bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantification of Skeletal Muscle Perfusion in Peripheral Artery Disease Using
18
F‐Sodium Fluoride Positron Emission Tomography Imaging
Authors: Chou Ting‐Heng , Nabavinia Mahboubeh , Tram Nguyen K. , Rimmerman Eleanor T. , Patel Surina , Musini Kumudha Narayana , Eisert Susan Natalie , Wolfe Tatiana , Wynveen Molly K. , Matsuzaki Yuichi , Kitsuka Takahiro , Iwaki Ryuma , Janse Sarah A. , Bobbey Adam J. , Breuer Christopher K. , Goodchild Laurie , Malbrue Raphael , Shinoka Toshiharu , Atway Said A. , Go Michael R. , Stacy Mitchel R.
Published: February 2024

Background

Perfusion deficits contribute to symptom severity, morbidity, and death in peripheral artery disease (PAD); however, no standard method for quantifying absolute measures of skeletal muscle perfusion exists. This study sought to preclinically test and clinically translate a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging approach using an atherosclerosis‐targeted radionuclide, fluorine‐18‐sodium fluoride (
18
F‐NaF), to quantify absolute perfusion in PAD.

Methods and Results

Eight Yorkshire pigs underwent unilateral femoral artery ligation and dynamic
18
F‐NaF PET/computed tomography imaging on the day of and 2 weeks after occlusion. Following 2‐week imaging, calf muscles were harvested to quantify microvascular density. PET methodology was validated with microspheres in 4 additional pig studies and translated to patients with PAD (n=39) to quantify differences in calf perfusion across clinical symptoms/stages and perfusion responses in a case of revascularization. Associations between PET perfusion, ankle‐brachial index, toe‐brachial index, and toe pressure were assessed in relation to symptoms.
18
F‐NaF PET/computed tomography quantified significant deficits in calf perfusion in pigs following arterial occlusion and perfusion recovery 2 weeks after occlusion that coincided with increased muscle microvascular density. Additional studies confirmed that PET‐derived perfusion measures agreed with microsphere‐derived perfusion measures. Translation of imaging methods demonstrated significant decreases in calf perfusion with increasing severity of PAD and quantified perfusion responses to revascularization. Perfusion measures were also significantly associated with symptom severity, whereas traditional hemodynamic measures were not.

Conclusions

18
F‐NaF PET imaging quantifies perfusion deficits that correspond to clinical stages of PAD and represents a novel perfusion imaging strategy that could be partnered with atherosclerosis‐targeted
18
F‐NaF PET imaging using a single radioisotope injection.

Registration

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT03622359.
Early Renal Denervation Attenuates Cardiac Dysfunction in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
Authors: Doiron Jake E. , Li Zhen , Yu Xiaoman , LaPenna Kyle B. , Quiriarte Heather , Allerton Timothy D. , Koul Kashyap , Malek Andrew , Shah Sanjiv J. , Sharp Thomas E. , Goodchild Traci T. , Kapusta Daniel R. , Lefer David J.
Published: February 2024

Background

The renal sympathetic nervous system modulates systemic blood pressure, cardiac performance, and renal function. Pathological increases in renal sympathetic nerve activity contribute to the pathogenesis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

We investigated the effects of renal sympathetic denervation performed at early or late stages of HFpEF progression.

Methods and Results

Male ZSF1 obese rats were subjected to radiofrequency renal denervation (RF‐RDN) or sham procedure at either 8 weeks or 20 weeks of age and assessed for cardiovascular function, exercise capacity, and cardiorenal fibrosis. Renal norepinephrine and renal nerve tyrosine hydroxylase staining were performed to quantify denervation following RF‐RDN. In addition, renal injury, oxidative stress, inflammation, and profibrotic biomarkers were evaluated to determine pathways associated with RDN. RF‐RDN significantly reduced renal norepinephrine and tyrosine hydroxylase content in both study cohorts. RF‐RDN therapy performed at 8 weeks of age attenuated cardiac dysfunction, reduced cardiorenal fibrosis, and improved endothelial‐dependent vascular reactivity. These improvements were associated with reductions in renal injury markers, expression of renal NLR family pyrin domain containing 3/interleukin 1β, and expression of profibrotic mediators. RF‐RDN failed to exert beneficial effects when administered in the 20‐week‐old HFpEF cohort.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrate that early RF‐RDN therapy protects against HFpEF disease progression in part due to the attenuation of renal fibrosis and inflammation. In contrast, the renoprotective and left ventricular functional improvements were lost when RF‐RDN was performed in later HFpEF progression. These results suggest that RDN may be a viable treatment option for HFpEF during the early stages of this systemic inflammatory disease.
Adapting power calculations to include a superiority margin: what are the implications?
Authors: Bishara Samuel
Published: February 2024

