bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of a highly efficient flame retardant containing triazine and pentaerythritol phosphate groups and its intumescent flame retardancy on epoxy resin
Authors: Liu Shengpeng , Wei Huan , Xiong Yun , Ding Yigang , Xu Lili
Published: April 2022

A novel phosphorus-nitrogen-containing flame retardant (DOPT) has been successfully synthesized via the substitution reaction of cyanuric chloride, pentaerythritol phosphate and 9, 10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide. The chemical structure of DOPT was confirmed by 1H, 31P and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Then, flame retardants were added to epoxy resin to prepare epoxy resin composites by pouring method. Thermal properties, flame retardancy, and combustion behavior of epoxy resin composites were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis, vertical burning, limiting oxygen index and cone calorimeter test. Thermogravimetric analysis test showed that the carbon residue rate of DOPT at 800°C reached 52.53%, which indicated that the introduction of high-efficiency char-forming agent triazine and pentaerythritol phosphate groups could significantly improve its char-forming performance and thermal stability. The epoxy resin composite achieved vertical burning V-0 grade and the limiting oxygen index value reached 35.5% when 7 wt% DOPT was incorporated. Furthermore, the cone calorimeter test results manifested that the addition of DOPT stimulated degradation of the epoxy resin matrix during the combustion process and accelerated the formation of an expanded and dense carbon layer. Additionally, the incombustible gas produced during the decomposition of DOPT had played a flame-retardant effect in the gas phase. Hence, compared with neat epoxy resin, the total heat release and total smoke production of the EP-7 wt% DOPT composite decreased by 14.0% and 25.3%, respectively. Moreover, owing to the excellent compatibility and the strong interface effect between DOPT and epoxy resin, the addition of DOPT also enhanced the mechanical and fire resistance properties of the epoxy resin composite. Therefore, it is proposed that DOPT could be exploited as an economical and high-efficiency flame retardant, and it has considerable prospects in flame retardant epoxy resin composites.
Experimental study on direct ignition of blast furnace gas by plasma igniter in a gas turbine combustor
Authors: You Binchuan , Liu Xiao , Kong Long , Yang Jialong , Chen Mingmin , Zheng Hongtao , Li Shuying
Published: April 2022

Direct ignition of a gas turbine combustor using blast furnace gas fuel has become a critical issue at present. As an alternative technology of traditional spark plug ignition, plasma-assisted ignition has excellent performance in the gas turbine combustor. In this paper, the ignition system is designed to conduct a direct ignition experiment using the plasma and spark plug igniter. Then, the plasma jet characteristics, ignition limit, and flame propagation of the blast furnace gas combustor are analyzed. The results show that, using blast furnace gas fuel in the gas turbine combustor, the direct ignition of spark plug igniter fails and direct ignition of the plasma igniter succeeds. The jet from the plasma igniter is conical with a length of 30 mm and a diameter of 8 mm, which contains various active species (O、, O*、, O+、, O2+、, N2*, and, N2+). With the increase of air flow rate in the combustor, the equivalence ratio of plasma ignition limit increases from 0.7 to 0.83, and the time required for successful ignition increases from 860 ms to 4300 ms. Meanwhile, the flame propagates from a unidirectional mode to a bidirectional mode in the combustor. The laminar flame characteristics and ignition delay time of BFG/air mixtures were investigated by CHEMKIN package using the Gri-Mech 3.0 model. The active species in the plasma jet can shorten the ignition delay time from 1E-4s to 1E-5s and improve the laminar burning velocities from 7.58 cm/s to 10.90 cm/s. A large-scale initial flame kernel with concentrated energy is formed rapidly so that the flame can successfully propagate to the recirculation zone and burn stably. Finally, the blast furnace gas fuel was successfully ignited directly by the plasma igniter.
Melting Ice With Your Mind: Representational Momentum for Physical States
Authors: Hafri Alon , Boger Tal , Firestone Chaz
Published: April 2022

When a log burns, it transforms from a block of wood into a pile of ash. Such state changes are among the most dramatic ways objects change, going beyond mere changes of position or orientation. How does the mind represent changes of state? A foundational result in visual cognition is that memory extrapolates the positions of moving objects—a distortion called representational momentum. Here, five experiments ( N = 400 adults) exploited this phenomenon to investigate mental representations in state space. Participants who viewed objects undergoing state changes (e.g., ice melting, logs burning, or grapes shriveling) remembered them as more changed (e.g., more melted, burned, or shriveled) than they actually were. This pattern extended to several types of state changes, went beyond their low-level properties, and even adhered to their natural trajectories in state space. Thus, mental representations of objects actively incorporate how they change—not only in their relation to their environment, but also in their essential qualities.
‘It was Never Just About the Statue’: Ethos of historical figures in public debates on contested cultural objects
Authors: Pereira-Fariña Martín , Koszowy Marcin , Budzynska Katarzyna
Published: April 2022

