bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measurement and prediction of the international reputation of Chinese women’s apparel and accessories
Authors: Cheng Yan , Zhou Feng , Zhao Yu
Published: August 2022

Chinese women’s apparel and accessories have been often mentioned by other countries in history and nowadays, and the underlying culture along with these apparel and accessories contributes to this developing world to some extent. The assessment of the international reputation for these kinds of apparel and accessories is important for better understanding the worldwide cultural exchange, globalization, social development and so on; however, it remains unknown. This study presents a work with the overall objective to measure and predict the international reputation of Chinese women’s apparel and accessories. To reach this objective, the study first proposes a data mining procedure to use online query volume data from the Google Ngram corpus to construct a reputation index in order to measure the international reputation of Chinese women’s apparel and accessories. Then, by establishing a series of socio-economic and political determinants associated with the international reputation of Chinese women’s apparel and accessories, several forms of support vector machine based models are developed, aiming to predict their international reputation. There are two contributions out of this work: (1) presenting the first ever large-scale quantitative examination of the trend and measurement of the international reputation of Chinese women's apparel and accessories, which provides a new method to identify the dynamic transition of sociocultural development; (2) constructing a quantitative model to predict the international reputation of Chinese women's apparel and accessories, which generalizes an implication to understand the other sociocultural object and its impact factors.
Internationalism as Political Praxis: Everyday Actions and Transnational Solidarity Building in the Brazilian Landless Rural Workers’ Movement
Authors: Furukawa Marques Dan , Lagier Claire
Published: August 2022

Contrarily to “nation-based” or “classic” internationalism, internationalism as political praxis today shows a dynamic relationship between different scales of action that influence each other, notably according to structural changes in the social, cultural, and political-economic system. Furthermore, it differs from classic internationalism in focusing on different political struggles and debates, mobilizing more horizontal methods of organization, acknowledging a diversity of tactics, embracing a larger set of political principles and struggles (going beyond class to address the environment, race, and gender), and being more concerned with empowerment than with taking power. What is more, although contemporary internationalism is still guided by “socialism,” the term is loosely defined, allowing for ideological plurality based on political experimentation.

Ao contrário do internacionalismo baseado na nação ou “clássico”, o internacionalismo como práxis política hoje mostra uma relação dinâmica entre diferentes escalas de ação que se influenciam mutuamente, notadamente de acordo com as mudanças estruturais no sistema social, cultural e político-econômico. Além disso, concentra-se em diferentes lutas e debates políticos do internacionalismo clássico, mobiliza métodos mais horizontais de organização, reconhece a diversidade de táticas, abraça um conjunto maior de princípios e lutas políticas (indo além da classe para abordar o meio ambiente, raça e gênero), e está mais preocupado com o empoderamento do que com a tomada de poder. Além disso, embora o internacionalismo contemporâneo ainda seja guiado pelo “socialismo”, o termo é vagamente definido, permitindo a pluralidade ideológica baseada na experimentação política.
Socio-demographic Predictors for Misinformation Sharing and Authenticating amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic among Malaysian Young Adults
Authors: Balakrishnan Vimala
Published: August 2022

This study investigates the socio-demographic predictors for misinformation sharing and authenticating behavior among Malaysian young adults, based on data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic through a self-reporting survey. A total of 833 Malaysians aged between 18 and 35 years old were recruited. Results indicate that 64.5% (n  =  537) of the respondents authenticated suspicious news, 16% (n  =  133) shared misinformation knowingly, while 30% (n  =  250) did so unknowingly. Frequency of sharing news (β  =  0.229, p < 0.001), frequency of social media use (β  =  0.135, p  =  0.03), frequency of access to online news portals (β  =  - 0.141, p  =  0.007) and the ability to identify misinformation (β  =  -0.161, p < 0.001) significantly predicted misinformation sharing. Conversely, only frequency of sharing news (β  =  -0.425; p < 0.001) and importance of reading real news (β  =  0.873; p < 0.001) predicted authentication behavior. Findings suggest that the majority of the misinformation sharing behavior is accidental instead of intentional, and proposes several strategies that can be adopted to mitigate the wide spread of misinformation including seminars and trainings to improve an individual's social media literacy, critical thinking and analytical skill and also one's social responsibility as a good citizen.
Prevention and management of hypertrophic scars after laparoscopic surgery using silicone gel sheets: a pilot study
Authors: Kakinuma Toshiyuki , Kagimoto Masataka , Kaneko Ayaka , Ichii Naoki , Kakinuma Kaoru , Kawarai Yoshimasa , Yanagida Kaoru , Tanaka Hirokazu , Ohwada Michitaka , Takeshima Nobuhiro
Published: August 2022

Objective

To assess the effectiveness and safety of modified silicone gel sheets applied to hypertrophic scars and keloids following laparoscopic surgery.