This paper examines the application of super-superiority margins in study power calculations. Unlike traditional power calculations, which primarily aim to reject the null hypothesis by any margin, a super-superiority margin establishes a clinically significant threshold. Despite potential benefits, this approach, akin to a non-inferiority calculation but in an opposing direction, is rarely used. Implementing a super-superiority margin separates the notion of the likely difference between two groups (the effect size) from the minimum clinically significant difference, without which inconsistent positions could be held. However, these are often used interchangeably. In an audit of 30 recent randomized controlled trial power calculations, four studies utilized the minimal acceptable difference, and nine utilized the expected difference. In the other studies, this was unclarified. In the post hoc scenario, this approach can shed light on the value of undertaking further studies, which is not apparent from the standard power calculation. The acceptance and rejection of the alternate hypothesis for super-superiority, non-inferiority, equivalence, and standard superiority studies have been compared. When a fixed minimal acceptable difference is applied, a study result will be in one of seven logical positions with regards to the simultaneous application of these hypotheses. The trend for increased trial size and the mirror approach of non-inferiority studies implies that newer interventions may be becoming less effective. Powering for superiority could counter this and ensure that a pre-trial evaluation of clinical significance has taken place, which is necessary to confirm that interventions are beneficial.
Effects of reverse osmosis membrane replacement of pure water system on clinical chemistry and immunoassay in clinical laboratory
Authors: Liang Shaocong , Wu Huaxian , Zhao Jiayi , Guo Xuanjie , Qiang Yongjie , Zhao Xin , Lan Meng , Zhao Chongquan , Zhang Dongxin
Published: February 2024

Introduction: Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, key component of water-purifying equipment, is often stored in protection fluid containing substances
such as glycerol, which may contaminate the water at replacement. This study aims to explore the effects of RO membrane replacement
on clinical chemistry and immunoassay, particularly triglyceride (TG), providing reference for managing test interference caused by RO membrane
replacement.
Materials and methods: The RO membrane of water-purifying equipment A, which provided water to C16000 biochemistry analyzer (Abbott
Laboratories, Abbott Park, USA) and E801 electrochemiluminescence analyzer (Roche, Basel, Switzerland), was replaced. Water resistivity was recorded,
and quality control (QC) tests were performed on C16000 and E801. Moreover, TG was measured in 29 of selected serum samples on C16000 at
0.5h and 10.5h after RO membrane replacement and on reference biochemistry analyzer BS2000M (Mindray Biomedical Electronics Co., Shenzhen,
China), which was connected to water-purifying equipment B without RO membrane replacement. Finally, blank, calibrator 1 and calibrator 2 of TG
reagent were measured on C16000 before and at 0.5h, 2.5h and 10.5h after RO membrane replacement. All statistical analyses of data were done
using GraphPad Prism (GraphPad Software Inc., San Diego, USA), and a value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: After RO membrane replacement, all QC results of clinical chemistry and immune tests passed except TG that showed positive bias of 536%
and 371% at two levels, respectively. Moreover, TG results of the same serum samples were significantly higher at 0.5h than 10.5h after RO membrane
replacement. Meanwhile, there was worse agreement and correlation of TG results between C16000 and BS2000M at 0.5h than 10.5h after
replacement. Furthermore, the absorbance of TG blank, calibrator 1 and calibrator 2 was significantly higher at 0.5h and 2.5h after replacement than
before replacement, and the absorbance gradually returned to normal value at 10.5h after replacement.
Conclusions: Replacement of RO membrane could cause significant interference to TG test while have no effects on other laboratory tests performed
in the study, which may be due to glycerol contamination. Our data provides important reference for management of test interference caused
by RO membrane replacement. Clinical laboratory should observe the effects of RO membrane replacement on laboratory tests through both water
quality monitoring and QC detection.
Anaphalis munnarensis (Asteraceae: Asteroideae: Gnaphalieae): a new species from southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India
Authors: REMYA SIVAKUMARAN , MUHSINA ABDUL AZEEZ , KANAKAMBIKA GOVINDAN , ATHIRA SUBRAMANIAN , MAYA CHANDRASEKHARAN NAIR
Published: February 2024

Anaphalis munnarensis, a new taxon belonging to the family Asteraceae from montane grasslands of Meesapulimala of southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India, is described and illustrated. The new species exhibits some morphological affinities with its allied species Anaphalis meeboldii, but differs in many attributes. A description of the new species along with details on its distribution and ecology, illustration, colour photographs and comparisons with its allied taxa are provided.
A new remarkable species of Xyletinus Latreille, 1809 (Coleoptera: Ptinidae: Xyletininae) from southern Kazakhstan
Authors: KOVALEV ALEXEY V. , SHAPOVALOV ANDREY M. , SMIRNOV MAXIM E.
Published: February 2024

Xyletinus (Xeronthobius) diaphanus sp. n. from southern Kazakhstan is described, illustrated, and compared with the known members of the subgenus.
Regional Precipitation Regimes and Evaluation of National Precipitation Datasets against Satellite-Based Precipitation Estimates, Republic of Georgia
Authors: Tsitelashvili Nika , Biggs Trent , Mu Ye , Trapaidze Vazha
Published: February 2024

