bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unmet dental care need in West of Iran: determinants and inequality
Authors: Mohamadi-Bolbanabad Amjad , Abdullah Farman Zahir , Safari Hossein , Rezaei Satar , Afkhamzadeh Abdorrahim , Amirhosseini Shina , Shadi Afshin , Mahmoudpour Jamal , Piroozi Bakhtiar
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to assess the self-perceived need, seeking and use of dental care and its main determinants in Kurdistan province, Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 1,056 adults in Kurdistan province were included in this cross-sectional study. Multistage sampling approach was used to select the samples. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, economic status, self-perceived need, seeking and use of dental care were collected using a self-administrated questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to assess factors affecting the use of dental care. In addition, socioeconomic inequality relating to dental care needs and use of dental care were examined using concentration curve and concentration index.

Findings

In this study, unmet dental care need was 62.7%. There was a perceived need for dental care among 13.7% (n = 145) of the participants in the past month, with only 39.3% (n = 57) seeking the care. The most important reasons for unmet dental care need were “Could not afford the cost” and “Insurance did not cover the costs.” Multivariate logistic regression showed that supplementary insurance status and household economic status were identified as main determinants affecting dental care-seeking behavior. The result of concentration index revealed that seeking dental care was more concentrated among the rich, whereas the perceived dental care need is more prevalent among the poor.

Originality/value

This study demonstrated that the prevalence of unmet dental care needs is high in the study setting. Also, financial barrier was identified as the main determinant of unmet dental care needs.
A reconsideration of Lean Six Sigma in healthcare after the COVID-19 crisis
Authors: Kuiper Alex , Lee Robert H. , van Ham Vincent J.J. , Does Ronald J.M.M.
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to reflect upon the ramifications of two decades of Lean Six Sigma implementations in Dutch healthcare institutions in the light of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors provide an evaluation of the impact that Lean Six Sigma implementations have had on the ability of Dutch healthcare institutions to respond adequately to healthcare needs during the COVID-19 crisis.

Findings

Process improvement in healthcare has had a tendency to cut capacity and flexibility which are needed to deal with excessive demand shocks, such as during a pandemic. The main reason for this failure seems to be an overly strong focus on cost reduction instigated by Lean Six Sigma during stable times.

Research limitations/implications

Besides the research method being an inferential procedure, the research focuses on the Netherlands and so the generalizability might be limited. However, using Lean Six Sigma to improve healthcare processes has found broad acceptance, so the implications may well carry over to other countries.

Practical implications

The authors call for a more comprehensive approach of process improvement within healthcare that takes flexibility and buffering in anticipation of excess variability and disruption into greater account. Therefore, this study provides a new perspective on how and to which aim Lean Six Sigma should be applied in healthcare.

Originality/value

An assessment is given of the impact of Lean Six Sigma implementations on the ability to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. This is done by identifying the focus points of improvement projects and considering the impact on the resilience of healthcare operations.
PID control of an omnidirectional mobile platform based on an RBF neural network controller
Authors: Zijie Niu , Peng Zhang , Cui Yongjie , Jun Zhang
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Omnidirectional mobile platforms are still plagued by the problem of heading deviation. In four-Mecanum-wheel systems, this problem arises from the phenomena of dynamic imbalance and slip of the Mecanum wheels while driving. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the mechanism of omnidirectional motion using Mecanum wheels, with the aim of enhancing the heading precision. A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) setting control algorithm based on a radial basis function (RBF) neural network model is introduced.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the mechanism of omnidirectional motion using Mecanum wheels is analyzed, with the aim of enhancing the heading precision. A PID setting control algorithm based on an RBF neural network model is introduced. The algorithm is based on a kinematics model for an omnidirectional mobile platform and corrects the driving heading in real time. In this algorithm, the neural network RBF NN2 is used for identifying the state of the system, calculating the Jacobian information of the system and transmitting information to the neural network RBF NN1.

Findings

The network RBF NN1 calculates the deviations ?Kp, ?Ki and ?Kd to regulate the three coefficients Kp, Ki and Kd of the heading angle PID controller. This corrects the driving heading in real time, resolving the problems of low heading precision and unstable driving. The experimental data indicate that, for a externally imposed deviation in the heading angle of between 34º and ∼38°, the correction time for an omnidirectional mobile platform applying the algorithm during longitudinal driving is reduced by 1.4 s compared with the traditional PID control algorithm, while the overshoot angle is reduced by 7.4°; for lateral driving, the correction time is reduced by 1.4 s and the overshoot angle is reduced by 4.2°.

