bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Empirical Relationship Between Macroeconomic Variables and Stock Market: Evidence from India
Authors: Yadav Miklesh Prasad , Khera Aastha , Mishra Nandita
Published: October 2021

This study investigates the relationship between the Indian stock market price behaviour and macroeconomic variables. The proxy for the Indian stock market is the BSESENSEX while Foreign Reserve, Exchange Rate (Indian vs. US Dollar) and CPI are proxies for the macroeconomic variables. The Johansen Cointegration Test and the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) on monthly data collected from websites of Reserve Bank of India and Bombay Stock Exchange within the time period of January 2000 and February 2020 have been applied. We observe a contradiction between the results of trace statistics and the maximal eigenvalue of the Johansen Cointegration. The -trace statistics of cointegration allude to the long-run association between the Indian stock market and its constituent macroeconomic variables. The VECM is then applied to examine the long-run and short-run causalities and the results reveal the same. This study has profound implications for investors to diversify their portfolio, considering the impact of the constituent selected macroeconomic variables in the short run and long run.

JEL Codes: B22, J11, R53
‘I don't like this job in my front room’: Practising probation in the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Phillips Jake , Westaby Chalen , Ainslie Sam , Fowler Andrew
Published: October 2021

The Exceptional Delivery Model for probation practice in England and Wales meant that probation practitioners predominantly worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, engaging and supervising service-users remotely. This article explores the impact of the Exceptional Delivery Model on staff and their practice. We begin by considering how probation practice changed because of the implementation of the Exceptional Delivery Model and the impact that this has had on probation staff. The reality of probation work is brought into perspective when there are children in the home and the demarcation of work and home life is easily blurred, especially when considered through the lens of ‘emotional dirty work’. We then present analysis of interviews with 61 practitioners and managers in the National Probation Service. The interviews were primarily focused on staff wellbeing and emotional labour as opposed to the impact of the pandemic, but participants regularly raised the pandemic in discussions. We focus on three key themes: the challenges of working from home and remote communication, experiences of managing risk through doorstep visits and the spill over of probation work into personal lives. The article concludes by considering what the findings tell us about probation work and potential future implications.
Utility of a controlled amphetamine withdrawal paradigm among adults who use methamphetamine: A pilot clinical trial
Authors: Thompson Ronald G , Oliveto Alison , Thostenson Jeff D , Wilson Michael P , McGaugh Janette , Mancino Michael J
Published: October 2021

Background:

The continued increase in prevalence of methamphetamine use in the United States has resulted in a significant increase in the number of patients entering treatment for methamphetamine use. However, no robustly efficacious pharmacologic treatment for methamphetamine use or withdrawal has been identified to date after stopping methamphetamine use.

Aims:

Given the association between methamphetamine withdrawal and relapse during early treatment, this study tested a controlled d-amphetamine withdrawal paradigm among methamphetamine-using individuals.

Methods:

Treatment-seeking adults who used methamphetamine ( N = 34; 47% female; 100% white) were enrolled in a 4-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in a residential setting, in which all participants were maintained on d-amphetamine (30 mg BID) during week 1, then half were switched to placebo during weeks 2–3. All participants received placebo during week 4. Outcomes included vital signs, withdrawal, cravings for methamphetamine, mood, and cognition. Bivariate analyses tested treatment group differences on baseline demographic and outcome variables. Repeated measures models examined main and interaction effects of treatment over time.

Results/Outcomes:

Participants were successfully randomized and safely stabilized on d-amphetamine. Craving for methamphetamine increased during weeks 2–3 in the placebo group relative to those on d-amphetamine. Interactions with age and heart rate were noted.

Conclusions/Interpretation:

To our knowledge, this is the first double-blind, placebo-controlled trial measuring pharmacologic effects of abruptly stopping controlled d-amphetamine administration in adults who use methamphetamine. Results support the potential of this withdrawal paradigm to further examine the efficacy of pharmacologic agents in ameliorating methamphetamine withdrawal symptoms.
Children Climate Change Activism and Protests in Africa: Reflections and Lessons From Greta Thunberg
Authors: Zhanda Kelvin , Dzvimbo Munyaradzi A , Chitongo Leonard
Published: October 2021

This article is based on a distinctive study that seeks to analyse the nascent role of teenagers’ activism and protests for climate change action. With the increasing realisation of children's rights to participation, the past few years have marked the rise of the new dispensation of climate activism and protests in which teenagers have occupied the centre stage. We pay specific reference to Greta Thunberg, a Swedish child climate activist, in as much as she can set a framework upon which Africa can draw parallels, lessons and insights for climate activism and protests. Even though the context may be different, the paper attempts to inform vibrant climate action through activism by children and ultimately climate policies, laws and management for environmental sustainability in Africa. We engaged document review and thematic approaches, and it emerged that children climate activism and protests in Africa are not as vibrant as they should be given the prevalence of climate inaction across the continent. Therefore, there is much to learn from Thunberg by pushing national governments and regional organisations to increase the decision-making space of children in the fight against climate change.
Racing the nation: towards a theory of reproductive racism
Authors: Siddiqui Sophia
Published: October 2021