Collective, historical memory becomes increasingly important in public debates on cultural heritage across many countries. Their key elements are contested cultural objects – such as statues or memorials – which construct nations’ memory that governs societal processes such as decolonisation or de-Stalinization. This paper analyses arguments about five such objects in UK, US, South Africa, Poland and Spain in order to identify discursive strategies used to argue whether to remove or to keep them. Large-scale comparative discourse analysis reveals that the ethos of historical figures – such as the Confederates or Joseph Stalin – commemorated by these cultural objects plays an essential and primary role in these debates. We argue that values associated with the character of these figures determine the dynamics of discourse and its close analysis allows us to uncover what societies are struggling with when handling artefacts of the past in the present day.
Combining individual patient data from randomized and non-randomized studies to predict real-world effectiveness of interventions
Authors: Seo Michael , Debray Thomas PA , Ruffieux Yann , Gsteiger Sandro , Bujkiewicz Sylwia , Finckh Axel , Egger Matthias , Efthimiou Orestis
Published: April 2022

Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials is generally considered the most reliable source of estimates of relative treatment effects. However, in the last few years, there has been interest in using non-randomized studies to complement evidence from randomized controlled trials. Several meta-analytical models have been proposed to this end. Such models mainly focussed on estimating the average relative effects of interventions. In real-life clinical practice, when deciding on how to treat a patient, it might be of great interest to have personalized predictions of absolute outcomes under several available treatment options. This paper describes a general framework for developing models that combine individual patient data from randomized controlled trials and non-randomized study when aiming to predict outcomes for a set of competing medical interventions applied in real-world clinical settings. We also discuss methods for measuring the models’ performance to identify the optimal model to use in each setting. We focus on the case of continuous outcomes and illustrate our methods using a data set from rheumatoid arthritis, comprising patient-level data from three randomized controlled trials and two registries from Switzerland and Britain.
Growth of complex crystal on biopolymer surface: Synthesis and characterization
Authors: Rodrigues Leonardo Sobreira , Oliveira dos Santos Adenilson , Mendes Fernando , Mathias Macêdo Ana Angélica
Published: April 2022

Although the physical properties of polymers already have been modified by changing different synthetic parameters, the effect of the crystallization by the doping is still rarely explored. In this work, a facile synthesis of composite chitosan film with copper L-valinate crystal (CHLVCu) was investigate. Composite films were prepared by the addition of copper II L‐valine crystals (LVCu) in concentrations of 0.05, and 0.1 in 0.2% chitosan solution. The composite film of LVCu crystal dispersed in CH solution has been successfully obtained by the technique of solvent slow evaporation at low temperature. CHLVCu composite films are crystalline stabilizing the trans-LVCu phase. Homogeneity and low thermal stability have been proven by thermal measurements. The crystal growth takes place in the polymer surface. In addition, it is noteworthy that to the best of our knowledge, crystals complex of the LVCu has not been used as incorporate chitosan film and study has reported changes in physical properties composite film. The future this film can be application in area biomedical and technological.
COVID-19 Pandemic Associated With Increased Self-reported Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Congenital Craniofacial Diagnoses
Authors: Huang Kelly X. , Oberoi Michelle K. , Caprini Rachel M. , Hu Vivian J. , Malapati Sri Harshini , Mirzaie Sarah , Bedar Meiwand , Patel Harsh , Lee Justine C.
Published: April 2022

Objective

The current study investigated the influence of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on patients with congenital craniofacial diagnoses.

Methods

Patients (n = 66) with craniofacial diagnoses aged between 8 and 17 were prospectively evaluated with longitudinal psychosocial assessments using the anger, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and peer relationships instruments within the pediatric Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). The COVID-19 cohort (n = 33) included patients with assessments within 2 years prior to the pandemic (t0) and during the pandemic (t1; March 2020 to March 2021). An age-matched comparison cohort (n = 33) with similar demographics and diagnoses included patients assessed twice over 3 years prior to the pandemic.

Results

All PROMIS measures were in the average range clinically for both groups across time points. However, the COVID-19 group reported a significant increase in depressive symptoms during the pandemic (t1) compared to pre-pandemic (t0) scores (48.2 ± 10.1 vs 44.3 ± 9.4, P = .04, d = −0.37), while the comparison group did not demonstrate any differences in psychosocial functioning between t0 and t1. For the COVID-19 cohort, only the pandemic timeframe ( r = 0.21, P = .03) was significantly associated with increased depressive symptom scores, and no other sociodemographic or medical variables were associated with depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

Self-reported depressive symptoms increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with congenital craniofacial diagnoses. Longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate whether such changes will be persistent or compound known variables associated with psychosocial functioning.
Genetic Profiling in Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Referred for Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Authors: Kwiecinska Kinga , Strojny Wojciech , Bik-Multanowski Miroslaw , Michal Korostynski  , Piechota Marcin , Balwierz Walentyna , Szymon Skoczen
Published: April 2022

Introduction

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the essential and often the only curative therapeutic option in high risk and relapsed pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Methods

The objective of the study was to investigate whole-genome expression in children with high risk or relapsed ALL referred for HSCT. Gene expression was assessed in 18 children with ALL referred for HSCT (10 high risk, 8 relapsed; median age of 9.4 years) and in a control group of 38 obese children (median age of 14.1 years). Whole-genome expression was assessed in leukocytes using GeneChip® HumanGene 1.0 ST microarray.

