bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of the roller profile on cave-in defect in reshaping process by considering nonlinear combine strain hardening
Authors: Mazdak Siamak , Naeni Hassan Moslemi , Sheykholeslami Mohammad Reza , Kiuchi Manabo , Validi Hesam
Published: August 2021

The reshaping process of pipes is an important method in producing non-circular pipes. Desired profile products are produced by passing round pipe through the rotating rollers. Cave-in defect is one of the common defects in the reshaping process. Roller design issues can decrease this kind of defect. In this paper, a method based on the slab method and the incremental plasticity has been presented to the numerical study of a 2D reshaping process. For investigating the Cave-in defect, the contact model has been developed. The concept of element elongation has been introduced to increase the accuracy of the contact model. Based on the presented method, numerical software has been developed to simulate the 2D reshaping process. Elastic-plastic equations for this subject have been driven based on the incremental method, J yielding criterion, and non-linear combined hardening. The effects of the radius of the roller profile on cave-in defects have been investigated by using the presented software (DARF). A set of experiments has been conducted in a forming station to verify the results. Results show that the presented model has higher accuracy than the Abaqus commercial software in predicting the cave-in defect. Based on the results of the model, the local increase of yielding stress directly affects the cave-in defect. Also, a meaningful relationship between the radius of the roller and the amount of the cave-in has been observed.
Effective strategy of non-axisymmetric endwall contouring in a linear compressor cascade
Authors: Ma Yuchen , Teng Jinfang , Zhu Mingmin , Qiang Xiaoqing
Published: August 2021

The corner separation and the related secondary flow have great impact on the compressor performance, and non-axisymmetric endwall contouring is proved effective in improving compressor efficiency. The aim of the study is to improve the compressor performance by two local endwall contouring strategies at the design and off-design conditions. The endwall is parameterized and the Bezier curve is used to loft the endwall surface. The design of the contoured endwall is based on a multi-point optimization method to minimize the aerodynamic pressure loss. In order to identify the influence of the contoured endwall, a detailed flow analysis is conducted on four effective contoured endwall designs. The selected endwall geometries exhibit great control ability on the corner separation and significantly reduce the pressure loss at the two operating conditions. The directional concave near the leading edge can induce strong streamwise pressure gradient and accelerate the endwall flow, greatly reducing the cross-passage pressure gradient. The convex structures near the concave edge and at the outlet can block the cross-flow and prevent the interaction between the cross-flow and the suction corner flow. The benefit of the contoured endwall is mainly due to the re-distributed endwall static pressure and blocking of the cross-flow movement. In terms of the control effect, the shape of the concave also matters and better control effect is observed on the deep and wide concave. The flow will be guided by the concave, and the best suppression on corner separation is observed on the concave which follows the suction side. The results also indicate that the relief of the hub corner separation slightly increases the shroud pressure loss.
Increases in both HIV and syphilis among men who have sex with men in Vietnam: Urgent need for comprehensive responses
Authors: Nguyen Thuong V , Tran Hau P , Khuu Nghia V , Nguyen Phuc D , Le Tu N , Hoang Canh D , Tran Ton , Le Thu Q , Pham Quang D , Phan Lan T
Published: August 2021

The objective of this study was to determine the temporal trends and factors associated with HIV and syphilis infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) in southern Vietnam. Data from the 2014–2018 national HIV sentinel surveillance of MSM aged 16 years or older were collected from three provinces, including An Giang ( N = 761), Can Tho ( N = 900), and Ho Chi Minh City ( N = 1426), and examined for changes in prevalence rates of HIV and syphilis and risk behaviors over time. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the trends and correlates of HIV and syphilis infections among MSM. There were upward trends for HIV (9.5% in 2014 to 14.2% in 2018, p-trend<0.01), syphilis (4.9% in 2014 to 8.0% 2018, p-trend<0.01), and HIV/syphilis co-infection (1.9% in 2014 to 3.1% in 2018, p-trend=0.01). Factors associated with HIV infection included place of residence, early sexual debut, consistent condom use and not engaging in anal sex during the past month, not knowing one’s HIV test results, having ever injected drugs, and having active syphilis. Additionally, early sexual debut and being HIV positive were associated with syphilis infection. Rising prevalences of these infections among MSM suggests an urgent need for comprehensive intervention packages for HIV/STI prevention.
Cultural Determinants of Fruits and Vegetable Consumption in Indigenous (iTaukei) Fijian Children: A Qualitative Study of Caregivers
Authors: Hawea Salanieta M. C. , Singh Pragya , Whiting Susan J.
Published: August 2021