Originality/value

In this study, the mechanism of omnidirectional motion using Mecanum wheels is analyzed, with the aim of enhancing the heading precision. A PID setting control algorithm based on an RBF neural network model is introduced. The algorithm is based on a kinematics model for an omnidirectional mobile platform and corrects the driving heading in real time. In this algorithm, the neural network RBF NN2 is used for identifying the state of the system, calculating the Jacobian information of the system and transmitting information to the neural network RBF NN1. The method is innovative.
Positive risk taking: debating the research agenda in the context of adult protection and COVID
Authors: King Erin , Davies Karen , Abendstern Michele
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the case for examining the concept of positive risk taking (PRT) in the context of adult protection. The paper argues there is a need for empirical research to understand the application of and attitudes to PRT to explore whether the concept has moved beyond a principle to make an identifiable difference to service users.

Design/methodology/approach

By investigating evidence from policy, literature and professional opinion, this paper presents the ethical tensions for professional practice in adult protection between respecting a service user’s freedom to make choices to enhance their independence while preserving safety for service users and society. This is considered in the context of risk in health and social care and the recent changes in society resulting from COVID-19.

Findings

Inherent tensions are apparent in the evidence in health and social care between attitudes propounding safety first and those arguing for the benefits of risk taking. This indicates not only a need for a paradigm shift in attitudes but also a research agenda that promotes empirical studies of the implications of PRT from service user and professional perspectives.

Originality/value

This paper draws attention to the relatively limited research into both professionals’ and service user’s perspectives and experiences of PRT in practice.
Construction and validation of barriers to Iranian ESP instructors’ reflective practice scale
Authors: Sheikhbanooie Milad , Farahian Majid
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Since reflectivity has a crucial role in education, it has attracted researchers’ attention in the last decades. As such, the present study aimed to construct and validate a questionnaire to assess the barriers to reflective practices of Iranian ESP (English for Specific Purposes) instructors. Furthermore, this study aimed to investigate the reliability of the scale.

Design/methodology/approach

To attain the purpose of the study, the researchers developed the first item pool of the questionnaire which included 67 items. Then, 4 experts were asked to pass their judgments on the items. Accordingly, 37 items were excluded and the next draft of the questionnaire that included 30 items remained. After their feedback, the revised scale was piloted with 10 ESP instructors to check the clarity of items. Then, the scale was administered to 210 ESP instructors. At the next stage, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was run to assess the construct validity of the questionnaire. Based on the results, three items were removed. To investigate the internal consistency of the scale, a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was employed.

Findings

The final version of the scale included 27 items with three subscales, namely, learners, instructors and institutions’ issues. The results revealed that the questionnaire enjoyed an acceptable level of validity and reliability.

Originality/value

Apart from a few studies, no other study has scrutinized barriers to EFL teachers’ reflectivity. In addition, in the realm of ESP, no study has developed a scale to measure barriers to ESP teachers’ reflective practice.
A barrier diagnostic framework in process of digital transformation in higher education institutions
Authors: Aditya Bayu Rima , Ferdiana Ridi , Kusumawardani Sri Suning
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Existing literature has reported a barrier list that could affect the implementation of digital transformation in higher education, yet the research question of how to identify barriers remained unanswered. Thus, this study intended to address this gap.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design adopted a mixed-methods approach based on the problem-centered design science research (DSR) process model for the development and evaluation of framework.

Findings

This study proposed a systematic framework of three sets of components: (1) the initial set of barriers; (2) the barrier rating scheme and (3) the barrier scoring matrix. The three-component of the framework is to identify and prioritize barriers to the successful implementation of digital transformation in higher education.

Research limitations/implications

The evaluation of the framework was only based on an expert opinion.

Practical implications

This study provided a direction to the policymakers for designing sensible strategies to increase the chances of a successful digital transformation in higher education.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the knowledge body by offering a more systematic understanding of barriers to digital transformation in higher education.
Humanitarian aid logistics: a Cardiff University research perspective on cases, structures and prospects
Authors: Beresford Anthony , Pettit Stephen
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper provides a contextualised review of research in the area of humanitarian and emergency relief logistics, providing insights with particular emphasis on lessons learned. The paper tracks the evolution of research against the development of partner networks and key global events; information was collated and assimilated from cross-cutting themes such as disaster preparedness, emergency response structures and the transferability of commercial-world concepts and principles (such as sustainability) into volatile and fragile environments. It concludes by suggesting possible future challenges which could steer humanitarian response on the ground and will influence the path of academic research going forward.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a general review of work undertaken in the area of Humanitarian Logistics. Use is made of vignettes of case studies in order to provide focus to the discussion and to highlight key issues that emerged from the research reviewed.

Findings

The findings show that there are several new areas of research which will need to be addressed in the humanitarian logistics arena. The discussion demonstrates that research into crisis response is arguably even more important today than it has been previously. Research therefore likely needs to be expanded considerably over the next decade and beyond.