In this challenging article, the author marries the notion of reproduction, both biological and social, to new forms of political and popular racism in Europe wherein the family and breeding to keep the nation white and ‘native’ are now centre stage. Whilst certain women’s reproductive capacities are being incentivised for nationalist ends, this goes alongside a rollback in reproductive rights as well as a series of exclusions aimed at those marked as demographic threats – migrants, Muslims and, increasingly, LGBTQ people. She demonstrates how migrant women, who are vilified as breeders who could threaten the purity of the nation, are essential to maintain the traditional nuclear family under capitalism, through caring for the young and old, but simultaneously denied their rights as workers and mothers. The focus on reproduction is now a key dividing line in European racism; something that feminists and anti-racists should now address. This, she argues is more than a matter of intersectionality, but a new racist avatar which she terms reproductive racism.
NHS: inequality and incorporation
Authors: Farah Wayne
Published: October 2021

As chief executive Simon Stevens ends his stint at the helm of England’s National Health Service (NHS), a Black health activist takes a critical look at the direction of travel on racial equality under his leadership. He argues that ‘racial democracy’, i.e., ethnic representation or diversity, has displaced the rooting out of racialised injustice and inequality. Using the example of the health service, he reveals just how the struggle against racism in institutions has been reduced under neoliberalism to a mechanical mathematics of inequality. While, simultaneously, long-discarded eugenicist and biological arguments are making an unwelcome comeback, and the ‘hostile environment’, ushered in by New Labour when Stevens was a health adviser, takes its toll on migrants and refugees.
Diurnal Variation in SARS-CoV-2 PCR Test Results: Test Accuracy May Vary by Time of Day
Authors: McNaughton Candace D. , Adams Nicholas M. , Hirschie Johnson Carl , Ward Michael J. , Schmitz Jonathan E. , Lasko Thomas A.
Published: October 2021

False negative tests for SARS-CoV-2 are common and have important public health and medical implications. We tested the hypothesis of diurnal variation in viral shedding by assessing the proportion of positive versus negative SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests and cycle time (Ct) values among positive samples by the time of day. Among 86,342 clinical tests performed among symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in a regional health care network in the southeastern United States from March to August 2020, we found evidence for diurnal variation in the proportion of positive SARS-CoV-2 tests, with a peak around 1400 h and 1.7-fold variation over the day after adjustment for age, sex, race, testing location, month, and day of week and lower Ct values during the day for positive samples. These findings have important implications for public health testing and vaccination strategies.
Gendered Activation at the Expense of Gender Equality? Activation and Gender Equality as Competing Logics in the Swedish Welfare State
Authors: Parsland Ellen , Ulmestig Rickard
Published: October 2021

This study aims to understand how goals of activation and gender equality interact in labor market programs directed towards activating unemployed participants. The study draws on interviews with 28 social workers and managers at four Swedish municipally governed labor market programs typically targeted towards poor, unemployed individuals with little to no attachment to the labor market or social insurance system. Our findings show that activation goals are understood to be clear cut and a dominant logic within the labor market programs. The gender equality goals are understood as fuzzy and subordinate to the activation logic. Our theoretical analysis, based on neo-institutional theory, shows that gendered activation as a hybrid logic is created within the four programs as a means of handling the competing logics of gender equality and activation. Gendered activation may be reasonable on an individual level, where women in long-term unemployment can sustain a higher income through work and become financially independent. In the context of the gender segregated labor market, gendered activation reproduces gendered inequalities when an increasing interest for activation policy among welfare states overshadows claims of gender equality. Furthermore, our study exemplifies the systemic reproduction of racist discourse within social- and labour market policies. Within the logic of gendered activation, migrant women become singled out as specifically problematic for Swedish society to handle when unemployment is given gendered and cultural explanations. Through the logic of gendered activation, gender equality goals become no-matter-what employment rather than employment leading to equal outcomes.
Dissertation Data Collection During a Global Pandemic: Barking Dogs, Crying Babies, and Feminist Social Work
Authors: Ahluwalia-Cameron Aman
Published: October 2021

