bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pulmonary Recovery 12 Months after Non-Severe and Severe COVID-19: The Prospective Swiss COVID-19 Lung Study
Authors: Lenoir Alexandra , Christe Andreas , Ebner Lukas , Beigelman-Aubry Catherine , Bridevaux Pierre-Olivier , Brutsche Martin , Clarenbach Christian , Erkosar Berra , Garzoni Christian , Geiser Thomas , Guler Sabina A. , Heg Dik , Lador Frédéric , Mancinetti Marco , Ott Sebastian R. , Piquilloud Lise , Prella Maura , Que Yok-Ai , von Garnier Christophe , Funke-Chambour Manuela
Published: December 2022

Background: Lung function impairment persists in some patients for months after acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Long-term lung function, radiological features, and their association remain to be clarified. Objectives: We aimed to prospectively investigate lung function and radiological abnormalities over 12 months after severe and non-severe COVID-19. Methods: 584 patients were included in the Swiss COVID-19 lung study. We assessed lung function at 3, 6, and 12 months after acute COVID-19 and compared chest computed tomography (CT) imaging to lung functional abnormalities. Results: At 12 months, diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCOcorr) was lower after severe COVID-19 compared to non-severe COVID-19 (74.9% vs. 85.2% predicted, p < 0.001). Similarly, minimal oxygen saturation on 6-min walk test and total lung capacity were lower after severe COVID-19 (89.6% vs. 92.2%, p = 0.004, respectively, 88.2% vs. 95.1% predicted, p = 0.011). The difference for forced vital capacity (91.6% vs. 96.3% predicted, p = 0.082) was not statistically significant. Between 3 and 12 months, lung function improved in both groups and differences in DLCO between non-severe and severe COVID-19 patients decreased. In patients with chest CT scans at 12 months, we observed a correlation between radiological abnormalities and reduced lung function. While the overall extent of radiological abnormalities diminished over time, the frequency of mosaic attenuation and curvilinear patterns increased. Conclusions: In this prospective cohort study, patients who had severe COVID-19 had diminished lung function over the first year compared to those after non-severe COVID-19, albeit with a greater extent of recovery in the severe disease group.
Influence Combination Exercise William Flexion and Mckenzie Extension to Scale Painful Back Lower on Farmer
Authors: Hartono Hartono , Darmawan Rendi Editya , Listyowati Devi
Published: December 2022

Background: Low Back Pain is one of the musculoskeletal disorders that can be experienced by those who have poor standing posture, especially farmers. Farmer risk caught low back pain caused by position work that is not ergonomically carried out continuously long, increasing with age. Method: This study used a pre-experimental research design with one group pre-post test design. Technique sampling used purposive sampling. A total of 32 respondents were involved, and the intervention was three times a week for two weeks. Scale painful be measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Result: Results showed the scale of sore back lower before conducted intervention obtained an average of 4.06 (painful currently). After the intervention, the average scale lower back pain decreased to 2.16 (mild pain). Results analysis data using the test Wilcoxon shows the p-value = 0.000 < (0.005) value. Conclusion: There is an influence gift practice combination of William Flexion and McKenzie Extension to drop scale painful back lower on the farmer.
A new species of Trichopolydesmidae (Myriapoda, Diplopoda, Polydesmida) from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber
Authors: SU YI-TONG , CAI CHEN-YANG , HUANG DI-YING
Published: December 2022

A new species of the ‘flat-backed’ millipede family Trichopolydesmidae, Monstrodesmus grimaldii sp. nov., is described from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Detailed morphological characters are provided on the basis of three well-preserved adults (two males and one female), one male juvenile, and seven additional specimens, using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and microcomputer tomography (μCT) with computer-aided 3D-reconstructions. The new species can be placed most likely in the extant genus Monstrodesmus by presenting great similarities to living species.
The first Archijassidae from the Middle Triassic of China (Hemiptera, Cicadomorpha, Membracoidea)
Authors: FU YAN-ZHE , HUANG DI-YING
Published: December 2022

Eocicadellium grimaldii gen. et sp. nov., the oldest representative and first Triassic member of the subfamily Karajassinae Shcherbakov, 1992, is described on the basis of six forewings from the Middle-Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation of northern China, widening the duration and biogeographic distribution of this extinct subfamily. The new data represents the first known definite record of Karajassinae in China, and further explores the palaeodiversity of Triassic archijassids.
Catalogue of the Australian social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)
Authors: CARPENTER JAMES M. , BROWN GRAHAM R.
Published: December 2022

A catalogue of the social wasps occurring in Australia is presented. New synonymies include Vespa cohabitatrix Curtiss, 1938 (= Polistes olivaceus (DeGeer, 1773)) and Vespula vulgaris vetus Eck, 1999 (= Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758)).
Tadpoles of Central Amazonia (Amphibia: Anura)
Authors: SCHIESARI LUIS , ROSSA-FERES DENISE DE CERQUEIRA , MENIN MARCELO , HÖDL WALTER
Published: December 2022