The consumption of fruits and vegetables (F&V) has many health benefits, yet the majority of the world’s population, including young children, consume less than recommended. This article provides caregivers’ perspectives on cultural determinants of F&V consumption in children in Fiji. A qualitative study design using focus group discussions with caregivers of children aged 6 months to 5 years old in Suva was used. Thematic content analysis was undertaken to identify common issues using four main themes. Subthemes were further analyzed from the broad themes to understand caregiver’s perceptions. Caregivers perceived that meal components lacked F&V and food preparation and cooking methods of F&V did not stimulate children’s appetite. Non-vegetable products such as meat and fish were perceived as more valued and privileged for those consuming them. Understanding cultural determinants as perceived by caregivers is important to inform strategies to increase F&V consumption in children.
Becoming precarious playbour: Chinese migrant youth on the Kuaishou video-sharing platform
Authors: Zhou Min , Liu Shih-Diing
Published: August 2021

This article investigates the practices of precarious playbour on Kuaishou, a short-video platform embracing the idea of ‘recording the lives of ordinary people’ and attracting massive numbers of migrant youth to produce creative content as free labour. It examines how young migrants from rural areas in China engage in Kuaishou as a means of realising upwards socio-economic mobility by producing a tuwei (earthiness) culture which has a large fan base. It also examines the way in which they collaborate to cope with precarious conditions lacking guaranteed working time and income, and labour protection. The article attempts to build a conversation with existing scholarship that addresses the ‘exploitation vs. empowerment’ dialectic of labour production. Instead, we address the complexity of digital labour production characterised by a collaborative and symbiotic relationship between social media platforms and users. Through ‘play’ with their followers that generates profit for the digital platform, migrant youth voluntarily accept the uncertain, unpredictable, and risky conditions of digital labour production. They are, however, not passively subjected to platform exploitation but can instead reclaim agency by actively seeking to collaborate with other users to cope with increasing precariousness.
A Heideggerian Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Ghanaian Patients Living With End-Stage Renal Disease
Authors: Manookian Arpi , Dehghan Nayeri Nahid , Yakubu Nicholas Danzima , Tabari Fariba , Buunaaim Alexis Dun Bo-Ib , Afoko Vivian
Published: August 2021

There is a lack of knowledge regarding perceptions, feelings, and experiences of Ghanaian patients living with ESRD. This study aimed to discover the experience and meaning of living with ESRD. This qualitative study was conducted using Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology. A total of 13 participants were purposefully selected, and data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews. The recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Diekelmann, Allen, and Tanner method. After the final analysis, five main themes emerged: Spiritual fluctuation, Living in uncertainty, Period of agony and frustration, Tough fortification, and Changed roles and status. This study provided deep insight and understanding regarding the lived experiences of patients living with end-stage renal disease in Ghana. The results of this study may benefit nursing care in terms of considering the patients’ lived experiences to provide quality and person-centered care.
Analytical examination of mesh-dependency issue for uniaxial RC elements and new fracture energy-based regularization technique
Authors: Feng De-Cheng , Ren Xiaodan
Published: August 2021

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the mesh-dependency issue for both plain concrete and reinforced concrete (RC) members under uniaxial loading. The detailed mechanisms for each case are firstly derived, and the analytical and numerical strain energies for concrete in different cases are compared to explain the phenomena of mesh-dependency. It is found that the mesh-dependency will be relieved or even eliminated with the increasing of the reinforcing ratio. Meanwhile, a concept of the critical reinforcing ratio is proposed to identify the corresponding boundary of mesh-dependency of RC members. In order to verify the above findings, several illustrative examples are performed and discussed. Finally, to overcome the mesh-dependency issue for RC members with lower reinforcing ratios, we propose a unified regularization method that modifies both stress-strain relations of steel and concrete based on the strain energy equivalence. The method is also applied to the illustrative examples for validation, and the numerical results indicate that the developed method can obtain objective results for cases with different meshes and reinforcing ratios.
Investigations on the band-gap characteristics of one-dimensional flexural periodic structures with varying geometries
Authors: Das Sachchidanand , Bohra Murtaza , Geetha Rajasekharan Sabareesh , Daseswara Rao Yendluri Venkata
Published: August 2021

Periodic structures have been studied extensively for their wave-filtering capabilities as they exhibit frequency band-gaps. The band-gap characteristics of flexural periodic structures, consisting of periodic cavities, depend on the geometry (shape and size) of cavities. The present work brings out experimental and numerical investigation of the effect of geometry of periodicity on the vibration characteristics of one-dimensional periodic structures. A procedure for prediction of the experimentally observed frequency band-gaps, with the help of eigenfrequency analysis, has been presented. Further, a novel concept of ‘real’ and ‘pseudo’ band-gaps has been theorized. Based on the experimental and numerical results, the best configuration of a periodic structure for maximum vibration attenuation has been arrived at. The work can find application in the design of frames and channels, made of periodic structures, where periodicity can be introduced to reduce vibration transmission in desired frequency bands. It can also reduce the requirement of extensive prototype trials for the selection of suitable periodic geometry.
Change in Caregivers’ Attitudes and Use of Corporal Punishment Following a Legal Ban: A Multi-Country Longitudinal Comparison
Authors: Alampay Liane Peña , Godwin Jennifer , Lansford Jennifer E. , Oburu Paul , Bornstein Marc H. , Chang Lei , Deater-Deckard Kirby , Rothenberg W. Andrew , Malone Patrick S. , Skinner Ann T. , Pastorelli Concetta , Sorbring Emma , Steinberg Laurence , Tapanya Sombat , Uribe Tirado Lilliana M. , Yotanyamaneewong Saengduean , Al-Hassan Suha M. , Bacchini Dario , Di Giunta Laura , Dodge Kenneth A. , Gurdal Sevtap
Published: August 2021

