cat, with cutaneous and ocular metastasis
Authors: Bacon Rebecca , Shivanna Vinay , Gore Misty , Henningson Jamie , Ganta Charan
Published: February 2021

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LYG) is a rare variant of an angioinvasive T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder that primarily affects the lungs, with common sites of metastasis including the skin and subcutis. In humans, it is a B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection. Our case is a 7-y-old, spayed female, domestic longhair cat that decompensated and was euthanized following an initial diagnosis of angioinvasive lymphoma from a skin biopsy. Autopsy revealed nodules in the lungs and subcutis, and corneal thickening and cloudiness. Histologic examination of cutaneous nodules, lungs, and eye showed similar angioinvasive cellular infiltrates and pattern to that of the original skin biopsy, consistent with a diagnosis of LYG. The neoplastic cells displayed CD3-positive immunoreactivity in the skin, eye, and lung, and PCR for antigen receptor rearrangement (PARR) showed T-cell clonality in all tissues tested. This is the third case of LYG to be reported in cats and is the only case in which PARR analysis and immunophenotyping immunohistochemical staining was performed. LYG with ocular involvement has not been reported previously in cats, to our knowledge. Our case demonstrates the necessity for considering LYG when presented with a cat with respiratory signs in conjunction with subcutaneous nodules and ocular lesions.
No lab is an island: universal coding of laboratory test names
Authors: Martin Michael K.
Published: February 2021

The local laboratory with a local client-base, that never needs to exchange information with any outside entity, is a dying breed. As marketing channels, animal movement, and reporting requirements become increasingly national and international, the need to communicate about laboratory tests and results grows. Local and proprietary names of laboratory tests often fail to communicate enough detail to distinguish between similar tests. To avoid a lengthy description of each test, laboratories need the ability to assign codes that, although not sufficiently user-friendly for day-to-day use, contain enough information to translate between laboratories and even languages. The Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) standard provides such a universal coding system. Each test—each atomic observation—is evaluated on 6 attributes that establish its uniqueness at the level of clinical—or epidemiologic—significance. The analyte detected, analyte property, specimen, and result scale combine with the method of analysis and timing (for challenge and metabolic type tests) to define a unique LOINC code. Equipping laboratory results with such universal identifiers creates a world of opportunity for cross-institutional data exchange, aggregation, and analysis, and presents possibilities for data mining and artificial intelligence on a national and international scale. A few challenges, relatively unique to regulatory veterinary test protocols, require special handling.
Unintentional State Enforced Parental Alienation Syndrome During the Hard Lockdown in South Africa
Authors: Viljoen Barry Lachlan
Published: February 2021

This article examines the construct of parental alienation syndrome, while also examining the impact that the South African lockdown had upon this construct. The goal of this article is to highlight the potential indirect psychological impacts of such legislation on non-cohabiting families.
Boundary control design based on partial differential equation observer for vibration suppression and attitude control of flexible satellites with multi-section solar panels
Authors: Ataei Mohammad Mahdi , Salarieh Hassan , Nejat Pishkenari Hossein , Jalili Hadi
Published: February 2021

A novel partial differential equation observer is proposed to be used in boundary attitude and vibration control of flexible satellites. Solar panels’ vibrations and attitude dynamics form a coupled partial differential equation–ordinary differential equation system which is controlled directly without discretization. Few feedback signals from boundaries are required which are estimated via a partial differential equation observer. Consequently, just satellite attitude and angular velocity should be measured and still the control system benefits information from continuous part vibrations. The closed-loop system is proved to be asymptotically stable. Simulations with a finite element technique illustrate good performance of this observer-based boundary controller.
Local-Level Economic Development Conflicts: Factors that Influence Interactions with Private Land Developers
Authors: Kang Ki Eun
Published: February 2021

Private developers seek to locate their projects within a specific region. Local governments try to attract those businesses by offering tax incentives. In order to extract favorable terms from local governments, developers sometimes threaten to relocate or abandon their project. Seeking to minimize the overall harm to the community if the threats are realized, local governments will simply approve what was demanded by developers. Using survey data from across the U.S., I investigate the kinds of threats that are made by developers in an attempt to push local governments to compete against each other for projects and which factors make it more likely that those threats will succeed. The logistic regression model revealed that municipalities with inter-municipal cooperation and public participation in real estate development projects are more likely to decrease the chance of private developers’ threats succeeding. Conversely, neither having economic development staff nor an economic development plan did.
Remembering Simone de Beauvoir’s ‘ethics of ambiguity’ to challenge contemporary divides: feminism beyond both sex and gender
Authors: Nicholas Lucy
Published: February 2021

This article returns to Simone de Beauvoir’s philosophical oeuvre in order to offer a way of thinking beyond contemporary feminist divisions created by ‘gender critical’ or trans-exclusionary feminists. The ‘gender critical’ feminist position returns to sex essentialism to argue for ‘abolishing’ gender, while opponents often appeal to proliferated gender self-identities. I argue that neither goes far enough and that they both circumscribe utopian visions for a world beyond both sex and gender. I chart how Beauvoir’s ontological, ethical and political positions can be used to overcome the material/cultural, sex/gender bind that the contemporary divide perpetuates. I outline Beauvoir’s ‘ambiguous’ non-foundational ontology that attends to both the cultural origins, and material effects, of both sex and gender, and to the extent that humyns are fundamentally social. After outlining Beauvoir’s definition of freedom as purposive action, I then outline how the existence of the humyn-made and intersubjectively-upheld ‘situations’ of both sex and gender delimit this, urging feminists to return to the lost question of eradicating both. I use the utopian impulse in Beauvoir to argue that an ethics of reciprocity is an alternative mode of understanding the self and others. Beauvoir also calls for a political strategy that I call a ‘utopian realism’ that I apply to the contemporary divide. A way forward that is attentive to the concerns of both positions is the pragmatic use of identity politics that is nonetheless mindful of identity’s limits, alongside Beauvoir’s proto-intersectional vision of solidarity politics based not on identity but on a position of alterity and shared political strategy. Ultimately, I use this to argue that feminism would do better to unite around a shared commitment to challenging alterity, rather than further contributing to it.
Vietnamese social work practitioners’ conceptions of practice with sexual minorities
Authors: Le Trang Mai , Yu Nilan
Published: February 2021

This paper presents the findings of a study that examined Vietnamese social work practitioners’ conceptions of practice with people who identified as lesbian or gay. The findings presented in this article, drawn from semi-structured interviews with 12 social work practitioners in Hanoi, Vietnam, form part of the findings of a bigger study that looked into the attitudes of Vietnamese social work practitioners toward sexual minorities and how they conceptualise practice in relation to this segment of the population. A notable proportion of the interview participants, all of whom presented as having moderate to positive attitudes toward sexual minorities, were found to hold a heterosexist assumption with regards to the sexual identity of their clients. And while there was consensus in the need for a social work response, there were differences in the practitioners’ conceptions of what form this should take. The participants were open to direct practice with individuals and a limited degree of community engagement but were apprehensive with the prospect of undertaking policy advocacy. It is argued that these conceptions of practice are informed by limitations imposed by their political environment as well as dominant ideological and philosophical influences.