bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Constituent power in political liberalism: Constraining the future?
Authors: Niesen Peter
Published: October 2024

In Sovereignty across Generations, Ferrara attempts a dual feat. He demonstrates that political liberalism needs a nuanced doctrine of constituent power to be brought in line with traditional democratic concerns. At the same time, he argues that political liberalism is capable of making constituent power safe for democracy, in reining in its unruly and unbound character. By distinguishing between ‘the people’ and the electorate, Ferrara develops a transtemporal conception of the constituent subject, allowing moderate transformation but in effect binding all future time-slices of the people. In my comment, I address two issues with this. First, I ask how such accounts deal with the fact of immigration. It is not clear whether a historically indexed constituent subject has the normative power to bind new citizens arriving with quite distinct historical baggage. A second question is whether Ferrara’s Rawlsian-Michelmanian take is different from, and superior to, the Habermasian account of constituent power, especially to Habermas’s constructive views on supranational constitution-making. Both questions address whether Ferrara’s historically indexed account is sufficiently open to future developments.
A comprehensive review of climate information systems in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) of Kenya for enhanced decision-making process
Authors: Otieno Steve , Abade Elisha , Oludhe Christopher
Published: October 2024

The reality of climate change has had far-reaching effects on climate and weather patterns globally. High carbon emissions have resulted in wildfires causing migration and death from natural disasters such as droughts, floods, and strong winds. Climate change has also led to reduced crop and livestock farming yields, and worsening incidences of hunger and famine. The use of climate information systems (CIS) in the Arid and Semi-Arid regions of Kenya has not been extensively reviewed. This study reviews the use of CIS in Kenya's Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) to improve decision-making and adapt to climate change. We reviewed past and present research on Kenya's ASAL counties’ smallholder farmers’ CIS use. National and international attempts to develop early warning systems through CIS to help stakeholders and end users make farm-level decisions were reviewed. Kenya leads Eastern African countries in emphasizing CIS to reduce climate change's effects on sustainable agriculture. In ASAL countries, the gap between CIS information and its applicability for smallholder farmers’ farm-level decisions, low finance, weak infrastructure, and limited capability are major issues. Limited indigenous knowledge integration and the absence of regular updates and end-user co-development were also noted. Despite these obstacles, CIS can improve decision-making, catastrophe risk management, and socioeconomic growth in these places. Tailored CIS solutions are essential to address the specific needs of smallholder farmers in ASAL regions. Improved coordination and leveraging newer technologies are crucial for effective CIS implementation.
Care ethics and contemporary art: Imagining and practising care
Authors: Millner Jacqueline
Published: October 2024

Feminist care ethicshas for some time guided contemporary artists and curators in their search for sustaining and sustainable practices in the current neoliberal backwash and climate crisis. With a focus on current Australian art in the context of recent care ethics scholarship, this article considers what contemporary art – in its processes as well as aesthetic outcomes – can offer in imagining and practising care for the human and more-than-human world. The article focuses on a series of exhibitions that comprised a key exploratory methodology of The Care Project: Feminism and art in neoliberal times (La Trobe University, 2019–2022). The exhibitions featured the work of regionally based artists. This accent on creative practices emerging from the experience of living in regional communities that are often on the frontline of climate change and social inequality offers unique perspectives on care ethics in practice.
The Militarization of Employment Relations: Racialized Surveillance and Worker Control in Amazon Fulfillment Centers
Authors: Lee Tamara L. , Tapia Maite , Aranzaes Carla Lima , Sapre Salil R. , Shimek Spencer , Pinto Sanjay , Bustamante Alí R.
Published: October 2024

Through a socio-structural analysis, we examine contemporary forms of labor control faced by Black warehouse workers in the southern United States. Grounding our research in critical industrial relations theory and centering our analysis in the counter-narratives of Black workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, we examine the impact of intensified military-style tactics in the modern workplace, contextualized by historical and regional legacies of racialized labor exploitation, policing, and bodily control.
Students With LD and Decision Making for After High School: Emotions and Basic Psychological Needs
Authors: Goegan Lauren D. , Chazan Devon J. , Daniels Lia M.
Published: October 2024

Little is known about how grade 12 students with learning disabilities (LD) face the complex and emotional task of deciding what to do after high school. To expand on current research, we explored the experiences, emotions, and support of Canadian students with LD from the theoretical perspective of basic psychological needs (BPNs). We conducted a triangulation mixed-method study that included survey data and interviews. Participants were asked to identify their emotions, and if their BPNs of autonomy (e.g., feeling in control), competence (e.g., feeling capable), and relatedness (e.g., feeling connected to others) were satisfied or frustrated. Based on survey questions, participants indicated high satisfaction with their BPNs during decision-making and low levels of negative emotions. We used a deductive analysis to link participant interviews to BPNs and found greater satisfaction with these needs than frustration. Moreover, the mixed-method analysis integrating the results in a joint display uncovered that participants identified more positive emotions when their BPNs of autonomy and relatedness were satisfied, and more negative emotions when their BPNs of relatedness and competence were frustrated. We discuss the emotional experience of making decisions after high school. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.
Teeth, Health, and Mind: Understanding the Interplay of Social Determinants and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults
Authors: Shang Di , Williams Cynthia , Vu Giang , Joshi Aishwarya
Published: October 2024

