bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermal, morphological and mechanical properties of composites based on polyamide 6 with cellulose, silica and their hybrids from rice husk
Authors: Melo Renato P , Rosa Marcelo P da , Beck Paulo H , Tienne Lucas GP , Marques Maria de Fátima V
Published: December 2020

The use of cellulosic fibers from different natural sources as fillers in polymer matrices to improve their properties has been extensively studied in the last years. It is mainly due to the vast availability of natural fibers as well as their biodegradability. The purpose of this present work was to extract cellulose, silica, and cellulose-silica fillers – these last called “hybrids” – from rice husk through delignification and subsequent oxidation and, then, prepare composites with polyamide 6 and improve mainly its thermal-mechanical properties. The content of 10 wt.% of fillers was inserted in PA 6 matrix. Infrared spectroscopy pointed the main characteristic peaks of cellulose and silica of hybrids, as thermogravimetric analysis showed high thermal stability of fillers, allowing their incorporation in PA-6 matrix by extrusion method. Thermo dynamic-mechanical analysis showed, in a general overview, a significant improvement of mechanical properties of composites, as elastic modulus, compared with neat polyamide-6, mainly the one with 2.5 wt% of silica and 7.5% of cellulose. This last also showed increasing of degree of crystallinity, measured by differential scanning calorimetry, showing the extraction efficiency of fillers from rice husk as well as the potential application of composites as structural components in automotive parts.
Propaganda and Protest in Autocracies
Authors: Carter Erin Baggott , Carter Brett L.
Published: December 2020

Does propaganda reduce the rate of popular protest in autocracies? To answer this question, we draw on an original dataset of state-run newspapers from thirty countries, encompassing six languages and over four million articles. We find that propaganda diminishes the rate of protest, and that its effects persist over time. By increasing the level of pro-regime propaganda by one standard deviation, autocrats have reduced the odds of protest the following day by 15%. The half-life of this effect is between five and ten days, and very little of the initial effect persists after one month. This temporal persistence is remarkably consistent with campaign advertisements in democracies.
Failing to See the Wood for the Trees: Chronic Sexual Violation and Criminal Law
Authors: Palmer Tanya
Published: December 2020

This article argues that sexual violation can take both ‘chronic’ and ‘acute’ forms. The latter, encapsulated by the offences of rape and sexual assault, refers to a discrete incident in which a victim’s sexual autonomy is violated. By contrast, the article articulates an original concept of ‘chronic sexual violation’, in which the victim’s autonomy is gradually eroded over a longer period of time, for example in an abusive relationship. In such a case it may be difficult to identify specific sexual encounters as non-consensual, and yet the victim is left with little or no control over whether and on what terms they engage in sexual activity. This conceptualisation builds on Evan Stark’s theory of coercive control, and is grounded in survivor accounts of the lived experience of sexual violation within ongoing relationships drawn from existing studies of abusive relationships, my own empirical interview data, and case law. The article contends that the limitations of law and policy responses to sexual violation within relationships can be partly explained by the illegibility of chronic sexual violation within a legal framework premised on the notion that a crime is a discrete incident. The concept of chronic sexual violation offers a way forward for crafting legal responses to this specific and pervasive form of harm, while resisting hierarchical constructions of sexual violation within intimate relationships as less serious than ‘real rape’.
Profiles of Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among Simultaneous Alcohol and Marijuana Users: Individual Differences in Demographics and Substance Use
Authors: Linden-Carmichael Ashley N. , Allen Hannah K.
Published: December 2020

Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use—or use of both substances with overlapping effects—is common among emerging adults and is linked to increased risk for problematic substance use outcomes. The current study identified subgroups of emerging adult SAM users based on their typical alcohol and marijuana use patterns and compared groups on key individual characteristics. Latent profile analysis uncovered four profiles of SAM users ( n = 522): Light Users (LU; 49.0%), Moderate Drinkers With Frequent Marijuana Use (MDFM; 37.9%), Moderate Drinkers With High Peak Levels (MDHP; 5.4%), and Heavy/Frequent Users (HFU; 7.7%). Group differences by demographic characteristics were found, with LU more likely to be college attendees/graduates than MDFM. In addition, HFU were more likely to be Greek-affiliated than both LU and MDFM. Groups also differed based on other drug use behavior and preferred route of marijuana administration. Findings demonstrate diversity among SAM users based on typical substance use patterns.
The Distinction between the Absolute and Relative Advantages of Cultural Capital: Different Conceptualizations, Different Consequences
Authors: Hu Anning , Yin Chen
Published: December 2020