COVID-19 has had a profound impact on our society. Research evidence has surfaced that there is a gender disparity in research productivity due to COVID-19. Notably, women in academia have been less productive in terms of academic publications since the beginning of the pandemic, likely due to the day-to-day responsibilities of childcare and domestic work; and according to pre-print literature, women of color may be more significantly impacted. As a woman of color, PhD candidate, mother of a toddler, wife, advocate for mental wellness, researcher, and social worker, reflecting on these recent articles was quite disheartening. Additionally, the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on doctoral students has had detrimental impacts on our ability to collect data we need to forge our paths through this academic journey. This in-brief paper is written in response to the numerous questions I have been asked by other doctoral students around how I collected 41 in-depth, semi-structured interviews while working from home during a global pandemic, with my toddler at home with me. I reflect on how I pivoted to recruit participants, scheduled interviews, and conducted interviews from home, and how I believe COVID-19 has created space for a more accessible qualitative data gathering experience.
Delineating impact of viscous dissipation and non-uniform heat source/sink on viscous fluid flow towards a stretching surface
Authors: Yin Junfeng , Zhang Xianqin , Hamid Aamir , Israr Ur Rehman Muhammad , Yang Dezhi , Ullah Saif
Published: October 2021

The proposed model is applicable to a wide range of engineering and technological activities, including polymer manufacturing, chemical production, nuclear energy, electronics, and aerodynamics. The current work is being performed as a result of such applications. This paper deals with the mechanism of heat transport in magnetohydrodynamics flow of an electrically conducting viscous fluid along with a permeable stretching sheet. Further, an analysis has been carried out to discuss the effects of Ohmic heating, viscous dissipation, and non-uniform heat source/sink near the stagnation point. Implementing similarity transformations, the governing boundary-layer equations corresponding to the momentum and energy are reduced to a set of self-similar non-linear ordinary differential equations and then solved numerically by using the shooting technique. The influence of pertinent parameters on dimensionless velocity, temperature distribution, skin friction coefficient, and local Nusselt number are displayed graphically and the physical aspects are discussed comprehensively. It is worthy to note that higher values of Hartmann number and velocity ratio parameter enhance the velocity profiles. Moreover, the heat transfer rate is decreased by Eckert number, and reverse behavior is seen for Prandtl number. Comparisons are made with previously published studies, and the results are found to be very similar.
How to design a more stable dental implant: A topology optimization approach
Authors: Niroomand Mohammad Reza , Toutounchi Hamidreza , Mousavi Sayedali
Published: October 2021

The body shape design is one of the most influential factors in the success of dental implants. This study presents a strategy to design the geometrical features of a threaded implant. The topology optimization technique is applied to identify appropriate spaces in the implant body to be removed for bone growth. The exact shape, position, and dimensions of the spaces are determined using a finite element model. This model consists of a mandibular segment, implant, abutment, and crown. During the optimization process, some grooves and holes are created in the implant by removing redundant materials. Bone growth into these spaces causes mechanical locking between the implant and surrounding bone. The smoothing process is performed following the optimization to remove stress concentration. The results indicate that this design strategy reduces the maximum displacement of the implant by approximately 20%. Moreover, a reduction in the implant’s volume and an increase in the contact area between the implant and bone are obtained. All mentioned issues would increase the stability and reduce the risk of implant loosening. Finally, using conventional production methods, the optimal implant was produced from titanium alloy to demonstrate the possibility of production of the proposed design.
The Oxford Domed Lateral Unicompartmental Knee Replacement implant: Increasing wall height reduces the risk of bearing dislocation
Authors: Yang Irene , Gammell Jonathan D , Murray David W , Mellon Stephen J
Published: October 2021

Due to lateral ligament laxity, bearing dislocation occurs in 1%–6% of Oxford Domed Lateral replacements. Most dislocations are medial but they do rarely occur anteriorly or posteriorly. The aim was to decrease the risk of dislocation. For a bearing to dislocate the femoral component has to be distracted from the tibial component. A robotic-path-planning-algorithm was used with a computer model of the implant in different configurations to determine the Vertical Distraction needed for Dislocation (VDD). With current components, VDD anteriorly/posteriorly was 5.5 to 6.5 mm and medially was 3.5 to 5.75 mm. A thicker bearing increased VDD medially and decreased VDD anteriorly/posteriorly (0.1 mm/1 mm thickness increase). VDD medially increased with the bearing closer to the tibial wall (0.5 mm/1 mm closer), or by increasing the tibial wall height (1 mm/1 mm height increase). VDD anteriorly/posteriorly was not influenced by bearing position or wall height. To prevent collision between the femoral and tibial components an increase in wall height must be accompanied by a similar increase in minimum bearing thickness. Increasing the wall height and minimum bearing thickness by 2 mm and ensuring the bearing is 4 mm or less from the wall increased the minimum VDD medially to 5.5 mm. The lower VDD medially than anteriorly/posteriorly explains why medial dislocation is more common. If the wall height is increased by 2 mm, the minimum bearing thickness is 5 mm and the surgeon ensured the bearing is 4 mm or less from the wall, the medial dislocation rate should be similar to the anterior/posterior dislocation rate, which should be acceptable.
Sox11 Modified Tendon-Derived Stem Cells Promote the Repair of Osteonecrosis of Femoral Head
Authors: Ni Ming , Sun Weiwei , Li Yucong , Ding Lingli , Lin Weiping , Peng Haiwen , Zheng Qingyuan , Sun Jingyang , Li Juncheng , Liu Hao , Yang Yi , Xu Liangliang , Zhang Guoqiang
Published: October 2021