The study examines the association between social determinants of health, tooth loss, and cognitive decline. Using regression models, the 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance data examined the study objective; it included 32,663 older adults who reported on cognitive status. Results suggested that older adults missing more than five teeth or unable to work are 1.61 times and 6.84 times more likely to report cognitive decline, respectively. Older adults with higher education and higher household incomes are less likely to report cognitive decline. Results suggested that older adults with no diabetes or who never smoked are 31% and 39% less likely to report a cognitive decline. The results suggested a significant association between tooth loss and cognitive decline among social determinants of health. A comprehensive approach to affect cognitive decline should include oral and social health strategies.
Improving Local Government Performance Through the Use of Contract Workers: A Case From South Korea
Authors: Min Naon , Lee Jongseong
Published: October 2024

Policymakers in many countries have employed market approaches to supplement traditional civil service systems, and using contract employees is a form of this labor resourcing strategy. Although business studies have suggested that contract-based employment may enhance organizational performance, few studies have explored this relationship in the field of public administration. This study examines whether the use of contract employees is associated with organizational performance in the public sector. Based on the New Public Management (NPM) literature, this study develops hypotheses and tests them using two-way fixed effects models with 18 months of longitudinal data (2018–2019) from 2,912 neighborhood offices in South Korea. The results reveal that local governments with a greater number of contract employees are more likely to outperform doorstep health service delivery. The implications for the management of contract workers in the public sector are discussed.
Rearticulating Realism: Chains of Reference and Epistemic Success in the Sciences
Authors: Navarrete Cristián
Published: October 2024

In recent decades, the long-standing debate about the scientific status of the social sciences and their explanatory nature has been rearticulated through perspectivist, interpretivist, and mechanistic approaches. Whereas mechanistic approaches advocate for realism in sociological models, perspectivist and interpretivist perspectives challenge this by emphasizing the multiple interpretations and meaningful nature of social reality, as opposed to the natural sciences. Currently, the metatheoretical discussion centers on competing views regarding the relationship between theories and the objects they address. In contrast to this focus on theories, I propose a rearticulation of Hacking’s interventionist argument. I argue that all sciences share a common epistemic activity—the construction of chains of reference—which points to shared notions of success. This paves the way for realism through a practice-based argument that does not originate from ontological disputes, suggesting that our best theories are those literally embedded in scientific practice.
‘I am a Scaffolder’: Constructing Safety Knowledge and Machismo in ‘Dirty Work’
Authors: Kamoche Ken , Law Kuok Kei
Published: October 2024

This article investigates how Hong Kong scaffolders navigate and make sense of everyday dangerous work which is stigmatized in a highly aspirational society. With the theoretical lens of ‘dirty work’, we examine what attracts the scaffolders into the occupation, how they perceive and navigate risk, and how they construct the knowledge that enables them to function safely as skilled craftsmen. We found that the sector attracts young men from disadvantaged backgrounds and with links to the criminal underworld, who respond to social stigma by constructing an identity of intrepid performers and enacting unsafe high-risk activities and brinkmanship. Yet, their traditional knowledge and practices now face obsolescence due to pressure to standardize safety training and practice, and also due to an internal crisis of occupational legitimacy. This article contributes to our understanding of the analytical lens of ‘dirty work’ in macho cultures.
Dynamic responses of the high-speed train with polygonal wheels considering gear transmissions
Authors: Jiang Hanjun , Dai Yang , Liu Fuhao , Li Baogang
Published: October 2024

To examine the influence of polygonal wheels on the dynamic responses of high-speed train, a vehicle-track dynamics model was developed. This model incorporated gear transmissions using multibody dynamics methodology and gear dynamics theory. The effect of gear transmissions on the dynamic responses of the high-speed train was evaluated by comparing the results of the developed model with those of a non-geared traditional model. The dynamic responses of the train were studied by examining the combined effects of wheel polygonal excitation and time-varying mesh stiffness excitation. The results indicated that the vertical wheel-rail contact force and vibration amplitude of the model with polygonal wheels were larger than those of the normal model. Similarly, the geared transmission model exhibited greater contact force and vibration amplitude compared to the non-geared transmission model, attributed to the increased excitation. The evolution of the wheel polygon’s order and wear depth could significantly increase the vertical wheel-rail contact force and the wheel load reduction rate. The safety limits for wheel polygon order and wear depth were established. The model with gear transmissions is more closely aligned with the actual situation and exhibits higher safety performance, providing valuable reference for wheel turning.
Optimal process parameter determination in selective laser melting via machine learning-guided sequential quadratic programing
Authors: Toprak Can Barış , Dogruer Can Ulas
Published: October 2024