Cultural capital has been increasingly understood as acquirable cultural resources that concern a plural class structure and localized relational symbolic struggles. Against this background, the advantages of cultural capital can be conceptualized not only as the gap between the upper and the lower classes (the absolute advantage), but also as the status relative to the peers of a substantively meaningful group (the relative advantage). The current study makes the distinction between the absolute and relative advantages of cultural capital, and illustrates it using the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000. Both types of advantages are significantly stratified by family origin, but the absolute advantage has a significantly stronger positive correlation with test performances than the relative advantage while only the relative advantage reveals a significantly negative correlation with school misbehaviour.
Institutions and Scientific Progress
Authors: Mantzavinos C.
Published: December 2020

Scientific progress has many facets and can be conceptualized in different ways, for example in terms of problem-solving, of truthlikeness or of growth of knowledge. The main claim of the paper is that the most important prerequisite of scientific progress is the institutionalization of competition and criticism. An institutional framework appropriately channeling competition and criticism is the crucial factor determining the direction and rate of scientific progress, independently on how one might wish to conceptualize scientific progress itself. The main intention is to narrow the divide between traditional philosophy of science and the sociological, economic and political view of science that emphasizes the private interests motivating scientists and the subsequent contingent nature of the enterprise. The aim is to show that although science is a social enterprise taking place in historical time and thus is of a contingent nature, it can and in fact does lead to genuine scientific progress—contrary to the claims of certain sociologists of science and other relativists who standardly stress its social nature, but deny its progressive character. I will first deal with the factual issue by way of introducing the main concepts and mechanisms of modern institutional theory and by applying them to the analysis of the cultural phenomenon that we call modern science. I will then turn to the normative issue: what is the appropriate content of the institutional framework, for scientific progress to emerge and be sustained at which level should it be set and by whom? Addressing this problematic is equivalent to conducting a constitutional debate leading to a Constitution of Science.
NEP 2020: A Political Economy Perspective
Authors: Haragopal G.
Published: December 2020

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the National Education Policy 2020 on 29 July 2020. The policy is based on the Draft National Education Policy 2019 which the Committee for Draft National Education Policy, chaired by Dr K. Kasturirangan, submitted to the Ministry of Human Resource Development on December 15, 2018. Earlier, Social Change carried an extensive comment on the Draft Policy and continuing its tradition of debate and discussion the journal brings you comments by domain experts on the impact of the NEP 2020.
Discourses in accounts of rape by sex offenders in Limpopo province, South Africa
Authors: Selepe Mandu , Lindegger Graham , Govender Kaymarlin
Published: December 2020

South Africa is known for having the highest number of sexual violence cases in the world. In response to these reports, the government has declared rape as a priority crime, and various measures have been put in place to address this scourge. Despite these measures, rape statistics have continued to escalate. It is against this background that this study sought to explore accounts of sexual offences, particularly reports of rape, from a sample of sex offenders. Data were drawn from five Correctional Centres in the Limpopo province. Nineteen sex offenders were selected through a purposive sampling approach and interviewed face-to-face. Discourse analysis was used to identify and analyse the patterns of talk that sex offenders drew upon to account for their sex offences. Findings revealed that ‘blame’ was the most dominant discourse cited. The ‘rhetoric of blame’ revolved around uncontained sexual desires, sexual entitlement, absent mothers, provocative dress code by women, and unfair laws that discriminated men when they asserted their sexual power in relationships with women. Multi-sectoral intervention strategies are recommended for deconstructing blame discourses that perpetuate rape offences in South Africa.
African/Afrikan-centered Psychology
Authors: Mkhize Nhlanhla
Published: December 2020

Psychology, as it is taught in most universities on the African continent, is an extension of the Eurocentric psychological paradigm. This article argues that colonization has not only led to the loss of land, it has been accompanied by the eradication of complex, interdisciplinary knowledge traditions that comprise the subject of Afrikan Psychology. The article goes on to outline the inclusive epistemology and transdisciplinary methodology that undergird Afrikan Psychology. The orientating concepts in Afrikan Psychology are introduced. The urgent need to develop interventions that are informed by the Afrocentric paradigm is highlighted. The article concludes with a call for the study of Afrikan languages to unearth the psychological concepts that are embedded in them.
The Impersonal Sovereign
Authors: Heidelberg Roy L.
Published: December 2020

Dwight Waldo’s work on the Administrative State largely neglects sovereignty. In this essay, I address this neglect by connecting Schmitt’s ideas of “the decision” and “the exception” to the work of Herbert Simon on the sciences of the artificial. I introduce a political understanding of the Administrative State that I call the impersonal sovereign. Through the Administrative State, Schmitt’s apparent aporia of the modern state is reconciled by the emergence of the impersonal sovereign, where the very act of decision is increasingly assigned to nobody, by design.
The Efficacy of a Classroom Game for Teaching APA Style Citation
Authors: Clark Daniel A. , Murphy Walter
Published: December 2020

