bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Strengthening Cultural Competence in Health Professionals Through Partnerships: A Case Study of a Health Collaborative Exchange Between Malawi and Norway in Trauma Care and Emergency Medicine
Authors: Tanyanyiwa Takunda Archlove , Chimhutu Victor
Published: October 2022

North-South partnerships have been identified as one way of solving some of the challenges in health sectors globally. Norway and Malawi have one such partnership in trauma and emergence care. Lack of trauma care and emergency medicine is a major public health concern worldwide. This results in substantial loss to individual, families, and society. The study follows this partnership between Norway and Malawi, investigating on its socio-cultural benefits, and on how this contributes to the health professionals’ cultural competence. A qualitative case study was chosen for this study, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with health professionals and coordinators of the program. Interviews were conducted digitally using platforms such as Zoom and WhatsApp. Interviews were collected between the period of December 2020and February 2021. We found out that exchange participants from both countries largely reported positive experiences. Their experiences centered around their interactions and encounters with patients, patients’ relatives, and colleagues at host institutions. Participants reported a better understanding on health seeking behaviors in different contexts, the importance of communication with both patients and colleagues, and teamwork. In addition, the study revealed the importance on perceptions around identities such as race and gender and how these impact on health professionals’ interactions with patients. We also found out that although working in a different socio-cultural environment was reported as challenging, it was experienced as enriching and rewarding in terms of building and developing cultural competence. The study concludes that North-South health professionals exchange partnerships can be a viable vehicle for developing and naturing cultural competence in health professionals, however, such programs need to invest in preparing the exchange participants to be ready for the challenges that lies ahead in host institutions and countries.
COVID-19 and Unmet Medical Needs for People With Chronic Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Jung HyunWoo , Che Xianhua , Park Hee-Jung
Published: October 2022

Gaps between medical needs and health services accessibility are defined as unmet medical needs (UMN). Previous studies assessing UMNs during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic did not account for factors such as the type of medical insurance or chronic disease. Therefore, this study investigated various factors, including medical insurance and chronic diseases, affecting self-reported UMN during the pandemic in Daejeon Metropolitan City, South Korea. This cross-sectional study was conducted using Daejeon Metropolitan City Health Surveys data from 2020. The weighted prevalence of UMN was estimated among participants (n = 1494) aged ≥18 years, while chi-squared and logistic models were used to assess the association between UMN and participant characteristics. The prevalence of UMN was 6.4% (n = 97). Female sex and low education levels were significantly associated with reporting UMN. Medical aid beneficiaries were less likely to report UMN than adults with National Health Programs coverage. Participants with chronic diseases, such as hypertension and arthritis, and those with depression, were more likely to report UMN than adults without these conditions. The findings highlight the need for targeted efforts to decrease UMN in the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for women and individuals with low education levels. The results also indicate that high-risk disease groups should be targeted with additional enabling services to support the management of chronic conditions.
Home and the world: the legal imagination of Martti Koskenniemi
Authors: Armitage David
Published: October 2022

The Finnish lawyer-historian Martti Koskenniemi’s new book, To the Uttermost Parts of the Earth: Legal Imagination and International Power, 1300–1870 (2021), is the culmination of a 30-year-long project to deconstruct and historicise the reigning assumptions of the profession of international law. This article evaluates To the Uttermost Parts of the Earth in the context of Koskenniemi’s larger critical project as well as within the historiography of international law from the late 19th century to the present. It argues that Koskenniemi’s genealogical method is revealing and frustrating in equal measure: frustrating in its diffuseness and lack of overarching argument but revealing in its scope, in its erudition and in its ambitions to disrupt traditional teleologies, to reveal the constraining force of legal language and to expose European dialogues between ‘domestic’ and international law over more than 500 years.
“You Are You, But You Are Also Your Profession”: Nebulous Boundaries of Personal Substance Use
Authors: Kiepek Niki , Ausman Christine
Published: October 2022

This paper explores Canadian professionals’ engagement in licit, illicit, and pharmaceutical substance use, their perspectives on what constitutes professional misconduct and conduct unbecoming in relation to substance use, and the dilemmas they face around self-disclosure in the context of professional regulation and social expectations. The study involved semi-structured, dialogical interviews with n = 52 professionals. Key findings are: (i) professionals do indeed use and have a history of using licit, illicit, and pharmaceutical substances, (ii) there is lack of consensus about expectations for professional conduct of substance use in one’s private life and an apparent lack of knowledge about legislation, jurisdiction of regulatory bodies, workplace policy, and workplace rights, and (iii) professionals use high discretion about personal disclosure of substance use to mitigate risk to public reputation and professional standing. Given the real potential for negative consequences associated with self-disclosure of substance use, professionals modify their use to be more consistent with perceived social standards and/or protect knowledge about their use from public disclosure. This can perpetuate assumptions that substance use by professionals is “unbecoming” and risks basing decisions and policies on incomplete and inadequate knowledge. Societally, classist ideologies that position professionals as distinct from non-professionals are reified.
Weathering of Industrial Fabrics (Accelerated and Natural)
Authors: Polfus W. F.
Published: October 2022

