bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Role of Migration Status in Pregnancy Loss Attributions, Experiences, and Support in Australia
Authors: Riggs Damien W. , Due Clemence
Published: March 2024

While previous research has explored the impact of migration status on experiences and attributions about pregnancy loss, less common is comparative research examining similarities and differences between migrants and non-migrants. This paper reports on a cross sectional comparative study of 623 culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) or non-CALD people living in Australia. Participants completed a survey that asked about experiences of pregnancy loss, support, and attributions about pregnancy loss. There were no differences between the two groups in terms of rates of pregnancy loss, though CALD participants reported greater distress following a loss. CALD participants reported greater reliance on partners and faith communities, and found healthcare professionals to be less supportive. CALD participants were more likely to attribute pregnancy loss to spiritual reasons (among others), and non-CALD participants to fetal abnormalities. The paper concludes by calling for awareness campaigns and professional upskilling to better ensure the needs of CALD communities.
Family Therapy as an Intervention for Adults With Aphasia and Other Communication Disabilities After Acquired Brain Injury: A Scoping Review
Authors: Henihan Jessica , Henihan Rebecca , Jagoe Caroline
Published: March 2024

Acquired brain injury (ABI) affects the whole family unit, significantly shifting family roles and relationships, with communication disabilities associated with ABI further compounding these difficulties. Family therapy is offered in situations where family roles have been disrupted, but research on the application of family therapy to families affected by ABI has not been synthesized. This study systematically maps the research on the use of family therapy in people with ABI, identifying to what extent people with communication disabilities (PWCD) are included in the evidence base. A scoping review of primary research was conducted through a systematic search of five multidisciplinary academic databases. A consultation process, involving a person with aphasia, ran alongside the entire research process. Twenty-four studies were included in the final review with four categories of interventions identified. Twelve studies excluded PWCD, 10 potentially doing so due to the communication demands of the study. Twelve studies included PWCD, five of which included speech and language therapists to support the delivery of family therapy. A small evidence base exists for the use of family therapy within an ABI population. However, PWCD are frequently excluded from this research due to the communication demands of the study designs. More research is needed to guide appropriate intervention for PWCD.
Combining multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient and rerouting technique to improve traffic network performance under mixed traffic conditions
Authors: Trinh Hung Tuan , Bae Sang-Hoon , Tran Duy Quang
Published: March 2024

In the future, mixed traffic flow will include two types of vehicles: connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs) and human-driven vehicles (HDVs). CAVs emerge as new solutions to disrupt the traditional transportation system. This new solution shares real-time data with each other and the roadside units (RSU) for network management. Reinforcement learning (RL) is a promising approach for traffic signal management in complex urban areas by leveraging information gathered from CAVs. In particular, coordinating signal management at many intersections is a critical challenge in multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL). According to this vision, we propose an approach that combines an actor–critic network–based multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient (MADDPG) model and a rerouting technique (RT) to increase traffic performance in vehicular networks. This algorithm overcomes the inherent non-stationary of Q-learning and the high variance of policy gradient (PG) algorithms. Based on centralized learning with decentralized execution, the MADDPG model employs one actor and one critic for each agent. The actor network uses local information to execute actions, while the critic network is trained with extra information, including the states and actions of other agents. Through a centralized learning process, agents can coordinate with each other, diminishing the influence of an unstable environment. Unlike previous studies, we not only manage traffic light systems but also consider the effect of platooning vehicles on increasing throughput. Experimental results show that our model outperforms other models in terms of traffic performance in different scenarios.
COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Nursing Homes Financial Performance
Authors: Orewa Gregory N , Weech-Maldonado Robert , Lord Justin , Davlyatov Ganisher , Becker David , Feldman Sue S.
Published: March 2024

Nursing homes expressed concern about potential severe adverse financial outcomes of COVID-19, with worries extending to the possibility of some facilities facing closure. Maintaining a strong financial well-being is crucial, and there were concerns that the pandemic might have significantly impacted both expenses and income. This longitudinal study aimed to analyze the financial performance of nursing homes during COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we examined the impact of the pandemic on nursing home operating margins, operating revenue per resident day, and operating cost per resident day. The study utilized secondary data from various sources, including CMS Medicare cost reports, Brown University’s Long Term Care Focus (LTCFocus), CMS Payroll-Based Journal, CMS Care Compare, Area Health Resource File, Provider Relief Fund distribution data, and CDC’s NH COVID-19 public file. The sample consisted of 45 833 nursing home-year observations from 2018 to 2021. Fixed-effects regression analysis was employed to assess the impact of the pandemic on financial performance while controlling for various organizational and market characteristics. The study found that nursing homes’ financial performance deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Operating margins decreased by approximately 4.3%, while operating costs per resident day increased by $26.51, outweighing the increase in operating revenue per resident day by about $17. Occupancy rates, payer mix, and staffing intensity were found to impact financial performance. The study highlights the significant financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing homes. While nursing homes faced substantial financial strains, the findings offered lessons for the future, underscoring the need for nursing homes to improve the accuracy of their cost reports and enhance financial transparency and accountability.
Criminogenic Risk Assessment Beyond Juvenile Justice: Exploring the Predictive Ability of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) in Norway
Authors: Kanestrøm Harald , Stallvik Marianne , Lydersen Stian , Skokauskas Norbert , Hoftun Siri , Nilsen Camilla Karlsen , Kaasbøll Jannike
Published: March 2024