Psychology instructors have reported that it is common for students to not know how to cite sources correctly. Therefore, the authors created a classroom game to help students learn to cite sources in different scenarios. The game involved students submitting names of celebrities and fictitious dates of publication and then using those submissions to practice writing correct citations in teams. Based on pre and post measures, students appeared to improve in knowledge of citing sources accurately after playing the game.
Observability analysis of combined finite automata based upon semi-tensor product of matrices approach
Authors: Chen Zengqiang , Zhou Yingrui , Zhang Zhipeng , Liu Zhongxin
Published: December 2020

As a fundamental subject, the state estimation of deterministic finite automata has received considerable attention. Especially, it is increasingly necessary to study various problems based on more complex systems. In this paper, the observability of three kinds of combining automata, structured in parallel, serial and feedback manners, are investigated based on an algebraic state space approach. Compared with the formal language method, the matrix approach has great advantages in problem description and solution. Because of inconsistent frameworks of these combined automata, we optimize structure matrices by pseudo-commutation of semi-tensor product and power-reducing matrix. In addition, we construct corresponding incidence matrices by labelling to avoid superfluous null elements in the logical matrix occupying storage space. It follows that the observability analysis could be carried out under two polynomial matrices, established from the above algebraic form. Meanwhile, two algorithms, judging whether a combined automaton is initial state observable or current state observable, are presented. Finally, there are two representative examples to actualize our approach.
Performance assessment of free standing and building integrated grid connected photovoltaic system for southern part of India
Authors: Chandrika VS , Thalib M Mohamed , Karthick Alagar , Sathyamurthy Ravishankar , Manokar A Muthu , Subramaniam Umashankar , Stalin B
Published: December 2020

Photovoltaic (PV) system efficiency depends on the geographical location and the orientation of the building. Until installing the building structures, the integration of the PV module must be evaluated with ventilation and without ventilation effects. This work optimises the performance of the 250 kWp grid-connected photovoltaic (GPV) for community buildings in the southern part of India. This simulation is carried out to evaluate the system efficiency of the GPV system under various ventilation conditions, such as free-standing PV (FSPV), building integrated photovoltaic ventilated (BIPV_V) and Building Integrated Photovoltaic without ventilation (BIPV). The PVsyst simulation tool is used to simulate and optimise the performance of the system with FSPV, BIPV and BIPV_V for the region of Chennai (13.2789° N, 80.2623° E), Tamilnadu, India. An annual system energy production is 446 MWh, 409 MWh and 428 MWh of FSPV, BIPV and BIPV_V system respectively. while electrical efficiency for the FSPV, BIPV_V, BIPV system is 15.45%. 15.25% and 14.75% respectively.

Practical application: Integrating the grid connected photovoltaic system on the building reduces the energy consumption in the building. The integration of the PV on the roof or semi integrated on the roof is need to be investigated before installing on the buildings. The need for installation of the BIPV with ventilation is explored. This study will assist architects and wider community to design buildings roofs with GPV system which are more aesthetic and account for noise protection and thermal insulation in the region of equatorial climate zones.
Guardrail-based air supply terminal for improving ventilation effectiveness and saving energy in the waiting zone
Authors: Gao Ran , Li Haimeng , Li Angui , Lai Ting , Du Wuyi , Deng Baoshun , Zhang Linhua , Lei Wenjun
Published: December 2020

In the waiting zones of airports, train stations, and other transportation hubs, poor indoor environment is primarily caused by human body-related factors in conjunction with the high density of people. Existing ventilation systems cannot effectively remove the waste heat and pollutants generated by dense crowds. In this paper, a guardrail-based air supply terminal is proposed. Two indices, the velocity target value and temperature target value, were introduced to facilitate the evaluation of the guardrail-based air supply terminal. The jet air velocity, penetration air velocity and width of the unventilated strip are optimized based on CFD numerical simulations; the values obtained were V1 = 0.25 m/s, V2 = 0.15 m/s, and W = 290 mm. The guardrail-based air supply terminal was found to create a homogeneous air velocity of 0.3 m/s to avoid draft sensations. The uniformity and effectiveness of the air supply via the optimized guardrails are verified by full-scale experiments and visual experiments. The temperature of the working area was maintained at 26°C in the summer, creating a comfortable environment. Compared with other existing air distribution systems in high and large spaces, the velocity target value, air age, and temperature target value with the proposed air supply terminal were the smallest. The energy consumption of the guardrail-based air supply terminal was 61% less than that of the vertical wall jets. The results indicate that the guardrail-based air supply terminal not only meets the thermal comfort requirements but also saves energy.
Providing Access and Opportunity for Computational Thinking and Computer Science to Support Mathematics for Students With Disabilities
Authors: Bouck Emily C. , Yadav Aman
Published: December 2020