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is a widely used additive manufacturing method with critical processing parameters such as Laser Power, Scanning Speed, Hatch Distance, and Laser Beam Diameter, which significantly impact process quality and mechanical properties of fabricated parts like Relative Density, Hardness, and Surface Roughness. This study investigates an effective approach to modeling the SLM process for predicting and optimizing processing parameters using a combination of Machine Learning (ML) and Sequential Quadratic Programing (SQP). The proposed method aims to predict the mechanical properties of SLM-produced AlSi10Mg parts using Machine Learning techniques and then transform the process into a constrained multiple-objective optimization model employing the SQP algorithm to determine optimal process parameters. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms are applied to establish correlations between process parameters and mechanical properties, represented as mathematical functions. A cost function is formulated using these functions and minimized using the SQP method. Statistical analysis is implemented to validate the influence of processing parameters on mechanical properties accordingly. The outcomes of the method are verified through additional experiments and analyses using Micro-CT scanning techniques. The results demonstrate that processing parameters have a significant impact on part properties across different scales, with Micro-CT scanning proving instrumental in validating mechanical properties. Overall, this study establishes that multiple objectives can be efficiently optimized through the integration of ML and SQP methods, complemented by a judicious number of experiments.
Energy management strategy for extended range electric logistics vehicle based on type-2 fuzzy control
Authors: Chen Yong , Wu Shangru , Pan Jinwang , Yao Kefu
Published: October 2024

To overcome the limitations of fuzzy energy management strategy (EMS) in describing uncertainty, this paper proposes an EMS based on type-2 fuzzy (T2F), which optimizes energy consumption for extended range electric logistics vehicle (ERELV). Firstly, establish an energy consumption simulation model for ERELV. Then, an EMS based on T2F controller is designed. The strategy takes the state of charge (SOC) and the demand power as the input, and the range extender power as the output. This paper analyses the influence of T2F control strategy on the energy consumption of the ERELV, and uses the model-based design method to verify the EMS in the Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation test. The test results show that compared with the traditional fuzzy control strategy, the T2F strategy can reduce the engine’s energy loss by 12.58%. Finally, actual fuel consumption tests were conducted on the established ERELV model. By comparing the results of C-WTVC and CHTC-HT operating conditions, the model was verified to meet the research requirements of EMSs in this paper and has practical significance.
Research on power battery anomaly detection method based on improved TimesNet
Authors: Jing Xin , Zhang Yinong , Yang Fan , Li Yutong , Guo Jiayuan , Ling Mengxiong
Published: October 2024

Health monitoring and abnormality detection of power batteries for new energy vehicles has been one of the hot topics in recent years. Accurate and efficient power battery anomaly detection is crucial to ensure stable operation of the battery system and energy saving. However, power battery data are often non-linear and unstable due to external factors, such as temperature conditions, which pose challenges for anomaly detection. Existing methods for collecting battery data’s temporal and spatial features are available, but many of them yield suboptimal detection accuracy and feature extraction efficiency due to their disregard for the multi-periodicity of the data. This paper proposes a novel network structure for power battery anomaly detection based on an improved TimesNet. Firstly, the original battery data undergo preprocessing, and the feature correlation coefficient matrix is established using the MIC algorithm. Secondly, the improved TimesNet network is employed to convert the one-dimensional time feature sequence into a two-dimensional tensor, enabling the extraction of temporal features and dependencies at various cycle scales. Finally, the two-dimensional tensor is transformed into a one-dimensional time series, which undergoes information-weighted aggregation to obtain the final anomaly detection results. To assess the effectiveness and generalization of the proposed model, experiments are conducted using Battery and four public datasets for anomaly detection. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms the transformer, autoformer, TimesNet, and Dlinear models, achieving an improvement of 1%–19% in the F1 value and 1%–3% in the ACC compared to the other models.
Encountering ‘the Most Remarkable Army of All Times’: Inter-Allied Relations and Military Hierarchies in Macedonia During the First World War
Authors: Gasson Jake
Published: October 2024

The Allied soldiers who served in Macedonia during the First World War fought as part of a diverse multinational force without parallel in any other theatre of the war, comprising troops from Britain, France, Italy, Russia, Serbia and Greece, as well as contingents from across the British and French colonial empires. Although the high-level interallied disputes between generals and politicians in conducting the campaign are well-studied, less clear is how those on the ground navigated the challenges of coalition warfare. This article draws on material from several different contingents to reconstruct the dynamics of interallied relations in Macedonia.
One-Stage Tibiotalocalcaneal Arthrodesis for Severe Septic Destruction of the Ankle Joint Using a Retrograde Intramedullary Nail: A Retrospective Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Boucly Joffrey , Bouché Pierre-Alban , Bermudo Gamboa Maria Dolores , Ménigaux Christophe , Hardy Alexandre , Bauer Thomas , Pioger Charles
Published: October 2024