Amazonian lowland rainforests epitomize, as few other biomes, the terrestrial and freshwater biological diversity of our planet. We provide here a comprehensive description of the larval anurans of Central Amazonia, and their natural history. We base our analyses on fieldwork conducted in six terra-firme rainforest and two várzea floodplain sites during ~60 months between 1990 and 2013, complemented with an examination of museum specimens and a review of published literature. Ninety-nine species of anurans are known to occur in Central Amazonia. Of these, 84 species (85%) have a free-swimming exotrophic larva, six species (6%) have a terrestrial endotrophic larva, one species has a terrestrial exotrophic larva (1%) and another seven species (7%) have direct development of eggs into froglets. The life cycle of one species (1%) remains unknown. We formally describe and illustrate the larval stage of 68 species (i.e., 75% of the species with a known larval stage), five of them previously unkown and nineteen never described for Central Amazonia. We compile, review and update information on species natural history including reproductive modes, habitat use, phenology, and species interactions including diet, predators, competitors and parasites. Finally, we assessed the ecomorphological diversity in the region by the application of a system inspired in Altig & Johnston (1989), later updated by Altig & McDiarmid (1999), which recognizes tadpole guilds based on a combination of morphological and natural history data. Basic scientific information presented in this monograph provide the essential background for further studies on the ecological and evolutionary forces shaping anuran Amazonian assemblages, and their conservation.
World Catalogue of the family Thaumaleidae (Diptera: Culicomorpha)
Authors: SINCLAIR BRADLEY J. , PIVAR ROBERT J. , ARNAUD PAUL H., JR.
Published: December 2022

Family, genus and species group names in the family Thaumaleidae (Diptera: Culicomorpha) are catalogued, including information on name-bearing types, distribution by country and 428 references to all literature known to us pertaining to this family. The Thaumaleidae or madicolous midges are known from 202 species in the following seven genera: Afrothaumalea Stuckenberg, 1960 (3 species), Androprosopa Mik, 1898 (59 species), Austrothaumalea Tonnoir, 1927 (44 species), Neothaumalea Pivar, Moulton & Sinclair, 2018 (1 species), Niphta Theischinger, 1986 (14 species), Thaumalea Ruthe, 1831 (77 species) and Trichothaumalea Edwards, 1929 (4 species). In addition, one fossil genus and species are known (Mesothaumalea fossilis Kovalev). Published species distributions are provided, noting country and biogeographic region; specimen data representing new records for species are listed. The following new combinations, originally assigned to Thaumalea, are proposed: Androprosopa baminana (Yang, 2003) comb. nov., Androprosopa zhejiangana (Yang, 1998) comb. nov.
Revision of the smaller-sized dorados (Salminus), with comments on the monophyly of the genus and its biogeography (Characiformes: Bryconidae)
Authors: LIMA FLÁVIO C.T.
Published: December 2022

A revision of the genus Salminus, excluding the large-sized species S. brasiliensis and S. franciscanus, is presented. In addition to the two large-sized species, four additional Salminus species are recognized: Salminus affinis Steindachner, from the río Magdalena, río Sinú, and río Rancheria basins, Colombia; Salminus hilarii Valenciennes, from the rio Paraná, rio São Francisco, and rio Jaguaribe basins, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay; Salminus iquitensis (Nakashima), new combination, from the western portion of the Amazon basin, rio Branco, and río Orinoco basins, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela; and Salminus santosi new species, from the rio Tocantins basin, Brazil. These four species are described/redescribed and illustrated, and a key to the species belonging to the genus is presented. Comments on the diagnosis of the genus Salminus and its biogeography taking into account recent phylogenetic hypotheses published for the genus, are presented.
Attribution of the Unprecedented 2021 October Heatwave in South Korea
Authors: Kim Yeon-Hee , Min Seung-Ki , Cha Dong-Hyun , Byun Young-Hwa , Lott Fraser C. , Stott Peter A.
Published: December 2022

GCM ensembles indicate that the October 2021 South Korean heatwave was extremely unlikely to occur without human influences, which corresponds to 2060s’ new normal without ambitious greenhouse gas mitigation.
Evolution of the Internal Climate Modes under Future Warming
Authors: Coburn Jacob , Pryor Sara C.
Published: December 2022

Climate modes play an important role in weather and climate variability over multiple spatial and temporal scales. This research assesses Earth system model (ESM) projections of the spatiotemporal characteristics of key internal climate modes (NAM, SAM, PNA, ENSO, PDO, and AMO) under high (SSP585) and low (SSP126) radiative forcing scenarios and contextualizes those projections using historical fidelity. Time series analyses are used to assess trends and mode phase characteristics are summarized for the historical period and for the end of the twenty-first century. Spatial patterns are compared to infer morphological changes. Shifts in the power spectra are used to examine changes in variability at subannual, interannual, and interdecadal scales. Changes in time-lagged correlations are used to capture the evolution of first-order interactions. While differences in historical skill are predominantly ESM dependent, changing mode characteristics in a warmer climate also exhibit variability between individual ensemble realizations. NAM, SAM, and ENSO tend to evolve toward increased prevalence of the positive phase up to 2100 across the multimodel ensemble while the PNA and PDO exhibit little trend but increasing phase intensity. AMO characteristics are shown to depend on the method used to remove the external signal. ESMs that show higher historical fidelity tend to show more modest changes in those modes under global nonstationarity. Changes in mode interactions are found to be highly ESM dependent but exhibit broadly similar behavior to historical relationships. These findings have implications for our understanding of internal variability and make clear that the choice of ESM, and even the ESM realization, matters for applications of climate projections.