The ideas of computational thinking (CT) and computer science (CS) are increasingly being integrated into K-12 education. Yet, insufficient attention exists regarding access and exposure of CT and CS for students with disabilities. In this Technology in Action, the authors sought to present an argument—as well as actual activities—for teachers to start to expose and engage students with disabilities in CT and CS. Through the presentation of case studies as well as other non-case situated activities, practical ideas, and steps for integrating CT and CS in mathematics teaching and learning for students with disabilities are presented.
Influence of Risk Perception on Task and Contextual Performance: A Case of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Nurses
Authors: Aboagye Abigail Konadu , Dai Baozhen , Bakpa Ernest Kay
Published: December 2020

Assessing the risk perception of workers can be very informative in predicting their behavioral outcomes, including task and contextual performance. Yet, research to assess the effect of risk perception on task performance and contextual performance remains scarce. Thus, this study explored the effect of risk perception of work-related musculoskeletal disorders on task and contextual performance in nurses. This study further examined safety behavior as a mediator of these relationships. Using structural equation modeling, the researchers examined these relationships by employing a cross-sectional survey with a quantitative approach. The data was collected via questionnaires from 382 nurses who work in three major hospitals in Accra Metropolis, Ghana. The results showed that nurses’ risk perception positively influenced their task and contextual performance, and that safety behavior partially mediated the effects of risk perception on task and contextual performance. This study offers a theoretical framework and empirical evidence for the concept of risk perception and its association with safety behavior, task, and contextual performance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the relationships that exist among these variables. Thus, future studies are needed to verify the causality of the relationships.
Category-Sensitive Actions in Interaction
Authors: Rossi Giovanni , Stivers Tanya
Published: December 2020

This article is concerned with how social categories (e.g., wife, mother, sister, tenant, guest) become visible through the actions that individuals perform in social interaction. Using audio and video recordings of social interaction as data and conversation analysis as a method, we examine how individuals display their rights or constraints to perform certain actions by virtue of occupying a certain social category. We refer to actions whose performance is sensitive to membership in a certain social category as category-sensitive actions. Most of the time, the social boundaries surrounding these actions remain invisible because participants in interaction typically act in ways that are consistent with their social status and roles. In this study, however, we specifically examine instances where category boundaries become visible as participants approach, expose, or transgress them. Our focus is on actions with relatively stringent category sensitivity such as requests, offers, invitations, or handling one’s possessions. Ultimately, we believe these are the tip of an iceberg that potentially includes most, if not all, actions.
Using Deep Learning Artificial Intelligence Algorithms to Verify N-Nitroso-N-Methylurea and Urethane Positive Control Proliferative Changes in Tg-RasH2 Mouse Carcinogenicity Studies
Authors: Rudmann Daniel , Albretsen Jay , Doolan Colin , Gregson Mark , Dray Beth , Sargeant Aaron , O’Shea D Donal , Kuklyte Jogile , Power Adam , Fitzgerald Jenny
Published: December 2020

In Tg-rasH2 carcinogenicity mouse models, a positive control group is treated with a carcinogen such as urethane or N-nitroso-N-methylurea to test study validity based on the presence of the expected proliferative lesions in the transgenic mice. We hypothesized that artificial intelligence–based deep learning (DL) could provide decision support for the toxicologic pathologist by screening for the proliferative changes, verifying the expected pattern for the positive control groups. Whole slide images (WSIs) of the lungs, thymus, and stomach from positive control groups were used for supervised training of a convolutional neural network (CNN). A single pathologist annotated WSIs of normal and abnormal tissue regions for training the CNN-based supervised classifier using INHAND criteria. The algorithm was evaluated using a subset of tissue regions that were not used for training and then additional tissues were evaluated blindly by 2 independent pathologists. A binary output (proliferative classes present or not) from the pathologists was compared to that of the CNN classifier. The CNN model grouped proliferative lesion positive and negative animals at high concordance with the pathologists. This process simulated a workflow for review of these studies, whereby a DL algorithm could provide decision support for the pathologists in a nonclinical study.
The Application, Challenges, and Advancement Toward Regulatory Acceptance of Digital Toxicologic Pathology: Results of the 7th ESTP International Expert Workshop (September 20-21, 2019)
Authors: Schumacher Vanessa L. , Aeffner Famke , Barale-Thomas Erio , Botteron Catherine , Carter Jonathan , Elies Laëtitia , Engelhardt Jeffery A. , Fant Pierluigi , Forest Thomas , Hall Peter , Hildebrand Deon , Klopfleisch Robert , Lucotte Thomas , Marxfeld Heike , Mckinney LuAnn , Moulin Pierre , Neyens Elizabeth , Palazzi Xavier , Piton Alain , Riccardi Elena , Roth Daniel R. , Rousselle Serge , Vidal Justin D. , Williams Bethany
Published: December 2020