Results

The analysis of genomic profiles revealed a significantly lower expression of 21 genes with a defined function, involved in immunoglobulin production, lymphocyte function, or regulation of DNA processing in ALL patients referred for HSCT compared with the control group.

Conclusion

Genome expression of patients with ALL in remission referred to HSCT revealed deep immunosuppression of both B-cell and T-cell lineages, which may increase the probability of donor cell engraftment.
The Association of Triglyceride Glucose index for Coronary Artery Disease in Postmenopausal Women
Authors: Liu Jingyi , Bu Haiwei , Ding Zhenjiang , Zhang Ying , Chen Yongjie , Gao Yuxia
Published: April 2022

This study aimed to explore the association between the triglyceride glucose (TyG) index and coronary artery disease (CAD) in postmenopausal women. This study enrolled 869 postmenopausal women and classified them into two groups: CAD group (n  =  538) and control group (n  =  331). The TyG index was significantly higher in patients with CAD than in controls ( P < 0.05).Receiver operator characteristic curves showed that the TyG index was more discriminative for CAD than for control group, and after adjusting for the traditional clinical prognostic factors, including age (>60 years), diabetes, ischemic stroke, systolic blood pressure (≥140), and ejection fraction (<50%), we found that the TyG index could be an independent risk factor for CAD ( P < 0.05). The risk of increased TyG index was greater in the <50 years subgroup than in the >50 years subgroup ( P < 0.05). The TyG index may be a valuable clinical predictor of CAD risk in postmenopausal women.
Simple adaptive V-stack piezoelectric based airfoil flutter suppression system
Authors: Vindigni Carmelo R , Orlando Calogero
Published: April 2022

The suppression of aeroelastic vibrations due to flutter using a trailing edge flap is analyzed to increase the speed operability range of wings. The aeroelastic model of a 3DOF airfoil in incompressible flow is presented and an augmented state-space representation is used for the time domain analysis. A finite element model of a V-stack piezoelectric actuator, used to move the trailing edge flap, is introduced to model the actuator dynamics. The use of the simple adaptive controller is investigated to realize an adaptive flutter suppression system. A parallel feedforward compensator is tuned to make the plant almost strictly passive and a metaheuristic algorithm is used to determine the invariant parameters. Numerical simulations are carried out to verify the performance of the simple adaptive flutter suppression system in presence of speed variations and disturbances. Numerical results proved that the SAC flutter suppression system improves the closed loop system flutter boundary with respect to a gain scheduled PID controller.
A hierarchical deep learning framework for combined rolling bearing fault localization and identification with data fusion
Authors: Liang Mingxuan , Zhou Kai
Published: April 2022

Fault diagnosis of rolling bearings becomes an important research subject, where the data-driven deep learning-based techniques have been extensively exploited. While the state-of-the-art research has shown the substantial progresses in bearing fault diagnosis, they mostly were implemented upon the hypothesis that the location of bearing prone to failure already is known. Nevertheless, in actual practice many rolling bearings are installed in a complex machinery system, any of which is likely subject to fault. As such, fault diagnosis essentially is a process to achieve both fault localization and identification, which results in many fault scenarios to be handled. This will significantly degrade the fault diagnosis performance using conventional deep learning analysis. In this research, we aim to develop a new deep learning framework to address abovementioned challenge. We particularly design a hierarchical deep learning framework consisting of multiple sequentially deployed deep learning models built upon the transfer learning. This can improve the learning adequacy for a high-dimensional problem with many fault scenarios involved even under limited dataset, thereby enhancing the fault diagnosis performance. Without the prior knowledge regarding the fault location, this methodology is greatly favored by the sensor/data fusion which takes full advantage of the enriched pivot fault-related features in the measurements acquired from different accelerometers. Systematic case studies using the publicly accessible experimental rolling bearing dataset are carried out to validate this new methodology.
Experimental investigation and statistical validation of mathematical models for hot air drying traits of carrot
Authors: Laskar Abdullah Ahmad , Ahmed Mukhtar , Khan Aamir Suhail , Samir Mohammad
Published: April 2022