Significance Statement

Internal modes of variability are important to understand due to their impact on local, regional, and global weather and climate patterns. Future climate changes will not only be affected by the variability arising from these modes, but the modes will themselves change in response to the changing climate. Spatial and temporal aspects of the modes are assessed from projections of future climate and related to how well they are captured in the historical climate. This yields some measure of confidence in the changes exhibited by the models. In most cases, when historically skillful models exhibit changes that are different from those produced by less skillful models, they tend to produce more modest changes. These results, as well as the variability between model outcomes, mean decisions on which ESM to use for projections of the future climate matter significantly.
Decadal Shift in Summer Precipitation Variability over East Asia in the Mid-2000s and Wave Propagation toward North America
Authors: Matsumura Shinji , Horinouchi Takeshi
Published: December 2022

The East Asian summer climate displays a marked change after the late 1990s. This is principally due to a weakening of the Pacific–Japan (PJ) teleconnection pattern that was a dominant driver of precipitation variability over East Asia. Nevertheless, western Japan has frequently experienced heavy rainfall events over the past several years. Atmospheric reanalysis and observational datasets are used to investigate summer precipitation variability over East Asia in a view of interdecadal changes from 1979 to 2020. East Asian summer precipitation has increased the most in Japan, especially over and around the Southwest Islands in southern Japan, where cumulus convection has been more dominant for the characteristic of precipitation variability including mei-yu–baiu rainfall than frontal structure since the mid-2000s. Atmospheric analysis in vertical structures and convective instability indicates that moist instability is neutralized by cumulus convection over the southern East China Sea and off the Pacific coast of Japan, where recent warming in sea surface temperature (SST) along the Kuroshio exceeds the SST threshold for convection. This decadal shift in precipitation variability has a close relationship with the second precipitation mode over East Asia, which has taken the place of the PJ pattern as a leading driver of precipitation variability over western Japan in the past decade. The enhanced cumulus convection is enabled to act as a forcing mechanism for the Rossby wave train from East Asia toward North America along the westerly jet or for the eastward extension of the Silk Road pattern, which possibly favors a heatwave in the Pacific Northwest areas of North America.
Improving Tropical Cyclogenesis Forecasts of Hurricane Irma (2017) through the Assimilation of All-Sky Infrared Brightness Temperatures
Authors: Hartman Christopher M. , Chen Xingchao , Chan Man-Yau
Published: December 2022

The assimilation of satellite all-sky infrared (IR) brightness temperatures (BTs) has been shown in previous studies to improve intensity forecasts of tropical cyclones. In this study, we examine whether assimilating all-sky IR BTs can also potentially improve tropical cyclogenesis forecasts by improving the pregenesis cloud and moisture fields. By using an ensemble-based data assimilation system, we show that the assimilation of upper-tropospheric water vapor channel BTs observed by the Meteosat-10 SEVIRI instrument two days before the formation of a tropical depression improves the genesis forecast of Hurricane Irma (2017), a classic Cape Verde storm, by up to 24 h while also capturing its later rapid intensification in deterministic forecasts. In an experiment that withholds the assimilation of all-sky IR BTs, the assimilation of conventional observations from the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) leads to the premature genesis of Hurricane Irma by at least 24 h. This premature genesis is shown to result from an overestimation of the spatial coverage of deep convection within the African easterly wave (AEW) from which Irma eventually forms. The gross overestimation of deep convection without all-sky IR BTs is accompanied by higher column saturation fraction, stronger low-level convergence, and the earlier spinup of a low-level meso-β-scale vortex within the AEW that ultimately becomes Hurricane Irma. Through its adjustment to the initial moisture and cloud conditions, the assimilation of all-sky IR BTs leads to a more realistic convective evolution in forecasts and ultimately a more realistic timing of genesis.

Significance Statement

Every year hurricanes impact the lives of thousands of people living along the eastern coast of the United States. Many of these storms originate from tropical disturbances that exit the west coast of Africa. To give the public more warning time ahead of these storms, it is important to improve the forecasts of their formation. This study uses a system developed at The Pennsylvania State University to incorporate satellite observations into forecasts of a classic Cape Verde storm, Hurricane Irma (2017), two days before it formed. By using satellite-collected radiances, we improve the timing of its formation by up to 24 h due to a better representation of the mesoscale tropical disturbance from which it originated.
Total Parathyroidectomy Without Autotransplantation for ESRD Patients With Secondary Hyperparathyroidism; an Effective Alternative
Authors: Mikhail Alexander R. , Williams Rush A. , Son Leslie S. , Danos Denise M. , Samuel Jones , Kleinpeter Kenneth P. , LeBlanc Karl A.
Published: December 2022

Background

The most common operations performed for secondary hyperparathyroidism include subtotal parathyroidectomy (STPX) and total parathyroidectomy with autotransplantation (TPX + AT). We present a series of ESRD patients treated with total parathyroidectomy without autotransplantation (TPX).