We examined whether a policy banning corporal punishment enacted in Kenya in 2010 is associated with changes in Kenyan caregivers’ use of corporal punishment and beliefs in its effectiveness and normativeness, and compared to caregivers in six countries without bans in the same period. Using a longitudinal study with six waves of panel data (2008–2016), mothers ( N = 1086) in Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Philippines, Thailand, and United States reported household use of corporal punishment and beliefs about its effectiveness and normativeness. Random intercept models and multi-group piecewise growth curve models indicated that the proportion of corporal punishment behaviors used by the Kenyan caregivers decreased post-ban at a significantly different rate compared to the caregivers in other countries in the same period. Beliefs of effectiveness of corporal punishment were declining among the caregivers in all sites, whereas the Kenyan mothers reported increasing perceptions of normativeness of corporal punishment post-ban, different from the other sites. While other contributing factors cannot be ruled out, our natural experiment suggests that corporal punishment decreased after a national ban, a shift that was not evident in sites without bans in the same period.
Distance Learning in Children with and without ADHD: A Case-control Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Tessarollo Valeria , Scarpellini Francesca , Costantino Ilaria , Cartabia Massimo , Canevini Maria Paola , Bonati Maurizio
Published: August 2021

Objective:

This research involved the parents of ADHD students to explore how their children coped with online distance learning during COVID-19 pandemic and what implications this schooling method had on their emotional and behavioral well-being.

Method:

Data were collected during lockdown using an online questionnaire addressed to 100 mothers and were compared with 184 matched controls from a national survey launched in the same period.

Results:

Attention span, spontaneous commitment, and autonomy in distance learning was found to be more limited in ADHD group. Compared to controls, 21.7% of ADHD students were not assessed and 40.9% did not receive grades. Behavioral changes were reported in both groups (64.2%), represented mainly by restlessness, aggressiveness, and anxiety.

Conclusion:

Distance education increases academic difficulties, especially in ADHD pupils. The effects of lockdown should be adequately evaluated upon school reopening and appropriate recovery interventions should be planned.
Understanding the Effect Size of Peer-Mediated Academic Instruction: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Haas April , Vannest Kimberly J. , Fuller Marcus C. , Ganz Jennifer B.
Published: August 2021

A deficit in social skills often makes teaching academics a second thought when instructing students with autism. Peer-mediated instruction has been well studied for increasing academic skills across various disabilities and social skills for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect size of peer-mediated academic instruction (PMAI) to increase academic skills for students with ASD. Results indicate studies demonstrate a weak to moderate effect when using PMAI to teach students with ASD. These results validate PMAI can be effective when teaching academic skills to students with ASD; however, more studies are needed to better understand for whom and under what conditions PMAI is most effective.
Patient generated aerosol in the context of ophthalmic surgery
Authors: Anguita Rodrigo , Brennan Nicholas , Ramsden Conor M , Mehat Manjit , Keegan David , Cahill Ronan , Nolan Kevin , O’Toole Louise , Wickham Louisa
Published: August 2021

Objective:

To assess the patterns of patient generated aerosol in the context of ophthalmic surgery and ophthalmic examinations. To inform medical teams regarding potential hazards and suggest mitigating measures.

Methods:

Qualitatively, real-time time videography assessed exhalation patterns from simulated patients under different clinical scenarios using propylene glycol from an e-cigarette. Quantitatively, high-speed Schlieren imaging was performed to enable high resolution recordings analysable by MATLAB technical computing software.

Results:

Without a face mask, the standard prior to COVID 19, vapour was observed exiting through the opening in the drape over the surgical field. The amount of vapour increased when a surgical mask was worn. With a taped face mask, the amount of vapour decreased and with inclusion of a continuous suction device, the least amount of vapour was seen. These results were equivocal when the patient was supine or sitting upright. High-speed Schlieren imaging corroborated these findings and in addition showed substantial increase in airflow egress during coughing and with ill-fitting face masks.