Originality/value

This paper contextualises and synthesises past research into humanitarian logistics responses, highlights key themes and suggests areas for further research.
Analysis of highway performance under mixed connected and regular vehicle environment
Authors: Zhang Zhao , Yang Xianfeng (Terry)
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to study the connected vehicle (CV) impact on highway operational performance under a mixed CV and regular vehicle (RV) environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors implemented a mixed traffic flow model, along with a CV speed control model, in the simulation environment. According to the different traffic characteristics between CVs and RVs, this research first analyzed how the operation of CVs can affect highway capacity under both one-lane and multi-lane cases. A hypothesis was then made that there shall exist a critical CV penetration rate that can significantly show the benefit of CV to the overall traffic. To prove this concept, this study simulated the mixed traffic pattern under various conditions.

Findings

The results of this research revealed that performing optimal speed control to CVs will concurrently benefit RVs by improving highway capacity. Furthermore, a critical CV penetration rate should exist at a specified traffic demand level, which can significantly reduce the speed difference between RVs and CVs. The results offer effective insight to understand the potential impacts of different CV penetration rates on highway operation performance.

Originality/value

This approach assumes that there shall exist a critical CV penetration rate that can maximize the benefits of CV implementations. CV penetration rate (the proportion of CVs in mixed traffic) is the key factor affecting the impacts of CV on freeway operational performance. The evaluation criteria for freeway operational performance are using average travel time under different given traffic demand patterns.
Non-linear impact of globalization on financial crimes: a case of developing economies
Authors: Amjad Rabia Muhammad , Rafay Abdul , Arshed Noman , Munir Mubbasher , Amjad Maryam Muhammad
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The Financial Action Task Force defines money laundering as “processing of these criminal proceeds to disguise their illegal origin”. This is the major portion of financial crime that has ties across borders and like all financial crimes which are well planned and camouflaged, this crime is difficult to detect and deter. Over the years, on one side, globalization has provided development opportunities, it has also become one reason for the pervasiveness of money laundering. This has led to a disturbance in the global financial system and social unrest as proceeds from money laundering are being used in terrorism. The purpose of this study is to explore the non linear effect of globalization on financial crime in the form of money laundering.

Design/methodology/approach

An investigation based on 119 developing countries from the time period of 1985 till 2015 is conducted in this study. The panel quantile regression model was used to estimate antecedents of money laundering.

Findings

The study confirmed that globalization follows an inverted U-shaped relationship with money laundering. Furthermore, indicators such as investment portfolio and socioeconomic conditions have a significant effect on money laundering.

Originality/value

The panel quantile regression model was used to estimate antecedents of money laundering.
Congruency or incongruency: a theoretical framework and opportunities for future research avenues
Authors: Eklund Andreas Aldogan , Helmefalk Miralem
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise and provide a future research agenda for (in)congruence regarding cues between products, brands and atmospheres.

Design/methodology/approach

A semi-systematic literature review was conducted. The aim was to assess, critique and synthesise (in)congruence, which was found in the literature to be dispersed and interdisciplinary, and to propose a theoretical framework in the marketing domain.

Findings

Firstly, the review reveals that sensory and semantic cues are interrelated in products, brands and atmospheres. It illustrates that these cues are the foundation for (in)congruence. Secondly, the findings show various theoretical foundations for (in)congruence. These explain where and how congruence occurs. Lastly, a theoretical framework for (in)congruence and a future research agenda were developed to stimulate further research.

Research limitations/implications

A theoretical framework was developed to enrich the theoretical knowledge and understanding of (in)congruence in the marketing domain.

Practical implications

The review reveals that products, brands and atmospheres have spillover effects. Managers are advised to understand the semantic meaning carried by cues to foster various outcomes, to estimate the trade-offs when modifying (in)congruent cues for products, brands and atmospheres.

Originality/value

The developed theoretical framework advances and deepens the knowledge of (in)congruence in the marketing domain by moving beyond the match and fit between two entities and by revealing the underlying mechanism and its outcomes.
A best-worst-method-based performance evaluation framework for manufacturing industry
Authors: Khan Sharfuddin Ahmed , Kusi-Sarpong Simonov , Naim Iram , Ahmadi Hadi Badri , Oyedijo Adegboyega
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of paper is to develop a performance evaluation framework for manufacturing industry to evaluate overall manufacturing performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The best-worst method (BWM) is used to aid in developing a performance evaluation framework for manufacturing industry to evaluate their overall performance.

Findings

The proposed BWM-based manufacturing performance evaluation framework is implemented in an Indian steel manufacturing company to evaluate their overall manufacturing performance. Operational performance of the organization is very consistent and range between 60% and 70% throughout the year. Management performance can be seen high in the 1st and 2nd quarter of the financial year ranging from 70% to 80%, whereas a slight decrease in the management performance is observed in the 3rd and 4th quarter ranging from 60% to 70%. The social stakeholder performance has a peak in first quarter ranging from 80% to 100% as at start of financial year.