Methods

Patients who had undergone laparoscopic surgery and who had either conventional or modified silicone gel sheets affixed to their surgical lesions for 6 months postoperatively (treatment groups), and control patients who had not received postsurgical treatment involving silicone gel sheets, were enrolled. The surgical wounds were assessed visually and using the Japan Scar Workshop (JSW) Scar Scale. Patients were interviewed before, 3 months after, and 6 months after sheet affixation.

Results

A total of 45 patients were included, comprising 15 patients per group. Both silicone gel-sheet groups had significantly lower JSW Scar Scale scores at 3 and 6 months after affixation compared with controls. The scores were not significantly different between the conventional and modified treatment groups and no adverse events were observed in the latter.

Conclusions

Modified silicone gel sheets were more effective than controls and comparable to conventional gel sheets, and there were no adverse events related to laparoscopic surgical wounds in the improved silicone gel sheet group, demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of the modified silicone gel sheets.
Ambivalent Sexism and Women’s Reactions to Stranger Harassment: The Case of Piropos in Spain
Authors: Moya-Garófano Alba , Moya Miguel , Megías Jesús L. , Rodríguez-Bailón Rosa
Published: August 2022

Piropos, a form of stranger harassment typical in Spain, consist of appearance-related comments that unknown men direct at women in public spaces, such as on the street. There is some controversy within Spanish society as to whether piropos should be rejected or accepted––at least a certain type of them. In this research, we analyzed how young Spanish women perceive piropos and tested whether women’s evaluation and emotional reactions to them depend on the type of piropo (“mild” or “lewd”) and participants’ ambivalent sexism. Women participants ( N = 288) indicated their evaluation and emotional reactions to a mild or lewd piropo (having also a control condition where no piropo was presented) in a between-participants design. Results showed that the lewd piropo elicited lower happiness and feelings of power and greater anger-hostility than the mild piropo and the control condition. Similarly, the mild piropo also generated lower happiness and feelings of power and greater anger-hostility and anxiety than the control condition. We also conducted eight moderated mediation analyses, four each with participants’ hostile sexism scores and participants benevolent sexism scores as the predictor variable, using participants’ evaluation of the piropo as the mediator and the type of piropo (i.e., lewd or mild) as the moderator. The dependent variable on each analysis constituted the reactions of happiness, feelings of power, anger-hostility, and anxiety. Results revealed that relation between endorsing hostile sexism beliefs, while controlling for benevolent sexism beliefs, and emotional reactions to both types of piropos can be explained through participants’ evaluations of the piropos. In contrast, no indirect effect was found between benevolent sexism beliefs, when controlling for hostile sexism beliefs, and emotional reactions. Our results suggest that educating the public about the negative consequences of both types of piropos on women and reducing hostile sexism beliefs may help to eradicate street piropos. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ’s website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843221115339 .
Effect of irradiation on cytokine production in cancer patients
Authors: Meirovitz Amichay , Gross Menachem , Cohen Shani , Popovtzer Aron , Barak Vivian
Published: August 2022

Background

Irradiation, which affects cytokine secretion, is used to treat cancer patients. Cytokine levels have correlations to disease parameters, serving as biomarkers for patients. We aim to explore the effect of irradiation on cytokine production both in vitro (using lymphocytes from healthy donors) and in vivo (using serum levels of head and neck cancer patients following irradiation) and correlating them to mucositis severity/need for percutaneous endoscopic gastroscopy (PEG) tube installation.

Methods

Cytokine production by cultured lymphocytes from healthy donors, in vitro, following irradiation of 5 or 10 Gy. In addition, blood from 23 patients with head and neck cancers, irradiated by 60–72G in vivo, were assessed for inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-18), the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, and the general marker sIL-2R. Following radiation, selected patients who were developing mucositis were treated by PEG tube installation. Changes in cytokine levels were studied as predictive biomarkers of response to therapy/PEG tube installation. Cytokine production levels were measured using ELISAs kits.

Results

Irradiation decreased the levels of all tested cytokines, most notably IL-6 and IL-8, proportional to irradiation dose. In patients, increases in cytokine levels, correlated with mucositis severity and potentially the need for PEG tube installation.

Conclusions

Irradiation decreased the levels of all cytokines of healthy lymphocytes in a dose-dependent manner, especially those of IL-6 and IL-8. This study shows a correlation between high and increasing levels of inflammatory cytokines, sIL-2R, plus radiation toxicity and the need for PEG. The reduction of cytokine levels after radiotherapy predicts that PEG will not be required. Thus, our study shows that cytokine changes are predictive biomarkers in head and neck cancer patients.
Exploring the Criterion Validity of Pragmatic Person-Centered Care/Culture Change Measures
Authors: Kunkel Miranda C. , Madrigal Caroline , Moore Reese , Bowblis John R. , Straker Jane , Nelson Matt , Van Haitsma Kimberly , Abbott Katherine M.
Published: August 2022

Background

Nursing homes (NHs) are required to provide person-centered care, efforts often folded into broader culture change initiatives. Despite the known benefits of culture change, it is difficult to measure. This study aims to assess the criterion validity of the Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory (PELI) Implementation Indicator with other culture change measures.