Conclusion:

Advising patients to wear a surgical mask at the time of ophthalmic interventions potentially contaminants the ocular field with patient generated aerosol risking endophthalmitis. Surgeon safety can be maintained with personal protective equipment to mitigate the increased egress of vapour from the surgical drape and taping, with or without suction is advisable, whilst meticulous hygiene around lenses is required at the time of slit lamp examination.
ASDIN white paper: Management of cephalic arch stenosis endorsed by the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology
Authors: Beathard Gerald A , Jennings William C , Wasse Haimanot , Shenoy Surendra , Falk Abigail , Urbanes Aris , Ross John , Nassar George , Hentschel Dirk M , Sachdeva Bharat , Chan Micah R , Salman Loay , Asif Arif
Published: August 2021

Brachiocephalic arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) makeup approximately one third of prevalent dialysis vascular accesses. The most common cause of malfunction with this access is cephalic arch stenosis (CAS). The accepted requirement for treatment of a venous stenosis lesion is ⩾50% stenosis associated with hemodynamically abnormalities. However, the correlation between percentage stenosis and a clinically significant decrease in access blood flow (Qa) is low. The critical parameter is the absolute minimal luminal diameter (MLD) of the lesion. This is the parameter that exerts the key restrictive effect on Qa and results in hemodynamic and functional implications for the access. CAS is the result of low wall shear stress (WSS) resulting from the effects of increased blood flow and the unique anatomical configuration of the CAS. Decrease in WSS has a linear relationship to increased blood flow velocity and neointimal hyperplasia exhibits an inverse relationship with WSS. The result is a stenotic lesion. The presence of downstream venous stenosis causes an inflow-outflow mismatch resulting in increased pressure within the access. Qa in this situation may be decreased, increased, or within a normal range. Over time, the increased intraluminal pressure can result in marked aneurysmal changes within the AVF, difficulties with cannulation and the dialysis treatment, and ultimately, increasing risk of access thrombosis. Complete characterization of the lesion both hemodynamically and anatomically should be the first step in developing a strategy for management. This requires both access flow measurement and angiographic imaging. Patients with CAS present a relatively broad spectrum as relates to both of these parameters. These data should be used to determine whether primary treatment of CAS should be directed toward the anatomical lesion (small MLD and low Qa) or the pathophysiology (large MLD and high Qa).
Expression, Interaction, and Role of Pseudogene Adh6-ps1 in Cancer and other Disease Phenotypes
Authors: Nwadiugwu Martin C
Published: August 2021

Pseudogenes have been classified as functionless and their annotation is an ongoing problem. The Adh6-ps1—a mouse pseudogene belonging to the alcohol dehydrogenase gene complex (Adh) was analyzed to review the conservation, homology, expression and interactions, and identify any role it plays in disease phenotypes using bioinformatics databases. Results showed that Adh6-ps1 have 2 transcripts (processed and unprocessed) which may have emerged from a transposition and duplication event, respectively, and that induced inversions (Uox gene, In(3)11Rk) involving gene complexes associated with Adh6-ps1 have been implicated in a diverse range of diseases. Adh6-ps1 is highly conserved in vertebrates particularly rodents, and expressed in the liver. The top 5 MirRNA targets identified are Mir455, Mir511, Mir1903, Mir361, and Mir669o markers. While much is unknown about Mir1903 and Mir669o, the silencing of Mir455 and Mir511 is linked with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and Mir361 is implicated in endometrial cancers. Given the identified MirRNA interactions with Adh6-ps1 and their expression in cancer phenotypes, and Adh6-ps1 associations with induced inversions, it may well have a role in tumorigenesis and disease phenotypes. Nonetheless, further studies are required to establish these facts to add to the growing efforts to understand pseudogenes and their potential involvement in disease conditions.
Developing bonds: An exploration of the development of bonds between mentors and young people
Authors: Dallos Rudi , Carder-Gilbert Hassina , McKenzie Rebecca
Published: August 2021

The article describes a piece of research exploring young people’s experience of a mentoring service (PROMISE). The scheme has been developed to offer vulnerable young people a supportive relationship to assist their lives. This article explores the nature of the mentoring relationship, including how mentors and mentees view its development. Conjoint interviews were conducted which also permitted an analysis of the nature of the conversational processes between the pairs, including how they constructed shared meanings of the development of their relationship. This provided a window into the emotional dynamics of their mentoring relationships. Implications for similar mentoring programmes are discussed alongside wider implications for assisting this group of young people.
Globalization from above and below: Rejecting superficial multiculturalism and igniting anti-Korean sentiment in Japan
Authors: Oh David , Wha Han Min
Published: August 2021

Nike Japan’s distribution of a commercial included a message of superficial multiculturalism presented through the narratives of three Japanese girls – ethnic Japanese, “hafu,” and zainichi – who overcome bullying and discrimination through their shared love of football (soccer). The ad demonstrated a glocalized production to fit with the “You Can’t Stop Us” global ad campaign of Nike, a transnational shoe and athletic apparel company. Thus, the ad reflects globalization from above. In response, some Japanese viewers expressed their anger at the ad to voice their grassroots resistance, reflecting globalization from below. The resistance was not against Nike for its transnational exploitation but for its alleged hypocrisy. Most substantially, the resistance was directed against generalized Koreans. Thus, the article argues that globalization from below is not necessarily, or perhaps not even usually counter-hegemonic or anti-transnational capitalism. Instead, grassroots activism takes advantage of moments to process and produce existing ideological meanings.
Adjustment for survey non-participation using record linkage and multiple imputation: A validity assessment exercise using the Health 2000 survey
Authors: Mcminn Megan A. , Martikainen Pekka , Härkänen Tommi , Tolonen Hanna , Pitkänen Joonas , Leyland Alastair H. , Gray Linsay
Published: August 2021

Aims:

It is becoming increasingly possible to obtain additional information about health survey participants, though not usually non-participants, via record linkage. We aimed to assess the validity of an assumption underpinning a method developed to mitigate non-participation bias. We use a survey in Finland where it is possible to link both participants and non-participants to administrative registers. Survey-derived alcohol consumption is used as the exemplar outcome.