Background:

Severe septic destruction of the ankle joint poses a therapeutic challenge but lacks a consensus optimal treatment. Tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis (TTCA) is considered a valuable salvage procedure, but the literature remains scarce. Conventional treatment approaches, including 2-stage procedures, have been associated with prolonged recovery times and varying success rates. Many authors prefer classical external fixation in these scenarios, citing concerns that internal implants might pose a risk for recurrent infection. To date, no study has investigated the outcomes of 1-stage surgery using a retrograde intramedullary (IM) nail. The main purpose was to assess the rate of recurrent infection at 2 years following 1-stage TTCA using a retrograde IM nail in severe septic destruction of the ankle joint. Fusion rates and functional outcomes were evaluated as secondary purposes.

Methods:

The clinical and radiologic data of patients who underwent 1-stage TTCA with retrograde IM nail following severe septic destruction of the ankle joint with a minimal follow-up of 2 years were retrospectively analyzed. Reinfection rate, fusion rate, functional outcomes, and complications were evaluated.

Results:

A total of 25 patients were included with a mean follow-up of 42 months (24-92 months). The mean age was 55 ± 18 years old. At the last follow-up, reinfection occurred in 6 patients (24%) and fusion was obtained in 19 patients (83%). Eight patients (32%) required revision surgery. The mean postoperative modified American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, 12-Item Short Form Health Survey physical and mental component summary scores were respectively 53 ± 19.5, 35.5 ± 11.4, and 46.7 ± 13.5 points.

Conclusion:

One-stage TTCA with retrograde IM nail appears to be an acceptable alternative in severe septic destruction of the ankle joint, with a high eradication rate of infection and ankle fusion.
Nonlinear vibrations and static bifurcation of a hyperelastic pipe conveying fluid
Authors: Ariana Ali , Karami Mohammadi Ardeshir
Published: October 2024

This study investigates the free and forced nonlinear vibrations, along with the static bifurcation behavior, of a fluid transmission hyperelastic pipe supported by clamped ends. Both geometrical and material nonlinearities are taken into account. The mathematical model is grounded in Euler–Bernoulli beam theory, incorporating von Kármán nonlinearity to capture the complexities of the system. For the hyperelastic materials, the strain energy function proposed by Yeoh is employed. Considering that the lowest critical velocity of the fluid flow is associated with the first mode, after deriving the governing equation using Hamilton’s principle, Galerkin discretization is applied to obtain the reduced order model in the first mode. Analysis of static bifurcation and stability is performed and critical velocity values of fluid flow are determined. The analysis of free and forced vibrations of the hyperelastic pipe is conducted using the method of multiple time scales, specifically focusing on the sub-critical velocity range of fluid flow, which corresponds to the unbuckled state of the pipe. This approach allows for a comprehensive examination of how fluid flow velocity influences the frequency characteristics of free vibrations, as well as the frequency response in the vicinity of the main resonance. The results obtained from this study can significantly enhance our understanding of the design and application of hyperelastic pipes in various fluid transfer scenarios. By elucidating the dynamic behavior and critical parameters associated with these pipes, the findings can inform engineering practices and contribute to the optimization of systems that utilize hyperelastic materials for fluid conveyance.
Advocates’ Perception of the Secondary Victimization of Rape Survivors by Law Enforcement, the Legal System, and Hospital Professionals
Authors: Maier Shana L.
Published: October 2024

Sexual victimization occurs frequently and it remains important to consider rape victim advocates’ perceptions of survivors' secondary victimization due to treatment from police, the legal system, and medical professionals working in hospital emergency departments. Data from interviews with 41 U.S. advocates provide a comprehensive perspective of secondary victimization. Most advocates perceive that survivors face secondary victimization because they are doubted or blamed, face repeated questioning, feel left out of the legal processes, experience invasive evidence collection, and do not receive the desired legal outcome. Advocates share their ways to reduce secondary victimization, such as preparing, empowering, and listening to survivors.
Real world comparison of filgrastim to filgrastim-sndz in patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia
Authors: Saad Manal , Shadick Kelsey , Prasad Sapna , Amin Kejal , Chaar Randa , Abdelghany Osama
Published: October 2024

Introduction

There exists some apprehension by prescribers, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders regarding the real-world safety and effectiveness of biosimilars. While some of the apprehension is likely due to clinician knowledge gaps in the biosimilarity exercise, additional data (including those generated from the real-world) regarding safety and efficacy could reduce a clinician's perception of biosimilar uncertainty and can potentially increase biosimilar acceptance and uptake. The published literature is lacking regarding the real-world impact on healthcare costs and clinical outcomes when a single healthcare institution converts from filgrastim to filgrastim-sndz as its short-acting Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (GCSF), especially within diverse populations and indications not explicitly studied through the registration trials. Specifically, both filgrastim and filgrastim-sndz possess FDA-approved indications within patients with hematologic malignancies receiving high-dose chemotherapy and in those undergoing bone marrow transplantation. As a biosimilar to filgrastim, the FDA did not require prospective, randomized controlled trials to obtain these indications for filgrastim-sndz. The purpose of this study is to describe real-world healthcare resource costs, utilization patterns, and clinical outcomes in patients with hematologic malignancies who received filgrastim-sndz or filgrastim to support neutrophil recovery following chemotherapy (i.e., induction or consolidation) or a bone marrow transplant (BMT) at Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH).