Much has been written, many theories expounded, and numerous opinions given, about the relationship and how much correlation there is between accelerated and natural weathering. This article will discuss the various aspects of what could happen when a truck tarpaulin is fabricated, placed on a loaded truck, and driven all over the country. A new, practical test will be described which gives valuable information on whether a coated fabric will perform or not.
Effect of Shea butter as plasticizer on natural rubber-carbon black reinforced composites
Authors: Mensah Bismark , Damoah Lucas NW , Nyankson Emmanuel , Amoabeng Winston
Published: October 2022

This paper presents the effect of eco-friendly plasticizer, Shea butter oil (SBO) in rubber compounding involving Carbon black (CB)-filled Natural rubber (NR). The SBO based compounds (SBC) was systematically investigated and the results were compared with compositions prepared with Petroleum-based oil (PO). Although, some of the measured properties were comparable between SBC and POC, however, the SBC generally exhibited better properties compared to the POC. For example, the SBC coded NS5: (NR-50 parts per hundred parts of rubber (phr) CB-5phr SBO) and NS40 (NR-50 phr CB-40 phr SBO) obtained 7 and 17% greater than NT5 (NR-50 phr CB-5phr PO) and NT40 (NR-50 phr CB-40 phr PO), respectively, based on 300 and 100% modulus ratio (M300/M100). In terms of reinforcement measured by bound rubber content, BR (%), NS5 and NS40 recorded higher BR (%) of 9 and 48% than NT5 and NT40, respectively. The NS5 > NT5 by 12 and 7% in terms of crosslinking density and rebound resilience, respectively. Also, the NS5 > NT5 and NS40 > NT40 by 40 and 75%, respectively, in terms of fatigue life behavior. Such enhancement has been linked to successful distribution of the CB particles assisted by SBO within the matrix of NR. While the SBO is economical and has high potential to substitute the PO which is already suspected to be carcinogenic and environmentally unfriendly, SBO has exhibited good plasticizing effect for rubber compounding, especially as curing activators for recipe intended for manufacturing rubber articles.
Anaerobics—A New Approach to Gaskets
Authors: Wittemann R. G. , Pearce M. B.
Published: October 2022

This paper describes a unique, new, liquid, anaerobic, self-hardening, one-part, polyester resin. The design problems associated with soft compression gaskets, the additional cost of field replacement, and the need to stock many varying gasket shapes can now be avoided. The solution is provided by a single, anaerobic, gasket material which eliminates gasket stress relaxation, creep, and subsequent bolt torque tension loss by allowing metal-to-metal makeup. This material has been introduced to industry as “Plastic Gasket” by the authors' firm.
An Empirical and Theoretical Review of Articles in the Journal of Black Psychology: 1974–1980
Authors: Steele Robert E. , Davis Sherry E.
Published: October 2022

This study reviews the empirical and theoretical articles published in The Journal of Black Psychology from 1974–1980. A standard coding form consisting of 28 variables was developed and pretested. Two independent raters examined 62 articles. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) to examine trends over time. The results indicated (a) an increase in empirically-based research articles and a decline in the number of political/idealogical ones, (b) a small but significant increase in the number of articles that used the traditional deficit orientation to explain Black behavior, and (c) major methodological problems in several articles. Findings focus on the need for explanatory models of behavior based on Afro-graphic experiences of Black people, on the need to recognize the cultural diversity of the Black community, and on the necessity for greater attention to methodological issues.
Stability and Change in Self-Perception and Achievement among Black Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Hare Bruce R.
Published: October 2022

This study of self-perception and achievement among Black adolescents surveyed 248 thirteen- and fourteen-year-old eighth graders in 1980 who were previously surveyed as ten-and eleven-year-old fifth graders in 1977. The major developmental dimensions investigated were stability—whether or not these youngsters exhibited self-perception and/or achievement patterns of an erratic turmoil ridden or continuous nature, and change—the nature of the differences found in self-perception and achievement between the pre-adolescent and adolescent periods. Data are presented also on the White youngsters included in the survey. The objective of providing these data is to assess whether adolescent development occurs differently in Black and White American culture. Along this line the problematic tradition of generalizing to Black children, the patterns of cognition and performance found in White children, and some ideological problems of critical importance to an emerging “Black” psychology are discussed. The findings indicate that the developmental pattern of Black adolescents may be characterized as one of positive instability. Some reasons are presented why adolescent development may differ across cultural (racial) lines, and further study of the possibility is urged.
Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing: The Issue of Testing Bias from the Perspective of School Psychology and Psychometrics
Authors: Wyche LaMonte G. , Novick Melvin R.
Published: October 2022