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort analysis of ESRD patients, age 18 years or older, with three or more glands resected on final pathology and follow-up parathyroid hormone levels obtained up to 1.5 years postoperatively. The primary endpoint was recurrence of hyperparathyroidism (defined as PTH > 500 pg/mL).

Results

The incidence of recurrent hyperparathyroidism at 1.5 years was 5.9% (2/34). The incidence of persistent hyperparathyroidism at 1.5 years was 11.8% (4/34). In this series, no patients were hospitalized for symptomatic hypocalcemia or experienced pathologic bone fractures.

Conclusions

Recurrence rates are low with TPX. The most common cause of recurrent and persistent disease is resection of three rather than four glands. The known complications of TPX, pathologic fractures, and severe hypocalcemia, were not seen in this study.
Potency of Fiscal Variables in Inf lation Variations in Sri Lanka
Authors: Maitra Biswajit , Mondal Suvra Prokash
Published: December 2022

Although the monetary policy impact on inflation is deliberated intensively in economic literature, the fiscal policy impact has not gained much interest, particularly in the developing countries. The later issue is theorised as the fiscal theory of price level. This article examines the potency of fiscal factors relative to the money growth in inflation in Sri Lanka for an extended period 1965–2018, and also for the post-reform period 1977–2018. The inflationary impacts of public debt, budget deficit and public expenditure, in association with money growth and a few control variables are assessed rigorously. The results of the vector autoregression model estimations involving different combinations of these variables reveal that fiscal policy instruments are, in general, inflationary while no significant impact of money growth on inflation is found. Besides, the analyses of impulse response functions and variance decomposition of inflation corroborate that the external debt, budget deficit and public expenditure are potent factors amplifying inflation. The impacts of money and control variables are trivial. These findings are invariant over the samples and justify that an active fiscal and a passive monetary policy are operative. Managing the budget deficit and growing dependence on public debt is a critical policy issue in Sri Lanka.

JEL Codes: E31, H63, C32
An Analogical Anthropology of Sex Difference: Erich Przywara, William Desmond, and the Imago Dei in Intersex Persons
Authors: Cavender-McCoy Kathleen
Published: December 2022

This article argues that an analogical approach to the metaphysics of bodily sex difference, such as that found in Erich Przywara and William Desmond, offers a fruitful way forward in a fraught global discussion on sexed embodiment and the imago Dei. After discussing the unique ‘horizontal’ and ‘vertical’ dimensions of Przywara’s anthropology of sex difference, I discuss the common intersex condition called Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome and how Przywara’s system accommodates it as an authentic form of human being imaging God. I then draw from William Desmond’s metaxological approach to sexed bodies to show the great flexibility provided by analogical anthropologies and suggest that theology begin to rely more heavily on these models in future inquiries into sexed embodiment.
Sociophonetic Investigation of the Spanish Alveolar Trill /r/ in Two Canonical-Trill Varieties
Authors: Henriksen Nicholas , Greenley Shayna , Galvano Amber
Published: December 2022

The “hyper-variation” present in rhotic sounds makes them particularly apt for sociophonetic research. This paper investigates the variable realization of the voiced alveolar-trill phoneme /r/ through an acoustic analysis of unscripted speech produced by 80 speakers of Spanish. Although the most common phonetic variant of /r/ contained two lingual constrictions, we find substantial inter-speaker variation in our data, ranging from zero to five lingual contacts. The results demonstrate that the variation in Spanish results from a systematic interaction of factors, deriving from well-documented processes of consonantal lenition (e.g., weakening in unstressed syllables) in addition to processes inherent to the trill’s articulation (e.g., high-vowel antagonism). Importantly, speaker sex displayed the strongest effect among all the predictors, which leads us to consider the role of sociolinguistic factors, in addition to possible biomechanical differences, on /r/ production. We contextualize the findings within a literature that theorizes rhotic consonants as a single class of sounds despite remarkable patterns of cross-language and speaker-specific variation.
Family Caregiver’s Depression, Confidence, Satisfaction, and Burden Regarding End-of-Life Home Care for People With End-Stage Dementia
Authors: Green Gizell , Halevi Hochwald Inbal , Radomyslsky Zorian , Nissanholtz-Gannot Rachel
Published: December 2022

To detect differences between two care services units: regarding family-caregiver (FC) depression, perceived-burden and confidence in the provision of care to people with end-stage dementia (PWESD); examine predictors such as FC age, depression, confidence in the provision of care to PWESD and satisfaction with the community-home-care service to burden; and explore a mediation model.