Methods

Using data from Ohio-based NHs ( n = 771), logistic regression techniques demonstrated the relationship between the PELI Implementation Indicator and two validated culture change measures, the Resident Preferences for Care (RPC) and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Empowerment scales.

Results

There was a significant relationship between the two scales and complete PELI implementation holding all other variables constant. The RPC and CNA Empowerment scales were significantly associated with complete PELI implementation.

Discussion

Findings suggest that the PELI Implementation Indicator can be used as a pragmatic indicator of a community’s adoption of person-centered care and culture change.
“My Story Started When I was Younger. . .”: A Qualitative Analysis of Youth’s Differential Journeys Away From School
Authors: Koslouski Jessica B. , Skubel Anna , Zaff Jonathan F. , Porche Michelle V.
Published: August 2022

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase youths’ risk for leaving high school before graduating. However, to our knowledge, no one has examined how youth themselves conceptualize the role of ACEs in their journeys away from school. In this exploratory qualitative study, we used narrative analysis to examine (1) whether youth (n = 27) described ACEs leading them away from school, (2) how early these trajectories began, from youth’s own perspectives, and (3) if this varied by elements of identity and social position. Focus groups were conducted with youth ages 18-25 from 13 communities across the U.S. We found that youth described their journeys away from school as starting with early ACEs. We also found that youths’ narratives reflected intersectional gender differences in the pathways away from school that youth described. Girls articulated how ACEs influenced subsequent non-academic priorities; they eventually left or were kicked out due to a lack of credits. Boys expressed that early ACEs were followed by risk behaviors, punishment, and dropout. Implications for healing-centered engagement across settings and targeted dropout prevention are discussed.
Is it Contagious? Does Parents’ Internet Addiction Impact Their Adolescents’ Internet Addiction?
Authors: Chemnad Khansa , Alshakhsi Sameha , Al-Harahsheh Sanaa , Abdelmoneium Azza O. , Al-Khalaf Maryam S. , Baghdady Ahmed , Ali Raian
Published: August 2022

Extensive research has shown various family factors such as low family cohesion, and limited parental supervision to be associated with adolescent Internet addiction (IA). There has been little discussion about the relationship between parental IA and adolescent IA. The purpose of this study was to determine whether parental IA and parental monitoring of digital technology use interpret IA in their adolescents. The current study was carried out with 168 parents of adolescents, predominantly female parents. They reported demographics and how often they monitored their adolescent’s Internet usage and responded to the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire (IADQ) and Parental Version of Young Diagnostic Questionnaire (PYDQ). The two scales, IADQ and PYDQ, comprise of eight binary questions, each representing a symptom of IA. Multiple regression and Chi-square were used for statistical analysis. The multiple regression model showed that parents’ gender, employment status, frequency of monitoring of time spent on the Internet, and activities performed on the Internet by adolescents were not significant predictors of PYDQ. Parents’ IADQ scores and the frequency of serious arguments with their adolescents about excessive Internet use were positive and significant predictors of PYDQ. Adolescents were more likely to be dependent Internet users when their parents were also dependent Internet users. Seven of the eight IA symptoms in parents were associated with the related symptoms in adolescents. These results suggest that family counseling programs shall not only focus on dealing with adolescents but help parents demonstrate constructive and balanced digital habits and become positive role models themselves. Serious arguments on excessive Internet use predicted IA in adolescents. In light of our results, it may be beneficial for parents to play a role model in technology use and have more productive discussions with their adolescents about it. The results also signify the need for better knowledge and literacy in communicating with adolescents about excessive Internet use.
Development and evaluation of hydroxytite-based anti-microbial surface coatings on polydopamine-treated porous 3D-printed Ti6Al4V alloys for overall biofunctionality
Authors: Singh Gurmohan , Saini Abhineet , Pabla BS
Published: August 2022

The current investigation aims to develop hydroxyapatite-based biofunctional composite coatings on polydopamine-treated porous 3D-printed Ti6Al4V alloy implant specimens for orthopedic uses. The porous 3D-printed implants based on Ashby Gibson’s mathematical model for cellular materials are fabricated at a 65% level of porosity, so as to attain the mechanical strength of human bones. Further, the addition of strontium and silver in hydroxyapatite for improved biocompatibility of the 3D-printed implant to enhance its biofunctionality and its validation is performed. The resulting coated substrates are subjected to a series of morphological, elemental, phase, mechanical, and biological tests. When subjected to the uniaxial compression, the values for modulus of elasticity and yield strength of 3D-printed substrates are compared to the targeted value of elastic modulus and yield strength for the human bones (10–30 GPa and 148–240 MPa, respectively). The effect of polydopamine-treated 3D-printed Ti6Al4V substrates on the coating compositions of calcium and phosphorus has been compared to the untreated samples. The coating thickness and adhesion strength have been calculated and compared for different coating groups. All the samples, except untreated pure hydroxyapatite samples, displayed antimicrobial activity for both the gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in the zone inhibition test. Hence, the current experiment provides a novel option to fabricate porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds, with a low-temperature surface coating to attain improved biofunctionality for orthopedic applications.
Rail gage-based risk detection Using iPhone 12 pro
Authors: Ren Yihao , Dai Zhenyu , Lu Pan , Ai Chengbo , Huang Ying , Tolliver Denver
Published: August 2022