This article examines the various ways in which the problem of testing bias in the context of some contemporary educational, legal, and societal developments can and cannot be addressed by developments in test standards. It reiterates the contention that school psychologists should utilize differential assessment strategies in formulating decisions regarding school age Black children.
Finite-time command-filtered backstepping control for nonlinear systems with input delay and time-varying full-state constraints
Authors: Lin Qiming , Zhou Pingfang , Duan Dengping
Published: October 2022

This paper examines a finite-time command-filtered backstepping control proposed for a class of strict-feedback nonlinear systems with input delay and time-varying asymmetric full-state constraints. The existing control method either ignores the effect of input delay or converges asymptotically in infinite time. A command-filtered backstepping design is used to decrease computational burden. A first-order Levant differentiator is employed to replace the command filter for estimating the virtual control signals in finite time. The time-varying asymmetric barrier Lyapunov function (TVABLF) and command-filtered backstepping design are applied to alleviate the significant challenges caused by the backstepping approach and full-state constraints. A novel finite-time delay compensation mechanism is proposed to remove the impact of input delay. The closed-loop signals are proved to be practical bounded. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Finite-time robust control of robotic manipulator with input deadzone and time-varying disturbance compensation
Authors: Rauf Arshad , Zhao Zhengen , Khan Awais , Ilyas Muhammad , Abbasi Waseem
Published: October 2022

In this paper, the problem of trajectory tracking for robotic manipulator with input deadzone and time-varying disturbances is investigated using a continuous non-singular terminal sliding mode control (SMC). The robotic manipulator plays a vital role in industrial as well as many other applications. However, it faces numerous problems for accurate and fast trajectory tracking response in the presence of unknown uncertainties and external disturbances, that always have adverse affects on system closed-loop performance. This paper proposes a valid control design scheme to address the aforementioned practical issue. First, a non-singular terminal sliding mode surface is designed. Then, a robust control law is developed to guarantee the finite-time converges of system states to the origin. In addition, the sign function is substituted by saturation function, which can effectively reduce the chattering driven by the high-frequency switching item in the traditional SMC method. Moreover, the Lyapunov stability criterion is used to prove the stability of the closed-loop system. The efficiency of the designed control scheme is validated with numerical simulations.
Clinical Application of Submental Island Flaps in Repair and Reconstruction of Head and Neck Tumors: Retrospective Review of a Single-Center Experience
Authors: Li Pingdong , Li Haiyang , Ding Shuo , Zhou Jing , Chen Xiaohong , Fang Jugao , Huang Zhigang
Published: October 2022

Background

Based on our cadaveric study findings and the clinical practice, the improved submental island flaps (SIF) used on a case series to reconstruct postoperative defects were reviewed and analyzed, to summarize the technical operation of flap cutting and propose the anterograde anatomical technique of point-line-plane alignment.

Methods

The cadaveric study was carried out first and a case series of about 23 head and neck tumor cases that underwent one-stage SIF repair were reviewed and followed up. The intraoperative anatomy, the technical essentials for vascular pedicle protection and submandibular lymph nodes treatment, and the rational design of flap incisions were analyzed and described.

Results

Most patients (21/23, 91.3%), comprising 19 males and 4 females with a mean age of 59 years, recovered completely from the application of SIFs in the repair and reconstruction of head and neck tumors; Only 2 patients experienced partial flap necrosis, which resolved following a local dressing change. The predominant donor site complication was transitory paralysis of the mandibular marginal branch of the facial nerve (MMBFN) (3/23, 13.0%), and the donor site was closed in one stage without skin grafting. The hair growth on skin flaps was not an issue for male patients requiring postoperative radiotherapy.

Conclusions

SIF is a viable choice for correcting abnormalities of the head and neck tumor with the convenience of flap cutting and the effectiveness of the repair. In addition, it permits simultaneous treatment of the lymph nodes in the region I.
Medical Aspects of Care for the Person with Advanced Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS): A Palliative Care Perspective
Authors: Cole Roger M
Published: October 2022

The classification and natural history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is outlined briefly, followed by a detailed consideration of the prognostic factors that form the basis for effective medical communication and decisionmaking in palliative care. The broad clinical spectrum of AIDS and selected management problems are discussed, including palliation by control of oppportunistic infections, neuropsychiatric disorders (including AIDS-related dementia) and safety in the use of corticosteroids. The article ends with consideration of when to stop specific AIDS-related treatments in advanced disease.
Patient Characteristics, Presentation and Problems Encountered in Advanced AIDS in a Hospice Setting — A Review
Authors: Moss Veronica
Published: October 2022

The first 100 consecutive admissions to a new palliative care (hospice) unit for people with AIDS were analysed retrospectively. The results illustrate the differences from, as well as the common ground with, traditional cancer palliative care.
Some Psychological Causes of Distress in the Terminally Ill
Authors: Lichter Ivan
Published: October 2022