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a leading cause of mobility impairment which may lead to a total hip replacement. Recent studies have found tendon derived stem cells (TDSCs) might be an ideal cell source for musculoskeletal tissue regeneration. And our previous study has shown Sox11 could promote osteogenesis of bone marrow-derived MSCs. However, the effect of TDSCs or Sox11 over-expressing TDSCs (TDSCs-Sox11) on bone regeneration in ONFH has not been investigated. In the present study, TDSCs were infected with AAV carrying Sox11 or empty vector. We showed that Sox11 could promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of TDSCs, as well as angiogenesis in vitro. The western blot analysis showed that Sox11 could activate the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to promote osteogenesis of TDSCs. Finally, using a rabbit model of hormone-induced ONFH, our result demonstrated that local administration of TDSCs or TDSCs overexpressing Sox11 could accelerate bone regeneration in necrotic femoral heads, and TDSCs overexpressing Sox11 showed better effects. TDSCs over-expressing Sox11 might be a promising cell source for stem cell therapy to promote bone regeneration, such as ONFH, fracture, bone defect, and so on.
Transdiagnostic Approaches to Sexual- and Gender-Minority Mental Health
Authors: Eaton Nicholas R. , Rodriguez-Seijas Craig , Pachankis John E.
Published: October 2021

Sexual- and gender-minority individuals experience minority stress, which is hypothesized to underlie the mental-health disparities affecting these populations. Drawing on advances in the classification of mental disorders, we argue that transdiagnostic approaches hold great promise for understanding and reducing these disparities. In contrast to traditional diagnostic approaches, which have limited construct validity and have produced a piecemeal literature, transdiagnostic approaches (a) are evidence based, (b) account for diffuse patterns of disparities and comorbidity, (c) pinpoint psychological mechanisms linking minority stress to poor mental health, (d) reduce scientific stigma, and (e) identify efficacious and efficient points of intervention for treatment of negative outcomes of minority stress.
The Financial Impact of Patents on SMEs in China: Empirical Evidence from Pharmaceutical Sector
Authors: Feng Ye , Liu Kunmeng , Lyu Liyang , Sun Guojun , Hu Yuanjia
Published: October 2021

With the disruptive technology innovation time arrival, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been the motor of innovation and played an increasingly major role in national economic development. As the shift towards an ‘open innovation’ paradigm, awareness of intellectual property rights has increased, and patents have been an important tool for Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises. Considering its mass production of low-level generic drugs, there are still many arguments about its lack of innovation. This article aims to identify if and how patents, as essential indicators of innovation, generate financial performance measured by SMEs in the pharmaceutical sectors. Patent data are a vital source of competitive intelligence. A positive association was found between annually added patents and gross sales. Many other patent indicators, such as the number of forward citations and patent transfer, were statistically significant. Moreover, the results suggested that there was a one-year lag between patent publication and financial performance. A series of patent quantity and quality indicators have shown significant effects on the financial performance of Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises. These patents generate a positive financial impact, which builds up a solid basis for keeping sustainable innovation capability in the Chinese drug industry.
Book review: Irene Yuan Sun, The Next Factory of the World: How Chinese Investment is Reshaping Africa
Authors: Rajwar Sushmita
Published: October 2021

Irene Yuan Sun, The Next Factory of the World: How Chinese Investment is Reshaping Africa, Harvard Business Review Press, Massachusetts, 2017, 211 pp., ₹1717.83.
Magnetorheological damper modeling based on a refined constitutive model for MR fluids
Authors: Pei Pei , Peng Yongbo , Qiu Canxing
Published: October 2021