Federal Railroad Administration strictly regulates the inspection frequency of all track classes to ensure timely identification of rail defects including irregular gage which is a devastating rail geometry defect. Conventional rail inspection methods are both costly and labor-intensive, whereas existing novel technologies can be expensive and mostly focus on a specific inspection area, e.g. vertical alignment. iPhone 12 Pro was introduced to the public recently with a low-cost, low-resolution light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor that is purposed for better photography and virtual reality. Thanks to its portability and computational capacity, iPhone 12 Pro can potentially be used as a portable solution for irregular gage inspection, whose capacity and feasibility are unknown. This study first investigated the capability of the iPhone 12 Pro in calculating unloaded rail gages by its embedded LiDAR sensor. The results showed that uncalibrated raw gage values measured by the iPhone 12 Pro LiDAR sensor were systematically lower than the ground-truth values. The proposed method in this study then introduced logistic regression to calibrate the measured values through balancing the prediction performance and the efficiency, followed by validations using a Gaussian process classifier. The results show that the proposed method correctly identified all 39 high-risk locations with 227 false alarmed locations. The proposed method with the iPhone 12 Pro LiDAR sensor could potentially narrow down the possible “high-risk” gage sections and may result in a significant reduction in the field inspection workload by 48%.
Psychosocial Resilience to Inflammation-Associated Depression: A Prospective Study of Breast-Cancer Survivors
Authors: Manigault Andrew W. , Kuhlman Kate R. , Irwin Michael R. , Cole Steve W. , Ganz Patricia A. , Crespi Catherine M. , Bower Julienne E.
Published: August 2022

Stress can lead to depression, in part because of activation of inflammatory mechanisms. It is therefore critical to identify resilience factors that can buffer against these effects, but no research to date has evaluated whether psychosocial resilience mitigates the effects of stress on inflammation-associated depressive symptoms. We therefore examined psychosocial resources known to buffer against stress in a longitudinal study of women with breast cancer ( N = 187). Depressive symptoms and inflammation were measured over a 2-year period extending from after diagnosis into survivorship. Cancer-related stress and psychosocial resources—social support, optimism, positive affect, mastery, self-esteem, and mindfulness—were measured after diagnosis. As hypothesized, women who reported having more psychosocial resources showed weaker associations between stress and depressive symptoms and weaker associations between stress and inflammation-related depressive symptoms. Results highlight the importance of psychosocial resilience by demonstrating a relationship between psychosocial resources and sensitivity to inflammation-associated depressive symptoms.
Librarians self-efficacy in ICT-based library operations and services: A survey of librarians working in libraries of Aligarh Muslim University Library System
Authors: Nazim Mohammad , Munshi Shamim Aktar , Ashar Mohammad
Published: August 2022

This study aimed to determine the level of ICT self-efficacy among librarians working in the Libraries of Aligarh Muslim University Library System (AMULS). A structured questionnaire was used to conduct a quantitative survey. One of the researchers visited the Maulana Azad Library, Faculty and College Libraries, Departmental and Seminar Libraries, and School Libraries and distributed the questionnaire to librarians. On the other hand, librarians of the AMU regional centers’ libraries were contacted through email to complete the survey form. Of the 123 questionnaires distributed to the librarians, 102 questionnaires were received with an 82.9% response rate. Librarians mostly view ICT as having a positive impact on library operations and services. The majority of librarians are skilled in using basic ICT applications. However, they lack the necessary skills to manage ICT-based library operations and services. Inadequate ICT application training and a lack of ICT infrastructure were cited as significant barriers to librarians obtaining ICT skills. This is the first study to examine ICT self-efficacy among librarians in an Indian university. Its findings could aid in the development of strategies for integrating new technologies into libraries.
Playful stories: Exploring the use of dramatic play in storytimes
Authors: Campana Kathleen , Kociubuk Jacqueline , Hlad Kayla
Published: August 2022