This study evaluated the predictive properties of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) in 646 Norwegian adolescents (63% males) placed in non-secure, community-based residential care. Using receiver operating characteristics and logistic regression, the study explored the YLS/CMI’s efficacy in predicting various recidivism outcomes across subgroups. The inventory demonstrated to be a significant predictor for all categories of offending behavior (area under the curve ranged from .62 to .77). Although the YLS/CMI total risk score showed a robust association with offending across subgroups, there were discernible variations in predictive ability between males and females. This pattern extended to analyses of subdomains and have implications for clinical use. Overall, the findings support the YLS/CMI as a useful tool for predicting delinquency in a Norwegian residential setting and contribute to the expanding body of literature supporting the instrument’s utility across various cultures and contexts.
Lymphatic Malformation Initially Presenting as Snoring: A Case Report
Authors: Jiang Peng , Liu Wei-Ying , Wang Hao-Cheng , Li Lan , Pan Hong-Guang
Published: March 2024

We describe a case of lymphatic malformation (LM) with snoring as the primary symptom. The patient, an 11-year-old boy, sought medical attention due to “snoring that had worsened over 3 years, accompanied by shortness of breath for 1 month.” The preoperative examination showed that the apnea-hypopnea index during sleep was 33.4. The average overnight blood oxygen saturation was 95.3%, reaching a lowest level of 79.9%. Magnetic resonance imaging identified a space-occupying lesion in the postpharyngeal space, leading to significant compression and narrowing of the pharyngeal cavity. This suggested the possibility of a vascular malformation, with a higher proportion of vascular components. The patient underwent resection of the pharyngeal mass and temporary tracheostomy under general anesthesia, and intraoperative freeze and postoperative pathological diagnoses confirmed LM. Postoperative prognosis was favorable.
Low daily water intake profile—is it a contributor to disease?
Authors: Armstrong Lawrence E , Bergeron Michael F , Muñoz Colleen X , Kavouras Stavros A
Published: March 2024

Few previous review articles have focused on the associations between inadequate daily water intake (LOW) or urinary biomarkers of dehydration (UD; low urine volume or high urine osmolality) and multiple diseases. Accordingly, we conducted manual online searches (47 key words) of the PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar databases with these inclusion criteria: English language, full-text, peer reviewed, no restriction on research design, and three publications minimum. Initially, 3,903 articles were identified based on their titles and abstracts. Evaluations of full length .pdf versions identified 96 studies that were acceptable for inclusion. We concluded that the evidence is insufficient or conflicting for seven disorders or diseases (i.e. suggesting the need for additional clarifying research) and it is lacking for all-cause mortality. Differential characterizations among women and men have been reported in the results of nine studies involving five diseases. Finally, the evidence for associations of LOW or UD is strong for both kidney stones and type 2 diabetes with hyperglycemia. This suggests that great public health value (i.e. reduced disease risk) may result from increased daily water intake—a simple and cost-effective dietary modification.
Association of iron overload with infectious complications in liver transplant recipients: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Jingpo , Yan Bingzheng , Shi Xin
Published: March 2024

Objective

This study was performed to examine the possible association of iron overload with infectious complications and survival among liver transplant recipients.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published in the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases up to September 2022. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted to estimate the association of iron overload with infectious outcomes and overall survival after liver transplantation.

Results

Eight studies involving 2817 recipients met the inclusion criteria. Iron overload was strongly associated with an increased risk of infection after liver transplantation (HR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.03–2.68). An increase in the serum ferritin level was associated with an increased risk of infection after liver transplantation (HR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.09–1.91). Iron overload was a significant predictor of worse overall survival (HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.11–1.64). In addition, a high serum ferritin level was significantly associated with an increased risk of death (HR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.10–1.64).

Conclusion

Iron overload may be associated with a higher risk of infectious complications and a worse prognosis among liver transplant recipients.
Bone involvement in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease: a case–control study
Authors: Liguori Sara , Moretti Antimo , Paoletta Marco , Gargiulo Fiorinda , Barra Giuseppe , Gimigliano Francesca , Iolascon Giovanni
Published: March 2024

Objective

To evaluate the qualitative and quantitative alterations of bone tissue in patients with early-stage Parkinson’s disease (PD) and to measure the associations between bone mineral density (BMD), trabecular bone score (TBS) and physical performance.