The purpose of this investigation is to analyze the influence of sample shapes or geometry and dryer temperature on drying kinetics of carrot. Three different geometrical shapes including rectangular slab, circular discs and cubical samples, at temperatures of 70 °C, 80 °C and 90 °C, respectively, are dehydrated through hot air convection drying and regression analysis is executed to adjust the outcomes to 4 thin layer drying models. The models were validated by parameters- R2 (0.957–0.999), RMSE (0.0066–0.093), AIC (−209 to −54.6 for Henderson and Pabis model, −74.8 to −11.8 for Wang and Singh model, −91.47 to −22.7 for Newton model and −140 to −46.6 for Page model), BIC (−206 to −54 for Henderson and Pabis model, −72.4 to −10.76 for Wang and Singh model, −90.3 to −20.28 for Newton model and −138 to −43.92 for Page model) and residual errors (−0.03 to 0.03). The statistical analysis indicated that Henderson and Pabis model is best suited for the drying purpose. Fick's second law of diffusion is applied to compute values of effective moisture diffusivity, which was maximum for circular disc samples in all the cases and rose with an increase in dryer temperature. It varied in the range of 3.02 × 10−8 m2/s to 1.86 × 10−6 m2/s whereas the values of activation energies varied from 68.512 kj/mol to 74.256 kj/mol. The results obtained from this study reveals the experimentally determined drying properties of carrot in order to infer that circular disc shapes possess the ability to optimize the drying process in industries.
Neuropsychological characteristics of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo
Authors: Wu Zhao-Min , Liu Juan , Wang Peng , Wang Yu-Feng , Yang Bin-Rang
Published: April 2022

Objective:

The present study aims to explore the neuropsychological features of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT).

Methods:

Fifty-eight children with ADHD+SCT, 480 children with ADHD-SCT, and 105 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. Neuropsychological tests and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) were used.

Results:

The ADHD+SCT group performed worse than the HC in processing speed ( p = .005), set-shifting ( p = .0003), interference control ( p = .00014), and visual memory ( p = .007), while the ADHD-SCT group performed worse than the HC in sustained attention measurements (all p < .0001). The ADHD+SCT group scored higher than the ADHD-SCT group in the following factors from BRIEF: plan/organize ( p = .00083), working memory ( p < .001), and shift ( p = .0054).

Conclusion:

Our results indicated that SCT symptoms are associated with worse executive function in children with ADHD except for sustained attention.
Upper urolithiasis in cats with chronic kidney disease: prevalence and investigation of serum and urinary calcium concentrations
Authors: Hsu Huai-hsun , Ueno Shion , Miyakawa Hirosumi , Ogawa Mizuki , Miyagawa Yuichi , Takemura Naoyuki
Published: April 2022

Objectives

This study aimed to define the prevalence of upper urolithiasis in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a referral population, and to compare urinary calcium:creatinine ratio (UCa:Cr), and total and ionised calcium between cats with CKD with and without upper urolithiasis.

Methods

The medical records of cats diagnosed with CKD were reviewed for signalment, body weight, diet and prevalence of upper urolithiasis. Cats with preserved urine samples were further classified into two groups: urolithiasis group (upper urolithiasis identified by abdominal ultrasonography) and control group (CKD of unknown origin). Serum biochemical analysis, CKD stage, blood gas analysis, urine specific gravity and UCa:Cr were compared between groups using a two-sample t-test or Mann–Whitney U-test for continuous variable and a χ2 test or Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors.

Results

Among the 140 cats with CKD, the prevalence of upper urolithiasis was 73%. Fifty cats (5, 29 and 16 cats with CKD stages 1, 2 and 3, respectively) with urine samples met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Among cats with CKD, being purebred (odds ratio [OR] = 81.56; P = 0.03) and being fed dry food only (OR = 25.06; P = 0.001) were identified as independent upper urolithiasis risk factors; those with upper urolithiasis were more likely to be exclusively fed with urine-acidifying food ( P <0.001) and have increased serum ionised calcium (iCa) ( P = 0.044), fractional excretion of calcium ( P = 0.45) and UCa:Cr ( P = 0.005) than cats with CKD without upper urolithiasis.

Conclusions and relevance

Cats with CKD that were purebred, fed dry food and fed urine-acidifying food only often had upper urolithiasis. A higher UCa:Cr may be a result of increased serum iCa and may cause upper urolithiasis.
Evaluation of potential thiamazole exposure of owners of orally treated hyperthyroid cats
Authors: Schils Gaëlle , De Paepe Ellen , Lapauw Bruno , Vanden Broecke Ellen , Van Mulders Laurens , Vanhaecke Lynn , Lyssens Aurélie , Stammeleer Lisa , Daminet Sylvie
Published: April 2022

Objectives

The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of traces of thiamazole in the urine of owners of hyperthyroid cats treated with antithyroid drugs.

Methods

Urine was collected from 24 owners of hyperthyroid cats, five human patients treated with thiamazole and five healthy humans without any contact with antithyroid drugs. All owners of hyperthyroid cats were asked to fill out a questionnaire. Urine of hyperthyroid cats was collected by spontaneous micturition. All urine samples were stored at −20°C until analysis by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry.

Results

These owners were assessed to have a lot of contact with their cat. Adherence to antithyroid medication handling guidelines was rather poor. High concentrations of thiamazole were detected in all feline samples (median concentration 2818 ng/ml; range 104–15,127) and in the urine of all human patients treated with thiamazole (median concentration 4153 ng/ml; range 1826–5009). No thiamazole was detected in the urine of owners of hyperthyroid cats (limit of detection 3.88 ng/ml; limit of quantification 11.75 ng/ml).