The participants were 139 FC, caring for PWESD living at home. The questionnaire was composed of FC background characteristics, perceived-burden, satisfaction with the community-home-care services, depression, and confidence in the provision of care to the PWESD. HCUs’ FC felt significantly more burdened than HHUs’ FC. Furthermore, satisfaction with the community-home-care services mediated the relationship between FC confidence in the provision of care to the PWESD and FC burden. The study results may affect the development of end-of-life care policies and services which meet the needs of PWESD and their FC.
The Effect of Mindfulness Training on the Self-Regulation of Socio-Moral Thoughts
Authors: Arahuete Lorena , Pinazo Daniel
Published: December 2022

The change in moral attitude due to discrimination of the degree of reality of thought is an unexplored potential effect of mindfulness training. In this article we examine whether the mindfulness training of novices reduces the defensive reaction to normative transgressions when the threatening thought is salient, that is, a thought that stands out regardless of the objective reality that threatens self-survival. To test the study hypotheses, we used a bifactorial design mindfulness training (pre vs. post) x threatened thought salience (low vs high) in a sample of 115 participants. The dependent variable (punishment of social norm transgression) was measured on two different occasions: (1) pre-training (T1), (2) after training (T2). One group receives training in mindfulness in the threatened thought salience low condition (N = 47), and a second group receives the same training in the threatened thought salience high condition (N = 38). A third group did not receive training in threatening thought salience high condition (N = 30). The results show that training mindfulness reduces moral punishment with high threatening thought salience and reduces moral judgment with low threatening thought salience. The shift in reactivity (punishment) is more representative of a MT effect than the shift in moral judgment (seriousness). Implications of the results and limitations of the study are also explored
Self-Compassion and COVID-19 Stress in Turkish Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience
Authors: Harmanci Hatice , Akdeniz Seher
Published: December 2022

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a time when both physical and mental health are affected. Due to the increased workload and crucial strains brought on by the pandemic, healthcare workers (HW) have been disproportionately affected by this period of time. Understanding the stress faced by HW, identifying the elements that impact stress, and making reinforcements in these areas are deemed critical in order to avoid disruption of health services and protect public health. The aim of this research is to measure the COVID-19 stress level in HW and to evaluate its relationship with self-compassion and psychological resilience. The study included 281 HW who volunteered to participate and actively served in pandemic services. The researchers used a sociodemographic information form, the Coronavirus Stress Scale, Psychological Resilience Scale, and the Self-Compassion Scale in the study. The data were collected online, and analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 and PROCESS applications. In the second year of the pandemic, HW are still facing the burden of COVID-19. In our observations in this study, we see that COVID-19 stress has a negative relationship with self-compassion and resilience. Self-compassion and resilience account for 20% of COVID-19 stress variation. The connection between self-compassion and COVID-19 stress is partially mediated by resilience. It is important to develop these skills, as psychological resilience and self-compassion skills are effective in maintaining HW' mental health.
Book review: Ravi K. Mishra and N. Shukla (Eds.), Selected Works of C. Rajagopalachari, Vol. VI, 1936-39
Authors: Govind Rahul
Published: December 2022

Ravi K. Mishra and N. Shukla (Eds.), Selected Works of C. Rajagopalachari, Vol. VI, 1936-39. New Delhi: Orient BlackSwan, 2021.
Transition of Knowledge Gained in the Undergraduate Engineering Experimental Laboratories into Engineering Graduate's Job in the Industry
Authors: Javidinejad Amir
Published: December 2022

Mainly, this paper is written to address an engineering educator pool that has limited firsthand knowledge of the industry work scope. Specifically, members that gain necessary academic credential and gain a faculty job without having professional industry work exposures. Transition of knowledge gained in the undergraduate engineering experimental laboratories into engineering graduate's job in the industry is examined here. The concept was examined by performing a survey of some random B.S. in Mechanical Engineering program graduates. The survey mainly summarizes and charts a) the applicability of the laboratory courses taken during the completion of the Mechanical Engineering program to their job function and b) the ranking of the relevant contents of the laboratory courses for their current job function. The review of the knowledge gained in the undergraduate engineering laboratories with the feedback from some of the B.S.M.E. graduates working in the industry, points to a specific direction; “design support”.
The remains of the disappeared: digital melancholia and Ensaaf (justice)
Authors: Devgan Shruti
Published: December 2022

In March 2019, Ensaaf, a transnational, non-profit organization, launched the project of daily posts on their social media pages consisting of remains or traces of disappeared Sikhs (an ethnoreligious minority community in India and the diaspora), that is, their photographs and biographical details. In this paper, I reflect on the meanings implicit in Ensaaf’s daily work of remembering and circulating remains of the disappearance on social media, specifically Facebook. By creating an archive that circulates regularly and frequently in and through social media, Ensaaf is performing what I call digital melancholia: continuous and ongoing grief work. The medium in which Ensaaf enacts its melancholic attachment with the disappeared leaves its imprint on the meaning of the performance itself. The daily work of melancholia performed in the constantly evolving space of Facebook is a form of “epistemic resistance” against the Indian state’s “necropolitics.”
Does Time Since Arrival have an Effect on Immigrants’ Preferences for Vocational Education and Training Programs in Switzerland?
Authors: Bolli Thomas , Rageth Ladina
Published: December 2022