Methods

This case–control study enrolled patients with early-stage PD and age-matched controls. BMDs for the left femoral neck (L-FN) and lumbar spine (LS) were measured. Bone microarchitecture for the LS was determined using TBS. Muscle performance was assessed using the short physical performance battery (SPPB). Patients and controls were stratified in two groups based on the SPPB score: a poor performance group (SPPB score ≤8) and high performance group (SPPB > 8).

Results

This study included 26 patients: 13 in the PD group and 13 age-matched controls. The mean ± SD BMD results in the PD group were: L1–L4 BMD = 0.935 ± 0.183 g/cm2; L-FN BMD = 0.825 ± 0.037 g/cm2; with bone microarchitecture degraded in four patients and partially degraded in three patients. TBS was significantly different in the patients with PD stratified according to SPPB. Among the controls, there was a significant difference in body mass index between the two SPPB groups.

Conclusion

TBS might identify bone involvement earlier than BMD in the initial stages of PD.
Towards an ecological mathematics
Authors: Unnithan Kumar Siddharth
Published: March 2024

Mathematics plays a fundamental role in ecological research, yet its uses remain strikingly separate from advances in the environmental social sciences and humanities. In this paper, I work to address this impasse and outline the motivation and scope for an ‘ecological mathematics’, an approach to doing mathematics in environmental research which foregrounds relationship, embodiment and human difference. I begin by tracing the historical emergence of mathematics in ecology, noting how life processes have been conceptualised in a way which forces them to fit the ideals of mathematical models transplanted from the physical sciences. I then investigate the cultural factors shaping the evolution of mathematical thought, eliciting a malleability in how mathematical knowledge relates to the more-than-human world. This provides a place from which to rethink the role of abstraction in ecological thought, and develop mathematical methods grounded in ecological concepts. Drawing on ethnographic and perceptual accounts of space and time, I work with topological concepts from both mathematics and the social sciences to suggest a new correspondence between these subjects, elaborating a way of employing mathematical techniques which enliven, rather than deaden, the ecologies under study. The paper concludes with important philosophical clarifications to the approach of an ecological mathematics.
Developing Tree-Based Machine Learning Models for Estimating the Pile Setup Parameter for Clay Soils
Authors: Shoaib Mohammad Moontakim , Abu-Farsakh Murad Y.
Published: March 2024

Piles driven into cohesive soils usually experience increases in capacity with time, known as pile setup phenomenon. Several empirical methods have been developed to estimate the setup parameter (A), such as the well-known Skov and Denver equation. Parameter A is crucial in predicting pile setup behavior. In this study, tree-based machine learning (ML) models such as random forest (RF) and gradient boosted tree (GBT) were applied for better estimation of the setup parameter. A database consisting of setup data from 12 instrumented piles tested at different times, and corresponding cone penetration test (CPT) and soil boring data were collected. The soil properties (i.e., undrained shear strength, plasticity index, over consolidation ratio, and coefficient of consolidation) and CPT data (cone tip resistance, sleeve friction) of clayey soil layers at pile locations were utilized to develop the ML models. Three types of tree-based ML model were developed for predicting the setup parameter, A, using CPT and soil boring data. A comparison was made between the developed ML models based on soil properties, ML models based on CPT data, and an artificial neural network (ANN) model proposed in a previous study using the same dataset. Furthermore, the best performing ML models were compared with two nonlinear regression models recommended in a previous study using the same dataset for estimating the setup parameter. The results of this research clearly demonstrated the superior prediction capability of the tree-based ML models, particularly the GBT model over the ANN and the two nonlinear regression models in evaluating the pile setup parameter.
Triclosan, an antimicrobial drug, induced reproductive impairment in the freshwater fish, Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792)
Authors: Chokki Veettil Priyatha , Nikarthil Sidhick Jeena , Kavungal Abdulkhader Sajeela , MS Siva Prasad , Kumari Chidambaran Chitra
Published: March 2024

Triclosan (TCS), an antimicrobial drug, is known to occupy different compartments in aquatic ecosystems. The present study focused to evaluate the reproductive toxicity of triclosan, at environmentally relevant (0.009 and 9 μg L−1) and sublethal (176.7 μg L−1) concentrations for 90 days in the pre-spawning phase of the fish, Anabas testudineus. The reproductive biomarkers, namely, gonadal steroidogenic enzymes, expression of aromatic genes, levels of serum gonadotropins, sex hormones, and histology of gonads were analyzed. The weight of the animal, brain weights along with gonadosomatic index decreased while mucus deposition increased significantly at all concentrations of triclosan as the primary defensive mechanism to prevent the entry of toxicants. Triclosan disrupted gonadal steroidogenesis as evidenced by a reduction in the activities of gonadal steroidogenic enzymes. The expressions of cyp19a1a and cyp19a1b genes were up-regulated in the brain of both sexes and testis, while down-regulated in the ovary indicating estrogenic effects of the compound. The endocrine-disrupting effects of triclosan were confirmed. The current results suggest that chronic exposure to triclosan altered reproductive endpoints thereby impairing normal reproductive functions in fish.
The Angry Echo Chamber: A Study of Extremist and Emotional Language Changes in Incel Communities Over Time
Authors: de Roos Melissa S. , Veldhuizen-Ochodničanová Laura , Hanna Alexis
Published: March 2024