Analyzing water resources in areas with few hydrometeorological stations, such as those in post-Soviet countries, is difficult due to station closures after 1989. In Caucasus, evaluations often rely on outdated data from nearby rivers. We evaluated one national-level precipitation dataset, the Water Balance of Georgia (WBG) with two satellite-based precipitation products from 1981 to 2021, including the Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) data and CHIRPS blended with a dense rain gauge network (geoCHIRPS). We modeled mean annual precipitation from geoCHIRPS as a function of coastal distance and elevation. CHIRPS underestimated precipitation in the cold and wet seasons (R2 = 0.74, r = 0.86) and overestimated dry season precipitation, while geoCHIRPS performed well in all seasons (R2 = 0.86, r = 0.92). Distance from the coast was a more important predictor of precipitation than elevation in western Georgia, while precipitation correlated positively with elevation in the east. At four hydroelectric plants, the underperformance as a percentage of capacity (∼37%) corresponds with the percentage difference between differences in precipitation products (∼38%), suggesting that plants designed based on WBG may be systematically overdesigned, but further work is needed to determine the reasons for the underperformance of the plants and frequency. We conclude that 1) the existing WBG does not accurately reflect elevation–precipitation relationships near the coast, and 2) for accurate analysis of spatiotemporal precipitation variability and its impacts on hydropower generation and environmental and sustainable water resource management, it is essential to calibrate satellite-based precipitation estimates with additional rain gauge data.
Asian American Women’s Workplace Experiences: A Review and Application of Gendered Race Theory and the Intersectional Prototypicality Model
Authors: Alt Nicholas P. , Wax Amy , Brush Olivia T. , Magalona Joie
Published: February 2024

Asian American women, who make up a growing proportion of the workforce, face unique intersectional forms of workplace discrimination and bias based on being both a racial and gender minority. In this review, we take an intersectional approach, applying social psychological research on gendered race theory and Wong and McCullough’s Intersectional Prototypicality Model, to document as well as explain how race and gender concomitantly inform the challenges and barriers Asian American women face in the workplace. Specifically, we review evidence that the category “Asian” is frequently associated with femininity, and that this in turn leads Asian American women to be viewed as hyper-prototypical or hypo-prototypical given the context of their work. We describe how this alignment or misalignment explains Asian American women’s workplace experiences across multiple domains including hiring, promotion, negotiation, and workplace harassment. By explicitly considering the intersection of race and gender, we conclude by articulating novel solutions and implications for creating better workplace environments for Asian American women.
Book review: Guido van Meersbergen, Ethnography and Encounter: The Dutch and English in Seventeenth-Century South Asia
Authors: Subrahmanyam Sanjay
Published: February 2024

Guido van Meersbergen, Ethnography and Encounter: The Dutch and English in Seventeenth-Century South Asia (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2022), 316 pp.
Active and reactive power vector control using neural-synergetic-super twisting controllers of induction generators for variable-speed contra-rotating wind turbine systems
Authors: Benbouhenni Habib , Ionescu Laurentiu-Mihai , Mazare Alin-Gheorghita , Zellouma Dalal , Colak Ilhami , Bizon Nicu
Published: February 2024

Reactive and active power vector control of induction generators (IG) are essential requirements for generating high-quality electricity from wind power. These control objectives are challenging and difficult to achieve when using traditional strategies based on estimating reactive/active power, hysteresis comparators, and proportional-integral (PI) regulators due to load variations, changes in the value of rotor resistance, etc. So, to achieve these control objectives, this paper proposes a novel technique for the rotor side converter of IG-based contra-rotating wind power (CRWP) systems. The control based on the neural synergetic-super-twisting controller (NSSTC) is designed to minimize IG power ripples and improve the quality of current. The characteristics of the NSSTC-based strategy are presented, evaluated, and compared to the traditional direct field-oriented command (DFOC) based on traditional PI controllers and other reference techniques from the literature, highlighting that the NSSTC-based strategy is simpler to apply and more robust and performant than others classical nonlinear strategies. Comparative simulations are carried out on both the designed DFOC-NSSTC strategy and the DFOC technique to demonstrate the performance (good quality output power, low total harmonic distortion (THD) value of rotor currents, short response time and high robustness) and advantages of the suggested nonlinear technique.
Research on anti-swing control strategies for three-dimensional overhead cranes with non-stationary enhanced swing angle suppression
Authors: Li Dong , Xie Tianhu , Zhang Lu
Published: February 2024

In this paper, a non-stationary enhanced swing angle suppression control strategy is proposed to address the issue of excessive swinging angles during the transportation process of a three-dimensional overhead crane. Firstly, in response to the substantial non-stationary initial swing angle resulting from the abrupt increase in driving force during the startup of the overhead crane, we have devised a time-varying damping resistance model. This model is specifically designed to curtail the rapid force surge, subsequently diminishing the swing angle of the payload. Secondly, during the transport phase of the overhead crane, we have established an augmented coupling signal between the displacement tracking error and the payload swing angle tracking error. Drawing upon the principles of energy dissipation, we have devised a nonlinear sway controller. Next, the closed-loop stability of the control system is validated through the use of Lyapunov’s method and the LaSalle invariance principle. Finally, the proposed control strategy’s effectiveness has been substantiated through simulation analysis and physical experiments. This approach not only proves capable of effectively suppressing excessive payload swing angles during the transportation process of the overhead crane but also facilitates the rapid and precise positioning of the payload. This significantly enhances the efficiency of the overhead crane’s transport operations.
How Citizen Communication Mediation Model Works in Taiwan: The Moderating Roles of Asian Values and Network Homogeneity
Authors: Song Siyu , Ai Minwei
Published: February 2024