The quality of life of terminally ill patients and their manner of dying are as much influenced by psychological and emotional factors as by their physical status. Such factors may be responsible for the development or the aggravation of physical symptoms.
Palliative Care in Eastern Europe — a Personal View
Authors: Zylicz Zbigniew
Published: October 2022

Previous repression in eastern Europe has not prevented the development of palliative care. Progress has continued despite difficulties, and suggestions are made to ensure that this progress continues.
Filament winding pattern design for diameter-varying tube
Authors: Li Haisheng , Ma Yonghao
Published: October 2022

The traditionally diameter-varying tube is a combination part of cylinder and cone with unsmooth transition region, which is usually a weak link. Using spline technique, we present a smooth diameter-varying tube consisting of cylinder and revolution surface with interpolation spline as meridian, and study the stability of three categories of typical curves used for filament winding, geodesics, semi-geodesics, and constant winding angle curve. A sufficient condition that makes fiber path non-bridging is introduced by analyzing normal curvature, and furthermore there is a sufficient and necessary condition of non-bridging geodesics. For constant angle winding, an efficient algorithm for determining whether constant winding angle curve is stable or not is presented by investigating its slippage coefficient , and a novel winding pattern design metthod is proposed for filament winding diameter-varying tube. These methods have been applied to our computer aided filament winding software. The experimental and simulation results show that our method can design winding pattern of uniformly covering the mandrel, and efficiently shortens the design time.
Exodus, Nakba Denialism, and the Mobilization of Anti-Arab Racism
Authors: Nassar Maha
Published: October 2022

Nakba denialism – that is, denying Zionist culpability for the mass expulsions of Palestinian Arabs from their homeland in 1948 – has long been a feature of US discourse on Palestine. Through a content analysis of Leon Uris’ 1958 novel, Exodus, I argue that Nakba denialism rests on three anti-Arab racist tropes. The first trope presents Palestinian Arabs as lacking religious attachment to Palestine, the second trope claims they lack modern feelings of national identity, and the third trope claims they are easily induced to commit acts of violence by their ruthless leaders. Through the deployment of these tropes, the Exodus narrative popularized key elements of Nakba denialism in US discourse by blaming the victims of settler colonial violence for the expulsions they faced. More broadly, this article shows how the imbrication of race and settler colonialism functions to epistemologically erase the very acts of settler colonial violence that produce racialized Others.
Internal and external exploration for public service innovation–Measuring the impact of a climate for creativity and collaborative diversity on innovation
Authors: Callens Chesney , Wynen Jan , Boon Jan , Verhoest Koen
Published: October 2022

Public service innovation involves a process of creative exploration of new ideas, knowledge and perspectives. The article poses that creative exploration emerges from the combination of a climate for creativity that is active inside the organization, and collaborations with diverse actors that are present outside the organization. We test the effect of these conditions on innovation using data from the Australian Public Service. Our findings demonstrate that both a climate for creativity and collaborative diversity are positively related to innovation, yet a tipping point exists at which the positive effects of collaborative diversity on innovation turn negative.
Severe Developmental Dyscalculia Is Characterized by Core Deficits in Both Symbolic and Nonsymbolic Number Sense
Authors: Decarli Gisella , Sella Francesco , Lanfranchi Silvia , Gerotto Giulia , Gerola Silvia , Cossu Giuseppe , Zorzi Marco
Published: October 2022

A long-standing debate concerns whether developmental dyscalculia is characterized by core deficits in processing nonsymbolic or symbolic numerical information as well as the role of domain-general difficulties. Heterogeneity in recruitment and diagnostic criteria make it difficult to disentangle this issue. Here, we selected children ( n = 58) with severely compromised mathematical skills (2 SD below average) but average domain-general skills from a large sample referred for clinical assessment of learning disabilities. From the same sample, we selected a control group of children ( n = 42) matched for IQ, age, and visuospatial memory but with average mathematical skills. Children with dyscalculia showed deficits in both symbolic and nonsymbolic number sense assessed with simple computerized tasks. Performance in the digit-comparison task and the numerosity match-to-sample task reliably separated children with developmental dyscalculia from controls in cross-validated logistic regression (area under the curve = .84). These results support a number-sense-deficit theory and highlight basic numerical abilities that could be targeted for early identification of at-risk children as well as for intervention.
Glimpsing Death Through Zoom
Authors: Golafshani Maryam
Published: October 2022