Methods:

Data on participants (85.5%) and true non-participants of the Finnish Health 2000 survey (invited survey sample N=7167 aged 30-79 years) and a contemporaneous register-based population sample ( N=496,079) were individually linked to alcohol-related hospitalisation and death records. Applying the methodology to create synthetic observations on non-participants, we created ‘inferred samples’ (participants and inferred non-participants). Relative differences (RDs) between the inferred sample and the invited survey sample were estimated overall and by education. Five per cent limits were used to define acceptable RDs.

Results:

Average weekly consumption estimates for men were 129 g and 131 g of alcohol in inferred and invited survey samples, respectively (RD –1.6%; 95% confidence interval (CI) –2.2 to –0.04%) and 35 g for women in both samples (RD –1.1%; 95% CI –2.4 to –0.8%). Estimates for men with secondary levels of education had the greatest RD (–2.4%; 95% CI –3.7 to –1.1%).

Conclusions:

The sufficiently small RDs between inferred and invited survey samples support the assumption validity and use of our methodology for adjusting for non-participation. However, the presence of some significant differences means caution is required.
News media framing of social protests around racial tensions during the Donald Trump presidency
Authors: Ophir Yotam , Forde Devin K , Neurohr Madison , Walter Dror , Massignan Virginia
Published: August 2021

Media framing of social protests can influence public opinion and governmental response. An extensive line of scholarly work had pointed to the existence of two alternative news frames; public order and debate. We argue that prior work may have been limited by the reliance on deductive strategies using predefined, theoretically-driven frames. Using a data-driven computational method, the Analysis of Topic Model Networks (ANTMN), we examine mainstream news’ framing of two contentious protests that took place during Donald Trump’s presidency; Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA ( n = 1231 news articles), and the Black Lives Matter protests ( n = 2810). In addition to the frames found in past research, we identify a prominent Politics frame, often focussing on the role of Trump in inciting and reacting to racial tensions. An in-depth analysis of the application of frames to each protest revealed a nuanced use of the Protest Paradigm. We suggest possible revisions to existing theories, and discuss the potential social and political implications of our findings.
Tourism destination image resiliency during a pandemic as portrayed through emotions on Twitter
Authors: Nadeau John , Wardley Leslie J , Rajabi Enayat
Published: August 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant impact on tourism, and emotion projection is one way to understand the extent of destination image resiliency during the crisis. Therefore, this research captured emotions expressed in social media during a peak pandemic month to compare to the prior year period. Toronto and New York were selected due to their tourism importance within their countries but to also compare the effects of different policy approaches used during the pandemic. This study found resiliency of the destination images although there was a significant increase in projections of fear for both cities. Additionally, there was a significant divergence observed for the two cities with a decrease in joy and an increase in sadness projections for New York versus Toronto. This implies that tourism destination marketers have a stable basis of emotions to use in communications, but there are weaknesses to address.
VNLP: Visible natural language processing
Authors: Alharbi Mohammad , Roach Matthew , Cheesman Tom , Laramee Robert S
Published: August 2021

In general, Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms exhibit black-box behavior. Users input text and output are provided with no explanation of how the results are obtained. In order to increase understanding and trust, users value transparent processing which may explain derived results and enable understanding of the underlying routines. Many approaches take an opaque approach by default when designing NLP tools and do not incorporate a means to steer and manipulate the intermediate NLP steps. We present an interactive, customizable, visual framework that enables users to observe and participate in the NLP pipeline processes, explicitly manipulate the parameters of each step, and explore the result visually based on user preferences. The visible NLP (VNLP) pipeline design is then applied to a text similarity application to demonstrate the utility and advantages of a visible and transparent NLP pipeline in supporting users to understand and justify both the process and results. We also report feedback on our framework from a modern languages expert.
Whole youth development and employment: Exploring the nexus using qualitative data from a Kenyan study of Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions
Authors: Ochieng Vollan O , Ngware Moses
Published: August 2021

Investment in sub-Sahara Africa's (SSA’s) youth through effective capacity development, involving adoption of contemporary skills development approaches, is integral in alleviating the region’s high youth unemployment rates as it will equip the youth with skills needed for employment. Skills that are needed are those that holistically develop the youth skills-set, including technical/hard and soft-skills, dubbed whole youth development (WYD) skills. This paper thus explores Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students’ understanding of soft-skills and its development. The paper utilizes data collected from a TVET study in Kenya that was carried in 9 of the 47 counties, targeting learners aged 15–24 years. The selected counties were those that had national polytechnics for national representation, except one (Turkana county), which was selected to represent youth from marginalized counties. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted for this study. The findings indicate that there is a good understanding of soft-skills among the targeted respondents, with extra-curricular activities playing a key role in promoting TVET students’ soft-skills. However, inadequate human resource and low level of awareness on soft-skills among instructors contribute to inadequate soft-skills learning. This calls for a concerted effort among key education stakeholders on the development of instructors’ and institutions’ capacities for a plausible soft-skills outcome.
Rotating machinery fault diagnosis by deep adversarial transfer learning based on subdomain adaptation
Authors: Shao Jiajie , Huang Zhiwen , Zhu Yidan , Zhu Jianmin , Fang Dianjun
Published: August 2021