Although communication mediation models have been extensively researched, limited attention has been given to the influence of social and cultural characteristics. This study aims to address this gap by examining the Citizen Communication Mediation Model within the context of Taiwan. Specifically, it investigates the moderating roles of Asian values and network homogeneity. Utilizing data from the 2018–2021 Asian Barometer Survey, we identify a significant indirect effect of political news consumption on political participation through political discussion. Furthermore, our findings reveal that Asian values tend to mitigate the impact of political discussion on political participation. Higher levels of network homogeneity can enhance the mobilizing effect of political discussion, but this effect is most pronounced among individuals with low or medium levels of Asian values. The implications of these findings are discussed.
‘No Participation Without Representation’: The Impact of Descriptive and Substantive Representation on the Age-Related Turnout Gap
Authors: Angelucci Davide , Carrieri Luca , Improta Marco
Published: February 2024

Previous studies have extensively demonstrated that young people vote less than older ones. However, the magnitude of this age-related gap varies across different contexts: While in some countries, the gap is remarkable and increasing over time, in others, it is quite modest, and it has remained constant. This article investigates some of the factors that might explain this variability. In particular, it examines the impact of different types of representation (descriptive and substantive) on the age-related gap in turnout. It does so by relying on a dataset that combines individual-level data with information concerning the age composition of national parliaments and party system emphasis on specific issues. Overall, the dataset covers 57 elections and 19 West European countries. Results show that when young people are descriptively represented, the age-related gap in turnout is significantly reduced. The same effect occurs when party systems place relatively more emphasis on postmaterialist issues.
Explaining Racial Attitudes: Race, Political Identity, Education, and Religious Outgrouping
Authors: Yancey George
Published: February 2024

This analysis investigates favorable racial attitudes toward blacks. Blacks and educated politically progressive whites tend to have such favorable attitudes. Due to cultural polarization, the rejection of conservative Christians may be tied to favorable racial attitudes among educated progressive whites. This study examines the possibility that political identity and religious outgrouping are connected to favorable racial attitudes of educated progressive whites. The dataset is drawn from the 2020 American National Elections Survey, a nationally representative survey in the United States that asks about a range of political issues and attitudes ( n = 8,178). The key construct of interest is racial attitudes, specifically favorable attitudes toward black Americans. This is measured as an index of five questions regarding survey respondent views of black hiring preferences, special favors, slavery difficulties, deservingness, and trying hard. Attitudes of warmth toward conservative Christians are inversely related to supporting favorable racial attitudes among educated white progressives. However, warmth toward conservative Christians are not related to favorable racial attitudes among black Americans. Favorable racial attitudes can result from outgrouping needs of perceived politically and religiously abhorrent social identities. Polarization may result in educated political progressives supporting blacks.
A Good Place to Do Time? Detailing the Construction of Symbolic Social Boundaries in Correctional Boot Camps
Authors: Schultz William J. , Bucerius Sandra M. , Haggerty Kevin D.
Published: February 2024

Drawing on qualitative interviews with 51 incarcerated adult men and nine correctional officers in a Western Canadian prison system, we ask why some incarcerated people find it appealing to be placed on correctional boot camp units and what such appeals tell us about broader conditions of incarceration. Participants on three boot camp units drew on narratives relating to (a) extrinsic benefits, (b) discipline and structure, (c) teamwork and positive relationships, and (d) an opportunity for self-improvement to construct symbolic boundaries between “normal” units and boot camps, as well as their former self and their transformed current self. By drawing symbolic boundaries between the past and present and between other units and their boot camp unit, our participants create narratives that allow them to partially mitigate some pains of imprisonment.
A Comparative Thematic Analysis of Institutional Betrayal in the National Women’s Soccer League and the Catholic Church
Authors: Kelly Mia
Published: February 2024

Sexual abuse oftentimes occurs in institutional settings involving a power imbalance, including churches, sports, schools, and workplaces. Abuse in the Catholic Church was a reoccurring media fixture beginning in 2002 but continues to be a prominent feature even today. On September 30, 2021, The Athletic published an article documenting a coach’s sexual coercion, emotional and verbal abuse, and retaliation, exposing a toxic league culture that failed to protect its players. Negative outcomes for assault survivors can be exacerbated when institutions fail to prevent or respond appropriately to sexual assault, a phenomenon known as institutional betrayal. Using institutional betrayal theory as a context for understanding experiences, this paper presents an exploratory analysis of abuse and misconduct experiences from two separate institutions: the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the Catholic Church. This discussion offers insight into how the various dimensions of institutional betrayal appear differently in distinctive institutional settings.
A novel adaptive maximum correntropy cubature Kalman filter based on multiple fading factors
Authors: Gu Peng , Jing Zhongliang , Wu Liangbin
Published: February 2024