This personal essay brings readers into what it is like to experience a patient's death for the first time as a medical student, but with a topical twist: this experience happens over Zoom. The author is part of the 2023 cohort of medical school graduates who will have spent at least half of medical school online. Most people think of virtual medical education as a loss, but this essay is about how “Zoom medical school” actually allowed one student to experience a “good death” very unlike the deaths typically witnessed in hospitals. The essay details and reflects upon the experience of shadowing a palliative care physician’s Zoom appointments with a patient, Mrs. K, over the weeks leading up to her death from cancer, surrounded by children and grandchildren at home. In contrast, the author weaves in the story of her own grandfather who died last year from COVID-19, intubated alone in an ICU all the way in Tehran, Iran. The essay concludes that medicine is not just about preventing death, but about making a good death possible—and that a good death is embedded in the communities that brought meaning to one’s life in the first place.
Randomized Clinical and Biochemical Study Comparing the Effect of L-arginine and Sildenafil in Beta Thalassemia Major Children With High Tricuspid Regurgitant Jet Velocity
Authors: El-Khateeb Eman , El-Haggar Sahar Mohamed , El-Razaky Osama , El-Shanshory Mohamed Ramadan , Mostafa Tarek Mohamed
Published: October 2022

Background:

Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is common in β-thalassemia patients due to hemolysis, iron overload and diminished nitric oxide (NO) levels. Biochemical markers can help to understand the pathophysiology and to introduce new therapies for this condition.

Aim:

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of L-arginine and sildenafil in thalassemia children with PHT at both clinical and biochemical levels.

Methods and Results:

In a randomized controlled study, 60 β-thalassemia major children with PHT were divided into 3 equal groups; Control group (Conventional thalassemia and PHT management), L-arginine group (Conventional + Oral L-arginine 0.1 mg.kg−1 daily), and sildenafil group (Conventional + Oral sildenafil 0.25 mg.kg−1 two times a day) for 60 days. Tricuspid Regurgitant Jet Velocity (TRJV) with Doppler echocardiography along with serum levels of NO, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), interleukin 1-beta (IL-1β), E-selectin, and visfatin were followed-up at baseline, 30, and 60 days after treatment. Both drugs reduced the TRJV significantly. NO was significantly higher in both L-arginine and sildenafil groups after 60 days compared to baseline, while visfatin levels were lower. Only L-arginine reduced ADMA levels compared to baseline, while sildenafil did not. E-selectin and IL-1β levels did not change remarkably by both drugs. NO and TRJV showed significant negative correlations in both treatment groups.

Conclusion:

L-arginine and sildenafil could clinically ameliorate chronic PHT whereas, L-arginine showed superiority to sildenafil on some biochemical markers.
Genetic Variation, Stress, and Physiological Stress Response in Adults With Food Allergy or Celiac Disease
Authors: Ersig Anne L. , Young Erin E. , Brown Roger L. , Malecki Kristen
Published: October 2022

Background

Persistently high chronic stress can lead to maladaptive psychological, behavioral, and physiological stress responses and poor mental and physical health, highlighting the importance of identifying individuals at increased risk. Chronic health condition diagnosis and genetics are 2 characteristics that can influence stress, stress response, and health outcomes.

Purpose

Food allergy (FA) and celiac disease (CD) require constant vigilance in daily life and can lead to increased stress. The purpose of this exploratory analysis was to examine the association of variants in selected stress-related genes with stress exposures, stress, clinical measures of physiological stress response, and mental health symptoms in adults with and without FA or CD.

Methods

We compared stress exposures, symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and stress, BMI, and waist-hip ratio between cases and controls. We analyzed the association of SNPs in genes with known or hypothesized associations with stress-related measures in 124 cases and 124 matched controls: CRHBP (rs7718461, rs10474485), CRHR1 (rs242940) and OXTR (rs2268490). For this exploratory study, p-values ≤ 0.10 were considered suggestive.

Results

For cases and controls, rs7718461 was associated with stress symptoms, rs2268490 with symptoms of stress and PTSD, and rs242940 with symptoms of stress, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Further analyses found that stress-related outcomes in individuals with FA or CD may be influenced by SNP genotype.

Conclusions

Given these suggestive findings, larger prospective studies should examine similar relationships in individuals with other chronic health conditions, incorporating factors such as environmental exposures, individual experiences, and epigenetic modifications.
Performing in diverse settings: A diversity, equity, and inclusion approach to culture
Authors: Feitosa Jennifer , Hagenbuch Spencer , Patel Bansi , Davis Alicia
Published: October 2022

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are being built into the fabric of today’s organizations, and utilizing such a lens is vital to understanding cross-cultural performance. Yet, most of the culture and diversity literature has grown in silos and is therefore not leveraging the many benefits that their integration could provide. To counter this gap, we advance a theoretical framework featuring a new definition of cross-cultural performance (CCP) from a DEI perspective, as a new angle for doing work across cultures. Specifically, CCP is defined as the integration of multiple cultural perspectives of individuals who work together with the goal of enabling a diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment. By applying the DEI lens to CCP, we elevate the meaning of performance due to added consideration of compositional differences, the possible barriers to employees’ success, and the extent to which others’ perspectives are indeed valued. Accordingly, our framework identifies three main components of CCP: catalyzing cultural differences, taking part in engaging communication, and promoting allyship activities. Furthermore, we specify emotional management as the glue of these three components, and key outcomes at different levels of analysis. Last, we discuss the implications of our framework to both theory and practice as well as directions for future research.
Provider-Perceived Value of Interprofessional Team Meetings as a Core Element of a Lifestyle Medicine Program: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of One Center’s Experience
Authors: Cheng Abby L. , Snider Elsa M. , Prather Heidi , Dougherty Nikole L. , Wilcher-Roberts Myisha , Hunt Devyani M.
Published: October 2022