With advancements in whole slide imaging technology and improved understanding of the features of pathologist workstations required for digital slide evaluation, many institutions are investigating broad digital pathology adoption. The benefits of digital pathology evaluation include remote access to study or diagnostic case materials and integration of analysis and reporting tools. Diagnosis based on whole slide images is established in human medical pathology, and the use of digital pathology in toxicologic pathology is increasing. However, there has not been broad adoption in toxicologic pathology, particularly in the context of regulatory studies, due to lack of precedence. To address this topic, as well as practical aspects, the European Society of Toxicologic Pathology coordinated an expert international workshop to assess current applications and challenges and outline a set of minimal requirements needed to gain future regulatory acceptance for the use of digital toxicologic pathology workflows in research and development, so that toxicologic pathologists can benefit from digital slide technology.
Evidence-Based Research in Nursing Science: A Reproducible Framework
Authors: Choi Soyoung
Published: December 2020

While current clinical research generally employs complex computational methods to analyze large amounts of data, reproducible research is a growing movement within the scientific community. This methodology paper consists of five sections discussing the definitions of replicability, reproducibility, and reproducible research, the current status of reproducible research in nursing science, the introduction of a reproducible framework, and the challenges and recommendations for reproducible research. To ensure the data preprocessing process and data analysis of an original study at the minimum standard, it is necessary for the study’s data investigative cycle to be transparent. Most arguments for reproducible research were driven by a critical review of journal articles and conference proceedings. The suggested methodological framework capturing how scientific research generates is expected to contribute to guiding nurse scientists to conduct reproducible research. To generate high-quality scientific evidence for evidence-based practice, the reproducible framework should be integrated into nursing research.
Protocol for a Coordinated Approach for Building Capacity of Mental Health Researchers in India
Authors: Deshpande Smita N , Singh Ravinder , Bhatia Triptish , Shah Gyan D , Singh Harpreet , Hawk Mary , Nimgaonkar Vishwajit L
Published: December 2020

Introduction:

India’s National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) was initiated in 1982. In 2016, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) organized a Brainstorming Meeting on Prioritization of Mental Health Research. Recognizing the need for improving mental healthcare by building a cadre of mental health researchers based on focus areas of the NMHP, the ICMR organized a research training cum capacity building workshop in collaboration with the Cross-Fertilized Research Training Programme (funded by Fogarty International Centre, NIH, USA) in 2016. The workshop successfully prepared and reviewed 12 single and multicenter research proposals in priority areas of mental health research, which were awarded by the ICMR to middle- and junior-level research faculty and NGO.

Methods:

A National Coordination Unit (NCU) was set up to mentor investigators and to coordinate, train, and monitor the progress of their projects. Investigators were paired with senior mentors and also participated in four capacity building workshops focusing on proposal-writing, evaluation, and process tracking.

Results:

Following discussions with ICMR program officers, the NCU formulated standard operating procedures for ethical conduct, data collection, data sharing, progress reporting procedures, and manuscript preparation for all research projects. Regularly scheduled long-distance communications with investigators using social media and group communications were planned. NCU partnered with the ICMR Database Management Unit to build a shared online platform for real-time data entry and storage, and organized two project review meetings where it also coordinated with US faculty to organize public workshops on manuscript writing and qualitative research.

Conclusions:

The NCU will ensure timely completion of research projects, data entry and analysis, and reports and project publications. It is feasible to evaluate progress with the NMHP through coordinated multisite research that also enables research capacity building. Results from these projects will help in formulating policies by the Ministry of Health Government of India for achieving objectives of the NMHP.
Impact Evaluation of VKN–NIMHANS–ECHO Model of Capacity Building for Mental Health and Addiction: Methodology of Two Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Kumar Channaveerachari Naveen , Chand Prabhat Kumar , Manjunatha Narayana , Math Suresh Bada , Shashidhara Harihara Nagabhushana , Basavaraju Vinay , Thirthalli Jagadisha , Manjappa Adarsha Alur , Parthasarathy Rajani , Murthy Pratima , Ibrahim Ferose Azeez , Jagtap Namrata , Jyrwa Sonakshi , Reddy Shanivaram , Arora Sanjeev , Hawk Mary , Kumar Supriya , Egan James , Mcdonald Margaret
Published: December 2020

Background:

Bridging the alarming treatment gap for mental disorders in India requires a monumental effort from all stakeholders. Harnessing digital technology is one of the potential ways to leapfrog many known barriers for capacity building.

Aim and Context:

The ongoing Virtual Knowledge Network (VKN)–National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS)–Extension of Community Health Outcomes (ECHO) (VKN–NIMHANS–ECHO: hub and spokes model) model for skilled capacity building is a collaborative effort between NIMHANS and the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Centre, USA. This article aims to summarize the methodology of two randomized controlled trials funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the VKN–NIMHANS–ECHO model of training as compared to training as usual (TAU).