Research in early childhood development widely supports play as a vital learning mechanism for young children. Consequently, many libraries are beginning to embrace play as an intentional strategy for meeting targeted early learning outcomes. However, sufficient research on how play can be incorporated into storytimes to support children’s early development has yet to be conducted. This study begins to address this need by exploring how two other informal learning environments—a museum and a zoo—use educator-led dramatic play experiences in storytimes with the goal of understanding how libraries might be able to incorporate dramatic play experiences in their storytimes to create a more in-depth playful learning experience. To elucidate the nature of the museum and zoo’s educator-led dramatic play experiences, this study explored (1) characteristics of their educator-led dramatic play experiences, and (2) the learning behaviors that children were exhibiting while participating in the dramatic play. The results revealed that the educator-led dramatic play episodes in both environments consisted of one long, immersive oral story with other types of play interspersed within the larger story structure. The data also revealed that the children were exhibiting many different types of learning behaviors while participating in the dramatic play experiences. Based on these findings, implications, and recommendations are provided for libraries around designing and using dramatic play in their storytimes to help transform the traditional library storytime structure into a more in-depth playful learning experience.
Memory as vulnerability: Reinhabiting sites of violence and the politics of triumphalist amnesia in Kenya’s war on terror
Authors: Purdeková Andrea
Published: August 2022

Rectification as the return of sites of violence to prior use is little studied even as governments often defiantly reconstruct such sites and urge citizens to visit them as a way to combat ‘terror’. Using the case study of the 2013 Westgate shopping mall attack in Kenya and the subsequent return of the site to prior use, the article reflects on the broader practices of erasure of violence from public space as a unique form of a memory–security nexus. The article reads amnesia and its effects through material and social practices of rectification – renovation, fortification, closure and reopening, and the experiences of survivors and non-survivors in reinhabiting these spaces. The ways in which violence is vacated from space and speech, and the ways in which its absence is encountered by diverse people, produce a rich transcript on memory and its entanglements with security agendas. They also reveal the deleterious effects of politicized ‘triumphalist amnesia’ enlisted as a counter-terror tool, including the emotional tax and public distrust arising from non-recognition when memory is equated with vulnerability and forgetting with defiance. Triumphalist amnesia might produce the opposite effect – a failure to root out violence and insecurity among those asked to confront it.
Increasing the efficiency of a bistable cantilever beam energy harvester exploiting vibro-impact effects
Authors: Shahsavar Mostafa , Ashory Mohammad Reza , Khatibi Mohammad Mahdi
Published: August 2022

In this paper, a novel energy harvester is proposed by adding a barrier to a typical bistable energy harvester, which is modeled exploiting an equivalent single degree of freedom. By using Euler-Lagrange equations, mass, structural stiffness, magnetic force and electromechanical coupling coefficient of the harvester, are converted to an equivalent SDOF model. The frequency bandwidth of the system and the level of harvested power in impacting and non-impacting conditions are obtained. According to the numerical results, it is found by adding a barrier to a typical bistable energy harvester, the working frequency bandwidth of the system is increased tangibly. In fact, by vibro-impact phenomenon, the working frequency bandwidth and extracted power of the system are increased about 42.95% and more than 7 times, respectively. Additionally, the effects of stiffness and initial gap of the barrier are shown on frequency bandwidth of the harvester. It is observed that the gap distance has more effect on widening frequency bandwidth of the system against barrier stiffness. Finally, the effect of the electrical load resistance on the harvested power is discussed at various barrier stiffnesses and initial gap distances and finally the optimum values of the electrical load are provided for each condition.
Development and evaluation of a new piezoelectric stick-slip actuator using stair type flexure hinge
Authors: Wang Liang , Wang Heran , Wang Shupeng , Cheng Tinghai
Published: August 2022

A new piezoelectric stick-slip actuator using stair type flexure hinge is proposed and developed in this work. It’s spirited by referencing the reported “Z-shaped” flexure hinge in the literatures and the idea of asymmetric structure. In this design, the PZT stack can generate elongation displacement under the excitation of sawtooth signal, and then the elongation can be transmitted into the vertical and horizontal displacements on the driving tip by the stair type flexure hinge. The slider is pressed by the vertical displacement and driven by the horizontal displacement, respectively. The working principle of the proposed actuator is clarified. The statics characteristics are investigated by the theoretical and simulation methods. Finally, the mechanical output characteristics of the developed prototype are tested. The maximum output velocity is 8.5 mm/s when the voltage and frequency are 100 V and 720 Hz. The maximum output force is tested as 2.6 N when the preloading force is 3 N. The experiment results validate the feasibility of the proposed piezoelectric stick-slip actuator based on stair type flexure hinge.
Characterization of the material behavior and identification of effective elastic moduli based on molecular dynamics simulations of coarse-grained silica
Authors: Ries Maximilian , Bauer Christof , Weber Felix , Steinmann Paul , Pfaller Sebastian
Published: August 2022