Conclusions and relevance

The results regarding the potential exposure of owners of hyperthyroid cats to antithyroid drugs are reassuring. Nevertheless, prudence is still warranted when administering antithyroid drugs. Whether these results can be extrapolated to the use of transdermal application requires further investigation.
Barriers and adherence to glaucoma medication in a paediatric glaucoma population: A cross-sectional survey in central Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al-Dawood Amirah , Ahmad Khabir , Al-Salman Salma , Al Hussan Felwa , Al Houssien Abdullah , Al-Shahwan Sami , Khandekar Rajiv , Edward Deepak P
Published: April 2022

Purpose

To examine barriers and adherence to topical glaucoma medication in a pediatric glaucoma population in Saudi Arabia.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was undertaken at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during 2016–2017. Parents (father or mother) of children aged 6 months to 15 years with a history of glaucoma were interviewed. Rasch analysis was performed to assess the psychometric properties of the developed 12-item barriers-to-adherence tool (BAT-12) and to identify barriers deemed highly important. The 12-items were adapted from previous studies examining different barriers to adherence in different populations. Medication adherence was assessed by asking parents a series of closed-ended questions about the frequency of missed medications. Determinants of missed medications on at least 1 out of the last 3 days were examined using Poisson regression.

Results

One hundred and six parents were interviewed. The 12-item scale had acceptable psychometric properties. Barriers deemed important were forgetfulness (logit −0.59), complex dosing regimen (logit 0.09), and being too busy with other work/activities (logit 0.14). When asked how often, on average, their child missed the prescribed medication, 26 (24.5%) reported daily, 17(16.0%) reported few times per week, and 32 (30.2%) reported once per week. A third of parents (n = 37, 34.9%) reported having missed giving all drops on at least one day in the last 3 days. Poisson regression with robust variance revealed that increase in age of the child (prevalence ratio, 1.08 [95% CI, 1.03–1.14]; p = 0.003) and increase in parents’ barriers score (prevalence ratio, 2.13 [95% CI, 1.49, 3.03]; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with having missed medications on at least one out of the last three days while adjusting for the effect of father's current employment status and area of residence.

Conclusions

The tool we used to examine barriers to glaucoma medication had acceptable psychometric properties and could be used and strengthened in future studies. Our study highlights poor adherence to glaucoma medications among children with glaucoma.
Pneumatic retinopexy versus scleral buckling for the management of primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment
Authors: Chizzolini Marzio , Martini Ferdinando , Melis Riccardo , Montericcio Alessio , Raimondi Raffaele , Allegrini Davide , Romano Mario R
Published: April 2022

Background and objective

To compare pneumatic retinopexy (PnR) and scleral buckling (SB) for repair of primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

Materials and Methods

Single-centre retrospective analysis of patients undergoing PnR and SB. Inclusion criteria comprehend phakic patients with a single retinal break or a group of breaks in detached retina in the same quadrant above the 8- and 4-o’clock meridians. A total of 184 patients were included, respectively 106 underwent PnR and 78 SB. Follow-up time was 6 months.

Results

Final visual outcome did not differ significantly between the two procedures (P  =  0.12). Single-procedure reattachment rate was significantly higher in SB (94%) than in PnR (68%) (P < 0001). Anatomical success rate was not influenced by macular involving. Reattachment rate in repeated PnR was 95% and in these patients visual outcome did not statistically differ compared to those reattached with first attempt (P  =  0.196). Total reattachment rate including repeated procedures was 87% in PnR group and 94% in SB group, the difference was not significant (P  =  0.06).

Conclusion

SB has a higher single reattachment rate than PnR. However, final visual outcomes of both procedures are comparable. In selected cases, PnR can be repeated with a high successful rate.
The Ukraine crisis: Mental health resources for clinicians and researchers
Authors: Shevlin Mark , Hyland Philip , Karatzias Thanos , Makhashvili Nino , Javakhishvili Jana , Roberts Bayard
Published: April 2022

The mental health consequences of the war in Ukraine will be enormous. Mental health professionals who are providing care for people in Ukraine, or those resettled elsewhere, may require access to standardized and validated assessment tools. We have developed a repository of mental health measures that are available in Ukrainian, Russian and English and can be accessed at www.traumameasuresglobal.com/ukraine .
To alleviate group members’ physiological stress, supervisors need to be more than polite and professional
Authors: Begeny Christopher T. , Huo Yuen J. , Smith Heather J. , Rodriguez Blanca Sarai
Published: April 2022