Methods:

Both RCTs were conducted in Karnataka, a southern Indian state in which the DMHP operates in all districts. We compared the impact of the following two models of capacity building for the DMHP workforce (a) the VKN–NIMHANS–ECHO model and (b) the traditional method. We use the SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials) statement to describe the methods of these two trials. Trial 1 is to evaluate the “Effectiveness of addition of Virtual-NIMHANS–ECHO tele-mentoring model for skilled capacity building in providing quality care in alcohol use disorders by the existing staff of DMHP districts of Karnataka.” Hub for trial 1 was set up at NIMHANS and the spokes were psychiatrists and other mental health professionals headquartered in the district level office. Trial 2 assesses the implementation and evaluation of the NIMHANS–ECHO blended training program for the DMHP workforce in a rural south-Indian district of Karnataka state. The hub for trial 2 was set up in the district headquarter of Ramanagaram. Hub specialists are DMHP psychiatrists, whereas spokes are the non-doctor workforce (including auxiliary nurse midwives [ANMs] and accredited social health activists [ASHA] workers) medical officers of primary health centers. The location of the HubHub differs in these two studies. Both trials are funded by the ICMR, Government of India

Discussion:

Both these trials, though conceptually similar, have some operational differences which have been highlighted. If demonstrated to be effective, this model of telementoring can be generalized and widely merged into the Indian health care system, thus aiding in reducing the treatment gap for patients unable to access care.
Invisibility, Colors, Snow: Arctic Biosemiotics and the Violence of Climate Change
Authors: du Plessis Gitte
Published: December 2020

This article conceptualizes contemporary geopolitical violence in the Arctic through a semiotic register. Different living beings perceive different things, and these differences amount to different worlds, not merely different worldviews. Building on Eduardo Kohn’s reading of the semiotics of Charles Sanders Peirce, and theorists of biosemiotics and ecosemiotics, the article analyses how signs in and between living organisms and their environments are political matters of life and death. Via the themes of invisibility, colors, and snow, the article traces semiotic relations between different living beings and their Arctic ecologies to weave a semiotic understanding of contemporary geopolitical violence in the Arctic and the role of climate change therein. The article defines the violence of climate change as a violence of not being able to recognize oneself, and builds on Eduardo Viveiros de Castro’s concept of multinaturalism to explain what it means that one world ruins other worlds.
Health Information behaviour during COVID-19 outbreak among Egyptian library and information science undergraduate students
Authors: Shehata Ahmed
Published: December 2020

Health information shared on the Internet has the potential to improve people’s quality of life. However, the level of health information literacy and informational skills determines the individuals’ ability to obtain credible health information useful for them. This study investigates the Egyptian LIS undergraduates’ health information behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study has adopted a quantitative approach using a questionnaire to explore library and information science undergraduates’ health information behaviour. A sample of 161 students answered a questionnaire. The data were analysed using SPSS software. The study results show that official health websites, social media, and family and friends are the primary sources for health information for the participants. The findings also revealed that the sample has adequate health information skills, though many of the participants still need to raise their information literacy skills. Information credibility and personal beliefs were found to affect the participants’ decision to share health information on the Internet. One of the limitations of the study is that the sample selected in this study was LIS students who are trained to find reliable information as part of their education. Findings may be different for the “average” student. Furthermore, the questionnaire was distributed in one university, which means that the results cannot be generalised in other LIS departments using different courses. Therefore, more studies need to be conducted in other LIS departments with different course plans as they may produce different results. This study explores the health information behaviour of LIS undergraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study results may help develop the course plan in many LIS departments in Egypt and the Middle East, which would help improve the students’ health information literacy.
The private sector in knowledge brokering for international development: what the experts say
Authors: Cummings Sarah , Kiwanuka Suzanne , Regeer Barbara
Published: December 2020

This article contributes to the emerging body of knowledge on the role of the private sector in knowledge brokering in international development because very little is known about the role of the private sector. It attempts to validate the findings of the only literature review to date (Kiwanuka et al, In Press) on the subject and other literature on knowledge brokering by consulting international experts in the field of knowledge brokering, identifying policy and research implications. The conceptual lens employed is the ‘extended’ Glegg and Hoens’ (2016) meta-framework of knowledge brokering, in combination with the cognitive, relational and structural aspects of social capital (Nahapiet and Ghoshal 1998). An online questionnaire survey was distributed to international experts in both the private, public and civil society sectors with some 203 respondents. The questions were developed on the basis of the literature. Respondents from the private sector and their colleagues from the public sector and civil society placed considerable emphasis on opportunities to meet, the existence of personal relationships and brokering by third parties as catalysts to working with the private sector. In addition to developing recommendations for policymakers, the paper has added to the emerging body of academic knowledge on the private sector as an unusual suspect in knowledge brokering and provides a conceptual framework linking social capital to knowledge brokering roles. Policymakers and funders can facilitate cooperation between the private sector and other development actors by creating physical spaces and funding instruments to encourage collaboration with the private sector. One of the novel findings is that the public sector needs to be better prepared to collaborate with the private sector.
Remote ischemic preconditioning effects on inflammatory markers and myocardial protection in coronary artery bypass graft surgery
Authors: Gorjipour Farhad , Saeedzadeh Tahereh , Toloueitabar Yaser , Kachoueian Naser , Bahlouli Ghashghaei Sepideh , Mortazian Meysam , Dehghani Firoozabadi Mehdi , Jadbabaie Amirnaser , Tirgarfakheri Koroush , Motamednejad Amir , Totonchi Ziae
Published: December 2020