A systematic modeling study is conducted to predict the dynamic response of magnetorheological (MR) damper based on a refined constitutive model for MR fluids. A particle-level simulation method is first employed to probe the microstructured behavior and rheological properties of MR fluids, based on which the refined constitutive model is developed. The constitutive model is further validated by comparing the predicted results with the data obtained from microscopic simulations and existing experiments. It is revealed that the proposed constitutive model has comparable accuracy and good applicability in representing MR fluids. Subsequently, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is established to explore MR damper’s behavior by using the proposed constitutive model to describe the fluid rheology. For better capturing the dynamic hysteretic behavior of MR damper, a modified parametric model is developed by combing the Bingham plastic model and the proposed constitutive model. The modified model for MR damper shows its validity and superiority over the existing Bingham plastic models.
Postpartum Hemorrhage in Heterozygote Factor XIII Deficient Women Compared With Healthy Women. A Cross-Sectional Experience From Iran
Authors: Naderi Majid , Mirzaei Ilia , Yaghoubi Saeedeh , Milani Ida , Cohan Nader
Published: October 2021

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a major cause of maternal mortality, which is a common clinical manifestation in women with rare bleeding disorders. In this study, we compare PPH and its complications in heterozygote factor XIII (FXIII) deficient women with healthy women. In this cross sectional case study, 50 women with heterozygote FXIII deficiency and 50 healthy women are evaluated. Data were initially collected by interviewing the women who were receiving FXIII replacement therapy after their childbirths. Data were analysed using SPSS (Version 22) and a P-value of less than .05 was considered statistically significant. The mean age in the patient and control groups were 31.2 and 32.5 years respectively. The occurring rate of PPH in the patient group was significantly higher than the control group (34% vs 2%) ( P-value <.0001). None of the confounding variables such as maternal age, gestational age, numbers, and types of delivery in women with PPH showed any significant differences between the control and patient groups. According to the results of this study, the risk of PPH (early and late), miscarriage, and menorrhagia in women who are heterozygous for FXIII deficiency is significantly higher than healthy women. However, the effect of other factors such as maternal age, gestational age, number, and type of delivery require further studies to delineate any confounding factors.
Gateway Moments to Literate Identities
Authors: Enright Kerry A. , Wong Joanna W. , Sanchez Sergio L.
Published: October 2021

Drawing from theories of identity, language, and race, we conceptualize gateway moments to literate identities in high school English language arts classrooms enrolling language-minoritized youth. Gateways were interactions that afforded particular kinds of literate identities for youth. Deficit literate identities often invoked racialized language and literacy ideologies; authoritative literate identities engaged youths’ full cultural and linguistic repertoires to create and critique knowledge. Occasionally, youth enacted authoritative classroom literate identities alongside or in response to dominant deficit frames of their literate abilities during planned and spontaneous classroom interaction. We note in each type of gateway opportunities for teachers to open space for youths’ authoritative knowledge-producing literate identities. We aim to illustrate how a single instructional choice or classroom interaction ranges in effect from maintaining and reinforcing oppressive legacies and deficit literate identities to centering youth and their language and literacy repertoires in learning experiences for more socially just interactions and learning.
Prediction of Educational Attainment and Occupational Functioning in Young Adults With a Childhood Diagnosis of ADHD: Results from the Cologne Adaptive Multimodal Treatment (CAMT) Study
Authors: von Wirth Elena , Breuer Dieter , Mandler Janet , Schürmann Stephanie , Döpfner Manfred
Published: October 2021

Objective:

This longitudinal study examined early predictors of educational attainment and occupational functioning in adults with a childhood diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Method:

Participants ( n = 70) of the Cologne Adaptive Multimodal Treatment (CAMT) Study were diagnosed with ADHD and received adaptive multimodal ADHD treatment during childhood. They were then followed through adolescence into adulthood.

Results:

Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that poor reading skill and externalizing behaviors in childhood were early predictors of educational and occupational difficulties in adulthood. The use of stimulant medication in childhood predicted lower high school achievement, probably because medication use was confounded by indication. The regression models improved when intelligence scores and/or externalizing behaviors, especially delinquency, assessed in adolescence were considered as additional predictors.

Conclusion:

Children with ADHD, who continue to show reading difficulties and externalizing behavior problems after initial treatment, are at risk for educational and occupational difficulties and may need additional support.
Identifying the Facilitators and Barriers in Disseminating and Adopting a Health Intervention Developed by a Community–Academic Partnership
Authors: Harding Truely , Oetzel John , Simpson Mary , Nock Sophie
Published: October 2021

The literature regarding implementation science of evidence-based health interventions in Māori communities is limited, and there is a push for new and innovative delivery methods of health interventions in New Zealand. The purpose of the study was to identify the facilitators and barriers in implementing a health intervention designed by others and was framed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). This study explored general perceptions of the implementation process and also included a case study, the Kaumātua Mana Motuhake (older people’s autonomy and self-actualization) project; a codesigned peer education intervention for older Māori. Semistructured interviews ( N = 17) were conducted via face-to-face, phone, or Zoom with health and social service professionals with experience working with Māori communities. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The facilitators included community engagement, program structure, program adaptability and creators’ experience. The barriers consisted of funding access, funding constraints and organizational constraints. The findings support key elements within the CFIR, highlighting the importance of community engagement and adaptability. Additionally, this study identified nuanced aspects of funding and resources that constrain organisations in employing health interventions designed by others.
RUSLE Model Based Annual Soil Loss Quantification for Soil Erosion Protection: A Case of Fincha Catchment, Ethiopia
Authors: Wagari Meseret , Tamiru Habtamu
Published: October 2021