Interprofessional care improves outcomes for medically complex patients and may be a valuable addition to standard lifestyle medicine practice, but implementation barriers exist. The purpose of this study was to explore the key features, perceived impact, and implementation considerations related to holding interprofessional team meetings as part of an intensive lifestyle medicine program. In this mixed-methods study, focus groups were conducted with 15 lifestyle medicine clinicians from various healthcare disciplines who had participated in interprofessional team meetings. Quantitative descriptive statistics of the meeting minutes were also calculated. Clinician-perceived benefits from participating in interprofessional team meetings included increased acquisition of knowledge, access to other clinicians, collaborative decision-making, patient satisfaction, and achievement of patient-centered goals. Participants described the importance of preparing an agenda for the interprofessional team meetings in advance, but a major implementation challenge was the time required to prepare for and conduct the meetings. Commitment and financial support by organization and program leadership were reported as key facilitators to implementing the meetings. Clinicians perceive significant value from incorporation of interprofessional team meetings into an intensive lifestyle medicine program, but successful implementation of meetings requires investment from all levels within a healthcare system.
Examining Bourdieu’s Concepts of Capital, Habitus, and Field in Women’s Health Research in Nigeria: A Feminist Perspective
Authors: Ndu Mary
Published: October 2022

Global health’s persistent focus on women’s health-seeking behaviour necessitates a philosophical understanding of the meaning behind women’s health decision-making. In studying health-seeking behaviour, researchers use philosophical paradigms to explicate and understand complex social concepts that continue to maintain health inequities and injustices. A commonly used theory is Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice. This paper examines the scholastic application of Bourdieu’s theory of practice to theorize women’s health-seeking behaviour in qualitative research to understand the rationale behind using health services. The theory of practice consists of four concepts: practice, habitus, field, and capital. Each concept conceptualizes the theory to find a logical meaning for social practices. The theory uses a relational approach between agency and structure to account for social life. The goal is to develop a theoretical framework from a feminist perspective to understand how women seek care with contextual factors that can inhibit or outrightly limit their agency. Researchers limit cultural capital’s role in linking health-seeking behaviour to economic capital in health disparities. Additionally, in formulating women’s health policies without adequate consideration of women’s experiences and preferences, such policies become patriarchal, where men assume an expert knowledge of women’s health, failing to recognize the diversity of experiences. In our quest to develop new theories as feminist researchers, we must acknowledge these taken-for-granted assumptions and address them.
Influence of degradation disease on tunnel stability based on a time-dependent constitutive model
Authors: Liu Yu , Guan Yong-Ping , Shao Xiao-Quan
Published: October 2022

The surrounding rock and lining of tunnels deteriorate with increasing operation time, which causes changes in the mechanical parameters of the lining material and then affects the stability of tunnels. According to the time degradation law of the lining proposed in this paper, the mechanical parameters of lining materials corresponding to different operation years of the tunnel can be obtained. Model tests of the lining without degradation and degradation for 10, 30, and 50 years were carried out. Based on the realistic failure process analysis (RFPA2D) system, the time-dependent failure constitutive model is introduced to simulate the degradation of the surrounding rock and lining. Based on the model test and numerical analysis, the influence of degradation on the mechanics and failure features of tunnel were studied. It was found that the degradation would impact the structural stress and the stability of the surrounding rock. The failure mode of the model and the loading stress were different with the degradation time. The longer the degradation time, the more serious the deformation of the vault, and the larger the damage area of the surrounding rock. The research results play an important theoretical guiding role in analysing the progressive failure process of the surrounding rock and lining and have great value in engineering applications for reinforcing and treating tunnel defects.
Spontaneous brachial artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to vasculitis
Authors: Fadoul Mikael A , Tjaden Bruce , Daneshpooy Saba , McMackin Katherine
Published: October 2022

Background

Avoiding operative intervention during the active phase of vasculitis is a central tenant of management of this pathology. For unusual presentations of vascular disease, the early diagnosis of vasculitis is imperative to guide treatment.