In this paper, an adaptive maximum correntropy cubature Kalman filter based on multiple fading factors (MAMCKF) is proposed to address the problem of inaccurate process noise covariance and unknown measurement noise covariance together with outliers in target tracking. Although there are many adaptive filters and robust filters have been proposed to handle unknown measurement noise covariance or measurement outliers, most filters cannot deal with both unknown noise covariance and outliers simultaneously. In this article, we propose an adaptive and robust cubature Kalman filter. The modified measurement noise covariance matrix (MNCM) and innovation covariance matrix are used to construct multiple fading factors for correcting the prediction error covariance matrix (PECM), which can achieve adaptability. Then, the maximum correntropy criterion (MCC) is introduced to suppress outliers, which further enhances the robustness. Compared with the existing approaches, the proposed approach improves the performance by at least 5% in unknown time-varying noise, unknown time-varying heavy-tailed noise, and non-Gaussian heavy-tailed noise scenarios. The simulation results show that the proposed approach can effectively suppress inaccurate process noise covariance and unknown time-varying measurement noise together with outliers. Compared with the existing filtering approaches, the proposed approach exhibits both adaptability and robustness.
Preparing Special Educators to Teach Reading Using Multimedia Instruction: A Literature Review
Authors: Zepp Lauren B. , Trezek Beverly J. , Leko Melinda M.
Published: February 2024

Reading instruction is a key component of special education teacher preparation, with content traditionally delivered through lecture and assigned reading. Recent research investigated the potential for enhancing special education teacher preparation with technological modes of content delivery. This systematic literature review was conducted to explore the effect of multimedia interventions on preservice teachers’ knowledge and skills for delivering reading instruction. Fourteen quantitative studies met the inclusion criteria established and were reviewed to identify the types of multimedia instruction employed, areas of reading instruction addressed, the measures of preservice teacher knowledge and skills used, and the alignment between instruction and theories of learning in the 14 studies. Findings indicate that technological interventions, such as Content Acquisition Podcasts and multimedia vignettes, yielded statistically significant gains in preservice teacher knowledge and skills for delivering reading instruction to students with disabilities when compared with traditional modes of instruction. Multimedia instruction developed with solid theoretical frameworks had increased efficacy, suggesting that individuals preparing future special educators may benefit from increased alignment with theories of learning. Additional implications for teacher education and future research are provided.
Diet quality and nutritional status in children with human immunodeficiency virus
Authors: Ribas Simone Augusta , Lino Amanda Paiva , Raposo Leticia Martins , Ferreira Yve , Ferreira Thaís da Silva
Published: February 2024

Background: Poor diet quality in children and adolescents may contribute to decreased immunity and lead to an increased risk of opportunistic diseases. Aim: To investigate diet quality and its relationship to nutritional status in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected pediatric patients (HIV-PIHIV). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 87 patients aged between 6 and 19 years carried out in two University Hospitals. Diet quality was analyzed by an adapted Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and nutritional status. The association between HEI with body mass index-for-age (BMI-for-age) and height-for-age was performed using a linear regression model. Clinical, maternal, anthropometric, and dietary data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire, based on nutrition service protocols. Results: Diet quality was intermediate (median IAS = 54.8 interquartile range: 47.5 to 65.9 points), due to low consumption of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products and high empty calories and sodium by the PPIHIV. The multivariate regression model indicated that HEI was not significant for explaining BMI-for-age [ β = −0.01; 95% CI = (−0.03; 0.01); p 0.40] nor height-for-age [ β = 0.01; 95% CI = (−0.02; 0.03); p 0.51]. However, it was observed that adolescents showed 1 Z-score [95% CI = (−1.6; −0.44); p 0.001] a reduction in BMI-for-age compared with children, and those black patients showed an increase in BMI-for-age Z-score of 0.57 [95% CI = (0.7; 1.1); p 0.03] compared with non-blacks. Conclusion: The diet quality of the HIV-infected children and adolescents was below desired. No association was found between diet quality and inadequate nutritional status of HIV-PIHIV.
Chitosan–Calcium Aluminate as a Cell-homing Scaffold: Its Bioactivity Testing in a Microphysiological Dental Pulp Platform
Authors: Bordini Ester Alves Ferreira , Stuani Vitor de Toledo , Correa Lígia Espoliar , Cassiano Fernanda Balestrero , Lovison Marcella Fernandes , Leite Maria Luisa , Hebling Josimeri , de Souza Costa Carlos Alberto , Soares Diana Gabriela
Published: February 2024