In this study, Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model and Geographic Information System (GIS) platforms were successfully applied to quantify the annual soil loss for the protection of soil erosion in Fincha catchment, Ethiopia. The key physical factors such as rainfall erosivity ( R-factor), soil erodibility ( K-factor), topographic condition (LS-factor), cover management ( C-factor), and support practice ( P-factor) were prepared in GIS environment from rainfall, soil, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), Land use/Land cover (LULC) respectively. The RUSLE equation was used in raster calculator of ArcGIS spatial tool analyst. The individual map of the derived factors was multiplied in the raster calculator and an average annual soil loss ranges from 0.0 to 76.5 t ha−1 yr−1 was estimated. The estimated annual soil loss was categorized based on the qualitative and quantitative classifications as Very Low (0–15 t ha−1 yr−1), Low (15–45 t ha−1 yr−1), Moderate (45–75 t ha−1 yr−1), and High (>75 t ha−1 yr−1). It was found from the generated soil erosion severity map that about 45% of the catchment area was vulnerable to the erosion with an annual soil loss of (>75 t ha−1 yr−1), and this demonstrates that the erosion reduction actions are immediately required to ensure the sustainable soil resources in the study area. The soil erosion severity map generated based on RUSLE model and GIS platforms have a paramount role to alert all stakeholders in controlling the effects of the erosion. The results of the RUSLE model can also be further considered along with the catchment for practical soil loss protection practices.
Landfill Site Selection Using GIS Based Multicriteria Evaluation Technique in Harar City, Eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Asefa Elsai Mati , Damtew Yohannes Tefera , Barasa Kefelegn Bayu
Published: October 2021

Solid waste disposal is one of the challenging components in integrated solid waste management. Particularly the problem is prominent in cities with rapid population growth and waste generation. Harar, a capital city of Harari regional state located in the eastern part of Ethiopia, covers an area of 19.5 km2 and has a total population of 270 000. Despite the fastest population growth of the city, it doesn’t have a landfill site to accommodate the waste generated and open dumping is in full practice. As an integral part of a solid waste management plan, the construction of a landfill has been suggested by the city municipality. However, the multi-dimensional and conflicting aspect of landfill sitting, which involves environmental, social, technical, and economic considerations, challenges the location of a suitable landfill site. In the current study, we have applied geographic information system (GIS) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) multi-criteria decision analysis to select a landfill site through minimizing conflicting interests. Environmental and socio-economic factors including well water, distance from residence, land use and land cover, elevation, slope, and wind direction were weighted to develop a suitability index for landfill siting. Experts’ opinion was obtained to rank the aforementioned factors. The required landfill size was determined based on population growth, waste generation rate, and waste volume/year. Accordingly, the suitability index resulted in 3% of the area as highly suitable, and the rest 0.29%, 14.18%, 52.75%, and 29.8% classified as unsuitable, least suitable, moderately suitable, and suitable, respectively. Considering the future trend of waste generation, 16 ha of land located in the eastern part of the city was selected as a candidate landfill site with all the required suitability. The results of this study can be used as an input for decision making in siting landfill for Harar city.
As a Failure to Follow Basic Medical Rules for a Sample, Has a Costly Diagnosis of a Zoonosis
Authors: Özer Işil
Published: October 2021

Cat-scratch disease can be transmitted from cats and dogs in winter. It is usually self-limited and caused by Bartonella henselae. It may cause serious symptoms, including neurological findings, especially in immune-deficient patients. A female patient was referred to our outpatient clinic at the age of 3 years and 10 months with a preliminary diagnosis of neurodegenerative metabolic disease. Her complaints began after a stray cat scratched her. We found out that the hospital to which she was admitted provided only local wound care due to her history of contact with a cat and that she was vaccinated against rabies. Her body temperature increased, her neck lymph nodes became swollen, and she developed otitis and mastoiditis after 1 month. Additionally, we discovered that she had deteriorated in her walking ability after 6 weeks and developed hand tremors after 10 weeks. It was discovered that previous centers to which the patient applied did not question cat contact. All metabolic tests performed for the differential diagnosis of last admission findings were considered nonspecific. Considering cat-scratch disease due to her clinical history, she was referred to the pediatric infection unit for a Bartonella henselae test, and the test result was 1/256 positive. Failure to follow basic medical rules might be costly in diagnosis and treatment. Cat scratch disease is a zoonosis and a major public health problem. In differential diagnosis, these medical procedures should always be considered before rare metabolic diseases.
Duncan Dowson and elastohydrodynamic lubrication at Leeds University
Authors: Ehret Pascal , Ghanbarzadeh Ali
Published: October 2021