Involuntary celibates, or incels, are part of a growing online subculture. Incels are men who are unable to engage in a sexual relationship with a woman and who experience significant distress and anger as a result. In recent years, high-profile incidents of violence perpetrated by incels or those who share incel ideology have increased research attention. Incels communicate online and share several characteristics with other online extremist groups. While only a fraction of incels engage in such violence, a broader spectrum of violence should be considered, including online harassment or general violence against women. This study sought to examine how ongoing engagement on an online incel forum affects changes in incel comments in terms of expressed anger and sadness and use of incel violent extremist language. We collected comments made on an incel forum over a 3-month period. We then identified prolific users and included their comments in our analysis. To assess how their language changed, we used a text-processing program (LIWC: Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count) to assess the extent to which anger, sadness, and incel violent extremist language were expressed in the comments. Our findings indicated that incels express more anger in their comments than users on other platforms such as Reddit, Facebook, and Twitter. However, they did not express greater sadness. Further, we found that incels are already quite angry and sad when they join the forum, and they already use a fair amount of incel vocabulary. Initially, these aspects of their language increase, but they flatten over time. This pattern suggests that introduction to and embracing of incel ideology occurs elsewhere on the Internet, and prior to people joining an incel forum. Implications in terms of prevention of online radicalization and future directions are discussed.
Pilot Study to Assess the Effectiveness of the Sustainable Culturally Adaptive Nutrition Program (SCAN) to Improve Adherence to the National Diabetes Prevention Program
Authors: Perkison William B. , Fwelo Pierre , Velasco-Huerta Fernanda , Heredia Natalia I. , Yang James J. , Beg Sidra S. , Reininger Belinda M. , Rodriguez Serena A. , Almohamad Maha , Pulicken Catherine , Garza Ella , White Grace E. , Fernandez Maria E.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The Sustainable Culturally Adapted Nutrition Program (SCAN) is a novel adaptation to the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) that aims to improve attendance and effectiveness. This paper presents its feasibility and impact through the initial 6-month outcomes.

Design

A pragmatic quasi-experimental pilot study with intervention (DPP plus SCAN) and control (DPP only) groups.

Samples and Inclusion Criteria

Sustainable Culturally Adapted Nutrition Program participants were recruited from federally qualified health center (FQHC) clinic patients enrolled in a NDPP in Houston, Texas. Participants needed to be (1) ≥18 years old, (2) body mass index >25, (3) no prior diagnosis of diabetes, and (4) not pregnant.

Intervention

Sustainable Culturally Adapted Nutrition Program cooking classes were designed to teach skills to prepare fresh produce, and utilized Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques to encourage participants to adapt these skills for foods that were culturally important to them.

Outcome Measures

(1) National Diabetes Prevention Program attendance, (2) BMI and (3) percent weight loss.

Analysis

We used linear mixed models to test the association between weights and NDPP attendance.

Results

22 intervention and 15 control participants completed the program to the 6-month point. Intervention participants had increased DPP attendance over controls (7.14 vs 6.87 session). Intervention participants also demonstrated on average, 1.5% weight loss for each additional SCAN class attended ( P = .144).

Conclusions

The SCAN adaptation shows promising results for effectively increasing both NDPP attendance and weight loss.
The End of Globalized Production? Supply-Chain Resilience, Technological Sovereignty, and Enduring Global Interdependencies in the Post-Pandemic Era
Authors: Butollo Florian , Staritz Cornelia , Maile Felix , Wuttke Tobias
Published: March 2024

This article assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and geopolitics on geographies of production. Criticizing simplified perspectives on globalized versus intraregional production, we stress the multi-scalarity, the role of industrial policies and sector-specific path dependencies in shaping global production. Based on expert interviews and policy and industry documents, our analysis focuses on the automotive, clothing, and electronics industries. Although concerns for resilience increasingly shape lead firms’ strategies, increased regionalization of production through re- or near-shoring is only one of several strategies. Where it does occur, it has been driven by state policies that tackle certain strategically important products, not production networks as a whole. Hence, while recent events exposed the vulnerabilities of global production, we do not observe deglobalization in the sense of a comprehensive retreat from globalized in favor of intraregional production. Nonetheless, state interventions that are geopolitically motivated and affect firms’ investment decisions have intensified particularly in the United States and the European Union.
Unionization and Autocratization: Class Organization Strategies Under the Authoritarian Transformation in Turkey
Authors: Aydin Bergfalk Sena , Ciftci Atakan
Published: March 2024