The addition of fillers can significantly improve the mechanical behavior of polymers. The responsible mechanisms at the molecular level can be well assessed by particle-based simulation techniques, such as molecular dynamics. However, the high computational cost of these simulations prevents the study of macroscopic samples. Continuum-based approaches, particularly micromechanics, offer a more efficient alternative but require precise constitutive models for all constituents, which are usually unavailable at these small length scales. In this contribution, we derive a molecular-dynamics-informed constitutive law by employing a characterization strategy introduced in a previous publication. We choose silicon dioxide (silica) as an exemplary filler material used in polymer composites and perform uniaxial and shear deformation tests with molecular dynamics. The material exhibits elastoplastic behavior with a pronounced anisotropy. Based on the pseudo-experimental data, we calibrate an anisotropic elastic constitutive law and reproduce the material response for small strains accurately. The study validates the characterization strategy that facilitates the calibration of constitutive laws from molecular dynamics simulations. Furthermore, the obtained material model for coarse-grained silica forms the basis for future continuum-based investigations of polymer nanocomposites. In general, the presented transition from a fine-scale particle model to a coarse and computationally efficient continuum description adds to the body of knowledge of molecular science as well as the engineering community.
Interaction of Socioeconomic Status and Class Relations on Reading
Authors: Olsen Amanda A. , Huang Francis L.
Published: August 2022

Student–teacher relationships (STRs) and socioeconomic status (SES) are two widely studied variables that have been found to predict reading achievement in the early grades. The current study extends the literature by investigating the interaction between STRs, measured using the STR Scale completed by teachers, and SES on reading achievement using a nationally representative data set. The study included approximately 8,380 first-grade students and 2,930 teachers, from 860 schools, representing a weighted sample of 3.15 million students. Results from multilevel modeling that controlled for student-, teacher-, and school-level factors found that both STRs and SES were strongly associated with student reading achievement. There was also a statistically significant interaction between close STRs and SES on reading achievement, suggesting that less conflictual STRs were associated with increased reading achievement scores for all students, but were particularly beneficial for students from low SES backgrounds. Educational implications are provided.
Intelligent resolution: Integrating Cryo-EM with AI-driven multi-resolution simulations to observe the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 replication-transcription machinery in action
Authors: Trifan Anda , Gorgun Defne , Salim Michael , Li Zongyi , Brace Alexander , Zvyagin Maxim , Ma Heng , Clyde Austin , Clark David , Hardy David J , Burnley Tom , Huang Lei , McCalpin John , Emani Murali , Yoo Hyenseung , Yin Junqi , Tsaris Aristeidis , Subbiah Vishal , Raza Tanveer , Liu Jessica , Trebesch Noah , Wells Geoffrey , Mysore Venkatesh , Gibbs Thomas , Phillips James , Chennubhotla S Chakra , Foster Ian , Stevens Rick , Anandkumar Anima , Vishwanath Venkatram , Stone John E , Tajkhorshid Emad , Harris Sarah A , Ramanathan Arvind
Published: August 2022

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication transcription complex (RTC) is a multi-domain protein responsible for replicating and transcribing the viral mRNA inside a human cell. Attacking RTC function with pharmaceutical compounds is a pathway to treating COVID-19. Conventional tools, e.g. cryo-electron microscopy and all-atom molecular dynamics (AAMD), do not provide sufficiently high resolution or timescale to capture important dynamics of this molecular machine. Consequently, we develop an innovative workflow that bridges the gap between these resolutions, using mesoscale fluctuating finite element analysis (FFEA) continuum simulations and a hierarchy of AI-methods that continually learn and infer features for maintaining consistency between AAMD and FFEA simulations. We leverage a multi-site distributed workflow manager to orchestrate AI, FFEA, and AAMD jobs, providing optimal resource utilization across HPC centers. Our study provides unprecedented access to study the SARS-CoV-2 RTC machinery, while providing general capability for AI-enabled multi-resolution simulations at scale.
Compressed basis GMRES on high-performance graphics processing units
Authors: Aliaga José I , Anzt Hartwig , Grützmacher Thomas , Quintana-Ortí Enrique S , Tomás Andrés E
Published: August 2022

Krylov methods provide a fast and highly parallel numerical tool for the iterative solution of many large-scale sparse linear systems. To a large extent, the performance of practical realizations of these methods is constrained by the communication bandwidth in current computer architectures, motivating the investigation of sophisticated techniques to avoid, reduce, and/or hide the message-passing costs (in distributed platforms) and the memory accesses (in all architectures). This article leverages Ginkgo’s memory accessor in order to integrate a communication-reduction strategy into the (Krylov) GMRES solver that decouples the storage format (i.e., the data representation in memory) of the orthogonal basis from the arithmetic precision that is employed during the operations with that basis. Given that the execution time of the GMRES solver is largely determined by the memory accesses, the cost of the datatype transforms can be mostly hidden, resulting in the acceleration of the iterative step via a decrease in the volume of bits being retrieved from memory. Together with the special properties of the orthonormal basis (whose elements are all bounded by 1), this paves the road toward the aggressive customization of the storage format, which includes some floating-point as well as fixed-point formats with mild impact on the convergence of the iterative process. We develop a high-performance implementation of the “compressed basis GMRES” solver in the Ginkgo sparse linear algebra library using a large set of test problems from the SuiteSparse Matrix Collection. We demonstrate robustness and performance advantages on a modern NVIDIA V100 graphics processing unit (GPU) of up to 50% over the standard GMRES solver that stores all data in IEEE double-precision.
Gastrointestinal Symptom Cluster is Associated With Epigenetic Regulation of Lymphotoxin Beta in Oncology Patients Receiving Chemotherapy
Authors: Harris Carolyn S. , Miaskowski Christine A. , Conley Yvette P. , Hammer Marilyn J. , Dhruva Anand A. , Levine Jon D. , Olshen Adam B. , Kober Kord M.
Published: August 2022

Objectives

While the gastrointestinal symptom cluster (GISC) is common in patients receiving chemotherapy, limited information is available on its underlying mechanism(s). Emerging evidence suggests a role for inflammatory processes through the actions of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. This study evaluated for associations between a GISC and levels of DNA methylation for genes within this pathway.