Although stressors are common in group life, people cope better when group authorities treat them with care/concern. However, it remains unclear whether such treatment affects individuals’ physiological stress. In this experiment, individuals engaged in an interview known to increase cortisol (stress biomarker). Surrounding the interview, an ingroup supervisor treated them with standard professionalism (politeness [control]), explicit care/concern (high-quality treatment), or disregard (poor-quality treatment). While those in the control condition experienced a spike in cortisol, individuals in the high-quality treatment condition did not experience this physiological stress (cortisol). Those given poor-quality treatment also did not exhibit stress, suggesting the explicit disregard for them may have undermined the interview’s legitimacy, thereby removing social evaluative threat. Paralleling past research, self-reported stress did not reflect individuals’ physiological stress (cortisol). Overall, results suggest that to alleviate group members’ physiological stress, supervisors need to be more than polite and professional–also demonstrating care/concern for them as individuals.
Is populism a social pathology? The myth of immediacy and its effects
Authors: Zamora Justo Serrano
Published: April 2022

This article argues that populism, both in its left-wing and right-wing versions, is a social pathology in the sense contemporary critical theorists give to it. As such, it suffers from a disconnect between first order political practices and the reflexive grasp of the meaning of those practices. This disconnect is due to populists’ ideal of freedom, which they understand as authentic self-expression of ‘the People’, rejecting the need for mediating instances such as parties, parliaments or epistemic actors. When enacted in political practices and institutions, this ideal creates the conditions for undermining different forms of political freedom, including populist’s own ideal of collective self-expression, which they erode by fostering expressive domination. This all makes populism a self-defeating political ideology and bad candidate for advancing democracy in times of crisis. The article ends with a consideration of the advantages of this view compared to existing approaches to populism.
Stability study of centrifugal pendulum vibration absorbers in gravity field
Authors: Zhang Yi , Wu Guangqiang , Chen Daguan
Published: April 2022

In this study, Lyapunov stability theory was used to systematically investigate the stability of centrifugal pendulum vibration absorber (CPVA) in terms of the shape of the absorber path, mistuning levels, damping coefficient, number of absorbers, and force of gravity. Our approach improved upon previous studies by introducing a gravity term, optimising the calculation method, and using a function diagram to represent the asymptotically stable region to produce more accurate results. Our finding that the influence of gravity on the stability of the CPVA system is reflected in the change of the tuning order prompted us to define new terminology—’gravity mistuning factor ([Formula: see text])’ and ‘zone yielding to gravity ([Formula: see text])’—to intuitively reflect the influence of gravity. Comparison of the results obtained from numerical simulation based on a fully nonlinear equation of motion with analytical results revealed nonlinear dynamic characteristics such as bifurcation to asynchrony response, nonlinear jump, and beat phenomena. The approach and results of this study are more practical in settings in which gravity plays an important role, including vehicle engine idling, low-speed locomotive or marine engines, and drum washing machines.
A three-dimensional geometrical model for the microstructure of additively manufactured metals
Authors: Karamooz-Ravari Mohammad Reza , Taheri Andani Mohsen
Published: April 2022

In the last few decades, selective laser melting has been adopted in a broad range of applications, including automobile, aerospace, medical, and robotic industries, mainly because of the unique versatility of this method in fabricating complex parts. Despite all the advantages of the method, the quality and the mechanical properties of the manufactured parts are drastically affected by the microstructure and processing parameters. Since the fabrication and characterization of test samples are time-consuming and expensive, developing reliable and accurate models to investigate the correlation between the microstructure and the mechanical properties at the bulk scale is a necessity. In this paper, a three-dimensional geometrical model, which explicitly considers the grains, melt-pools, and melt-pool boundaries, is developed. In this model, first, the grain microstructure is constructed by random Voronoi tessellation of a cubic domain to coincide with reality. Then, considering the melt-pool boundaries’ position and orientation, the redundant portions of the grains are removed. Finally, the complete model is constructed by assembling all the remaining grains. In addition, a method for selecting the randomly distributed grain boundaries and melt-pool boundaries is introduced. The accuracy of the proposed model in considering the texture is validated by comparing the pole figures against those obtained from electron backscatter diffraction tests, and a good agreement is shown. The results show that the pole figures of the model converge to those of the experiment when the number of grains is increased. In addition, some geometrical models are generated by adjusting different process parameters, that is, hatch space, layer thickness, and scan strategy, to see how capable the model is in generating accurate misconstrues. The observations prove that the proposed geometrical model can resemble all the details with good accuracy and can be used for numerical simulation purposes.
Significant social movement as a critical event: The impact of journalists’ mutual attention on the differentiation between traditional and alternative media in the field
Authors: Mak Macau K. F.
Published: April 2022

This paper intends to investigate how the differentiation between traditional and alternative media is reinforced through the mutual attention among journalists, based on field theory. It further argues that a significant social movement can serve as a critical event which intensifies mutual monitoring among journalists. Focusing on the anti-extradition law amendment bill movement in Hong Kong, this study conducted interviews with 20 reporters from traditional and alternative media. The analysis revealed two mechanisms of mutual monitoring: (a) direct monitoring at protest sites and (b) monitoring published works. Such monitoring activities reinforce the differentiation between traditional and alternative media through encouraging boundary work exercised by traditional media journalists and providing cues for alternative media reporters to cover important perspectives which are missing in the mainstream coverage.
Entrepreneurship in times of crisis
Authors: Pattinson Steven , Cunningham James A.
Published: April 2022