Originality/value

This paper utilized BWM, a MCDM method in developing a performance evaluation index that integrates several categories of manufacturing and evaluates overall manufacturing performance. This is a novel contribution to BWM decision-making application.
When to challenge employees' comfort zones? The interplay between culture fit, innovation culture and supervisors' intellectual stimulation
Authors: Endrejat Paul Constantin
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study, first, examines whether a low culture person–organization (P-O) fit reduces job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Second, the author investigates how an organization's current innovation culture affects employees' attitudes and behaviors. Third, the author focuses on the interplay between leadership and organizational culture by testing whether supervisors' intellectual stimulation can mitigate the negative effects of a low innovation culture.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected via online questionnaires from 135 employees. Using the organizational culture assessment inventory, employees described their current and their preferred organizational culture and rated their supervisors' behavior.

Findings

Current-preferred culture discrepancies and a low innovation culture were associated with lower job satisfaction. The negative effect of a low innovation culture on employees' satisfaction was moderated by supervisors' intellectual stimulation (i.e. employees working in a low innovation culture are more satisfied when they have a stimulating supervisor). If employees' preference regarding the desired culture differed from those of their colleagues, they reported less OCB. Intellectual stimulation exacerbated this effect.

Research limitations/implications

The author relied on self-reported cross-sectional data.

Practical implications

Actions are needed to ensure that the current culture and the preferred culture align and that employees agree on how the organizational culture should develop. Unless followers prefer different cultures than their colleagues, supervisors should show intellectual stimulation, especially in a culture whose norms do not support innovation.

Originality/value

The author emphasizes the positive consequences of a culture P-O fit and contributes to the much needed knowledge regarding the interplay between organizational culture and leadership behaviors on employees' attitudes and behaviors.
Remittances and households’ savings behaviour in Bangladesh
Authors: Salahuddin Sarah , Masud Muhammad Mehedi , Kian Teng Kwek
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of remittance inflow on households’ savings behaviour in Bangladesh. Remittances are considered as the countercyclical flow of income for its recipient economies. It surges the liquidity of the households receiving remittances, allows them to endure local economic shocks and facilitates them to practice productive activities. Remittances often form a big pool of resources for investment which complement the national savings and support the country’s growth through higher rates of capital accumulation. Therefore, if a significant portion of the remittance is used for savings it can lead to prominent economic growth in the long term.

Design/methodology/approach

Existing literature indicates remittance-receiving households have a greater propensity to use remittance income to meet basic consumption. However, based on the survey conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics on remittances and household savings (SIR, 2016) and using the ordinary least square regression analysis method, to identify the connection between remittances and household’s saving (SIR, 2016) and using the ordinary least square regression analysis method, to identify the connection between remittances and household’s savings behaviour in Bangladesh.

Findings

The findings of this study represent remittances encourage households to pursue different kinds of savings in Bangladesh. Savings are made in the form of opening savings accounts, deposit pension scheme/fixed deposits/Bonds, insurance policies, also savings through non-governmental organizations, cooperative societies and savings at home. Other than remittances the demographic characteristics of the household head also influence the savings choices.

Originality/value

To enable the implementation of appropriate policies to boost savings, analysis from both perspectives; the household and the national level, requires strong vigilance and surveillance.
Design and fabrication of a portable automatic coil winding machine
Authors: Ebuehi Adesuwa Annabelle , Eric Gift Okeoghene , Akinloye Benjamin
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The difficulty in winding coil-based electrical and electronic devices manually lies in the fact that it takes so much time and effort to perform. Furthermore, it is difficult to achieve accuracy manually, as it is possible to lose count of the number of turns being wound. The purpose of this paper is to detail the design methods and calculations used to achieve a cost-effective, significantly accurate and more efficient method of winding coils.

Design/methodology/approach

A program flowchart was designed as a guideline for writing the program. An AT89C52 microcontroller was used to control the movement of the two direct current (DC) motors used in the construction of the machine. The circuit design obtained was then simulated using Proteus to test the functionality of the components together.

Findings

An electromechanical automatic coil winding machine for the coiling of simple, small-sized, coil-based electrical devices was successfully designed and fabricated. The machine was tested by winding a 1 kVA transformer. Diagrams, calculations, results and observations obtained during the design and construction are detailed in this paper.

Originality/value

This machine solves the problem of tediousness in coil winding, stably and precisely winding 60 turns/min at a 24 V supply and providing a keypad input method. Although portable automatic coil winding machines have been rendered previously, most have applied the use of stepper motors. The application of brushed DC motors alongside an AT89C52 microcontroller is a variation to the pool of renditions, offering better controllability and a sustained output.
Effect of the Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme on exit time from catastrophic healthcare expenditure
Authors: Frimpong Albert Opoku , Amporfu Eugenia , Arthur Eric
Published: July 2021