In vitro models of the dental pulp microenvironment have been proposed for the assessment of biomaterials, to minimise animal use in operative dentistry. In this study, a scaffold/3-D dental pulp cell culture interface was created in a microchip, under simulated dental pulp pressure, to evaluate the cell-homing potential of a chitosan (CH) scaffold functionalised with calcium aluminate (the ‘CHAlCa scaffold’). This microphysiological platform was cultured at a pressure of 15 cm H2O for up to 14 days; cell viability, migration and odontoblastic differentiation were then assessed. The CHAlCa scaffold exhibited intense chemotactic potential, causing cells to migrate from the 3-D culture to its surface, followed by infiltration into the macroporous structure of the scaffold. By contrast, the cells in the presence of the non-functionalised chitosan scaffold showed low cell migration and no cell infiltration. CHAlCa scaffold bioactivity was confirmed in dentin sialophosphoprotein-positive migrating cells, and odontoblastic markers were upregulated in 3-D culture. Finally, in situ mineralised matrix deposition by the cells was confirmed in an Alizarin Red-based assay, in which the CHAlCa and CH scaffolds were adapted to fit within dentin discs. More intense deposition of matrix was observed with the CHAlCa scaffold, as compared to the CH scaffold. In summary, we present an in vitro platform that provides a simple and reproducible model for selecting and developing innovative biomaterials through the assessment of their cell-homing potential. By using this platform, it was shown that the combination of calcium aluminate and chitosan has potential as an inductive biomaterial that can mediate dentin tissue regeneration during cell-homing therapies.
Strategies used by Occupational Therapists to overcome return-to-work obstacles perceived by workers with common mental disorders
Authors: Robitaille-Beaumier Eve-Lyne , Lachance Jean-Philippe , Larivière Nadine , Corbière Marc
Published: February 2024

Introduction:

Few studies have focused on identifying distinctive strategies implemented for overcoming return-to-work (RTW) barriers perceived by people with common mental disorders (CMDs), and their impact on RTW. The study aimed to document the strategies used by occupational therapists to overcome RTW obstacles identified by people with CMDs, and to explore the impact of these strategies on employees’ self-efficacy.

Method:

Ten workers followed by three occupational therapists were recruited for this study. Based on the participants’ ROSES scores, the occupational therapists identified in a logbook the dimensions to be worked on and the strategies they implemented for each dimension. Data was analyzed with the use of thematic analysis and descriptive statistics.

Results:

Three dimensions of the ROSES were most frequently targeted by the occupational therapists: job demands, fear of relapse and difficult relation with the immediate supervisor. The main strategies used to overcome these obstacles were work-oriented and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-based interventions. Most of the participants have increased their self-efficacy for RTW after using these strategies. Eighty percent of the participants returned to work at the end of the study.

Conclusion:

The use of work-oriented and CBT-based interventions by occupational therapists appears to be useful in improving participants’ self-efficacy and promoting their return to work.
From Restricted Resources to Ethical Burden—Former Home Care Workers’ Reasons for Leaving Their Jobs
Authors: Ring Marjo , Ristolainen Hanna , Tiilikainen Elisa
Published: February 2024

The study examines former home care workers’ reasons for leaving their jobs from the perspective of reforms in public services and eldercare policies impacted by New Public Management (NPM) in Finland. Written narratives from former home care workers ( n = 39) were collected online and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Former home care workers’ reasons for leaving their jobs were connected to four interconnecting themes: mismatch between needs and resources, measurement-driven practices, unbalancing work– life, and ethical burden. These reasons reflected critical changes in the organization of care work and the work environment in older adults’ home care. Contradictions between needs, resources, and values lead to ethical dilemmas and push away from the workforce in eldercare. To improve care workers’ willingness to remain in the eldercare sector, changes are needed in the resourcing and organization of home care, including managerial support in everyday care work.
An experimental investigation of the thermal performance of solar collectors utilizing finned aluminum can pipes
Authors: Boudjema Fethi Moussa , Benzenine Hamidou , Abboudi Said
Published: February 2024

An innovative experimental study is presented to improve the performance of solar collectors designed for solar drying systems, focusing on the use of recycled aluminum can waste and the development of the air solar collector. The latter’s absorber is made up of 10 cans with a diameter of 65 mm, a length of 160 mm and a thickness of 0.3 mm, forming a cylindrical finned pipe. Several collector configurations under identical weather conditions, including four collectors with different rows of rods (4, 8, 12–14 rows) and a single collector, were analyzed and compared. The thermal performance of this new collector model was assessed on the basis of solar fluxes and collector inlet and outlet temperatures, collected during the month of September 2021. Experimental results revealed that this collector can increase the outlet temperature of air from 32°C up to 130°C, in the case of a 14-row collector. The study also showed that, at low flow rates, the can-equipped collector achieves an efficiency of 54% for the case of a 14-row collector, compared with 34% for the simple case, representing a 20% improvement over the single case. The study also showed that, at low flow rates, the can-equipped collector achieves higher outlet temperatures.
Low cycle fatigue prediction for cylinder heads considering stress gradient and local yielding
Authors: Ashouri Hojjat
Published: February 2024