Rotating machinery fault diagnosis is very important for industrial production. Many intelligent fault diagnosis technologies are successfully applied and achieved good results. Due to the fact that machine damages usually happen under different working conditions, and manual scale labeled data are too expensive, domain adaptation has been developed for fault diagnosis. However, the current methods mostly focus on global domain adaptation, the application of subdomain adaptation for fault diagnosis is still limited. A deep transfer learning method is proposed for rotating machinery fault diagnosis in this study, where subdomain adaptation and adversarial learning are introduced to align local feature distribution and global feature distribution separately. Experiments are performed on two rotating machinery datasets to verify the effectiveness of this method. The results reveal that this method has outstanding mutual migration ability and can improve the diagnostic performance.
Wall Drop Punt Kick & Catch: Contributions towards the creation of a new gross manipulative coordination test
Authors: Matos Rui , Monteiro Diogo , Rebelo-Gonçalves Ricardo , Coelho Luís , Salvador Rogério , Antunes Raul , Mendes Diogo , Amaro Nuno
Published: August 2021

This study aimed to search for age and sex differences on a manipulative eye-segmental (hand and foot) coordination task. It represents the first step towards a possible creation of a manipulative eye-hand and eye-foot coordination test that may be used in motor competence test batteries. One hundred and sixty-eight children (85 boys and 83 girls), with a mean age of 12.79 years old (±1.56) were assessed. Subjects had 30 seconds to achieve as many ball impacts as possible on a front wall (two meters apart), following a drop punt kick, rebound on the wall and catch sequence. Compared to girls’, boys’ performance was significantly better (p < .001) on each studied age (10, 11, 13 and 14), with large effect sizes (all four Cohen’s d values over 1.30). Besides, 10 and 11 years-old subjects’ performance, both in boys and in girls, was significantly lower than their 13 and 14 years-old subjects’ counterparts (p < .001, except for the comparison between 13 and 14 years-old subjects, on girls, where p < .01). All related effect sizes were large (all Cohen’s d values over 1.03). Results confirm literature, as boys’ performance on this manipulative task was significantly better than girls’ one. The results seem to be promising about the possible use of the task in question as an eye-hand and eye-foot coordination test in future. Further research needs to be performed, namely aiming its validation (testing its reliability and concurrent validity).
Conditional failure profile analysis for multiple failure modes from incomplete two-dimensionalwarranty data
Authors: Gupta Sanjib Kumar
Published: August 2021

This paper addresses the issue of detecting dominating failure modes of a system from a two-dimensional warranty data set by analyzing conditional failure profile of the system. Two testing procedures have been proposed to test whether any of the failure modes is dominating at a particular time interval and whether there is a change of the failure profile from one time interval to another disjoint time interval, conditioning on a given usage layer. Detecting the problematic failure modes early from the conditional failure profile and taking appropriate actions to reduce the conditional failure probability of the system can significantly reduce both tangible and intangible costs of poor reliability in any manufacturing industry. On the other hand, the study of possible changes of conditional failure profiles has a significant role to assess the field performance of items from one time interval to another time interval for a particular choice of usage layer. The utility of this study is explored with the help of a real-life data set.
Characteristics and clinical outcomes of hip fracture patients during the first lockdown of COVID-19, lessons learnt: A retrospective cohort analysis
Authors: Iyengar Karthikeyan P , Khatir Mohammed , Mohamed Muyed Kamal Awadalla , Kariya Ankur D , Jain Vijay Kumar , Sangani Chetan , Adam Riad F , Suraliwala Khushroo
Published: August 2021

Background

The management of hip fracture patients has been challenging across the UK in the wake of emergency coronavirus disease 2019 guidelines.

Aims

This retrospective, observational cohort study analyses the impact of the first lockdown during the early part of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on the management of hip fracture patients at a district general hospital in the UK.

Methods

Comparative analysis to assess hip fracture patients treated at this Trust between 1 April to 31 May 2019 and 1 April to 31 May 2020 was undertaken. The primary outcome measures appraised were 30 and 60-day mortality and the secondary outcome measure included time to surgery.

Results

There was a higher 30 and 60-day mortality rate in the first lockdown period at 8.1% and 13.5%, respectively, compared to 1.96% and 5.88% in 2019. A significantly lower proportion of hip fracture patients at 59.46% were operated within the 36h target time frame during the first lockdown.