Catastrophic healthcare expenditure (CHE) can plunge households into poverty. Faced with CHE, the question that becomes relevant is how long it will take the household to exit CHE. This paper examines the effect of the Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) on exit time from CHE. The paper uses the Cox proportional hazard model for the analysis, with data sourced from round six of the Ghana Living Standard Survey and World Development Indicators. The results show that households that spend 40% (20%) of their non‐food incomes on healthcare, on average, exit CHE after 10 months and 4 days (13 months and 24 days) being in CHE and those with NHIS coverage exit CHE 19 days (30 days) earlier than those without NHIS coverage. Policy implications arising from this paper include the need to expand NHIS enrolment to mitigate impoverishment due to out‐of‐pocket healthcare payments. Households with higher risks of severe CHE and longer exit time from CHE should be identified and provided with comprehensive NHIS coverage than those with lower risks.
Three English By‐Elections–What Have we Learned?
Authors: Surridge Paula
Published: July 2021

There have been three recent English Westminster by‐elections, in Hartlepool, Chesham and Amersham, and Batley and Spen. Each of these seats illustrates a different type of party competition and so taken together allow a picture of how voters’ preferences are evolving in the post‐Brexit and post‐pandemic world. This article places each of these by‐elections into a longer‐term perspective, looking at the underlying political changes that have driven the different results. The decline of party identification over this period means that voters are less attached to parties than in the past, more willing to vote for smaller parties and as a result, less predictable in their behaviour. Each of the by‐elections highlights the behaviour of a different group of voters, related to both Brexit and other social identities. The results suggest that we should continue to expect the unexpected when the British electorate goes to the polls, as voting behaviour becomes influenced by complex combinations of values, identities and interests.
CRITICAL URBAN THEORY IN THE ‘URBAN AGE’: Ruptures, Tensions, and Messy Solidarities
Authors: Oswin Natalie , Pratt Geraldine
Published: July 2021

This symposium extends debates over Neil Brenner‘s and Christian Schmid's planetary urbanization framework as ‘a new epistemology of the urban’. The contributors find much that is provocative and productive in the planetary urbanization approach as it has been advanced thus far. They also have concerns about the ways in which this approach has the potential to limit the bounds of urban theory (intentionally or not). Thus the collection extends existing engagements (most notably via a 2018 special issue of the journal Society and Space) with planetary urbanization by scholars working in minor theoretical registers as an effort to offer positive critique in the context of elaborated alternatives. The intent of the collection is, in short, to offer reflections on urban scholarship in the ‘urban age’ that resist some planetary urbanization theorists’ call to pin down urban theory and instead might leave it open to ‘radical alterity’. The introduction, four research articles and one commentary that make up the symposium cover such topics as urban migrant labor, the multiple temporalities of urban development, caste and urban ecology, the politics of knowledge production, and theorizing as cosmopolitan practice.
SPLANETARY URBANIZATION
Authors: Katz Cindi
Published: July 2021

In this article I draw on ideas associated with minor theory to address the politics of knowledge that permeate the discourse and aspirations of planetary urbanization, and think through what is at stake in some of its broader claims. Existing critiques challenge the evacuation of agency, subjectivity and forms of difference in the planetary ambitions of the theory and call out its inattentiveness to lived experience. Here, I seek to further these critiques by addressing lived experience not as some ‘real’ against which all things are measured, but to find the political grounds where social actors are made and act on the shifting conditions of their lives. I excavate some of the social relations flattened or ignored in planetary urbanization's key propositions by drawing on three texts that allow us to imagine the planetary without foreclosure: a map from Rebecca Solnit and Joshua Jelly‐Schapiro's Nonstop Metropolis; the Detroit Geographical Expedition and Institute as an almost forgotten alternative, and an example of urban research and practice that is at once intimate and global; and artist Zoe Leonard's pieces ‘Analogue’ and ‘You See I Am Here After All’. By drawing out some connections to and among these works in time and space, I reframe the planetary with reference to countertopography to reveal and spark consciousness of the makings, undoings, contingencies and possibilities of contemporary urbanization—global and intimate, planetary but lived.
OF HOLY COWS AND UNHOLY POLITICS: Dalits, Annihilation and More‐than‐Human Urban Abolition Ecologies
Authors: Reddy Rajyashree N.
Published: July 2021

In this article, I argue that the ecologies of urban India are constitutively casteist, by which I mean that caste is sedimented into the land, water, and waste of India's cities, with their outcaste bodies of Dalits often providing the critical infrastructural labor necessary for the social reproduction. The casteist ecologies of urban India were cast into sharp relief in 2016 when vigilante Hindu Right cow protectors ruthlessly flogged four Dalit youths as they were doing the stigmatized outcaste labor of disposing of dead cows. The focus of this article is the Dalit struggle that emerged in the wake of this flogging incident to annihilate the casteist logics that undergird India's urban metabolic flows. This struggle nurtures confrontational Dalit subjects who mobilize annihilation as a force of justice to enact urban abolition ecologies that refuse the treatment of Dalits as less‐than‐human while also cultivating ethical relations with the other, including the more‐than‐human other. In this article I build on the abolitionist imaginaries of Dalit struggles to argue that everyday processes of subjectification must be at the analytical center of urban political ecology, and of urban theory more broadly, because subjects, through their everyday incremental and imaginative acts, play a vital role in shaping urban futures. By paying attention to the everyday praxis of refusal and responsibility that constitutes Dalit subjects as planetary subjects who embody a relational ethics of planetarity, I conclude the article by suggesting that the urban theory that we need for our time—a time of the planetary turn in urban studies—is one that approaches the urban through the topos of planetarity.
Gaseous ozone to preserve quality and enhance microbial safety of fresh produce: Recent developments and research needs
Authors: Fan Xuetong
Published: July 2021