Turkey’s neoliberal authoritarian regime poses increasing challenges against unionization processes. While the decline of workers’ rights under this regime created a renewed impetus to unionize, barriers to unionization equally increased and diversified. Taking three recent unionization experiences as case studies, this paper explores the dynamics between class organization and authoritarian statecraft. It proposes that barriers against unionization are not consequences of authoritarian consolidation but part and parcel of its making in the Turkish context. However, they have the contradictory effect of weakening such consolidation at the everyday level by engendering a working-class politicization and desire toward democratization within unionization struggles. This paradoxical relation also reveals how unionization efforts inevitably incorporate political demands in addition to economic ones under the Turkish authoritarian circumstances and become a space of struggle against the authoritarian logic at large, whether that be the anti-democratic practices of the regime or the top-down bureaucratic attitudes of unions.
Coordinated control strategy of electro-mechanical composite braking for four-wheel drive electric vehicles
Authors: Liqiang Jin , Jiapeng Fan , Fei Teng
Published: March 2024

Regenerative braking energy recovery technology is critical for electric vehicles, which can significantly improve vehicle mileage. In addition, the regenerative braking system is often used with the friction braking system to provide vehicle braking force. This paper presents an electro-mechanical compound brake control strategy for four-wheel drive electric vehicles equipped with an electro-mechanical braking system. Firstly, the configuration of a four-wheel drive electric vehicle with an electro-mechanical braking system is introduced. The mathematical models of the driving motor, battery, and electro-mechanical braking are established. Secondly, a new control method is introduced by optimizing torque allocation based on maximum energy recovery with considering battery limits and a cooperative control method of the electro-mechanical composite braking system. It can be ensured that the braking energy recovery capability and braking comfort. Finally, simulation results indicate that the introduced control strategy can increase the braking recovered energy by 3% and 4%, respectively, under NEDC and WLTC conditions, compared to the ideal braking force distribution strategy. The introduced control method can effectively decrease the braking impact and ensure braking comfort in the coordination control section.
A macro-microscopic traffic flow data-driven optimal control strategy for freeway
Authors: Fang Jie , Wang Juanmeizi , Fu Lina , Lu Mingwen , Xu Mengyun
Published: March 2024

To estimate the amount of emissions, most state-of-the-art microscopic emission models, such as VT-micro, takes the individual vehicle speed and acceleration as the model input, which can be collected efficiently with V2I technology. However, there is a gap in freeway traffic control since most of them rely on the macroscopic traffic model and omit the individual vehicle status. To fill this gap, this study proposed an individual vehicle status prediction method that utilized the convolutional neural network (CNN) for freeway proactive controls. Then the overall performance of the road network in multi-objective, namely mobility, safety, and emissions, will be evaluated to determine the optimal control signal. The proposed CNN enabled individual vehicle status prediction method reported a good match to the ground truth data compared with the support vector machine and artificial neural network. Furthermore, a field data-based simulation platform was established to implement the proposed control algorithm with the CNN prediction network. The result showed that the multi-objective performance was significantly improved compared with the uncontrolled case and achieved further optimization of multi-objective compared with the original model.
Dimensionless correlation of mass transfer on a frosted flat plate with thickness, mass, heat flux measurements
Authors: Aksoy Adem , Özdemir Mustafa
Published: March 2024

The aim of the study is to investigate frosting on the horizontal flat plate which has uniform air velocity distribution upstream. While the air temperature is 21.9 °C, the relative humidity is 80% and the air velocity is 0.7 m/s; frost is formed on the flat plate at surface temperatures of −15.1, −11.2, −7.1 °C, then under these conditions frost thickness, frost mass are measured. Continuous heat flux measurements under frosting which is very rare in literature are performed, too. Considering only the initial part of the frosting process at high plate temperature first an increase in heat flux then a continuous decrease is observed. A new dimensionless mass transfer correlation that does not require frost surface temperature and additionally includes dimensionless plate length is presented. The mass transfer correlation is based on dimensionless numbers of Reynolds, Fourier, specific humidity, dimensionless temperature, and dimensionless plate length which are derived from air temperature, air velocity, air relative humidity, plate temperature, plate length, plate width, and time information. In obtaining the correlation, frost mass measurements from previous researchers were added to the presented experimental results to develop a correlation valid over a wide range. As a result of the broad data set, the ranges at which the correlation is valid; air velocity of 0.7–2.5 m/s, air temperature of 5–22 °C, plate temperature of −5 to −25 °C, air relative humidity of 50%–83.73% and plate length of 85.6–300 mm. Nondimensionalizing the plate length has increased the prediction capability of the correlation.
Microstructure and finite element simulation (tensile test) of stainless steel wall produced by wire and arc additive manufacturing
Authors: Thirugnanasambandam Arunkumar , Subramaniyan Mohan Kumar , Gobiraman Anand
Published: March 2024