This paper retraces the fascinating developments made by Professor Dowson at Leeds University in the field of elastohydrodynamic lubrication, starting from the early years of elastohydrodynamic lubrication solutions to his most recent contribution to biotribology and mixed lubrication.
Understanding Brexit on Facebook: Developing Close-up, Qualitative Methodologies for Social Media Research
Authors: Hall Natalie-Anne
Published: October 2021

Facebook has frequently been implicated in the 2016 ‘Brexit’ referendum result, and support for Leave has been linked to wider nativist and populist mobilisations online. However, close-up, qualitative sociological research has not been conducted into the relationship between Brexit and social media use. This is, in part, due to the computational turn in online research, which has led to a disproportionate focus on quantitative big data analysis. This article argues for the value of close-up, qualitative enquiry to facilitate situated understandings of the reality of social media use and what it means to individuals. It outlines one such methodology developed to investigate pro-Leave Facebook users, to demonstrate how challenges posed by such research can be overcome, and the opportunities such enquiry affords for studying the role of social media in contentious politics. Invaluable insights gained include the way Facebook provides an empowering tool for making claims to political knowledge in the context of growing transnational nativist and populist grievances.
Social entrenchment influences the amount of areal borrowing in contact languages
Authors: Yakpo Kofi
Published: October 2021

Aims and objectives:

Social factors in language contact are not well understood. This study seeks to establish and explain the role of social entrenchment in the evolution of contact languages. It also aims to contribute to a broader perspective on areality that can account for social and linguistic factors in contact outcomes involving all languages present in multilingual ecologies, including contact languages.

Methodology:

The copula system was singled out for a detailed analysis. A corpus of primary data of the three African English-lexifier contact languages, Pichi, Cameroon Pidgin, and Ghanaian Pidgin, their ancestor Krio, and of their African adstrates (Bube, Mokpe, Akan) and European superstrates (Spanish, English) was investigated and compared.

Data and analysis:

Relevant features were selected for a dissimilarity matrix. A quantitative analysis was done with SplitsTree4. The resulting distance matrix and phylogenetic network were investigated for signals of genealogical transmission and areal diffusion and interpreted on their social background.

Findings/conclusions:

The copula systems of the three contact languages carry a genealogical signal of their ancestor Krio as well as an areal signal from the adstrates and superstrates spoken in their respective ecologies. The amount of areal borrowing increases in the order Pichi < Cameroon Pidgin < Ghanaian Pidgin, reflective of the depth of social entrenchment of each variety from left to right.

Originality:

Previous studies do not describe the copula systems of the English-lexifier contact languages of Africa and the Caribbean at a similar level of granularity and mostly focus on their emergence during creolization. This study attempts to explain their subsequent areal differentiation and links it to differences in social ecologies.

Significance/implications:

Areal borrowing can lead to significant departures from genealogically inherited structures within a short time if social entrenchment is shallow. Conversely, even languages of wider communication can remain remarkably stable if social entrenchment is deep.
The construction and mobilization of political consumerism through digital media in a networked social movement
Authors: Lee Francis LF , Fong Ivy WY
Published: October 2021

Political consumerism can be a routinized everyday practice, an organized campaign, or a tactic in a protest movement. When becoming (part of) a collective action campaign, activists need to articulate its relevance and effectiveness and mobilize people to participate. Digital media can play a significant role, especially in a networked movement without centralized leadership. This article demonstrates how digital media facilitated the emergence of political consumerism, codified under the label of “yellow economic circle,” in the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement in Hong Kong. A qualitative analysis of online discussions and public discourse illustrated how movement participants gradually co-developed the idea of yellow economic circle by integrating symbolic resources, responding to ongoing events, and drawing mainstream media and public figures’ attention. Survey analysis showed that using social media for public affairs information and discussion positively related to engagement in political consumption, particularly among movement supporters who were receptive to radicalism.
Investigation of dynamic properties of a three-dimensional printed thermoplastic composite beam containing controllable core under non-uniform magnetic fields
Authors: Kalsoom Ambreen , Shankar A. N. , Kakaravada Ismail , Jindal Prakhar , Lakshmi V. V. K. , Rajeshkumar S.
Published: October 2021