Methods

A total of 148 patients were identified and met the following criteria: at least 18 years old, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 to 2, absence of fever or infection, newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia or newly post-bone marrow transplant and received filgrastim-sndz (Zarxio®) or reference filgrastim (Neupogen®).

Results

Healthcare resource utilization outcomes were compared between biosimilar and reference filgrastim using descriptive statistics. There were no major differences between either cohort, including duration of hospitalization, the number of overall emergency room visits and additional hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of febrile neutropenia or neutropenia within 30 days post-discharge from initial hospital admission, time to neutrophil recovery following GCSF support, and the incidence and duration of both fever and febrile neutropenia. The total cost based on treatment of all patients in each arm differed significantly with filgrastim-sndz being the most cost-effective choice.

Conclusion

filgrastim-sndz significantly reduced healthcare utilization costs compared to reference filgrastim with similar effect on absolute neutrophil count, incidence of fever, and febrile neutropenia.
Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Attaining HbA1c Targets in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Iraq: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Atia Jabbar J. , Dheyaa Al-Obaidi Ahmed , Sermed Al Sakini Ahmed , Ali Al-Saady Yousif , Othman Assalah , Talib Hashim Hashim , Najah Al-Obaidi Mustafa , Al-Obaidi Hasan , Merza Nooraldin
Published: October 2024

Objectives:

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a persistent metabolic illness causing elevated glucose levels due to insulin resistance. Social media has been found to positively impact diabetes management by boosting motivation, adherence, emotional support, and sharing evidence-based information, thereby enhancing patients’ glycemic control efforts and achieving HbA1c targets. Primarily to examine the influence of social media within a random sample Iraqi population of T2DM patients on the control of diabetes, as measured by HbA1c levels.

Methods:

A multicentric cross-sectional study involves patients diagnosed with T2DM recruited between December 30, 2019 and November 8, 2023. Patients diagnosed with T2DM, who visited the outpatient clinic at least twice during the study period, were included. The sample size comprised 2921 patients. Various social media platforms available including, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Viber, were reported.

Results:

The study involves 2921 participants with a mean age of 53.3 years, 56% of them successfully reached their HbA1c target within a mean of 18.17 months. A significant correlation was found between achieving the target and using social media ( P = .0001), with a shorter average duration among social media users compared to non-users. A family history of diabetes also significantly correlated with achieving the desired outcome, suggesting a probable positive correlation ( P = .019).

Conclusion:

The study reveals a significant association between social media usage and glycemic control, introducing the importance of technology-based interventions in enhancing diabetes self-management, highlighting the relationships between social media engagement and HbA1c target achievement.
The value of owning the symbols that orientate us within Subjectivity
Authors: MacNamara Nóirín
Published: October 2024

Judith Butler contests Ernesto Laclau and Slavoj Žižek's argument that the limits to symbolisation which shape political action are best accounted for through Jacques Lacan's account of the Symbolic, Imaginary and Real. Butler agrees that we each emerge as social subjects on the condition of foreclosures, but disagrees that such foreclosures are prior to the social or explicable through a universal account of kinship. Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyĕwùmí has a somewhat similar critique of the Eurocentric foundations of feminist concepts. She argues that Western hierarchies, organised through ‘bio-logic’ or ‘body-reasoning’ with an emphasis on the sex/gender binary, are culturally particular. Oyĕwùmí distinguishes between relational, dynamic, fluid social hierarchies organised by seniority, and hierarchies organised by body-reasoning which are orientated towards fixity, and certainties. In this article I outline Bracha Ettinger's matrixial theory and argue that while it does not do what either Oyĕwùmí (transcend the terms of the nuclear family) or Butler (divest Lacan's paternal law of its power) advocate, it does provide us with the language to better account for how ‘body-reasoning’ structures our orientations and sets constraints on transformative processes. Through an account of multiple strata of subjectivity, within an expanded Symbolic, inscribed in social life through symbolic filters based on corporeality, matrixial theory enables us to account for the embeddedness of a strong orientation towards constant individuation, alongside a persistent disavowal and fear of processes of co-emergence at a non-cognitive level of subjectivity within Western thought. In their exchange, Laclau theorises social transformation through articulatory logics whereas Butler stresses the need for the work of cultural translation. Drawing on Ettinger’s and Oyĕwùmí's work, I propose that practices of translation must include a rigorous accounting for our orientations and investments within Subjectivity.
Outcomes of Catheter Directed Thrombolysis for Early and Late Re-occlusions in Acute Lower Limb Ischemia
Authors: Oukrich S. , Doelare S.A.N. , Wiersema A.M. , Hoksbergen A.W.J. , Yeung K.K. , Jongkind V.
Published: October 2024