Conclusion

In our Trust, hip fractures were treated as obligatory injuries. However, the mortality was higher in the 2020 cohort with a significant reduction in patients achieving the recommended ‘36 hours’ time to surgery target and accruement of Best Practice Tariff. Enhanced infection control strategies have prepared us for the future.
The current status of preventive measures for urinary calculi in children
Authors: Zhong Jiao , Huang Ziye , Yang Tongxin , Wang Guang , Guo Haixiang , Li Pei , Zhang Yafei , Zhao Yuan , Liu Jianhe
Published: August 2021

Urological calculus is a common disease in urology. Urological calculi are generally more common in adults but have become more common in children in recent years. Most existing studies focus on the prevention of urinary calculi in adults; there are relatively few articles on calculi in children. Reported preventive measures are not comprehensive enough, while the latest research progress has not been updated. The pathogenesis and preventive measures associated with urinary calculi have been the focus of research, but many preventive measures still need further clarification. This article reviews the progress on preventive measures for urinary calculi in children.
The emerging role of molecular pathology in directing the systemic treatment of endometrial cancer
Authors: Jamieson Amy , Bosse Tjalling , McAlpine Jessica N.
Published: August 2021

Following the discovery of the four molecular subtypes of endometrial cancer (EC) by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) in 2013, subsequent studies used surrogate markers to develop and validate a clinically relevant EC classification tool to recapitulate TCGA subtypes. Molecular classification combines focused sequencing ( POLE) and immunohistochemistry (mismatch repair and p53 proteins) to assign patients with EC to one of four molecular subtypes: POLEmut, MMRd, p53abn and NSMP (no specific molecular profile). Unlike histopathological evaluation, the molecular subtyping of EC offers an objective and reproducible classification system that has been shown to have prognostic value and therapeutic implications. It is an exciting time in EC care where we have moved beyond treatment based on histomorphology alone, and molecular classification will now finally allow assessment of treatment efficacy within biologically similar tumours. It is now recommended that molecular classification should be considered for all ECs, and should be performed routinely in all high grade tumours. It is also recommended to incorporate molecular classification into standard pathology reporting and treatment decision-making algorithms. In this review, we will discuss how the molecular classification of EC can be used to guide both conventional and targeted therapy in this new molecular era.
Idiopathic granulomatous interstitial nephritis and isolated renal sarcoidosis: Two diagnoses of exclusion
Authors: Janssen Ulf , Naderi Shirin , Amann Kerstin
Published: August 2021

Granulomatous interstitial nephritis is a rare finding in renal biopsy caused by drugs, infections, and inflammatory or autoimmune diseases. Idiopathic cases account for 18% of granulomatous interstitial nephritis in native kidneys. Sarcoidosis and drugs are the most common causes of granulomatous interstitial nephritis in Western countries, while in India tuberculosis prevails. Few cases of renal sarcoidosis without extrarenal involvement, that is, isolated renal sarcoidosis, have been reported. The diagnostic criteria of isolated renal sarcoidosis remain, however, unclear. Extrarenal sarcoidosis and other etiologies of granulomatous interstitial nephritis, in particular drug-related, have to be excluded. Some of these patients may develop extrarenal manifestations during follow-up. Changes in calcium and vitamin D metabolism are frequently observed in renal sarcoidosis and support its diagnosis. While non-necrotizing granulomas are a feature of sarcoidosis and drug-induced granulomatous interstitial nephritis, they also prevail in tuberculosis-associated granulomatous interstitial nephritis. Granulomatous interstitial nephritis caused by sarcoidosis and drugs usually responds to steroid therapy. A poor response to steroids may indicate an infectious etiology such as tuberculosis and should lead to a review of the initial diagnosis. This article gives an overview of the various etiologies of granulomatous interstitial nephritis, their frequency and histopathological characteristics, as well as potential biomarkers associated with renal sarcoidosis.
Blackfishing on Instagram: Influencing and the Commodification of Black Urban Aesthetics
Authors: Stevens Wesley E.
Published: August 2021

This article examines blackfishing, a practice in which cultural and economic agents appropriate Black culture and urban aesthetics in an effort to capitalize on Black markets. Specifically, this study analyzes the Instagram accounts of four influencers (Instagram models) who were accused of blackfishing in late 2018 and is supplemented with a critical analysis of 27 news and popular press articles which comprise the media discourse surrounding the controversy. Situated within the literature on cultural appropriation and urban redevelopment policies, this study explores how Black identity is mined for its cultural and economic value in the context of digital labor. I assert that Instagram’s unique platform affordances (including its racial affordances) and the neoliberal logics which undergird cultural notions of labor facilitate the mechanisms by which Black identity is rendered a lucrative commodity vis-à-vis influencing.
Risk Perception and Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Among Healthcare Workers in Primary and Secondary Healthcare Settings in Qatar: A National Study
Authors: Kader Nisha , Elhusein Bushra , Al Abdulla Samya , Hamza Abdul Hakeem , Al Maslamani Muna , Chandra Prem , Perayil Rasheedali , Vincent Jojo , Gunashekaran Josephine , Alabdulla Majid
Published: August 2021

Introduction:

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, primary and secondary healthcare workers (HCWs) have faced unprecedented stress, jeopardizing their mental well-being.