Fresh fruits and vegetables are highly perishable and are subject to large postharvest losses due to physiological (senescence), pathologic (decay), and physical (mechanical damage) factors. In addition, contamination of fresh produce with foodborne human pathogens has become a concern. Gaseous ozone has multiple benefits including destruction of ethylene, inactivation of foodborne and spoilage microorganisms, and degradation of chemical residues. This article reviews the beneficial effects of gaseous ozone, its influence on quality and biochemical changes, foodborne human pathogens, and spoilage microorganisms, and discusses research needs with an emphasis on fruits. Ozone may induce synthesis of a number of antioxidants and bioactive compounds by activating secondary metabolisms involving a wide range of enzymes. Disparities exist in the literature regarding the impact of gaseous ozone on quality and physiological processes of fresh produce, such as weight loss, ascorbic acid, and fruit ripening. The disparities are complicated by incomplete reporting of the necessary information, such as relative humidity and temperatures at which ozone measurement and treatment were performed, which is needed for accurate comparison of results among studies. In order to fully realize the benefits of gaseous ozone, research is needed to evaluate the molecular mechanisms of gaseous ozone in inhibiting ripening, influence of relative humidity on the antimicrobial efficacy, interaction between ozone and the cuticle of fresh produce, ozone signaling pathways in the cells and tissues, and so forth. Possible adverse effects of gaseous ozone on quality of fresh produce also need to be carefully evaluated for the purpose of enhancing microbial and chemical safety of fresh produce.
Magnetic resonance characterisation of primary Raynaud’s phenomenon
Authors: White Roland Z , Nguyen Thi , Sampson Matthew J
Published: July 2021

The objective findings of phalangeal T2‐weighted hyperintense and T1‐weighted hypointense bone marrow signal on MRI without features of seronegative arthropathy or osteomyelitis may assist clinicians in making a diagnosis in the appropriate clinical context.
Serial administration of rhBMP‐2 and alendronate enhances the differentiation of osteoblasts
Authors: Kim Sang‐Hyon , Choi Hye‐Jung , Yoon Dae Sung , Son Chang‐Nam
Published: July 2021

Aim

The incorporation of growth factors is an effective strategy to accelerate bone induction. Bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP‐2) promotes osteoblast differentiation and induces bone formation. Alendronate (ALN) is an osteoclast deactivation drug. We investigated the effect of serial administration of recombinant human BMP‐2 (rhBMP‐2) and ALN on osteoblast differentiation.

Methods

The effect of serial administration of rhBMP‐2 (0‐150 ng/mL) and ALN (0‐15 µmol/L) on the viability and differentiation of a clonal murine calvarial cell line, MC3T3‐E1, was evaluated at various concentrations and for different periods. The Cell Counting Kit‐8 assay was used to assess cell viability. The alkaline phosphatase activity was evaluated as an indicator of osteogenic differentiation. The expression levels of runt domain‐containing transcription factor 2 (Runx2) and osteopontin (OPN) were analyzed by real‐time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Statistical analyses were performed using Student's t test.

Results

The serial treatment with rhBMP‐2 and ALN increased the expression of the differentiation‐related factors Runx2 and OPN, as well as the differentiation ability of osteoblasts compared with individual or simultaneous treatment. The osteoblasts treated with rhBMP‐2 followed by ALN showed the highest differentiation. The degree of differentiation in the group treated with rhBMP‐2 for 7 days followed by ALN for 3 days was increased by 1.5 times compared with that of the group treated with rhBMP‐2 alone (P < .01).

Conclusion

These findings indicate that the serial administration of rhBMP‐2 and ALN may exert osteogenic effects on osteoblastic cells via the upregulation of Runx2 and OPN.
Fibromyalgia in HIV‐positive patients in Nigeria: A cross‐sectional prospective study
Authors: Emorinken Airenakho , Dic‐Ijiewere Mercy Ofunami , Erameh Cyril Oshomah , Ugheoke Asuwemhe Johnson , Agbebaku Folasade Ojuolape , Agbadaola Oluwaseun Remi
Published: July 2021

Background

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome of unknown etiology characterized by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain and tenderness. It affects the quality of life of patients and has been associated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The study aimed to determine the prevalence of fibromyalgia in HIV‐positive patients and assess the effect of fibromyalgia on their functional status.