In many European countries, immigrants tend to view vocational education and training (VET) programs as less desirable for themselves and their children. Students with migration background, therefore, show stronger preferences for academic education over VET programs. This article contributes to the literature on immigrants’ educational choices by investigating whether their educational preferences change as foreign-born students live in Switzerland for longer periods. Using data of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) of ninth-grade students between 2000 and 2012, our results confirm that the probability to prefer a VET program, conditional on cognitive ability, increases for foreign-born students the longer they have been in Switzerland. By exploiting variation in students’ knowledge level at the time of immigration, we provide a tentative test for whether differences in the level of knowledge on the host country's education system influence immigrants’ educational choices. For students born in a country with a similar VET system and for students with a parent born in Switzerland, the preference for VET programs did not increase with the time spent in Switzerland. These findings suggest that a lack of information about the Swiss education system biases immigrants’ educational preferences and this bias can lead to suboptimal choices. Thus, policymakers should ensure that immigrant students early receive information about the host country's education system.
Elderly sarcoidosis in Japan
Authors: Masumoto Nami , Watanabe Keisuke , Horita Nobuyuki , Hara Yu , Kobayashi Nobuaki , Kaneko Takeshi
Published: December 2022

Objective

The manifestations of sarcoidosis differ by ethnicity and region. However, the few studies that have focused on elderly sarcoidosis are only from Western countries. Therefore, we investigated elderly sarcoidosis in Japan.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the records of adult patients (≥18 years old) who were diagnosed with sarcoidosis from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2020. The diagnosis was pathologically confirmed in all patients. We compared the clinical features of elderly (diagnosed at ≥65 years old) and non-elderly (diagnosed at <65 years old) patients.

Results

Thirty-five (33%) of 106 patients were elderly. The elderly group had significantly more comorbidities than the non-elderly group (median [range], 1 [0–4] vs. 0 [0–5]). The biopsy site at diagnosis included significantly more extrathoracic sites in the elderly than non-elderly group (57.1% vs. 33.8%). The elderly group had significantly more muscle lesions than the non-elderly group at the time of diagnosis (11.4% vs. 1.4%) and at any time during follow-up (17.1% vs. 1.4%).

Conclusion

In Japan, elderly patients with sarcoidosis might have more muscle involvement and comorbidities than younger patients. Because comorbidities might affect the prognosis of elderly sarcoidosis, further study is needed to clarify the effect of comorbidities on elderly sarcoidosis.
Deferasirox versus deferoxamine in managing iron overload in patients with Sickle Cell Anaemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Qadah Talal
Published: December 2022

Objectives

To examine the efficacy of deferasirox (DFX) by comparison with deferoxamine (DFO) in managing iron overload in patients with sickle cell anaemia (SCA).

Methods

Online databases were systematically searched for studies published from January 2007 to July 2022 that had investigated the efficacy of DFX compared with DFO in managing iron overload in patients with SCA.

Results

Of the 316 articles identified, three randomized clinical trials met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis of liver tissue iron concentration (LIC) showed that iron overload was not significantly higher in the DFX group compared with DFO group (WMD, −1.61 mg Fe/g dw (95% CI −4.42 to 1.21). However, iron overload as measured by serum ferritin was significantly lower in DFO compared with DFX group (WMD, 278.13 µg/l (95% CI 36.69 to 519.57). Although meta-analysis was not performed on myocardial iron concentration due to incomplete data, the original report found no significant difference between DFX and DFO.

Conclusion

While limited by the number of studies included in this meta-analysis, overall, the results tend to show that DFX was as effective as DFO in managing iron overload in patients with SCA.
Determination of the parameters of material models using dynamic indentation test and artificial neural network
Authors: Pourolajal Samaneh , Majzoobi Gholam Hossein
Published: December 2022