This investigation aims to provide functional insight into simulating the tensile behavior of additively fabricated stainless steel 316L plate using finite element simulation and the Johnson-Cook model of ductile damage. The stainless steel 316L plate is fabricated through wire arc additive manufacturing using ideal process variables selected through numerous trial and error experiments. There is a significant increase in the strength of additively fabricated specimens (517.9 MPa) than wrought alloy samples (491.3 MPa). Finite element simulation was used successfully to simulate the tensile test, and the outcomes were predicted with an error percentage of less than 1. The significant enhancement in the strength is due to variations in the microstructure such as dendritic growth, phase changes influenced by complex thermal cycle, and residual δ-ferrite in wire arc additive manufacturing plate. The presence of residual δ-ferrite is also clear through the evaluation of ferrite number as it varied from bottom to top in the range of 5.2–4.9.
Networked explicit hybrid predictive control of an industrial benchmark process
Authors: Younis Al-Shaimaa A. , Moness Mohammed , Moustafa Ahmed M.
Published: March 2024

Hybrid systems have acquired deep attention in research as many systems in industries and laboratories manifest hybrid dynamic behaviors. Optimal control design for hybrid systems exhibits challenges for controlling the interacting continuous and discrete dynamics. A double-tank hybrid system (DTHS) is proposed in this paper with a mixed-integer actuation mechanism. The proposed DTHS aims to control the liquid level of the two tanks simultaneously by a networked hybrid predictive controller. Hybrid frameworks are provided to investigate the system through reachability analysis. An explicit hybrid model predictive control (EHMPC) has been developed to control the levels of the DTHS. Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulation is performed for assessing the performance of the EHMPC with a hardware real-time networked controller. The networked real-time controller is constructed and implemented using the Node.js frameworks. The simulation and realtime results are presented and discussed to evaluate the hybrid controller performance.
A Pilot Study of Urine Oxytocin as an Objective Biomarker for Chronic Pain
Authors: Ono Daisuke , Matsusaki Takashi , Matsuoka Yoshikazu , Kaku Ryuji , Morimatsu Hiroshi
Published: March 2024

Background: Measuring pain objectively or quantitatively is difficult. Since urine oxytocin (OXT) concentration has been reported to be potentially associated with chronic pain.

Purpose: We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the relationship between changes in numerical rating scale (NRS) score following nerve block and urine OXT concentration in patients with chronic pain.

Methods: We investigated 19 chronic pain patients who were admitted to our hospital for nerve intervention. NRS score and urine OXT concentration were assessed before and after the nerve block.

Results: NRS scores were 7 [6, 9] and 2 [1, 4] (median [interquartile range]) before and after the treatment intervention, respectively. Urinary OXT levels were 523 [293, 743] and 531 [308, 887] pg/mL (median [interquartile range]) before and after the treatment, respectively. We compared the group with greater improvement in NRS after the treatment intervention and those with less improvement. The group with greater improvement in NRS after the treatment intervention showed a greater increase in OXT level. However, baseline urine OXT concentrations were highly variable in patients with chronic pain and the changes in urinary OXT concentrations were also variable.

Conclusion: Based on this pilot study, the utility of urine OXT concentration as an objective biomarker of chronic pain needs further investigation.
The Epidemiology of Rheumatic Diseases in India
Authors: Misra Durga Prasanna , Sharma Aman , Dharmanand B. G. , Chandrashekara S.
Published: March 2024

Epidemiological studies, referred to as the Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) studies, have been conducted under the aegis of the International League against Rheumatism and the World Health Organization to evaluate the epidemiology of rheumatic and musculoskeletal (RMSK) diseases in India. These COPCORD studies conducted in rural Bhigwan and urban Pune in Maharashtra, rural Calicut and rural Trivandrum in Kerala and rural and urban Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, along with data from the Global Burden of Diseases study have helped to understand the burden of rheumatic diseases in the community. Based on these studies, RMSK diseases, which are amongst the top 25 causes of disability in the Indian population, are prevalent in nearly 25%–30% of the Indian population. The common rheumatic diseases in the community are soft tissue rheumatism, neck and back pain, fibromyalgia and unspecified pains and osteoarthritis (most commonly affecting the knee). These diseases most commonly affect young persons between the third to the fifth decade of life, more often affect females, are prevalent in both rural and urban populations, and account for considerable disability in up to one-fifth of individuals leading to loss of livelihood and dependence on others for self-care. Community-based national healthcare programs to manage RMSK diseases at the community level are urgently needed. There also remains an unmet need to train more doctors to diagnose and manage rheumatic diseases at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of care.
Improving Drug Trial Success Rates in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Endotyping-based Patient Stratification Could be the way Forward
Authors: Malaviya Anand N. , Jain Neeraj
Published: March 2024