Due to the complex geometry and thermo-mechanical loading, cylinder heads is the most challenging parts among all parts engines. It must endure cyclic thermo-mechanical stresses throughout their lifetime. In this paper, the low cycle fatigue (LCF) life analysis of the cylinder heads considering the stress gradient and local yielding, is performed using the finite element method and ANSYS software to predict the temperature and stresses, and then, LCF life using Morrow theory and nCode Design Life software. Elastic and plastic properties of cylinder heads obtained by LCF tests at different temperatures. The results of finite element analysis (FEA) showed that the maximum temperature and stress values in the cylinder heads are 220.29°C and 89.868 MPa and the position is at the valve bridge between exhaust valves. The numerical results showed that bridge between exhaust valves and valve seats are areas susceptible to fatigue cracks. The LCF life results showed that 1073 cycles is the minimum fatigue life and occurs between exhaust valves. 400-h durability test showed no rupture in different parts of the cylinder heads.
Multidisciplinary design optimization of electric car body and battery tray based on improved collaborative optimization framework
Authors: Duan Libin , Yao Zhenchang , Du Zhanpeng , Xu Fengxiang , Xu Wei , Liu Xing
Published: February 2024

The lightweight design of electric car body and battery tray is an important way to improve the endurance mileage of electric vehicles, which is a multidisciplinary optimization (MDO) problem with multiple design variables and multiple constraints such as stiffness, modal, and crashworthiness performances, thereby leading it to be inefficient. To improve the MDO efficiency while ensuring the search accuracy, an improved collaborative optimization (CO) framework is proposed in this paper including a system-level optimization, multiple disciplinary subproblem optimizations, and a loop control. The disciplinary subproblem optimizations use the evolutionary optimization algorithm for global search, whose current optimal solutions are combined as the starting point of system-level optimization. The system-level optimization uses the gradient based optimization algorithm for local search, whose current optimal solution is divided into the starting points of the disciplinary subproblem optimizations. The above process is repeated until the convergence condition of the loop control is satisfied. The loop control is mainly used for the data transfer and convergence judgment between the disciplinary subproblem optimizations and the system-level optimization. The convergence and the efficiency of improved CO framework are verified by solving a simple MDO problem. In solving the MDO of electric car body and battery tray with all constraints satisfied, the iteration number and the computational time of improved CO framework are respectively reduced by 69.3% and 60% than those of original CO framework.
Study on the power generation performance of multi-mode piezoelectric–electromagnetic composite energy harvester based on rail vibration absorber
Authors: Qian Weiji , Ou Xu , Yong Shengjie , Zheng Yan
Published: February 2024

With the rapid development in rail transit industry in China, the energy supply of rail monitoring equipment has become a prominent problem, especially in some remote areas. The rail vibration caused by passing trains is a huge energy source. However, due to the characteristics of rail vibration (instantaneous, aperiodic and broadband excitation), the existing rail vibration energy harvesters can only collect rail vibration energy efficiently within a specific frequency range, the energy recovery efficiency is very low. In order to solve these problems, a multi-mode piezoelectric–electromagnetic composite energy harvester based on the rail vibration absorber has been presented in this paper. A model of the wheel–rail–vibration absorber system is established to simulate the rail vibration. In this model, the friction coupling between the wheel and rail has been considered. Under the same structural parameters and operating conditions, the predicted results of this model are consistent with the field-measured results. Base on this wheel–rail–vibration absorber model, numerical simulation analysis of the power generation performance of the composite energy harvester is carried out. The analysis results show that the output power of the multi-mode piezoelectric–electromagnetic composite energy harvester has a total of 6 peaks in the range of 0 to 600 Hz, with a maximum output power of 8.57 mW. Compared to existing vibration energy harvesters, the composite energy harvester has a wider energy harvesting frequency range and higher harvesting efficiency. The parameter analysis results show that the energy harvesting efficiency can be further improved by adjusting the structural parameters or the strain energy of the cantilever beam. This multi-mode piezoelectric–electromagnetic composite energy harvester is beneficial for improving the energy recovery efficiency of rail vibration. It effectively reduces the energy supply costs of the rail monitoring equipment.
Enhancement in thermo hydraulic performance of radially curved microchannel with secondary flow
Authors: Mamidi Nitin Kumar , Balasubramanian Karthik , Kupireddi Kiran Kumar , V.P. Chandramohan , Lee Poh Seng , Kong Chui Chee
Published: February 2024