Background:

Induction of short episodes of ischemia to remote organs, namely upper or lower limbs, literally known as remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) has been suggested as a preconditioning approach to ameliorate ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). RIPC has been demonstrated to effectively protect various vital organs, including heart, against the next ischemic events in preclinical studies. However, human studies are required to approve its clinical applicability. Present study was performed to evaluate the effect of RIPC on the myocardial protection and inflammatory response markers in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Methods:

In this randomized clinical trial, 43 coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients from Imam Hossein educational hospital were allocated in two groups, RIPC (21 patients) and control (22 patients). Serum level of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-8, and IL-10, interferon (IFN)-γ and Cardiac Troponin-I (cTnI) were measured in (1) after induction of anesthesia (before incision of skin), (2) after separation from CPB and (3) 24 hours after ICU arrival. Results: increase pack cell transfusions were observed in control group in ICU. Serum level of IL-10 at 24 hours after ICU admission was significantly higher in the RIPC group. Significantly lower amounts of IL-8 at post-CPB time were observed in the RIPC group in comparison with control. Conclusion: RIPC regulates the circulatory inflammatory cytokines, IL-8 decrement and IL-10 elevation, which could be translated into protection against IRI. However, further studies with larger sample sizes with careful consideration of parameters such as use of propofol as an anesthetic in the patients should be conducted to consolidate the findings from the current study.
Core Cities’ strong growth in the 2010s: Were they ‘leaving behind’ the rest of their regions?
Authors: Townsend Alan , Champion Tony
Published: December 2020

Second-order cities are generally seen as disadvantaged places in the literature on globalisation, but in recent years they have staged a revival in several countries. This article uses two data sources to examine the employment change recorded by Britain’s Core Cities between 2012 and 2017, breaking it down by type of worker, occupation and industry. It aims, firstly, to identify which elements of their growth are distinctive compared to the country as a whole and, secondly, to see how far their growth has been emulated by the areas around them that contain the majority of Britain’s ‘left-behind’ places. The article demonstrates the great strides made by the nine provincial cities combined, substantially exceeding the national rate of increase for male, female, full-time, part-time, employee and self-employed work, notably in the three highest status occupational groups and in all industrial sectors apart from manufacturing and transport, especially business services. It is also found that their growth outstripped that of their local, regional and EU comparators, underlining the importance of direct policy intervention for ‘left-behind’ places rather than relying on ‘trickle-down’ processes, especially given uncertainties about the sustainability of Core City growth in the wake of COVID-19 and Brexit.
Extrapolating Parametric Survival Models in Health Technology Assessment: A Simulation Study
Authors: Gallacher Daniel , Kimani Peter , Stallard Nigel
Published: December 2020

Extrapolations of parametric survival models fitted to censored data are routinely used in the assessment of health technologies to estimate mean survival, particularly in diseases that potentially reduce the life expectancy of patients. Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC) are commonly used in health technology assessment alongside an assessment of plausibility to determine which statistical model best fits the data and should be used for prediction of long-term treatment effects. We compare fit and estimates of restricted mean survival time (RMST) from 8 parametric models and contrast models preferred in terms of AIC, BIC, and log-likelihood, without considering model plausibility. We assess the methods’ suitability for selecting a parametric model through simulation of data replicating the follow-up of intervention arms for various time-to-event outcomes from 4 clinical trials. Follow-up was replicated through the consideration of recruitment duration and minimum and maximum follow-up times. Ten thousand simulations of each scenario were performed. We demonstrate that the different methods can result in disagreement over the best model and that it is inappropriate to base model selection solely on goodness-of-fit statistics without consideration of hazard behavior and plausibility of extrapolations. We show that typical trial follow-up can be unsuitable for extrapolation, resulting in unreliable estimation of multiple parameter models, and infer that selecting survival models based only on goodness-of-fit statistics is unsuitable due to the high level of uncertainty in a cost-effectiveness analysis. This article demonstrates the potential problems of overreliance on goodness-of-fit statistics when selecting a model for extrapolation. When follow-up is more mature, BIC appears superior to the other selection methods, selecting models with the most accurate and least biased estimates of RMST.
Knockdown of Forkhead box A1 suppresses the tumorigenesis and progression of human colon cancer cells through regulating the phosphatase and tensin homolog/Akt pathway
Authors: Pan Jie , Xu Zongbin , Xu Meifang , Lin Xiaoyan , Lin Bingqiang , Lin Mengxin
Published: December 2020

Background

This study aimed to evaluate the role and the underlying mechanisms of Forkhead box A1 (encoded by FOXA1) in colon cancer.