Purpose:

Acute lower limb ischemia (ALI) is a sudden decrease in arterial limb perfusion due to an arterial blockage, threatening limb and life. Catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) is a minimally invasive procedure to remove such obstructions. However, approximately one-third of patients endure a re-occlusion after successful CDT. This study aimed to investigate the short- and long-term outcomes of CDT for early (<1 year) and late (>1 year) re-occlusions.

Material and Methods:

This retrospective multicenter study reviewed patients from 2 medical centers with an acute arterial re-occlusion of the lower limb after successful CDT between December 1996 and April 2021. The primary endpoints were angiographic success, defined as thrombus dissolution over 95% with outflow to at least 1 crural artery, and clinical success, defined as a score of ≥1 on the Rutherford scale for assessing changes in clinical status. Secondary endpoints included bleeding complications, patency, amputation, and mortality. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to estimate patency, survival, and freedom from amputation.

Results:

Seventy-seven cases were included, with 52 early re-occlusions (<1 year) and 25 late re-occlusions (>1 year). The median time to re-occlusion since the last CDT treatment was 4 months in the early re-occlusion group and 24 months in the late re-occlusion group. Angiographic success was achieved in 73% of early and 64% of late re-occlusions. Clinical success rates were 80.8% for the early and 80.0% of the late re-occlusion cases. Major bleeding occurred in 2% of the early and 8% of the late re-occlusion group. Patients were followed up until symptoms or signs of limb ischemia were resolved, with a median follow-up time of 15 months for the early and 22 months for the late re-occlusion group. During follow-up, secondary re-occlusions were observed in 59.6% of the early and 44% in the late group. Cumulative amputation rates at 1, 5, and 8 years were 36%, 36%, and 52% for early and 18%, 30%, and 30% for the late re-occlusions, respectively.

Conclusion:

In our experience, CDT is an effective short-term revascularization strategy for the majority of patients with both early and late re-occlusions. Long-term results are limited by secondary re-occlusions and limb loss.

Clinical Impact

Catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) is a well-established treatment for acute lower limb ischemia (ALI). Re-occlusions after successful treatment are, however, observed in almost a third of the patients. Yet, the outcomes of CDT for re-occlusions for patients who were previously treated with CDT are not well known. This study showed that CDT is effective in achieving revascularization in cases of early and late re-occlusion after treatment for ALI, but the risk for further re-occlusions is high. Future studies should focus on maintaining patency after successful CDT for ALI.
Memory for health information: Influences of age, hearing aids, and multisensory presentation
Authors: Stacey Jemaine E , Atkin Christopher , Roberts Katherine L , Henshaw Helen , Allen Harriet A , Badham Stephen P
Published: October 2024

We investigated how presenting online health information in different modalities can influence memory, as this may be particularly important for older adults who may need to make regular decisions about health and could also face additional challenges such as memory deficits and sensory impairment (hearing loss). We tested whether, as predicted by some literature, older adults would disproportionately benefit from audio-visual (AV) information compared with visual-only (VO) or auditory-only (AO) information, relative to young adults. Participants were 78 young adults (aged 18–30 years old, M = 25.50 years), 78 older adults with normal hearing (aged 65–80 years old, M = 68.34 years), and 78 older adults who wear hearing aids (aged 65–79 years old, M = 70.89 years). There were no significant differences in the amount of information remembered across modalities (AV, VO, AO), no differences across participant groups, and we did not find the predicted interaction between participant group and modality. The older-adult groups performed worse than young adults on background measures of cognition, with the exception of a vocabulary test, suggesting that they may have been using strategies based on prior knowledge and experience to compensate for cognitive and/or sensory deficits. The findings indicate that cost-effective, text-based websites may be just as useful as those with edited videos for conveying health information to all age groups and hearing aid users.
Adapting a Remotely Delivered Patient Navigation Program for Colorectal Cancer Screening in Primary Care: Important Considerations for Rural Contexts
Authors: Ike Brooke , Keppel Gina A. , Osterhage Katie P. , Ko Linda K. , Cole Allison
Published: October 2024

Introduction:

Colonoscopy is a critical component of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and patient navigation (PN) improves colonoscopy completion. A lay navigator remotely providing navigation across rural primary care organizations (PCOs) could increase PN access. In preparation for the Colonoscopy Outreach for Rural Communities (CORC) study, we examined partners’ perspectives on contextual factors that could influence CORC program implementation, and adaptations to mitigate potential barriers.