Methods

Prior to their second or third cycle of chemotherapy, 1071 outpatients reported symptom occurrence using the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale. A GISC was identified using exploratory factor analysis. Differential methylation analyses were performed in two independent samples using EPIC ( n = 925) and 450K ( n = 146) microarrays. Trans expression-associated CpG (eCpG) loci for 56 NF-κB signaling pathway genes were evaluated. Loci significance were assessed using an exploratory false discovery rate (FDR) of 25% for the EPIC sample. For the validation assessment using the 450K sample, significance was assessed at an unadjusted p-value of 0.05.

Results

For the EPIC sample, the GISC was associated with increased expression of lymphotoxin beta ( LTB) at one differentially methylated trans eCpG locus (cg03171795; FDR = 0.168). This association was not validated in the 450K sample.

Conclusions

This study is the first to identify an association between a GISC and epigenetic regulation of a gene that is involved in the initiation of gastrointestinal immune responses. Findings suggest that increased LTB expression by hypermethylation of a trans eCpG locus is involved in the occurrence of this cluster in patients receiving chemotherapy. LTB may be a potential therapeutic target for this common cluster.
Non-Discrimination and special protection for migrants and refugees
Authors: Freier Luisa Feline , Aron Said Valeria , Quesada Nicoli Diego
Published: August 2022

In the Americas, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) have established that the principle of equality and non-discrimination requires States to both ensure that migrants are not discriminated against on any of the protected grounds of the American Convention on Human Rights, as well as to take specific action to protect certain groups of migrants that are in a situation of vulnerability. Via a comparative quantitative analysis of the immigration and refugee laws, as well as implementing regulations, of 20 Latin American countries, we examine the extent of non-discrimination and special protection provided by the region’s migratory legislation. Our results reveal three main findings. First, more recent immigration and refugee laws tend to be more expansive, which reflects the period of migratory liberalisation in the region. Second, while non-discrimination clauses are more dominant in laws, special protection clauses are primarily present in implementing regulations. This suggests that countries see special protection as a tool to positive discrimination of particularly vulnerable groups. Third, although we identify an overall expansion on protection grounds, countries’ migratory laws mostly reflect traditional categories like: sex/gender; race/ethnicity/colour; nationality; economic/social condition; and religion. Overall, although laudable, the impact of these provisions on reversing structural discrimination from an intersectional approach remains questionable.
Refuting Misconceptions in an Introductory Psychology Course for Preservice Teachers
Authors: Tulis Maria
Published: August 2022

This experimental field study (pre-post-follow-up design) with 184 student teachers examined the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce misconceptions about psychology within an introductory psychology course. For this purpose, over the course’s one-semester duration, all students attended six lectures and, in addition, worked individually on six assignments in between. In both, the intervention and control group, assignments covered the same learning content but assignments for the intervention group particularly addressed six topic-related misconceptions, and were designed to bring about conceptual change. These assignments included refutational texts and other tasks that triggered conceptual inconsistency and emphasized students’ use of scientific concepts. Students in the control group completed assignments designed for rehearsal of and elaboration on the topics at hand but were not exposed to the respective misconceptions. The findings demonstrate the efficacy of this slight modification of tasks in reducing students’ misconceptions around psychology. While the groups did not differ in exam performance, the positive associations found between exam performance and high-confidence rejection of psychological myths, and their correlation with evaluativist epistemic beliefs and critical thinking, underline the importance of early interventions in teacher education with the aim of dispelling misconceptions about psychology.
Livestreaming History: The Streamer-Historian and Historical Games Outreach
Authors: Bierstedt Adam F.
Published: August 2022

As games grow in popularity, the importance of outreach has begun to be recognized within the field of historical games studies. However, much outreach has focused on education, consultancy, or the development of new games. While these are all valuable, this article draws attention to a fourth category of outreach that has hitherto been underutilized: digital criticism, particularly in the format of the Let’s Play. Embodied in a “streamer-historian,” this style of outreach offers great potential as a tool to analyze historical games. This article combines approaches drawn from discourse theory with case studies of recent games and lessons drawn from practical work on digital platforms by the author and others, arguing that the streamer-historian occupies a unique and crucial position within the discursive cycle of games that makes it a potent tool of outreach.
History, Heritage, and Memory in Video Games: Approaching the Past in Svoboda 1945: Liberation and Train to Sachsenhausen
Authors: Šisler Vít , Pötzsch Holger , Hannemann Tereza , Cuhra Jaroslav , Pinkas Jaroslav
Published: August 2022