Aims:

To compare risk perception and psychological distress between primary and secondary HCWs.

Method:

A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted with HCWs in Qatar from April 5 to July 5, 2020. Psychological distress and risk perception were assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, a perceived COVID-19 risk questionnaire, and a sociodemographic questionnaire.

Results:

Of the 4417 participating HCWs, 3421 (90.3%) felt that their job increased their risk of COVID-19 exposure, 3759 (90.9%) accepted this as part of their job, and 3440 worried that this also increased the risk of exposure to their families. Moreover, 2911 (84.8%) believed that their employer would look after their needs if they contracted COVID-19. Moderate to severe psychological distress was present in 1346 (30.5%) HCWs. Primary HCWs were less likely to experience moderate to severe psychological distress than secondary HCWs (adjusted OR, 0.48; 95% CI 0.29-0.77, P = .003). Secondary HCWs who worked in COVID-19 designated areas had greater psychological distress.

Conclusions:

HCWs’ exposure to outbreaks has various psychological effects, which may have long-term consequences and affect their decision-making capacity. Strategies to enhance the mental well-being of HCWs exposed to COVID-19 should be introduced immediately.
The US Geological Survey ground failure product: Near-real-time estimates of earthquake-triggered landslides and liquefaction
Authors: Allstadt Kate E , Thompson Eric M , Jibson Randall W , Wald David J , Hearne Michael , Hunter Edward J , Fee Jeremy , Schovanec Heather , Slosky Daniel , Haynie Kirstie L
Published: August 2021

Since late 2018, the US Geological Survey (USGS) ground failure (GF) earthquake product has provided publicly available spatial estimates of earthquake-triggered landslide and liquefaction hazards, along with the qualitative hazard and population exposure-based alerts for M > 6 earthquakes worldwide and in near real time (within ∼30 min). Earthquake losses are oftentimes greatly aggravated by the impacts due to ground failure, yet those particular events with dramatic additional losses have not, heretofore, been rapidly identifiable. The GF product now provides situational awareness about the potential extent and severity of ground failure in the crucial time period before direct observations are available. We describe our implementation of the GF product and the lessons learned from the earthquakes that have occurred since the GF product was released. We describe the product design process, the underlying GF models, the methods we have developed for modeling uncertainty, and the development of the alert levels. The GF product has been produced in near real time for 320 events over the 2-year period since its public implementation in late 2018 through early 2021. The majority of these events yielded the lowest level (green) alerts for all ground-failure types, with 25 resulting in elevated hazard or exposure to landslides and 47 for liquefaction. In a qualitative comparison between the GF product alerts and GF occurrence information, we found that the product succeeds at assigning appropriate alert levels in the majority of cases. Based on our experience with the product, we have identified the following priorities for future improvements: (1) refinements of the underlying probabilistic models to incorporate severity and explicitly model the type of landslide/liquefaction; (2) development of models for fatalities and economic losses due to ground failure; and (3) estimation of the impacts of ground failure on infrastructure.
Facile Fabrication of BiF3: Ln (Ln = Gd, Yb, Er)@PVP Nanoparticles for High-Efficiency Computed Tomography Imaging
Authors: Xie Jun , Zhou Zonglang , Ma Sihan , Luo Xian , Liu Jiajing , Wang Shengyu , Chen Yuqiang , Yan Jianghua , Luo Fanghong
Published: August 2021

X-ray computed tomography (CT) has been widely used in clinical practice, and contrast agents such as Iohexol are often used to enhance the contrast of CT imaging between normal and diseased tissue. However, such contrast agents can have some toxicity. Thus, new CT contrast agents are urgently needed. Owing to the high atomic number (Z = 83), low cost, good biological safety, and great X-ray attenuation property (5.74 cm2 kg−1 at 100 keV), bismuth has gained great interest from researchers in the field of nano-sized CT contrast agents. Here, we synthesized BiF3: Ln@PVP nanoparticles (NPs) with an average particle size of about 380 nm. After coating them with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), the BiF3: Ln@PVP NPs possessed good stability and great biocompatibility. Meanwhile, compared with the clinical contrast agent Iohexol, BiF3: Ln@PVP NPs showed superior in vitro CT imaging contrast. Subsequently, after in situ injection with BiF3: Ln@PVP NPs, the CT value of the tumor site after the injection was significantly higher than that before the injection (the CT value of the pre-injection and post-injection was 48.9 HU and 194.58 HU, respectively). The morphology of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract can be clearly observed over time after oral administration of BiF3: Ln@PVP NPs. Finally, the BiF3: Ln@PVP NPs were completely discharged from the GI tract of mice within 48 h of oral administration with no obvious damage to the GI tract. In summary, our easily synthesized BiF3: Ln@PVP NPs can be used as a potential clinical contrast agent and may have broad application prospects in CT imaging.