Stress-strain curves of materials normally change with strain rate and temperature and are normally defined by material models. In this study, a new technique was developed for determining the constants of material models. This technique was based on dynamic indentation test, numerical simulation using Ls-dyna code and artificial neural network. An indenter of tapered shape was shot against the materials as the target by a gas gun. The experiments were carried out for four strain rates and four temperatures. The target was made of pure copper. The penetration depth-time and load-time histories were captured by a LVDT and a piezoelectric load-cell, respectively and the load-penetration depth curve (P-h) was obtained. This curve is characterized by five parameters which are determined for each indentation test. On the other hand, the indentation test was simulated using Ls-dyna hydrocode. From the simulations, the P-h curves were obtained using Johnson-Cook (J-C) and Zerilli-Armstrong (Z-A) material models and the characterizing parameters of the numerical P-h curves were also identified. Finally, an artificial neural network (ANN) was trained by the numerical P-h curves parameters as the input and the constants of J-C and Z-A models as the output. The trained neural network was then tested by the experimental p-h curves parameters as the input and the constants of J-C and Z-A models as the output. Moreover, a number of dynamic compression tests were performed using the well-known Split Hopkinson Bar at the same strain rates and temperatures used for indentation tests and the stress-strain curves of material were obtained. A reasonable agreement was observed between the stress-strain curves predicted by neural network and the Split Hopkinson Bar. The proposed method does not need sophisticated instrumentation and in fact, the load-time and indentation depth-time histories are directly converted to stress-strain of material using an artificial neural network.
Pharmacists’ Perceptions of Mental Well-Being and Immunization Safety During COVID-19
Authors: Peel Emily , Orji Chinelo C. , Ogan Shelbie , Gould Julie , Leckbee Gretta , Brown Carolyn M. , Pope Nathan
Published: December 2022

Purpose: To assess pharmacists’ mental well-being, perceptions of safety, and willingness to administer vaccines before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An electronic survey was administered to a convenient sample of practicing pharmacists working in Alabama, Tennessee and Texas. The 33-item survey examined pharmacists’ beliefs about the pandemic’s impact on their mental well-being, their perceptions of safety in vaccine administration, and their willingness to vaccinate. Responses were assessed on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). A recruitment email with the survey link was sent to pharmacists, with periodic reminders over a 4-week period. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were utilized to evaluate survey responses. Results: A total of 387 responses were analyzed, with an estimated response rate of 3.93%. Most respondents were women (65%) and had at least 6 to 10 years of practice experience (28%). Overall, participants felt that the pandemic worsened their mental well-being, with women reporting a more negative mental well-being compared with men ( P < .001). They reported having less time during workflow to apply personal protective equipment (PPE) ( P = .0074) compared to before the pandemic. They also reported a decrease in willingness to vaccinate adult patients during the pandemic ( P < .0001), and that concern about contracting COVID-19 prevented them from giving vaccinations ( P < .0001). Conclusions: Pharmacists felt their mental well-being and willingness to vaccinate patients suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research and initiatives that focus on improving vaccination rates should also consider pharmacists’ concerns and well-being.
Curing behavior and properties of ultra-high temperature resistant RTM bismaleimide resin
Authors: Xiong Xuhai , Ai Jianxin , Ren Rong , Wang Jing , Li Guiyang
Published: December 2022

The properties of a RTM bismaleimide resin with low viscosity and ultra-high temperature resistance were systematically investigated, including its curing kinetics and rheological properties, and the thermal and mechanical properties of its cured resins. The thermal curing kinetics was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) method with multiple heating rates. DSC curves display a cure regime in the temperature range of 150∼300°C and the exothermic peaks shift from 194°C to 231°C with heating rate. The apparent activation energy of curing reaction is calculated as 78.2 kJ/mol. The rheological properties were studied in terms of the changes of the non-isothermal and isothermal viscosity tested using a rotary viscometer. The test results show that the RTM resin has a wide molding temperature window from 90°C to 200°C and long molding time at 110°C for 275 min with a flow viscosity less than 1000 mPas. Dual-Arrhenius model was established to predict the viscosity characteristics at different constant temperatures, showing a good agreement with the experimental data. Four curing cycles were designed to obtain cured networks with different microstructures, and the thermal and mechanical properties of the cured resins suffered from various curing cycles were characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and universal material testing machine. The results exhibit that the cured product has a ultra-high glass transition temperature of 373.5°C and larger flexural strength of 145.4 MPa after post-curing at 250°C for 10 h.
Performance study of semi-active seat suspension added by quasi-zero stiffness structure under various vibratory roller models
Authors: Yang Jing , Van Liem Nguyen , Wang Xiangjie , Lu Jianmin , Shi Dingding , Ma Chunyu
Published: December 2022

To enhance the vibratory roller’s comfort, three different types of seat suspension including the seat’s semi-active suspension system (SASS) controlled by the FLC-PID controller, seat’s passive suspension system (PSS) added by the quasi-zero stiffness structure (QZSS), and seat’s SASS added by the QZSS are proposed. Three different vehicle dynamic models including a one-dimensional (1D) model, two-dimensional (2D) model, and three-dimensional (3D) model are established to evaluate the performance and stability of the seat’s suspension systems under different operating conditions. The root mean square (RMS) acceleration and power spectral density (PSD) acceleration of the seat have been selected as the evaluation indexes. The mathematical model and numerical simulation method are then tested via the experiment to enhance the reliability of the research results. The research result shows that the seat’s vibration characteristic using 1D, 2D, and 3D models is the same. However, the seat’s RMS acceleration and maximum PSD acceleration using the 1D model are increased by 30.6% and 61.7% in comparison with the 3D model, whereas the seat’s acceleration and PSD acceleration using the 3D model are like the measured results. Thus, the use of the vehicle model greatly influences the research result. By adding the QZSS into the seat’s SASS, the seat’s RMS and maximum PSD accelerations are greatly reduced in comparison with all seat’s PSS, seat’s SASS without the QZSS, and seat’s PSS added by QZSS. Therefore, the seat’s SASS added by the QZSS should be applied to further enhance the vibratory roller’s comfort.
Low-temperature waste heat recovery from internal combustion engines and power output improvement through dual-expander organic Rankine cycle technology
Authors: Singh Inderpal , Kumar Parmod , Dhar Atul
Published: December 2022