Methods:

We interviewed 29 individuals from 6 partner PCOs and the community-based organization (CBO) delivering the PN program. An analysis approach informed by Miles, Huberman, and Saldana identified critical themes. Results are reported using the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Enhanced (FRAME).

Results:

Potential barriers included that rural patients are hard to reach remotely and might mistrust the navigator, and the CBO is unfamiliar with the patient communities and does not have patient care experience or pre-existing communication pathways with the PCOs. Program content and navigator training was adapted to mitigate these challenges.

Conclusions:

Our study highlights contextual factors to account for before implementing a remote, centralized patient navigation program serving rural communities. Gathering partner perspectives led to intervention adaptations intended to address potential barriers while leaving the core components of the evidence-based intervention intact.
It’s ‘Gut Feeling’ Mostly: Online Hate, Uncivil Comments and Content Moderation in Australian Sports Media
Authors: Sherwood Merryn
Published: October 2024

There is evidence that online hate speech is increasing significantly on social media pages related to sport, but less research on how sport and media organisations are managing it. This research explored the management of content moderation in Australian sport media through qualitative interviews (16) with social media and communications staff in Australian sport and media organisations. It found that content moderation, or the moderating and removal of comments under social media posts, happened mostly as an addition to content creation work. Strategies for dealing with online hate and incivility were mostly the same between media and sport organisations, interviewees used some automated filters, but mostly manually hid, deleted and blocked comments and users to ‘clean’ their spaces. Overall there was a lack of formal guidelines and policies to direct moderation. Instead the work of content moderation was reliant on the actions of individuals, who took it on with a significant level of personal responsibility, and developed individual coping mechanisms to deal with the work. With its focus on communication staff in sport and media organisations this research contributes a different and important perspective to the growing field of research of online hate in sport.
tscluster: A python package for the optimal temporal clustering framework
Authors: Tosanwumi Jolomi , Liang Jiazhou , Silver Daniel , Fosse Ethan , Sanner Scott
Published: October 2024

Temporal clustering extends the conventional task of data clustering by grouping time series data according to shared temporal trends across sociospatial units, with diverse applications in the social sciences, especially urban science. The two dominant methods are as follows: Time Series Clustering (TSC), with dynamic cluster centres but static labels for each entity, and Sequence Label Analysis (SLA), with static cluster centres but dynamic labels. To implement the universe of models spanning the design space between TSC and SLA, we present tscluster, an open-source Python framework. tscluster offers: (1) several innovative techniques, such as Bounded Dynamic Clustering (BDC), that are not available in existing libraries, allowing users to set an upper bound on the number of label changes and identify the most dynamically evolving time series; (2) a user-friendly interface for applying and comparing these methods; (3) globally optimal solutions for the clustering objective by employing a mixed-integer linear programming formulation, enhancing the reproducibility and robustness of the results in contrast to existing methods based on initialization-sensitive local optimization; and (4) a suite of visualization tools for interpretability and comparison of clustering results. We present our framework using a case study of neighbourhood change in Toronto, comparing two methods available in tscluster. Supplemental materials provide an additional case study of local business development in Chicago and a detailed mathematical exposition of our framework. tscluster can be installed via PyPI (pypi.org/project/tscluster), and the source code is accessible on Github (github.com/tscluster-project/tscluster). Documentation is available online at the tscluster website (tscluster.readthedocs.io).
Eutrophicated: Tracking colonial histories of phosphate matter and the Plantationocene inheritances of the River Wye
Authors: Read Austin
Published: October 2024

This article examines the River Wye in the southwest UK as a political ecology marked by relations of colonial inheritance. A controversial case of contemporary British river pollution, the Wye is suffering from increasingly dramatic eutrophication events, with nutrient pollution from mineral phosphate fertilisers used in industrial agriculture causing algal blooms that destroy the river's ecology. This paper complicates dominant framings of the Wye's eutrophication as a local event and future crisis, instead arguing that eutrophication is structured by over a century of colonial histories of phosphate. Motivated by recent debates in geography and other cognate disciplines on decolonial ecology and the Plantationocene that point to the colonial origins of ecological crisis, this paper develops a theoretical framework of inheritance/transmission to articulate the situated histories of violence and dispossession shaping phosphate matter. It then empirically tracks the phosphate inheritances of the Wye by analysing the archives of the British Phosphate Commissioners (1873–1983), a 20th century governmental company that procured fertiliser for the British Empire by intensively mining phosphates on the Pacific Islands of Nauru and Banaba. Through this archive emerges a history in which, on a national and local level, the Wye is connected to the people, corporations, and institutions responsible for the emergence of the mineral phosphates industry that has spread ecological devastation across the globe. Through theoretically and empirically examining the Wye's phosphate inheritances, this paper foregrounds ethical obligations to think systematically and historically about phosphates as a prerequisite for bringing about deep structural changes needed to repair phosphate's harms.
CNS relapse in high-grade B-cell lymphoma with MYC and BCL2 rearrangements and dark-zone signature–expressing DLBCL
Authors: Alduaij Waleed , Jiang Aixiang , Villa Diego , Collinge Brett , Ben-Neriah Susana , Boyle Merrill , Meissner Barbara , Hilton Laura K. , Farinha Pedro , Slack Graham W. , Craig Jeffrey W. , Gerrie Alina S. , Freeman Ciara L. , Mungall Andrew J. , Steidl Christian , Sehn Laurie H. , Scott David W. , Savage Kerry J.
Published: October 2024