These are unprecedented times for entrepreneurs, innovators and their ventures in all sectors. Some have repurposed their ventures and expertise to support the common effort to support communities and frontline workers dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Others face critical decisions about the future viability of their ventures for economic and political reasons. For example, the conditions for supporting entrepreneurship during crisis are especially challenging for entrepreneurs and small businesses due to the high levels of economic uncertainty created. Conversely, entrepreneurs play a crucial role in helping economies overcome crisis through the generation of innovations that support, inter alia, new ways of working. Some entrepreneurs will face the difficult decision to close their ventures and have to deal with the stigma of business failure. From business failure other entrepreneurs will consider creating another venture. In this special issue we present seven teaching cases studies that address a range of issues related to teaching entrepreneurship in times of crisis.
Parents with intellectual disability and their reflections about relationships and support
Authors: Starke Mikaela
Published: April 2022

It is reported that parents with intellectual disability are generally more likely to have depleted social networks and a lack of meaningful friendships. The aim of this study is to explore parents’ descriptions of the relationships in their networks and their reflections on support and what makes the relationships in their networks a valuable resource in their parenting. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 mothers and 6 fathers. The data were analysed using content analysis and theoretical perspectives of social relations and social capital.

Findings

Three different network types were identified, including formal, informal, and formal/informal relations. Different types of support were identified as well as bonding, bridging and linking social capital, and strong and weak ties. A diversity of support and strong ties together with trustful relations seem to be the most important factors in building social capital for parents.

Applications

The study increases recognition of how parents reflect on their networks and what supports their social capital. The findings highlight the importance of professional awareness of the existence of social capital and how this is reflected among parents and can be used to improve social work practice.
Public trust of social workers in Sweden: A repeated cross-sectional study
Authors: Nilsson Kristofer , Landstedt Evelina
Published: April 2022

Public trust towards social workers is essential for legitimacy and accessibility of the social services, as well as for help-seeking behaviour. However, research on public trust towards the social services is lacking. The aim of this study was to describe the extent to which Swedish citizens trust social workers who work within the social services, and to explore patterns in level of trust based on demographic factors and history of service use. The analysis draws on survey data from 2010, 2014, and 2018 (total n = 4975). Logistic regressions were conducted to assess associations between predictor variables and trust.

Findings

On average, 40 percent of the general public reported a high level of trust regardless of year. Approximately 20 percent reported a low level of trust. The results indicate a slight decrease in trust between 2010 and 2014 but not between 2014 and 2018. No gender or age differences were identified. Low income level, being related to a service user, and low level of education were all associated with low level of trust.

Applications

Our findings provide new insights regarding variations in levels of trust in the general population. Economically and educationally disadvantaged groups as well as those related to a service user are more likely to report low trust than their more advantaged counterparts. To strengthen legitimacy and accessibility, these groups should be prioritised in trust-enhancing efforts. Still, reports of high trust were predominant, indicating that social workers are generally perceived as trusted providers of social support.
Grasping ethnic identity fluctuations of transculturally placed foster youth: A longitudinal study
Authors: Degener Clementine J , Grietens Hans WE , van Bergen Diana D
Published: April 2022

Transcultural placements occur frequently in foster care, and impact the ethnic identity of ethnic minority foster youth. Studies that investigate how foster youth’s ethnic identity develop over time, and what role ethnic minority as well as ethnic majority influences play, are extremely scarce. Therefore, we conducted a longitudinal qualitative study, in which we explored how transculturally placed foster youth develop their ethnic identity and what fluctuations occur over time. Results show that the ethnic identity of foster youth seems to be influenced by a sense of belonging towards foster parents, birth parents and peers, as well as by the foster youth’s ability to cope with receiving contradictory ethnicity messages. Furthermore, societal movements and discussions about discrimination and racism impact the way foster youth view themselves as being an ethnic minority in majority society. In future, more attention should be paid to how foster youth can be guided by foster parents and foster care workers in safely exploring an ethnic identity of their own, and how a positive bond with both foster parents and birth parents, can further contribute to this process.
Characterisation of the post-tuberculous phenotype of bronchiectasis: A real-world observational study
Authors: Fong Isaac , Low Teck Boon , Yii Anthony
Published: April 2022

Objective

Bronchiectasis is a heterogeneous disease with distinct phenotypes. The post-tuberculosis (post-TB) bronchiectasis phenotype is prevalent in many countries but is under-studied. Our aim was to identify distinct phenotypic characteristics of post-TB bronchiectasis.

Methods

We recruited adults admitted between Jan 2010-Oct 2017 at Changi General Hospital, Singapore for bronchiectasis exacerbation. We collected demographics, symptoms, lung function, microbiology and FACED scores. Participants were followed-up until the next hospitalized exacerbation or end of study, whichever was sooner. Participants diagnosed by their attending respiratory specialist to have post-TB bronchiectasis were compared to those with bronchiectasis from other aetiologies.