Methodology

This was a cross‐sectional study comprising 160 treatment‐naive HIV‐positive patients and 160 age‐ and sex‐matched HIV‐negative controls. The diagnosis of fibromyalgia was based on the 2011 modification of the 2010 American College of Rheumatology diagnostic criteria by assessing the widespread pain index and symptom severity score. The severity of fibromyalgia was assessed with the revised fibromyalgia impact questionnaire.

Results

The prevalence of fibromyalgia in HIV‐positive individuals was found to be 10.6%, which was significantly higher compared with controls (3.1%; P = .008). There was no significant association between fibromyalgia and age, gender, or occupation. There was a significant relationship between CD4 count levels (P < .001), WHO clinical stage (P < .001), and fibromyalgia. A statistically significant higher score on the Revised FM Impact Questionnaire was found in HIV‐positive individuals with fibromyalgia (P < .001).

Conclusion

The study found that HIV‐positive patients had a significantly higher incidence of fibromyalgia than controls and this was related to active indices of HIV disease. Fibromyalgia had a greater clinical impact on HIV patients than in controls. As a result, fibromyalgia should be identified and treated in people living with HIV.
Real‐time interactive artificial intelligence of things–based prediction for adverse outcomes in adult patients with pneumonia in the emergency department
Authors: Chen You‐Ming , Kao Yuan , Hsu Chien‐Chin , Chen Chia‐Jung , Ma Yu‐Shan , Shen Yu‐Ting , Liu Tzu‐Lan , Hsu Shu‐Lien , Lin Hung‐Jung , Wang Jhi‐Joung , Huang Chien‐Cheng , Liu Chung‐Feng
Published: July 2021

Background

Artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) may be a solution for predicting adverse outcomes in emergency department (ED) patients with pneumonia; however, this issue remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted this study to clarify it.

Methods

We identified 52,626 adult ED patients with pneumonia from three hospitals between 2010 and 2019 for this study. Thirty‐three feature variables from electronic medical records were used to construct an artificial intelligence (AI) model to predict sepsis or septic shock, respiratory failure, and mortality. After comparisons of the predictive accuracies among logistic regression, random forest, support‐vector machine (SVM), light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), we selected the best one to build the model. We further combined the AI model with the Internet of things as AIoT, added an interactive mode, and implemented it in the hospital information system to assist clinicians with decision making in real time. We also compared the AIoT‐based model with the confusion‐urea‐respiratory rate‐blood pressure‐65 (CURB‐65) and pneumonia severity index (PSI) for predicting mortality.

Results

The best AI algorithms were random forest for sepsis or septic shock (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.781), LightGBM for respiratory failure (AUC = 0.847), and mortality (AUC = 0.835). The AIoT‐based model represented better performance than CURB‐65 and PSI indicators for predicting mortality (0.835 vs. 0.681 and 0.835 vs. 0.728).

Conclusions

A real‐time interactive AIoT‐based model might be a better tool for predicting adverse outcomes in ED patients with pneumonia. Further validation in other populations is warranted.
Gender differences in any alcohol screening and discussions with providers among older adults in the United States, 2015 to 2019
Authors: Mauro Pia M. , Askari Melanie S. , Han Benjamin H.
Published: July 2021

Background

Unhealthy alcohol use is increasing among older adults, particularly women. We estimated gender differences in the prevalence of alcohol screening/discussions with healthcare providers among older adults who use alcohol.

Methods

Using the 2015 to 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, we included 9663 adults age 65 and older in the United States who used alcohol and had a past‐year healthcare encounter. We estimated the weighted prevalence of alcohol screening/discussions (no screening; screening only; discussions with providers) by gender. We used weighted multinomial logistic regression models to examine correlates of alcohol use screening/discussions.

Results

Among older adults who used alcohol and encountered the healthcare system in the past year, 24.68% of men and 27.04% of women reported no alcohol screening/discussions. Men were more likely than women to be asked about drinking frequency, amount, or problems related to drinking. Compared to no alcohol screening/discussions, women were 22% more likely (95% CI: 1.05, 1.42) to report alcohol screening only but were 18% less likely to discuss alcohol with providers (95% CI: 0.73, 0.91) than men. Women had 0.67 times (95% CI: 0.60, 0.74) the adjusted odds of reporting alcohol discussions with providers versus any alcohol screening only compared with men.