Energy, being the driving force behind the economic development, there has been continued efforts to develop alternative energy-utilisation strategies. Due to lower heat utilisation efficiency of internal combustion engines, they provide a huge potential of waste heat recovery by organic Rankine cycle technology. The present work is devoted towards the waste heat recovery from engine coolant. This study provides the complete thermodynamic analyses, cycle configuration, system size design and selection of working fluid for the development of the stand-alone engine-coolant based ORC. The system performance at fluctuating flow of jacket cooling water with engine speed and load is investigated. The effect of changing mass flow rate of heat source, which leads to varying heat input available to be recovered from the engine coolant is considered with fixed temperature of 90°C. Methodology has been presented to enhance the cycle thermal efficiency with the use of dual expander at part load conditions, by parallelising the flow to attain the favourable input conditions for the expanders over wider variation of heat input. R245fa showed the highest performance characteristics giving cycle efficiency and work output of 4.72% and 0.97 kW, respectively at dual expander operating mode. The control strategy to switch to the dual expander is based upon its evaluation of actual isentropic efficiency and optimum working range. The present study establishes the importance of considering the continually varying heat-input conditions and its effect on the key components, unlikely assuming its performance to be constant. And to capture their varying characteristics and integrate its effect on the overall system to provide operational controlling at off-design conditions to attain flatter efficiency at wider operating conditions for system optimisation.
Dynamic compression and impact analyses of the lattice structures for battery safety
Authors: Gültekin Erol , Yahşi Mehmet
Published: December 2022

In this study, a battery pack consisting of 18650-lithium-ion cells and battery housing was designed considering lattice structures instead of the plain sheet to improve crashworthiness. The behavior of lattice structures, including a novel design, cross semicircle, semicircle lattices, and topology-optimized model, in total seven different lattice models in dynamic compression and impact loading were examined. Displacement, energy absorption, and specific energy absorption values were compared with the 1.5 mm thick plain sheet model, which is common in the market. In the dynamic compression loading, honeycomb, and plain sheet models absorb more energy with the value of 97.34, and 88.67 J, respectively. Specific energy absorption is best for the plain sheet with the value of 3122.05 J/g, but honeycomb and cross semicircle lattices still have an impressive result of 2923.04, and 2158.30 J/g respectively. On the other hand, in the impact loading, the plain sheet is causing the jellyroll deformation with the highest value of 141.65 MPa, while the best protective structure is 3D kagome with a value of 4.85 MPa. However, the cross-semicircle keeps an average safety performance for both loading conditions.
Fabrication of vanadium dioxide thin films and application of its thermochromic and photochromic nature in self-cleaning: A review
Authors: Lukong Valantine Takwa , Ukoba Kingsley , Jen Tien-Chien
Published: December 2022

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) and many binary compounds of vanadium can transform from a semiconducting state to a metallic state under the influence of temperature or light. The transformation is triggered by modifications in the oxide's crystalline structure, often initiated by changes in its light-sensing and electrical attributes. This ability makes them suitable for smart coatings, electronic switches, self-cleaning surfaces, window glass, and many more. These potential applications have prompted tremendous interest in VO2thin films, focusing on their fabrication and application. This article reviews current fabrication methods for VO2thin films, the potential application of their thermochromic and photochromic properties in self-cleaning coatings, the challenges facing their application, and some remedies devised to address the challenges. The various challenges facing its different synthesis and fabrication methods are also highlighted. First, the different transitional phases of VO2and routes to transform from one stage to the other are presented.
Green coordinated development from the transformation perspective: Systemic coupling and dynamic correlation
Authors: Wu Chengsong , Ang Hao
Published: December 2022

To explore the core mechanisms of green synergistic development in China in the context of transition, this study takes 30 Chinese provinces and cities as a sample. Additionally, it is the first study to include digital finance, green finance, and ecological governance in the same research framework, and it innovatively explores the internal linkages between them from the perspective of systemic coupling and dynamic correlation. The study finds that the levels of digital finance, green finance, and ecological governance at the provincial level in China are all increasing to a certain extent. The coupling coordination degree between the three shows a development trend first rising and then falling in a transitional stage between barely coordinated and high-quality coordination, with developed regions having a higher coupling coordination degree, and less developed regions having a lower coupling coordination degree. From the dynamic correlation perspective, digital finance, green finance, and ecological governance all have a positive self-reinforcing effect, with the interaction effects being positively significant, except for the non-significant contribution of green finance to the level of digital finance and ecological governance. This study makes a series of theoretical suggestions that can optimize the transition path based on the reality of China's green development.