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex heterogeneous autoimmune disease with protean clinical manifestations and phenotypes. As a result, any candidate molecule aiming to modulate a particular pathobiological pathway would likely fail to demonstrate efficacy in patients with mixed phenotypes. The success of the belimumab trial and the recent anifrolumab trial in SLE have provided evidence that stratifying patients based on their underlying pathobiological mechanism (e.g., endotypes) can improve the chances of success in drug trials. Various approaches to endotyping have been proposed to stratify SLE patients, such as biomarker profiling, gene expression signature fingerprinting, utilising transcriptomics and other ‘omics’ techniques for patient stratification, and molecular characterisation in both human subjects and animal models of SLE. Besides stratification of SLE patients based upon endotyping, incorporating ‘theratyping’ (which refers to outliers in any failed drug trial who exhibit a positive response) would further ‘fine-tune’ the subgrouping with uniform underlying pathobiology. Using a 2-pronged approach of defining theratypes of pre-endotyped patients could fast-track drug discovery of drugs for SLE treatment. Considering the success of recent trials, there is compelling evidence that this approach can significantly increase the likelihood of success in drug trials and pave the way for more effective treatments for SLE.
Radiological Progression and Predictors of Radiological Progression in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Conventional Synthetic Disease-modifying Agents
Authors: Parikh Taral , Yadav Sandeep , Balakrishnan C.
Published: March 2024

Aim:

To study the clinical and serological predictors of radiological progression at one year in a cohort of Indian patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods:

In this prospective open-label observational study, consecutive patients with early RA (<six months) were examined at baseline and at each visit (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months) for disease activity, DAS ESR 28 and European League Against Rheumatism response. Radiography of the hands and feet was performed at baseline and at one year of treatment, and radiologic progression was assessed using van der Heijde’s Sharp score. The prognostic factors were evaluated using a logistic regression model.

Results:

Fifty-one eligible patients were analysed for disease outcomes, whereas 43 were eligible for radiographic progression. The mean duration of RA was 3.4 ± 1.85 months. At baseline, 96% of the patients had moderate to high disease activity. The proportion of patients with erosions increased from 16.3% to 37.2% at one year, whereas that of patients with joint space narrowing (JSN) increased from 21% to 39.5%. At one year, the mean increase in total Sharp’s score was 1.67, while 32.5% of patients had radiological progression. Age of onset, presence of erosions, JSN, anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) titre and tender joint counts at baseline were associated with radiographic progression at one year. However, in the multivariate analysis, none of the variables predicted radiographic damage. Only JSN was positively associated with progression at one year.

Conclusion:

Age at onset, presence of erosions, JSN, ACPA titre and tender joint counts at baseline were associated with radiographic progression at one year, but further studies are required to confirm these results.
Book review: Rohini Handa and Aman Sharma, Rheumatology Clinics: Clinical Scenarios
Authors: Malaviya Anand N.
Published: March 2024

Rohini Handa and Aman Sharma, Rheumatology Clinics: Clinical Scenarios. Evangel Publishers, New Delhi, 2023, 473 pp., ₹3495 (Hardbound).
Lactococcus garvieae–associated septicemia in a central bearded dragon
Authors: Capobianco Christian M. , Bosch Sarah N. , Stacy Nicole I. , Wellehan James F. X.
Published: March 2024

Lactococcus garvieae is the causative agent of lactococcosis in fish and an emerging zoonotic pathogen with high levels of antimicrobial resistance. We report a case of L. garvieae–associated septicemia in a central bearded dragon ( Pogona vitticeps) confirmed via whole-blood PCR and direct sequencing. Following a 30-d course of ceftazidime (20 mg/kg IM q72h), the animal’s clinical condition had not resolved; leukopenia persisted, with heterophil toxic change. Coelomic ultrasound findings were consistent with preovulatory follicular stasis, folliculitis, and coelomitis. Following surgical ovariectomy and an additional 30-d course of ceftazidime, the animal’s behavior and appetite returned to normal, the animal tested negative via whole-blood PCR assay, and the CBC was unremarkable. To our knowledge, L. garvieae with L. garvieae–associated clinical disease has not been reported previously in a bearded dragon. We conclude that L. garvieae should be considered as a possible etiologic agent in cases of septicemia in bearded dragons, with the potential for zoonotic transmission warranting further investigation.
Phenomenology: A Method for the Interpretation of Patient-Reported Outcomes
Authors: Meadows Keith
Published: March 2024

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) play a central role in clinical research and patient care resulting in a plethora of standardized PROMs to measure a range of constructs, including disease symptoms, health-related quality of life, and health status (Meadows/Reaney) used in a range of settings, including the nursing environment. However, the use of PROMs in drug development and their use in healthcare evaluation do not easily marry together. In drug development, standardization of measurement is key to the interpretation of the formation at a population level with minimal biases. However, in health care, the individual patient perspective, priority, and needs should be taken into account whereas, in the clinical encounter, one has to also deal with what is particular and unique. The purpose of this paper is to describe the characteristics of the phenomenological method as a means within a mixed-method framework, to supplement participants’ patient-reported outcome numeric scores with a more in-depth commentary on the essence of the lived health experiences.
Modeling and analysis of elastohydrodynamic lubrication of orthogonal face gear with installation errors
Authors: Zhou Wenguang , Zhu Rupeng , Liu Wenzheng , Wang Jingjing
Published: March 2024