Conclusions

Over a quarter of older adults who used alcohol were not asked about their drinking, and older women were less likely than men to discuss alcohol use with providers. Given the increased risk for harms of alcohol use with aging, older adults should be screened and counseled regarding their alcohol use.
5 Scaling Centers and Commerce in Preclassic and Late Classic Settlements in South‐Central Veracruz
Authors: Ossa Alanna
Published: July 2021

Previous research in the Mixtequilla region of south‐central Veracruz documented commercial market exchange centered on the Middle Postclassic period (1200–1350 CE) center of Sauce. However, residential evidence and the spatial articulation of exchange (commercial or not) with centers has not been evaluated systematically for both the Preclassic (600 BCE – 300 CE) and Late Classic (600–900 CE) periods. These periods are of particular interest in evaluating the association of political centers with commerce because they are marked by the formation of a large capital and state (Cerro de las Mesas) during the Preclassic, and the breakdown of this state into several likely competing polities (Nopiloa, Azuzules, and Zapotal) in the Late Classic. Density collections of ceramics at residential mounds made by Stark's Proyecto Arqueológico La Mixtequilla provide evidence for changes in the scale and network distributions of exchange over time.[Veracruz, quantitative methods, markets, Preclassic, Late Classic]
Higher concentrations of cytokine blockers are needed to obtain small bowel mucosal healing during maintenance therapy in Crohn's disease
Authors: Takenaka Kento , Kawamoto Ami , Hibiya Shuji , Suzuki Kohei , Fujii Toshimitsu , Motobayashi Maiko , Shimizu Hiromichi , Nagahori Masakazu , Saito Eiko , Okamoto Ryuichi , Watanabe Mamoru , Ohtsuka Kazuo
Published: July 2021

Background

Several studies have reported a positive correlation between serum drug concentrations and endoscopic remission in patients with Crohn's disease.

Aim

To examine the association between the concentrations of cytokine blockers (infliximab, adalimumab and ustekinumab) and endoscopic remission of small bowel lesions.

Method

This was a cross‐sectional study conducted at a single tertiary referral centre. Patients with Crohn's disease who received maintenance cytokine blocker therapy were recruited from April 2018 to May 2020. We performed balloon‐assisted enteroscopy and collected serum samples to measure drug concentrations. The primary endpoint was the relationship between the concentrations of cytokine blockers and endoscopic remission in the small bowel.

Results

We enrolled 143 patients, 66, 44 and 33 of whom were receiving infliximab, adalimumab and ustekinumab, respectively. Enteroscopic findings showed that the rate of endoscopic remission of small bowel lesions was significantly lower than that of colonic lesions (P < 0.01). For each agent, the mean drug concentration in patients exhibiting endoscopic remission in the small bowel was higher than that observed in patients with endoscopic remission in the colon (but not in the small bowel) or with any active disease (either in the small bowel, colon or both). Patients with infliximab, adalimumab and ustekinumab concentrations >5, 14 and 4 µg/mL were nearly 5.3‐, 9.4‐ and 14.7‐times more likely to exhibit endoscopic remission of the small bowel, respectively.

Conclusions

Cytokine blocker treatment was less efficacious for small bowel inflammation than colonic inflammation. Higher serum concentrations were needed to achieve endoscopic remission of small bowel lesions.
Robot‐assisted enucleation of a giant submucosal tumor in the upper esophagus
Authors: Aritake Tsukasa , Abe Tetsuya , Higaki Eiji , Nagao Takuya , Hosoi Takahiro , Hosoda Waki , Sakamoto Shoko , Ito Seiji , Komori Koji , Shimizu Yasuhiro
Published: July 2021

Few reports have demonstrated robotic surgery for large tumors in the upper esophagus. We report a case of a 52‐year‐old woman with a giant submucosal tumor in the upper esophagus successfully enucleated using robotic surgery. She presented with odynophagia and dysphagia, with subsequent evaluation revealing a submucosal mass measuring approximately 10 cm in diameter in the upper esophagus. The mass was compressing the trachea and enlarged over 3 years. Endoscopic ultrasound fine needle aspiration of the tumor was non‐diagnostic. Robot‐assisted esophageal submucosal tumor enucleation was performed for diagnosis and treatment. Flexible forceps control allowed for a multi‐directional approach to dissect the tumor and stable forceps handling was critical in this delicate procedure. Subsequent pathological review revealed a well‐differentiated esophageal liposarcoma. While surgical margins were not entirely negative, the local recurrence rate of the tumor is low. At the patient's request, we decided to observe the patient without additional resection.
Political meritocracy and policy integration: How Chinese government combats the COVID‐19?
Authors: Wang Bing
Published: July 2021

The COVID‐19 pandemic is fundamentally affecting the world by challenging governments. Although most countries are still combating the virus, China, as the first plagued country, has basically contained the pandemic. This review article aims to analyze and explain how the Chinese government has achieved this task. By tracing the detailed timeline of the pandemic, it dissects the political meritocracy and policy integration of the Chinese government, which are the main reasons for its policy efficiency and effectiveness. Meritocracy requires the government and politicians to respect science, knowledge, evidence, rationality, and professionalism, particularly within the background of populism and anti‐intellectualism. In a pandemic, the Chinese experience of political meritocracy and policy integration may balance conflicting public values better than liberal democratic nations. Global solidarity and cooperation during this pandemic can be better achieved if Chinese politics and policies are deeply understood.