Methods

We present the case of a 68-year-old female who presented with a spontaneous brachial artery pseudoaneurysm and was found to have granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

Results and conclusion

The management of arterial complications of vasculitis are particularly difficult in the active phase of disease. Our patient had successful resolution of her pseudoaneurysm with ultrasound compression, avoiding open or endovascular intervention during the active phase of disease.
On Variability in Physical Properties of Molded, Expanded Polystyrene
Authors: Bomberg Mark , Kumaran Kumar , Swinton Michael
Published: October 2022

When computer models are used for predicting field performance of moist insulation products, we must learn how to quantify the variability in measured properties. This is an issue of adequate material characterization. A description by the EPS type is not sufficient. By using additional elements of material characterization such as specimen density, one improves the precision of measurements of physical properties. In the case of thermal properties, a second element of material characterization, namely the coefficient describing attenuation of thermal radiation in the material (specific extinction coefficient) is also needed.

In effect, variation in thermal properties of EPS products is fully accounted for when defining only a few parameters such as bulk density, specific extinction coefficient, and thickness and temperature of the specimen.
Effects of Mechanical Fasteners and Gaps between Insulation Boards on Thermal Performance of Low-Slope Roofs
Authors: Petrie Thomas W. , Atchley Jerald A. , Desjarlais André O. , Christian Jeffrey E.
Published: October 2022

This paper presents the results of laboratory experiments for the thermal performance of metal-decked, low-slope roofs with polyisocyanurate insulation. We measured the effects on thermal performance of fasteners through the roof insulation and gaps between insulation boards. Steady-state temperatures were held above and below the test assemblies in order to determine their overall thermal resistances as a function of the mean temperature of the insulation. The polyisocyanurate insulation used in the tests was not fully aged so its thermal conductivity increased during the tests. All data were corrected for this increase. Fasteners reduced the thermal resistances of the assemblies with two layers of insulation, each 5.1 cm (2 in.) thick, by 9% at winter conditions, by 6% at summer conditions, and by 7% at average conditions. The 2.5 cm (1 in.) wide gaps which we made in the configurations with two layers of insulation decreased their thermal resistances by 15% at winter conditions and 10% at summer conditions. With one layer of insulation the effect was larger: 17% reduction at winter conditions and 14% reduction at summer conditions. Modeling at steady-state was done to discern the effect of different fasteners. The 7% reduction at average conditions became 12% for a conventional fastener with a steel plate and 3% for a plastic/steel fastener. The results were extended by modeling that used weather data for typical meteorological years in six separate U.S. locations which included a wide range of climates. The effects of fasteners and gaps were to increase simulated annual heating and cooling loads by percentages about equal to the percentage reductions in thermal resistances at winter and summer conditions, respectively, in the tests.
Procedural Sequence in the Repair of Buildings
Authors: Mailvaganam Noel P. , Alexander Tony
Published: October 2022

This paper presents the guidelines for a step-by-step execution of any repair project. These procedures could make the execution of repair projects systematic, which will serve better to achieve the desired objective.
Effect of Structural Anisotropy on Thermal Ageing in Rigid PU Foams
Authors: Boscoletto A. Boscolo , Cellarosi B.
Published: October 2022

The use of blowing agents as an alternative to conventional chloro-fluorocarbons (CFCs) and the quality of foaming process can lead to non-homogeneity of the foam structure with the presence of defects along the panel thickness. These defects appear as holes in cell windows or cavities. Accurate measurements of thermal conductivity were made on test specimens having different thicknesses obtained by cutting away the external faces of the panels.

This type of characterization of foams blown with alternative blowing agents allowed us to understand their ageing behaviour (natural and accelerated) and the problems related to the scaling factor. Moreover this study pointed out how the effective diffusion coefficients of gases involved in the ageing process can have different values along the thickness of a sample. All these observations were related with morphological analyses.

Our studies showed that sampling procedure and model design are very important for a correct analysis of ageing phenomena. Good agreement between experimental and theoretical data was found, allowing us to verify the validity of the method used to characterize non-homogeneous foams.
The Calculation of Heat Flux into a Slab of Homogeneous Material That Has Thermal Conductivity and Volumetric Heat Capacity That Are Functions of the Temperature
Authors: Stephenson D. G.
Published: October 2022

An efficient numerical procedure is presented for calculating the heat flux into the face of a slab of homogeneous material under non-steady state conditions. The thermal conductivity and heat capacity of the material can be linear functions of temperature. The procedure also yields values of the temperature at several locations through the slab.
Air Tightness of Two Walls Sprayed with Polyurethane Foam Insulation
Authors: Onysko D. M. , Jones S. K.
Published: October 2022