This article explores authenticity, immersion, and heritage in two historical video games, Svoboda 1945: Liberation and Train to Sachsenhausen. The two games use different strategies when inviting understanding, emotional attachment, and immersive experiences of past events. We draw upon a critical, self-reflective analysis of the design process and a comparison of both games. Our aim is to expand further the toolset for historical game analysis and critique by developing the terms inter-medial authenticity and procedural heritage to enable investigations of games as both representations and simulations of historical events. We show that both these aspects can contribute to the roles games can play as conveyors of historical memory and heritage.
Initial Learning Curve and Stereotypical Use of Extra Arm During da Vinci Chest Procedures of McKeown Esophagectomy
Authors: Noshiro Hirokazu , Okuyama Keiichiro , Kajiwara Shuhei , Yoda Yukie , Ikeda Osamu
Published: August 2022

Objective: McKeown esophagectomy facilitates extensive lymphadenectomy for the optimal management of esophageal cancer. Robot-assisted esophagectomy (RAE) was introduced in an attempt to reduce the incidence of postoperative complications. The da Vinci System has 3 active robotic arms in addition to the camera scope, and an extra robotic arm (ERA) is generally used to maintain a fine and stable operative field. However, the optimal use of an ERA has not been documented. In addition, the learning curve of the RAE using the da Vinci System remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to determine the optimal use of an ERA in association with the initial learning curve of robotic McKeown esophagectomy with extremely extensive lymphadenectomy. Methods: We reviewed 81 consecutive patients who underwent RAE. To determine whether stereotypical use of an ERA after establishment of its optimal use accounted for the learning curve, we measured the duration of 14 steps and the duration when performed with optimal use of an ERA in the corresponding step by reviewing video-recorded procedures. We then calculated the ratio as the degree of stereotypical use of the ERA during the da Vinci chest procedures. Results: The cumulative sum method showed that the learning curve required 27 cases of RAE. In addition, stereotypical use of the ERA was significantly associated with the learning curve of RAE. Conclusions: Establishment of optimal use of an ERA could help to accelerate the learning curve in da Vinci chest procedures during McKeown esophagectomy with extensive lymphadenectomy.
Technical nuances of flow-diverting stent-assisted coiling of a ruptured carotid wall aneurysm
Authors: Waqas Muhammad , Monteiro Andre , Almayman Faisal , Cappuzzo Justin M , Metcalf-Doetsch William , Siddiqui Adnan H
Published: August 2022

The management of ruptured, large and giant wide-necked aneurysms of the anterior circulation is challenging. Treatment options include balloon-assisted coiling versus flow-diverter-assisted coiling. In this technical video, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EtyrJv3e5Z0XM2pYBNNBHVUdYwavlTFh/view?usp = sharing we demonstrate a case of a right-sided paraclinoid aneurysm in a young man who presented with post-coital sudden-onset headache. The computed tomography scan showed a Fisher grade IV subarachnoid hemorrhage. An external ventricular drain was placed, and the patient was intubated for prompt treatment. Balloon-assisted coiling of the aneurysm was attempted but abandoned because the balloon failed to provide adequate coverage of the aneurysm neck. A loading dose of aspirin and ticagrelor (Brilinta, Astra Zeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom) was administered, and Pipeline embolization device (Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland)-assisted coiling was then performed for adequate occlusion of the aneurysm sac. The 6-month follow-up angiogram showed complete obliteration of the aneurysm. The technical video succinctly demonstrates the technical nuances of the procedure.
The War on Terror beyond the barrel of a gun: The procedural rhetorics of the boardgame Labyrinth
Authors: Ambrosio Thomas , Ross Jonathan
Published: August 2022

Utilizing Bogost’s procedural rhetoric framework in his book Persuasive Games, this article examines Labyrinth, a boardgame that simulates the conflict between the United States and global terrorism. The authors systematically integrate ludology (rules/gameplay) and narratology (narratives/representations) to illustrate how Labyrinth was intentionally designed so that players became active participants in a narrative about how good governance undermines the sources of terrorism and the counterproductive nature of militarized counterterrorism, as well as bear witness to the agency of the Muslim world and the region’s political dynamism on the tabletop. This is a very different account of the War on Terror than has previously been studied in the literature, which has focused overwhelmingly on first-person shooter videogames and, in turn, has provided a very limited range of how this conflict can be represented in ludic form. However, Labyrinth is not alone, and the wargames that many players grew up with have given way to a variety of boardgames which approach complex historical or contemporary situations and environments beyond simply killing one’s enemies. This represents a diverse, but largely untapped, resource already in the public space and ready to be investigated. Media studies can therefore benefit from considering how boardgames similar to Labyrinth present alternative ways in which the ‘real world’ has been, and indeed can be, translated through popular culture objects.