Microchannel-based cooling methods have been found extremely suitable for compact heat exchangers. High rate of heat extraction is always associated with pressure drop penalty which lowers the overall performance of the device. Heat sinks that would deliver high thermal performance at relatively lower pumping are highly desirable. In the present article, curved microchannels with secondary flow channels are numerically investigated to minimize the pressure loss and enhance the heat transfer simultaneously. Uniform heat flux boundary condition with Reynolds number ranging from 100 to 225 is considered for analysis. Seven models having secondary flow channel orientation angles varying from 30° to 42° are compared with radially curved microchannel (RCMC) having central inlet and horizontal radial outlet arrangement. A greater increase in Nu is observed in the secondary channel with a higher orientation angle, primarily attributed to enhanced fluid mixing. Results revealed a maximum Nusselt number increase of 25.72% for RCMC with secondary flow (RCMCSF) when compared to RCMC with reduction in pressure drop penalty at the same time. At a Reynolds number of 100, the RCMCSF 30D demonstrated the maximum pressure loss reduction, which amounted to 23.91% compared to RCMC. The temperature of the wall in contact with the fluid exhibits a decreasing trend with an increase in Reynolds number (Re). This occurrence is attributed to improved fluid mixing, resulting from higher flow rates. The intensified velocity vectors in the cross-plane contribute to this enhanced mixing and subsequent decline in wall temperature. Reduction in average wall temperature up to 3.43°C is noted for RCMCSF when compared to RCMC. Of all the designs considered, radial curved microchannel with a secondary channel orientation angle of 40° shows enhanced thermal hydraulic performance with performance factor equal to 1.31.
Annie Ernaux : « engager » la littérature, essai de positionnement théorique
Authors: Heck Maryline
Published: February 2024

Annie Ernaux's desire to create literature that is in some way ‘political’ has constantly been reaffirmed throughout her career as a writer. Drawing primarily on her reflexive writings and statements in interviews, this article constitutes an essay on the ‘theoretical positioning’ of the author's meta-poetic discourses that deal with this question of the political in order to assess which theorizations of ‘engagement’ they underpin, or from which they draw, and to identify any possible ambivalences or aporias. Like academic critics, Ernaux has, herself, emphasized the influence on her work of her readings in sociology, and particularly of Bourdieu. This contribution aims to show what Ernaux's conception of literary ‘engagement’ may also owe to Sartre's theorizations, to which Ernaux does not lay claim, but from which she nonetheless seems to borrow some conceptions and ways of operating. The analysis proposed here thus questions some of the foundations and blind spots of Ernaux's approach to the political.
Poïétique et politique du littéraire : Annie Ernaux, une écriture « au-dessous de la littérature » ?
Authors: Hugueny-Léger Élise
Published: February 2024

In Une femme (1987; A Woman's Story), Annie Ernaux declared that she wished to remain “au-dessous de la littérature” (“below literature”). To what extent is this position, which she has maintained over the last decades, compatible with her consecration as a writer? This article considers the publication of Les Années (2008; The Years) as a turning point followed by the publication of several collaborative and dialogic texts that call into question established literary forms and make visible the process of creation, that is to say the poiesis of the œuvre. By revealing the act of writing, Ernaux contributes to establishing a genealogy of her work, even showing it to have a mythical dimension which is nevertheless tied to socio-political concerns. Exploring the resonance between Ernaux's literary pieces and her paratextual interventions highlights the complex network on which Ernaux's conception of writing, and position towards the idea of literature, are built.
Validation of the abbreviated version of the Profile of Musical Perception Skills (Mini-PROMS) in a Spanish sample of musicians and non-musicians
Authors: Vázquez-Fragua Laura , Fernández-Blázquez Miguel Ángel , Ruiz-Sánchez de León José María
Published: February 2024

Despite the efforts made throughout the 20th century to develop standardized batteries to measure musical ability, there seems to be no consensus as to the construct’s gold standard. The Profile of Music Perception Skills (PROMS) was created with the aim of overcoming some of the limitations of previous assessment tests. The Mini-PROMS is the shortened version of the full battery and has a shorter application time. The aim of the present study was to validate the Mini-PROMS battery with a sample of Spanish musicians and non-musicians in order to provide useful scales for the development of research in the field of musical skills in the Spanish population. The results show that Mini-PROMS in Spanish is a reliable and valid tool for measuring the musical ability of musicians and non-musicians. Furthermore, this study provides information on some of the differences between musicians and non-musicians, offering useful scales for comparing the results of individuals with those of their reference population.
Add-On Pricing: A Queueing Perspective
Authors: Wu Chenguang (Allen) , Jin Chen , Chen Ying-Ju
Published: February 2024

This work is motivated by the practice of add-on services, where an add-on is not valuable unless purchased with a main service. Discrepancies in pricing have been observed in various settings such as restaurants, museums, and attractions regarding whether the add-on should be sold together with the main service, or separately from the main service at an additional charge. While there has been a vast literature on add-on pricing, its application in service-oriented businesses with congestion-prone externalities and delay-sensitive customers is less understood. We develop a queueing model and examine the optimal pricing of add-on services in such systems, and in line with practice, we focus on analyzing two pricing schemes: bundling that charges a single price to sell main and add-on services altogether, and separate selling that charges distinct prices for each service. We establish that in the absence of congestion, separate selling strictly dominates bundling across the board. When there is congestion at the main service but not the add-on, bundling can be more lucrative under a large customer demand. When congestion takes place at both services, separate selling can return to being dominant under a large customer demand. We explain these plots of reversals by illustrating an intricate interplay between pricing, market coverage, and congestion. Collectively, they reveal novel operational advantages of each pricing scheme in exploiting the fundamentals of add-on structures.