Installation error is one of the most prominent factors affecting the lubrication of face gear. To analyze the lubrication performance of the face gear with installation errors, the installation error model of the orthogonal face gear transmission system is established. Then, the contact path, equivalent curvature radius, load distribution and entrainment velocity are studied using the face gear loaded tooth contact analysis (LTCA). On this basis, the lubrication governing equations of the face gear are established according to the elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) theory. In addition, the oil film thickness, oil film pressure and coefficient of friction in the process of face gear drives are calculated using the method of progressive mesh densification (PMD). Finally, the effects of axis intersection angle error, axis intersection error and axial displacement error on lubrication characteristics are analyzed. The results reveal that when the axial intersection angle error and axial displacement error are negative and the axial intersection error is positive, the minimum oil film thickness of the face gear tooth surface is less than that without error. When the error values are the same, the minimum oil film thickness and coefficient of friction have larger changes with the axial displacement error than with the axis intersection error, and the contact path has a bigger movement range.
Empowering critical digital literacy in EFL: Teachers’ evaluation of didactic materials involving the recognition of presupposed information
Authors: Brocca Nicola , Masia Viviana , Garassino Davide
Published: March 2024

This article proposes the use of a textual analysis technique involving the recognition of linguistic implicitness to promote Critical Digital Literacy (CDL) in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom. The technique, called Implicit Content Extraction (ICE), allows for the detection and analysis of (non- bona fide) presuppositions, thus enabling students to identify how much and what potentially manipulative information is being conveyed in a text. ICE has been tested on ready-to-use communicative materials. The materials were evaluated by EFL teachers ( N = 10) who participated in a semi-structured interview. The analysis shows a positive reception of the materials, which meet the need for CDL, and a willingness on the part of teachers to implement the technique. Concerns are also raised about the explicit treatment of presuppositions, pointing to a low ability of students and teachers to analyse implicit strategies in a text.
Full-scale aerodynamic study on the effects of tower wind shields and road-sign gantries on passing high-sided vehicles in the tower region at the Queensferry Crossing
Authors: Zhu Licheng , McCrum Daniel , Keenahan Jennifer
Published: March 2024

A novel investigation into the impact of the tower road-sign gantry and the tower shielding on double-decker buses and trucks passing by the bridge tower based on a previously validated full-scale CFD model. Two sets of simulations were conducted for comparison of aerodynamic force conditions of vehicles as they pass by the bridge tower: first group of simulations were performed including and excluding the road-sign gantry; and the second group include and exclude the tower shielding. Conditions in different traffic lanes (one on leeward side and two on windward side) considered. The effect of changes in wind yaw angle are also considered. Mechanism exploration on the variation of vehicle aerodynamic force conditions was made based on the numerical visualization of wind velocity field and pressure field. Novel results suggest that the road-sign gantry provides a sheltering effect in some circumstances, but a destabilizing effect in others. In addition, the tower shielding shows significant impact on reducing aerodynamic forces and sudden force changes of the high-sided vehicles while they are passing by the bridge tower.
The effect of tensile deformation of knitted fabrics on their electromagnetic shielding ability, electrical resistance, and porosity
Authors: Palanisamy Sundaramoorthy , Tunakova Veronika , Ornstova Jana , Vysanska Monika , Militky Jiri
Published: March 2024

Nowadays, electrically conductive textile materials are widely used also for sensing applications in addition to being used as antistatic, electromagnetic shielding, for creating smart textiles, etc. The main aim of this paper is to study the effect of tensile deformation applied on knitted fabrics on their electromagnetic shielding ability, electrical resistance, and porosity to gain knowledge for the construction of textile-based wireless strain sensors. For the experiment, silver-coated yarn was chosen to produce knitted fabrics with two different patterns and three levels of stitch densities. The uniaxial and biaxial deformation was applied to samples and at the same time, the change of electromagnetic shielding ability, electric resistance, and porosity of the sample set was evaluated. It can be summarized, that the vertical stretch has the highest positive effect on the electromagnetic shielding ability and the maximum shielding sensitivity is 12 % compared to other deformation types. In general, the electrical resistance decreases during increased stretch due to the increasing number of contacts between electrically conductive yarns, which causes a decrease in the contact resistance and also a decrease in total electrical resistance. The highest positive effect on the porosity of samples represents biaxial deformation. The finding that the overall shielding efficiency is positively influenced by the electrical conductivity of the sample and at the same time negatively influenced by the increasing porosity during tensile deformation was the motivation to construct a simple regression model for the prediction of the electromagnetic shielding ability of the sample during its extension.