Methods

We analyzed FOXA1 mRNA and protein expression in colon cancer tissues and cell lines. We also silenced FOXA1 expression in HCT116 and SW480 cells to evaluate the effects on cell proliferation, cell cycle, migration, and invasion by using MTT, colony formation, flow cytometry, and the Transwell assay, respectively.

Results

FOXA1 immunostaining was higher in colon cancer tissues than adjacent healthy tissues. FOXA1 mRNA and protein expression was significantly increased in human colon cancer cells compared with a normal colonic cell line. FOXA1 expression was also significantly higher in colorectal cancer tissues from TCGA data sets and was associated with worse prognosis in the R2 database. FOXA1 expression was negatively correlated with the extent of its methylation, and its knockdown reduced proliferation, migration, and invasion, and induced G2/M phase arrest in HCT116 and SW480 cells by suppressing the phosphatase and tensin homolog/Akt signaling pathway and inhibiting epithelial–mesenchymal transition.

Conclusion

FOXA1 may act as an oncogene in colon cancer tumorigenesis and development.
Congenital brucellosis: A case report
Authors: Mohzari Yahya Ali , Alshuraim Renad Abdullah , Asdaq Syed Mohammed Basheeruddin , ALanazi Saud O. , Alghamdi Najwa , Alrashed Ahmed A. , Hassounhe Amal Khalil , Alzaaqi Meshal A.
Published: December 2020

Although rare, brucellosis is endemic in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). In the case presented here, a neonate was born at 29 weeks gestation with severe respiratory depression, pyrexia; hypotension and an elevated white blood cell count. Her mother was a 19-year-old pregnant woman who developed premature rupture of the membranes and went into labour early. Sepsis was suspected and so the neonate received dobutamine and empiric ampicillin/gentamicin. The mother reported visiting a farm during her pregnancy and so congenital brucellosis was considered a possibility. Blood cultures were positive for Gram-negative coccobacilli and serology confirmed the presence of Brucella abortus and B. meltiness. Antibiotic treatment was changed to rifampin/gentamicin/ciprofloxacin but on day 17 the baby deteriorated and gentamicin was discontinued and meropenem was added. The neonate gradually improved; meropenem was discontinued on day 24 and the baby was discharged from hospital on day 38.
Spontaneous internal hemorrhage of a giant hepatic hemangioma with infection: a case report and literature review
Authors: Wang Ankang , Chen Hao , Huang Zhiwei , Tang Hong , Shi Hao , Wen Jian , Li Qiu , Jiang Yu , Fu Wenguang
Published: December 2020

Spontaneous internal hemorrhage from a hepatic hemangioma is rare. This case describes a 59-year-old woman who was hospitalized with recurrent cough and fever for 6 months. The doctor thought that she had pneumonia, but other infectious diseases could not be ruled out. Therefore, related tests were performed and strong antibiotics were used, but the symptom of fever was persistent and recurred. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) findings showed a right hepatic giant hemangioma with hemorrhage, while tuberculosis, liver abscess, and immune disease were excluded by the physician. Because the patient’s fever was associated with a large hepatic hemangioma, the patient was transferred to surgery. During treatment, the amount of bleeding increased, so she underwent a right hepatic hemangioma resection in the emergency department. Her postoperative fever symptoms subsequently resolved. Pathological examination confirmed hemorrhagic necrosis with infection in hepatic hemangioma. Follow-up showed that the patient was afebrile.
Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients with recurrent psychiatric readmissions in Qatar
Authors: Elhassan Nahid M. , Elhusein Bushra , Al Abdulla Majid , Saad Tarek Abdelhalim , Kumar Rajeev
Published: December 2020

Objective

To examine the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of psychiatric patients with recurrent psychiatric readmissions (RPR).

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted at Hamad General Hospital in Qatar on psychiatric patients with recurrent readmissions from August 2018 to January 2019.

Results

Of 380 psychiatric patients admitted during the study period, 40 (10.5%) were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Most of the patients who were readmitted were single, male and unemployed. Psychotic spectrum disorder was the most frequent psychiatric condition and was diagnosed in 18 (45%) patients. A total of 30% of the patients were receiving treatment with anti-psychotics, and a similar number received more than one medication. Most patients showed poor or no compliance. Only 12.5% of patients stayed in the hospital for more than 5 weeks in their last admission during the study period.

Conclusions

Poor compliance, male sex and single status were the most common demographic and clinical features of patients with RPR. Post-discharge psychiatric care should be tailored to meet the requirements of patients prone to RPR.