Use of sprayed-in foam insulation may improve the air tightness of frame wall systems. There are concerns: (1) whether construction moisture that is trapped in lumber framing will be able to dissipate sufficiently to prevent decay, and (2) whether these walls can maintain their air tightness and energy efficiency over time. To assess some of these issues, high moisture content wood was used for the construction of two walls insulated with polyurethane foam insulation. Tests showed that the air tightness of the walls was not affected by the drying of the lumber. But, the slow drying rates experienced by both test walls suggests that it would be unwise to use this type of foam insulation with framing that has a high moisture content because of the danger of creating conditions conducive to decay of wood.
Endometriosis prevalence and incidence trends in a large population-based study in Catalonia (Spain) from 2009 to 2018
Authors: Medina-Perucha Laura , Pistillo Andrea , Raventós Berta , Jacques-Aviñó Constanza , Munrós-Feliu Jordina , Martínez-Bueno Cristina , Valls-Llobet Carme , Carmona Francisco , López-Jiménez Tomàs , Pujolar-Díaz Georgina , Flo Arcas Eva , Berenguera Anna , Duarte-Salles Talita
Published: October 2022

Objective:

Endometriosis greatly impacts women’s health and quality of life. However, research on the prevalence and incidence of endometriosis remains inconclusive. This study assesses time trends in the prevalence and incidence of endometriosis diagnoses in Catalonia (Spain) from 2009 to 2018, considering differences by age and socioeconomic status.

Methods:

Population-based cohort study using data from the Information System for Research in Primary Care (SIDIAP) database. Data were included from over 2.4 million women aged 15–55 years between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2018.

Results:

A total of 2,337,717 women were selected as the incident population; 0.7% had an endometriosis diagnosis. Median (interquartile range) age at diagnosis was 37 (32–43) years. Most women were European (92.3%) and lived in urban areas (73.6%). Overall prevalence of endometriosis consistently increased during the 2009–2018 period, and it was 1.24% in 2018. Trends were the highest for women with less socioeconomic deprivation and for the 35–44 years age group. Median incidence rates were 94.9 (92.6–102.9) per 100,000 women-years, being the highest in women aged 35–44 years throughout the whole study period. Overall, incidence increased between 2015 and 2017, and plateaued or decreased in 2018. Incidence rates in women from the most deprived and rural areas were lower, although incidence time trends by socioeconomic status were unclear.

Conclusion:

Healthcare services and public health strategies need to be strengthened to ensure timely endometriosis diagnosis and treatment. Special attention should be given to the most affected populations and the social inequities of health.
Progress, pitfalls, and path forward of drug repurposing for COVID-19 treatment
Authors: Taibe Noha Samir , Kord Maimona A. , Badawy Mohamed Ahmed , Shytaj Iart Luca , Elhefnawi Mahmoud M.
Published: October 2022

On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic a public health emergency of international concern. The viral outbreak led in turn to an exponential growth of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, that is, a multiorgan disease that has led to more than 6.3 million deaths worldwide, as of June 2022. There are currently few effective drugs approved for treatment of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 patients. Many of the compounds tested so far have been selected through a drug repurposing approach, that is, by identifying novel indications for drugs already approved for other conditions. We here present an up-to-date review of the main Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved drugs repurposed against SARS-CoV-2 infection, discussing their mechanism of action and their most important preclinical and clinical results. Reviewed compounds were chosen to privilege those that have been approved for use in SARS-CoV-2 patients or that have completed phase III clinical trials. Moreover, we also summarize the evidence on some novel and promising repurposed drugs in the pipeline. Finally, we discuss the current stage and possible steps toward the development of broadly effective drug combinations to suppress the onset or progression of COVID-19.
Accuracy of an Off-Label Transmitter and Data Manager Paired With an Intermittent Scanned Continuous Glucose Monitor in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Villa-Tamayo María F. , Builes-Montaño Carlos E. , Ramirez-Rincón Alex , Carvajal Javier , Rivadeneira Pablo S.
Published: October 2022

Background:

This work evaluates the accuracy and agreement between the FreeStyle Libre sensor (FSL) and an off-label converted real-time continuous glucose monitor (c-rtCGM) device consisting of the MiaoMiao transmitter and the xDrip+ application which can be coupled to the FSL.

Methods:

Four weeks of glucose data were collected from 21 participants with type 1 diabetes using the c-rtCGM and FSL: two weeks with a single initial calibration (uncalibrated) and two weeks with a daily calibration (calibrated). Accuracy and agreement evaluation included mean absolute relative difference (MARD), the %20/20 rule, Bland-Altman plots, and the Consensus Error Grid analysis.

Results:

Values reported by the c-rtCGM system compared with the FSL resulted in an overall MARD of 12.06% and 84.71% of the results falling within Consensus Error Grid Zone A when the device is calibrated. For uncalibrated devices, an overall MARD of 17.49% was obtained. Decreased accuracy was shown in the hypoglycemic range and for rates of change greater than 2 mg/dL/min. The between-device bias also incremented with increasing glucose values.

Conclusion:

Measurements recorded by the c-rtCGM were found to be accurate when compared with FSL data only when performing daily c-rtCGM device calibrations. High drops in accuracy and agreement between devices occurred when the c-rtCGM was not calibrated.