High-grade B-cell lymphoma with MYC and BCL2 rearrangements (HGBCL-DH-BCL2), or “double-hit lymphoma,” has been associated with a high risk of central nervous system (CNS) relapse. However, historic estimates are impacted by selection bias. We report CNS relapse rates associated with HGBCL-DH-BCL2 from a population-based cohort with complete fluorescence in situ hybridization testing, as well as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma morphology (DLBCL) tumors expressing the dark-zone gene expression signature (DZsig), which was originally derived from HGBCL-DH-BCL2. The 2-year CNS relapse risk in HGBCL-DH-BCL2 was 6.8%. CNS relapses were early, predominantly leptomeningeal (73%), and co-occurred with systemic relapse (64%). High-risk CNS International Prognostic Index (CNS-IPI) and concordant bone marrow involvement were associated with an elevated CNS relapse risk in HGBCL-DH-BCL2. The “refined cell-of-origin” classification assigned 20% of DLBCL morphology tumors with germinal center B-cell–like phenotype (GCB-DLBCL) into a distinct subgroup based on DZsig expression (DZsig+). CNS relapse risk in DZsig+ (2 year: 6.4%) was independent of HGBCL-DH-BCL2 status and was further stratified by the CNS-IPI. CNS relapse in DZsig-negative GCB-DLBCL was rare (2-year risk, 1.4%; P = .04 vs DZsig+) and exclusively parenchymal. Altogether, the CNS relapse risk in HGBCL-DH-BCL2 is lower than previously reported, and DZsig refines risk stratification in GCB-DLBCL.
Novel plasmon-coupled Ag/Ag2O nano-particles to downregulate β-catenin pathway in triple negative breast cancer
Authors: Mohamed A. Kamal , El-Dek S. I. , EL-Gendy Saad M. , El-Shahawy Ahmed. A. G.
Published: October 2024

We prepared novel plasmon-coupled silver (Ag) and silver oxide (Ag2O) nanoparticles using green synthesis and a magnetic stirrer device from lemon juice. Firstly, we prepared six Ag samples from green tea and lemon juice, characterized by XRD, FTIR, UV, and HRTEM. We selected just two samples to apply to MDA-MB-231 cells. The samples entered the cell through endocytosis, showed moderate cytotoxicity and ROS levels, caused cell growth arrest at the G2M phase, exhibited higher inhibition of Cyclin D1, and induced early apoptosis. β-Catenin is an abundant protein in triple-negative breast cancer TNBC. Both samples showed inhibition of the β-catenin proteins pathway. Plasmon-coupled nanoparticles effectively inhibited β-catenin, physically capturing β-catenin and its pathway proteins, mimicking the action of a degradation protein complex due to their geometric properties. The prepared materials could be considered a promising treatment for TNBC that has not responded to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As they have low toxicity to normal cells; this paves the way for new material designs without strict size limitations.
Where do UK clinicians find information at the point of care? A pragmatic, exploratory study
Authors: McCartney Margaret , Connolly Kate , Sullivan Frank , Heneghan Carl , Heng Ho Elijah Yu , Hendry Brid , Salisbury Charlotte , Offer Sam , Nunan David
Published: October 2024

Aim

To describe where clinical information is contemporarily and commonly found in UK primary care, what is favoured by clinicians, and whether this is (1) publicly funded (2) has commercial potential conflicts of interest.

Design and setting

A mixed methods study, consisting of (1) site visits to general practices in Scotland, (2) online questionnaire, focused on UK general practice (3) analysis of materials cited by professionals.

Methods

Data about sources of clinical information used was obtained verbally, visually and via search histories on computers from visits. This was used to inform a questionnaire in which primary care clinicians in the four nations of the UK were invited to participate. This obtained data about the information sources used and preferred by clinicians. This information was searched for data about funding and conflicts of interest.

Results

Over 2022, four practices were visited. 337 clinicians, 280 of whom were general practitioners completed an online questionnaire. 136 different resources were identified. These were mainly websites but sources of information included colleagues, either in practice or through online networks, apps, local guidelines, health charities, and learning resources aimed at GPs. Of these, 70 were not publicly funded, and were a mixture of membership organisations, charities, or sponsored venues.

Conclusions

Primary care clinicians obtain information for themselves and patients from a wide variety of sources. Funding is from a variety of sources and some contain advertising and/or sponsorship, risking commercial bias.

Protocol

Pre-published at https://osf.io/wrzqk.