Results

148 participants were included with mean±standard deviation age 63 ± 9 years; 46 (31.1%) had post-TB bronchiectasis and 102 (68.9%) other aetiologies. Compared to other aetiologies, participants with post-TB bronchiectasis had significantly lower body mass index (BMI), more frequent presentation with haemoptysis, lower forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), more frequent isolation of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), and higher FACED scores indicating greater disease severity. Over a median follow-up of 21 months, post-TB bronchiectasis was associated with shorter time to next hospitalized exacerbation (49 vs 76 months, Log-Rank p = .01).

Conclusion

Post-TB bronchiectasis is a distinct entity with higher rates of haemoptysis and NTM isolation, more frequent exacerbations, and greater disease severity.
Identification in synovial fluid of a new potential pathogenic player in arthropathies
Authors: Scanu Anna , Lorenzin Mariagrazia , Luisetto Roberto , Galozzi Paola , Ortolan Augusta , Oliviero Francesca , Doria Andrea , Ramonda Roberta
Published: April 2022

STING (stimulator of interferon genes) has been recognized as an important signaling molecule in the innate immune response to cytosolic nucleic acids. Although it has been proposed that STING signaling pathway may play a pathogenic role in developing autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases, its involvement in rheumatic disease processes remains to be elucidated. Here, we evaluated STING protein levels, expression and relationship with inflammatory parameters in synovial fluid (SF) of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), gout, calcium pyrophosphate crystal-induced arthritis (CPP-IA), osteoarthritis (OA), and OA with CPP crystals (OA + CPP). The correlation with its negative regulator, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), was also investigated. SFs from 72 patients were analyzed for white blood cell (WBC) count, polymorphonuclear cell percentage (PMN%), and IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, extra- and intracellular STING levels. STING and Nrf2 expression was also determined. WBC count and PMN% were greater in SF from inflammatory arthritis, while they were lower in OA groups. RA and gouty SFs have the highest levels of IL-1β, IL-8, and IL-6; while OA and OA + CPP showed the lowest concentrations. Gout and RA had the highest intracellular STING levels, while extracellular STING was greater in CPP-IA and OA SFs. STING was not detectable in PsA. STING mRNA was lower in PsA than other arthritides. Nrf2 mRNA was not detectable in OA. This study determines the presence of STING in SF of different arthritides, except for PsA, and suggests that it may be involved in pathogenesis and progression of arthropathies.
Interictal Discharges: All Roads Lead to Rome?
Authors: Gupta Siddharth , Kadam Shilpa D.
Published: April 2022

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Artificial intelligence analysis in cyber domain: A review
Authors: Zhao Liguo , Zhu Derong , Shafik Wasswa , Matinkhah S Mojtaba , Ahmad Zubair , Sharif Lule , Craig Alisa
Published: April 2022

The application of Big Data Analytics is identified through the Cyber Research Alliance for cybersecurity as the foremost preference for future studies and advancement in the field of cybersecurity. In this study, we develop a repeatable procedure for detecting cyber-attacks in an accurate, scalable, and timely manner. An in-depth learning algorithm is utilized for training a neural network for detecting suspicious user activities. The proposed system architecture was implemented with the help of Splunk Enterprise Edition 6.42. A data set of average feature counts has been executed through a Splunk search command in 1-min intervals. All the data sets consisted of a minute trait total derived from a sparkling file. The attack patterns that were not anonymized or were indicative of the vulnerability of cyber-attack were denoted with yellow. The rule-based method dispensed a low quantity of irregular illustrations in contrast with the Partitioning Around Medoids method. The results in this study demonstrated that using a proportional collection of instances trained with the deep learning algorithm, a classified data set can accurately detect suspicious behavior. This method permits for the allocation of multiple log source types through a sliding time window and provides a scalable solution, which is a much-needed function.
Assessing the Quality and Performance of Institutional Review Boards: Impact of the Revised Common Rule
Authors: Tsan Min-Fu , Van Hook Hannah
Published: April 2022

The Common Rule, revised extensively to enhance human subjects protections and to reduce burdens to investigators and institutional review boards (IRBs), was implemented on January 19, 2019. We analyzed IRB performance metric data from 2016 through 2021 to evaluate the potential impact of the revised Common Rule on the quality and performance of IRBs. From 2016 to 2021, exempt protocols increased by 159% and protocols requiring IRB continuing reviews decreased by 28%. As only 48% of all protocols in 2021 were subjected to the revised Common Rule requirements, numbers of exempt protocols and protocols requiring IRB continuing reviews will continue to increase and decrease, respectively, in the next few years. Among a total of 16 IRB performance metrics studied, 4 improved, 4 deteriorated, and 8 remained unchanged from 2016 through 2021. This study represents the first effort to evaluate the impact of revised Common rule on IRB quality and performance.