This paper presents the dynamic responses of sandwich beams with 3D printed thermoplastic composite face sheets and multi-walled carbon nanotubes reinforced magnetorheological elastomer (MWCNT-MR elastomer) cores under non-uniform magnetic fields. A higher-order beam theory (HoBT) is employed to express the beam‘s displacement field. The governing equations of the 3D printed thermoplastic sandwich beam are derived using Lagrange‘s principle and discretized by the finite element method. The validity of the present method is confirmed through comparison with the results available in the literature. The stiffness and damping characteristics of the 3D printed thermoplastic sandwich beam are investigated in relation to support conditions, non-homogeneous magnetic flux, and core-face sheet thickness ratio.
Comparative study of adhesive fatigue in aeronautical bonded joints: A numerical approach in the frequency domain
Authors: Marques Denys , Ribeiro Marcelo L , Tita Volnei
Published: October 2021

The use of adhesively bonded structures has increased over the years, together with the development of composite materials. This work investigates a procedure for fatigue life prediction of an aeronautical bonded joint under random loads, in particular, the cohesive failure of the adhesive layer in a skin-to-stiffener bonded joint. The use of two different adhesives is investigated, and Dirlik’s method is employed to predict the stress response in the adhesive layer, from which the fatigue life is obtained. The effect of damping is also investigated, and it is shown that increases in damping result in higher fatigue life estimations.
Enhancing Self-Administered Questionnaire Response Quality Using Code of Conduct Reminders
Authors: Saunders Chad , Kulchitsky Jack
Published: October 2021

A key challenge for self-administered questionnaires (SaQ) is ensuring quality responses in the absence of a marketing professional providing direct guidance on issues as they arise for respondents. While numerous approaches to improving SaQ response quality have been investigated including validity checks, interactive design, and instructional manipulation checks, these are primarily targeted at situations where expected responses are of a factual nature or stated preferences. These interventions have not been evaluated in scenarios that require higher levels of engagement and judgment from respondents. While professional marketers are guided by codes of conduct, there is no equivalent code of conduct for SaQ respondents. This is particularly salient for SaQ that require higher levels of reflection and judgment, since in the absence of professional guidance, respondents rely more on their individual ethical ideologies and experience, leaving SaQ responses potentially devoid of the standards that normally set the expectations around data quality for marketing professionals. As marketing professionals are unable to provide guidance directly in a SaQ context, the approach used in this study is to offer varying levels of professional marketing guidance indirectly through specific codes of conduct reminders that are easily consumable by SaQ participants. We demonstrate that reminders and ethical ideologies moderate the relationship between the participant’s experience with SaQ and compliance with a code of conduct. Specifically, SaQ respondents produce fewer code of conduct infractions when receiving reminders than the control group, and this improves even more when the reminders coincide with the SaQ task. The paper concludes with implications for theory and practice.
Cesare Pavese’s Il campo di granturco: geographical trails
Authors: Messina Giovanni
Published: October 2021

This article proposes a critical reading of the short story, Il campo di granturco [The Cornfield], by Cesare Pavese. Methodologically and epistemologically, it tries to highlight the existing consonances between literature and geography with regards to three key concepts – the border, the landscape, and the territory – that form an indissoluble connection between human beings and the world. In geography, border, landscape, and territory are regarded as key cognitive mediators within the interaction between the Self and the world. What purpose, then, does reading Pavese from a geographic perspective serve? Why do his works matter within the context of cultural geography? Pavese’s Il campo di granturco, I argue, contains an example of what Augustin Berque calls ‘Thinking through Landscape’, which is an essential requirement of any relationship between the self and the world. Additionally, reading Pavese from a geographic viewpoint provides us the chance to propose a reflection on the role of dialog in the self/world cognitive relationship. The paper’s main objective is to contribute to current geographical debates on the self-world interactions.
Discussion and inquiry: A Deweyan perspective on teaching controversial issues
Authors: Kauppi Veli-Mikko , Drerup Johannes
Published: October 2021

There is a steady line of academic discourse around the topic of controversial issues and how to approach them in and through education. In this line of discourse, discussion is widely seen as a primary method of democratic education that is especially suitable to foster its major educational aims, such as tolerance, reciprocal respect, or political autonomy. The aim of this contribution is to show that the widespread emphasis on the educational and political value of discussions as a way to handle controversial issues in education can be problematic and one-sided. It is argued that the focus on discussions sometimes tends to be interpreted as a ‘magic bullet’ to all different sorts of controversies, without sufficient inquiry into the details that make up the controversy. This uniform solution threatens to downplay and underestimates other relevant components which are essential for the intelligent handling of controversial issues, such as practices of inquiry. Instead of questioning the political value and central educational role of discussing controversial issues tout court, the contribution points out some of the blind spots of the current debate and thereby aims to broaden the spectrum of theoretical and practical perspectives on how to approach controversial issues in education.